Poll: Assassin's Creed: Does anyone even WANT Desmond as the main character?

[TheDrunkNinja]

I notice a lot of people have mixed feelings about Desmond from the Assassin's Creed series. The most criticism I see is the fact that he's extremely bland and doesn't have as much of a cool backstory/character as his ancestors. That and Nolan North's usual smug voice acting that seems to follow him from game to game ("Hey wassa-matta-you, Altair?"). The thing of it is is that people seem to forget that Ubisoft is seriously building up this guy the true protagonist and hero of the series. He's pretty much set to have his own game at some point in the future.

Now, I can think of a few tragedies and cataclysmic events that can make any asshole a great dynamic character in time for that game, but, truth be told, at this point do people even want Desmond to have his own game? People seem to really not like this guy. I personally don't think any character is irredeemable. Both Altair and Ezio started out with their flaws before discovering their true purpose and role in the story (Altair was incredibly headstrong and arrogant in his abilities; Ezio was a bratty playboy who never really took much in life too seriously).

But really, I made this thread to see what other people thought, if they were excited by the build up or if they even want Desmond at all. Tell me what you guys think.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

The series has been built around the notion that Desmond will rise and become the next Altair or Ezio. That being said, he changed much in the same way that Altair and Ezio changed over the course of the game, and I'm pretty sure that by the time he gets an entire game all to himself, he will have gone through all that stuff via the Animus and the bleeding effect. When the Assassin's Creed series is inevitably concluded, it would have essentially been one massive story-arc that chronicled Desmond's development as a character and as an Assassin much in the same way AC1 and AC2 chronicled Altair and Ezio's character development respectively.

I'm actually thankful Revelations is the last Ezio and Altair game. It gives the story a chance to focus on Desmond more as opposed to spending the next entries in the series lugging around all that luggage.

 

[Froken Keke]

As I've said before, I don't understand why everybody hates Desmond. In fact, I feel as I've only seen that hate here. I have nothing against him, and like the character, and find his story much more interesting than Altair or Ezio's.

But I don't want him in his own game. That'd just go against what makes Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed. The series relies on historic settings and time periods. Throwing in a game where you're just Desmond in some modern science fiction setting would ruin the whole point.

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

Most characters (in games, movies, whatever) are only awesome because they go through some shocking paradigm shift that changes their whole outlook on their lives. What you gotta realize is that Desmond is JUST going through that now. Before this he was a fucking bartender. I have a feeling he'll be a cool guy by the end of it though.....

 

[ultrachicken]

I think that Desmond is not a very likable or believable assassin at this point, but that's been the point of the games so far. Character growth. I'm sure that by the end of AC3, he'll have become a badass worthy of his ancestry.

 

[Zhukov]

Who?

...

Oh, the chair guy.

Well, from a narrative standpoint I guess it kinda has to happen. That seems to be what the entire series has been building towards.

To be honest, I've never exactly been enraptured with the AC cast. Desmond is dull (quick challenge: try to identify one or more defining traits of his character). Altiar... well, credit where it's due, they did try to give him some character development. But it took place during three brief conversations and I still never liked the gormless sod. Ezio was easily the pick of the bunch, but I got thoroughly sick of him by the halfway point of AC2.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I don't understand the hate towards the guy really.

The way I understand Desmond is that with each game we gain an understanding of his ancestors along with him and we get to see him grow as a character. And with that, his ability to become more and more like Altair and Ezio, and for him to realize the situation that he's in and how he will overcome it.

I'm guessing that by the end of Revelations he will be a Master Assassin and become someone like Altair and/or Ezio since by then he should be able to do the same things as them. So I'm sure by the end of this story arc, he will be among the great Assassins and we can move on to some other poor bastard that got stuck in this whole deal.

 

[skywolfblue]

He's NOT the main character. You play the vast majority of the game as Altair or Ezio, those are the main characters. Desmond is more of a side character that ties all the threads together.

Desmond isn't as charming as Ezio, but I've never really had a problem with him. I'm not sure why some people throw such a fuss.

 

[DannyJBeckett]

Personally I want to see MUCH more Altair in the games. I like Ezio, but I can't help but get the feeling that Altair would flatten him in a fight. I don't mind Desmond in the role he's in at the moment, but I don't think they should make him the MAIN playable character.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

He's NOT the main character. You play the vast majority of the game as Altair or Ezio, those are the main characters. Desmond is more of a side character that ties all the threads together.

Desmond isn't as charming as Ezio, but I've never really had a problem with him. I'm not sure why some people throw such a fuss.

Let me clarify: the question is "Does anyone even want Desmond as the main character of his own game in the Assassin's Creed series?"

 

[Milenkov]

It's not that I don't like Desmond, it's more-so that given the time period he's in, where guns (and especially snipers) are available, the hidden blade seems kind of redundant. However, we've had three Ezio games already (Revelations up and coming, but I still count it), and I'm kind of getting fed up with the "Expansion-feel" each one is bringing. So yes, I am very much looking forward to Desmond's game