Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Prime Day Deals
  • Superman
  • Donkey Kong Bananza
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Action RPGs Assassin's Creed Shadows is getting a much-needed parkour update, and the pre-order quest about a vengeful dog will be available to all later today
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows "has clearly outperformed Assassin's Creed Odyssey" in sales and player count, Ubisoft says
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed: Shadows has been the best-selling game in the US for each of its first 3 weeks on market
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Shadows devs "just couldn't wait" to sneakily add some parkour improvements ahead of a bigger Title Update with some much smoother freerunning
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 combat
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 head was "bored" at Ubisoft and hungry for a JRPG, and made the highest-rated game of 2025 – "Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me"
Antoine congratulates Gustave on answering his trivia questions correctly, wishing him luck as part of Expedition 33 in Clair Obscur
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Antoine questions answered
  1. Games
  2. Action
  3. Assassin's Creed
  4. Assassin's Creed Unity

AC Unity's stunning Paris - how does it compare to 8 totally unrelated things?

Features
By Chet Manly published 19 November 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Attention to detail

Attention to detail

Throughout the last few months, Ubisoft has been keen to point out just how realistic its version of 18th century 'revolutionary' Paris really is. Streets, people, and landmarks have been recreated in painstaking detail, and would undoubtedly be instantly recognisable to players who were alive back in 1789.

This has already prompted many of our competitors to run fascinating features that compare AC Unity's Paris to modern-day Paris, which - given that the two exist roughly 225 years apart - is a bit like comparing a grape to a raisin. Seeing how we were beaten to the punch on the whole game / real-life Paris comparison, we've instead decided to compare Assassin's Creed Unity's stunning rendition of Paris to eight totally random things. Enjoy! And learn.

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Ile de la Citie vs A child's tricycle

Ile de la Citie vs A child's tricycle

Hmm, not a great start. Despite recreating the famous cathedral at Notre Dame in eye-breaking detail, the AC Unity team has totally failed to make it look anything like a child's trike. Poor show.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Notre Dame vs John Keats

Notre Dame vs John Keats

Let's take a closer look at that in-game version of Notre Dame. After squinting at it for several minutes, there's no way we can see a visual link between Paris' most famous religious monument, and 19th century romantic poet, John Keats. Very disappointing. It might be time to revisit our review score for Unity.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Les Halles vs a DVD copy of Body Heat

Les Halles vs a DVD copy of Body Heat

Ah the bustling market-heart of 18th century Paris. It looks positively alive in Assassin's Creed Unity, but frustratingly, it bears little resemblance to a DVD of Body Heat. Note how not even a single French peasant looks anything like William Hurt, or a plastic DVD box with a sleeve insert. Are you even trying, Ubi?

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Versailles vs Cillit Bang

Versailles vs Cillit Bang

The palace at Versailles is the beating heart of French royal life, and in AC Unity, it's wonderfully detailed inside and out. We explored it for several minutes before realising that it in no way resembles a bottle of Cillit Bang. NO amount of opulent curtains and gold chandeliers can disguise the fact that it looks nothing like cheap floor cleaner.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Bievres vs a bag of crisps

Bievres vs a bag of crisps

Ah Bievres - the merchant district of Paris on the left bank of the river Seine. In Unity it's stuffed full of traders and and shipping equipment, quite unlike this bag of Walkers cheese and onion crisps, which contains only fried potato snacks. Such a wasted opportunity.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Louvre vs Mise En Scene

Louvre vs Mise En Scene

Ah-ha! Got a good feeling about this one, because both of these things have French names. And, after spending some time wandering around the famous artistic district of Paris, we did start to notice some similarities to the cinematic device of mise en scene. Well done, AC team!

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
The Bastille vs Lou Diamond Phillips

The Bastille vs Lou Diamond Phillips

After the success with 'Mise En Scene', we had high hopes for this one. However, after running around it for half an hour, we just couldn't see any similarities between Paris' notorious prison, and '90s bit-part actor Lou Diamond Phillips. Shame - we'd love to see the bastille starring alongside Emilio Esteves in Young Guns.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Versailles vs the 1991 Chicago Bulls

Versailles vs the 1991 Chicago Bulls

No. Even after scouring the inside of the French palace, we have to concede that it looks absolutely nothing like the hugely successful 1991 Chicago Bulls franchise. At one point, we thought we saw Scottie Pippen hiding behind a chaise-lounge, but it wasn't him.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Wait - didn't you use this outro slide before?

Wait - didn't you use this outro slide before?

Here are some things. 8 zero-point achievements that will make you cry, and winners of the 32nd annual Golden Joystick Awards.

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PS4 Xbox One Platforms PlayStation Xbox
Chet Manly
Chet Manly
Chet cut his gaming teeth on PSone, then advocated multi-console love before it was cool to do so. He still claims Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is the best game ever made, and swears he can "do all the tricks for real".
See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Best Assassin's Creed games, ranked from worst to best
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows is getting a much-needed parkour update, and the pre-order quest about a vengeful dog will be available to all later today
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has clearly outperformed Assassin's Creed Odyssey" in sales and player count, Ubisoft says
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed: Shadows has been the best-selling game in the US for each of its first 3 weeks on market
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows devs "just couldn't wait" to sneakily add some parkour improvements ahead of a bigger Title Update with some much smoother freerunning
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 combat
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 head was "bored" at Ubisoft and hungry for a JRPG, and made the highest-rated game of 2025 – "Somehow it worked, which still makes no sense to me"
Latest in Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake rumors get even more fuel as Ubisoft France posts about the original game following a blatant hint from Edward Kenway's actor
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag artwork showing Kenway with a group of pirates
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake takes a step closer to reality as lead voice actor tells fans "you may have to beat it again"
Critical Role character Rufino appears in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows update adds nightmare difficulty, an "open-world alarm" system," a potato mode for low-end PCs, and a new story quest crossing over with D&D series Critical Role
"Has that been announced?": Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake seemingly leaked by statue maker who said "you should be aware that there is something going on with Edward"
Jade Raymond
Assassin's Creed creator leaves studio she founded 4 years ago, without releasing the live-service shooter she was working on
Assassin's Creed Shadows
After several rough years, Ubisoft says "the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows was a defining moment" and its Tencent deal to basically make Ubisoft 2 is coming along
Latest in Features
David Corenswet as Superman with Krypto the dog and a robot in the Fortress of Solitude.
James Gunn's Superman has finally found the cure to superhero movie fatigue: just make them more like comics
Abraham's Boys: A Dracula Story
New indie horror Abraham's Boys: A Dracula Story is Frailty meets There Will Be Blood with a haunting focus on family – and I have no complaints
Superman shows off his strength on the cover of Superman Unlimited #2.
Here's how to start reading Superman comics once you've seen the new movie
David Corenswet as Superman in James Gunn's Superman
Superman ending explained: your biggest questions answered on Lex Luthor, the Justice Gang, and what it sets up for the DCU
The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature
After 16 years of The Sims 3, The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature might just be the whimsical expansion pack that pulls me away from EA's iconic 2009 life sim for good
Superman
Every comic book character in Superman, listed in order of appearance in James Gunn's new movie
  1. Zion Wright grinds along a wooden balustrade in in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4's San Francisco level
    1
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 review: "A nostalgic, must-play hit for fans"
  2. 2
    College Football 26 review: “Thanks to rivalries and dynasty, this is the greatest show on turf”
  3. 3
    Mecha Break review: "This mech battler makes up for lacking customization with a varied roster that lets me live out my Evangelion fantasy"
  4. 4
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  5. 5
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  1. David Corenswet as Superman inside the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's Superman.
    1
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  2. 2
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  3. 3
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  4. 4
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  5. 5
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...