Assassin's Creed: Revelations

UPC: 008888526841

Platform: Xbox 360

Publisher: Ubisoft Entertainment

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal

Category: Action

Style(s): Third-Person 3D Action

Synopsis: The third and final chapter in Ezio Auditore's journey from a Florentine noble to a grand master assassin focuses on a quest to locate five ancient seals that are keys to the clandestine brotherhood's future. Ezio must seek out clues in 16th century Masyaf, Cappadocia, and Constantinople, treading the same ground his predecessor Alta?r covered hundreds of years before. As an older, wiser Ezio, you must master new techniques and technology to ensure your survival against overwhelming odds. Once again players will use a combination of climbing, stealth, and acrobatics to seek out and eliminate key targets of the Templar order. Ezio is now equipped with a hookblade that can be used for sliding across ropes, scaling buildings, or attacking enemies. Ezio can also craft a variety of bombs and make use of a heightened "eagle sense," allowing him to see targets even while enshrouded in smoke. Ezio is not alone in his journey; he'll encounter multiple allies and fellow assassins who will provide assistance when needed. The original game's protagonist, Alta?r, will also be playable in flashback sequences, bridging the stories of the two assassins for the first time in the series. Assassin's Creed: Revelations also builds upon the multiplayer component introduced in 2010's Brotherhood, offering new game modes, maps, and characters. No matter which mode you choose, you'll earn experience points to gradually increase in rank, unlocking new gadgets and techniques to use while battling rivals from around the world. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Uplay Passport

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The only revelatory aspect in this fourth entry in the Assassin's Creed franchise is that it's no longer enough for the developers to feature a different ancient city to explore if you're going to be doing the same exact things you did in the previous city. Like world-weary protagonist Ezio Auditore, the series is starting to feel old and tired, making you wonder if the developers ran out of ideas on how to improve the game. Needless to say, veterans of the franchise won't need any time to acclimate themselves to Constantinople, or for that matter, to Ezio. The master assassin now carries a hookblade, which speeds up climbing since it can latch onto ledges, and hastens travel when used to slide down ropes connecting building rooftops. Ezio can also use a ridiculously diverse arsenal of bombs. Players can even craft their own bombs by collecting shells and other ingredients throughout their travels. The problem is that bombs are completely unnecessary for the most part, and there's nothing remotely satisfying about opening up the oodles of ingredient chests scattered across the city so you can craft something you don't really need. Ezio already possesses a silent blade, hookblade, sword, dagger, crossbow, throwing knives, hand cannon, poison, and the agility of an acrobat. He can take out a group of ten soldiers in hand-to-hand combat without breaking a sweat, so adding bombs to his arsenal is complete overkill. The other changes to the game build upon what was introduced in Brotherhood. You once again need to reclaim various towers across the city, but now you will periodically have to defend them against Templars. This is played out not in an action-oriented, Dynasty Warriors-style battle, which could have been thrilling, but rather as an awkward-controlling tower defense game played from a fixed angled perspective. The rest of the activities are the same: you will recruit assassins, purchase shops to earn income, scale towers to reveal portions of the map, and so on. The basic controls haven't changed much, which means it's still frustrating to be scaling a tower only to accidentally wall spring toward the camera and plummet to your death. The missions also feel similar to Brotherhood's, from exploring dungeons to retrieve an ancient artifact to courting the favor of various factions. A big part of the game's allure will no doubt be the ability to play as the original game's Altair, but his flashback sequences are too short. Desmond also has his own sequences, which are slow and uneventful -- serving as a weird puzzle game in which you place blocks in 3D space to reach an exit. Brotherhood's distinctive online multiplayer action returns with some added game modes and new maps, but if you didn't like the surprisingly cerebral, slower paced feel of Brotherhood's matches -- which have you trying to blend in with computer-controlled characters to surprise your target -- you're not going to like the online play in Revelations, either. It's an acquired taste, but there is a surprise in store for those who keep at it: the multiplayer component has a storyline that's gradually revealed while you progress as an assassin-in-training for the Templar-controlled Abstergo Industries. While Revelations is a disappointment compared to its predecessors, it's still a highly playable game thanks in large part to the feeling of power you have as Ezio and Altair. Fans of the earlier games will want to find out how the story ends, but they shouldn't expect an improved experience over Brotherhood. Hopefully the next installment will introduce enough changes to ensure the franchise remains honed and pointed, much like an assassin's blade. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.