User reviews

A fitting end to Ezio and Altair.

Negatives:

• although I enjoyed this game, it was the same formula as the last two
• had a cold and overused feeling to the story and the way it was animated
• not enough colour in the animation
• slightly anticlimactic

-not violent enough

Positives:

• the reason I rated it so highly was because they dedicated a whole game to a fitting ending for both our characters we have played for 3 previous games, who needed resolution.

• the location
• the characters
• the story
• the bleakness
• the consistency with the other games
• it's darkness compared to the other 3 games

Overall a good 9.0/10.

This game was great send off to the Master Assassin and should be a game that every Assassin Creed fan should play.

the assassin's creed revelations will surely blow your minds away , i am mad for assassin's parts since i played first part of these series , and Altair began to come in my dreams :)

then , from the second part , the entry of legendary and handsome , somehow , diverted my mind from Altair and i was liking the second and third part , but altair was still my favorite ...

But guys , this part really blow off my mind , the soundtrack is so amazing that it takes you to another world , the altair parts in the game are just awesome , the old master ezio is more than awesome , i really get a wao feeling on using the hook blade

The ending is awesome , i like the moment when suddenly Ezio call the Desomnd name , seriously i get a jaw dropped there , m eagerly waiting for the next part :)

As compared to brotherhood, there may not be many new things added to the game. There's the hook blade and bomb crafting which are both excellent. The Den Defense and Desmond platform missions are however, not so great. Apart from these there have been many tweaks, but they are all minor. It feels and plays just like Brotherhood. This is the ONLY flaw in the game. The game is terrific in all departments. The Story is the best I've ever heard. It's absolutely stellar. There are a lot of moments in the game that quite frankly WILL take your breath away and leave you with goosebumps. Storytelling has been improved by miles and the cinematic cut scenes are excellent. Ubisoft has done a great job in tying up all the main characters together and the story really comes together in the end. A perfect goodbye to Altair and Ezio Auditore. Their stories are legendary, they are an inspiration and they will never be forgotten. Ending could not be more perfect. It's explained perfectly and really stirs up a lot of excitement for what's to come ahead. Assassin's Creed Revelations : "Checkmate. Your Move Assassin's Creed III."

I have to say this game is absolutely amazing and is one of the best games of all time and is as good as AC2... Which is hard to compete against... This game has an amazing story and the ending is just FANTASTIC!!!! The game play is very good as there are many ways to do things like killing people and there are many weapons. the new addition of zip lines is good as they are very fun to go on and very fun to assassinate people from them... The multi-player in this game is also very good.. it is very unique as there is no other like it and it is very fun and addictive.... Some people might say there are a lot of bugs in the multi-player. Well they are wrong because if you have a bad internet connection then it will glitch.....

So overall there might be tiny little things wrong with the game but there isn't enough to stop me giving it a 10/10!!!!!!!

Following events at the end of Brotherhood, Desmond's mind has imploded, trapping him deep inside the Animus with subject 16 for company. His only way out in to delve deeper into the memories of Ezio, in particular his later years where he travels to Constantinople, himself tracing the footsteps of someone who has gone before him, Altair, in order to find the powerful artefact hidden within Masyaf, the ancient assassin temple.

When Brotherhood came out the other year, I thought it was a bit rushed and that it wasn't necessary – or at least I felt that way till I played it and enjoyed it a great deal while also progressing the overall story. As a result I was a little less cynical with Revelations, although I did still wait a few months till it was selling for less than £20. I'm sort of glad I did because, although enjoyable for what it is, this game very much feels like it was done for the sake of it rather than providing anything new to the player. In terms of gameplay everything is as it was and, although the new cities provide some cosmetic differences, it really is the same as what you have done before although I liked the addition of the bombs. "More of the same" isn't really a bad thing because I do very much enjoy the games so having more missions to do in the same sort of game is fine by me. Revelations keeps the assassin training and city missions aspect, which I quite liked, but the addition of the semi-strategy "Den Defence" game is poor – it was painful to do and the best thing to say about it is that at least the game only forces you to play it once! The other addition of Desmond's puzzles is actually really good – I found it challenging while also at the same time I liked finding out a bit more about his character from inside his head. There are a couple of missions as an old Altair where you have to walk at a snail's pace – these were annoying to play, but they are the minority.

The story is probably the main weakness here. I like the idea of tying up the stories of Ezio and Altair like this, but at the same time it doesn't really take the overall story – and this is the story that I keep coming to these games for. The bigger picture feels like it is in a holding pattern and what little narrative progress there is doesn't really justify an entire game to make it. I still liked the story within the game, but it did feel like they were just filling time and getting the most out of the characters in terms of sales before they have to move on (as they will, to the American civil war in the next game). The graphics are good – of course not as good as the opening cinematic, but they look good and the console never struggle with them. The multiplayer is polished, with some nice new game modes – I've only played it a few times but it is fun and, unlike Brotherhood, I seem to be able to actually get into games instead of waiting for 20 minutes as was the norm between games last time. It is tough but it has a unique feel to it and is a nice contrast to the "constant action, constant rushing" games that normally make up online play.

Overall Revelations is a solid game that continues the high quality of Brotherhood. However, it is hard to shake the feeling of the game being unnecessary and, as much as I enjoyed it, the story doesn't really move forward as much as it could have done. That said, I look forward to AC3, but Revelations has made me feel like I am sort of hoping that the next game is the one to bring it all to a close.

"Assassin's Creed Revelations unfolds a captivating narrative, with the library scene standing as a testament to its storytelling brilliance. Nestled in an ancient library, the meticulously crafted ambiance immerses players in a realm where past and present gracefully intertwine. The scene's emotional resonance, the conversations, and character development converge to create a gaming moment that lingers in memory. As Ezio unravels hidden truths, the weight of centuries becomes palpable, offering a profound and immersive experience. The accompanying soundtrack adds a symphonic layer, intensifying the emotional impact and propelling this scene to a masterclass in gaming storytelling.

The depth of connection fostered in this narrative journey leaves me uncertain if any other game could elicit a similar level of affection. "Assassin's Creed Revelations" has carved a unique space in my gaming heart, making it a benchmark against which I measure my future gaming experiences."

The game that gives end to the Ezio story. It keeps you entertained and fully emerged on the story with amazing mechanics and beautiful art.

The problem with having a successful franchise is that it's hard to keep the innovation and the awesome stuff going. Where do you draw the line, though? How can you tell if the devs are legitimately trying to keep telling a story that is too long to fit in one game or if they're just making cash off a solid, established and loved franchise?

Sadly, Assassin's Creed: Revelations feels like one final squeeze to the saga before they actually have to, you know, come up with something new for the series.

The original game was a total breakthrough. The idea was innovative, the execution was great, the engine was fantastic, it looked and sounded great and it had all the elements of a grade-A title. The sequel was even better. The whole setting for the story was different, the plot itself was deeper and there was the addition of a bunch of gameplay features that really enhanced the first game while keeping the essence of what made Assassin's Creed so good intact.

AC: Revelations is not a bad game (let's face it, you just can't make a bad game when there's such a huge budget behind it), but it's more of the same. There are no significant changes since AC: Brotherhood. The game world feels very much the same (even though the locations are different), the objectives for missions and side-missions are the same and so on. To add insult to injury, the few features that were supposed to refresh the game, such as a new tower-defense type of minigame or the bomb crafting system end up being underwhelming at best and annoying at worst.

Similarly to when Brotherhood came out, Revelations just plays like a bunch of content and features that got cut out of the original AC:2 and instead of coming up with a few DLCs to wrap the story up, they released, supposedly, a whole new title. It really does feel like the same old game, with a few reskins and name changes. In addition, the main storyline is disappointingly short, probably around 5 or 6 hours and its only purpose is not to fill in the blanks in the story, but rather just get you to a cliffhanger by the end of the game so you buy Assassin's Creed 3.

Graphically, it looks a tad better than its predecessor but still somewhat disappointing when compared to other games currently on the market. On the plus side, most mid-range computers won't have much of an issue running with high settings, same as with the previous games in the franchise.

In the gameplay department, everything is pretty much left untouched. There are some new weapons and moves, like the 'hookblade' or the 'counter-steal' but they don't really add any substantial depth to the previous mechanics. Other than that, it still is a sandbox game with a ridonkulous amount of collectibles and side-missions, so if you're a completionist and like shooting for 100%, it will keep you busy for quite a few hours.

My last gripe is with the story. The ending in Assassin's Creed 2 was.. out there. The franchise started out as a very solid, entertaining and thrilling story about world conspiracies and whatnot, and suddenly it turned into something out of the mind of L. Ron Hubbard. Now, as sketchy as it might have been at the time, I thought: "Well, okay. Where are they taking this?" and decided to give them a chance. The story in Revelations just feels blatantly rushed, weak and nonsensical. It's just tidbits and glimpses of Altäir's life after the events in the original game and a cliffhanger at the end. It doesn't tie things together. It doesn't provide you with more knowledge about what happened or what's going to happen. I'm all for building up the suspense, but, yet again, it feels like Ubisoft just needed to stretch things before coming up with the next sequel and ended up with a bunch of filler instead of a solid narrative.

In closing, Assassin's Creed: Revelations just feels like a very safe bet on Ubisoft's side to keep capitalizing on a product they know it works while at the same time cramming a bunch of superficial new features to sell it as new and improved. It's nothing exciting, innovative or memorable, but if you liked the previous games, chances are you'll enjoy this one.

If you're a fan of the franchise and want to find out more about the story/lore behind it, by all means, go ahead and play this one, but don't expect a different game.

7 / 10 due to lack of originality.

I love the assassins creed series. It's beautiful, fun, addictive and different. The story line is different for the usual shoot and run type of feel. So when revelations was coming out if was extremely exciting but I ended up being disappointed. I don't know if it was just me but the story line was out of no where. They explain it but in the beginning I was asking myself "why the hell is ezio here." The story line was also a little hard to follow. I also found myself asking "what the hell is going on how are these people." It felt random.

Also some things I found pointless. Getting more assassins. We really never used them and if we did it was the ones that the game gave you for the cut scenes. You would have gotten two new assassins but when you used them you had like 10. There was only like 4 assassins there anyway. So why get assassins if they are going to give them to me. Also in the game you meet a prince that you befriend in the game. You have to visit him a few times but the weird thing is his house is all restricted area with guard so while going to start a memory you would have to get there and try not to be attacked. Also I'm this game like in AC brotherhood you buy shops to increase you income. I have no problem with this but in AC revelations its so hard to find places. They are not near each other and they are just hard to find. When I needed something I had to play hide n seek with the shops. Also they added this weird thing they added that random people will come up and stab you. You can stop them but you need to be quick. The only problem with this is it happens at the most annoying times. Like when you are chasing someone or tailing someone and you can't be detected. I play this game on xbox and on the other games Y was the button to lock onto a Target well in this game they changed it and it does not always work.

The most annoying thing was you do all this work the whole game and you don't find out anything. There is no revelation, the information we game was we already knew cuz it was it was obvious. I thought it would wrap up a lot of things. Well nope. You would think there will be a big revel at the end but desmond just wakes up and says "I know what to do" I found myself asking "what was the point of it, if there was no revelation." So I wonder what will they do in the next game since it features a new ansestor. If desmond knows what to do then y is there a new ansetor. Also there was no real big fight at the end. You kill all the targets with one stab of the blade kinda if boring. I love the series I loved playing the games because the story line is not like others. This game is a lot like brotherhood just in a different place. The thing I loved was it wrapped up ezios story. They best part of the game, ezio falls in love with an Italian woman. That I feel like was the main point, to wrap up ezios story so the bakers don't feel cheated.

The multi player is also fun, some glitches but its not the normal easy to do,shoot and run game, you have to think a little bit. I give this an 7/10. Because it was good but not as good as I thought Still a fine game and I would say get it but not to get any new info but to wrap up a ezio and to play the multi player.

Throughout the last five years, I have been a longstanding fan of the Assassins Creed series. I thought Assassins Creed 2 was the best game of that year, I loved Brotherhood just as much, and although I never played the original I watched a Let's Play and enjoyed it. Revelations is where it all went wrong. All my expectations for this title (stemmed from the massive promotion of the game) were violently cut short when I finally played it. The game is a pointless entry to the series, with zero improvements over it's predecessor, Brotherhood, as well as multiple flawed concepts that completely detract from the experience that we usually have with these games.

Let's start with the setting. For the majority of the run time, you'll be playing in Constantinople instead of Rome like in the previous installment (still in the early 16th century though.) The theory supporting this idea was good, because as Constantinople was considered the international market superpower at the time, the player would be able to see and interact with many different cultures of the world, and the city would be full of life. But what we got instead, was a city which functioned almost exactly like Brotherhood in terms of travel, supporting factions, and income system (which is actually a lot worse, but we'll get to that). The city is completely monochromatic (everything's brown for some reason), and it's nowhere near as large or environmentally diverse as Rome, making exploration boring and pointless. As for the various cultures, you see a few, but you can't interact with them anyway making them pretty much wallpaper. The most amount of interaction you have with the setting is when random assassins try to kill you for a quick time event that takes a second. This city is in no way better than Rome, it adds nothing new, in fact it detracts in terms of size because it's the smallest setting in the series.

Now for the flawed concepts. Assassins creed revelations does try to add a few features to the system, VERY FEW. The ones they added are pointless though. The hook blade only allows you to travel on zip-lines, it's the only reason you remember you have it. It adds nothing new to combat except a few counter animations. They also a bomb system where you can mix different bombs from multiple recipes which all do different things for either stealth or combat. This would be great if it wasn't BROKEN. Often when you use the cherry bomb, it alerts enemies to your direction, instead of diverting them away. The other bombs are useless, and have awkward aiming mechanics. The assassins recruit system is still there, and it's better now because you have to do missions with recruits to elevate their rank, making them more personal. But throughout the main storyline there will be little opportunity or purpose in using them, making them a wasted investment. Speaking of that, there is also no point in purchasing weapons and armor. Money takes a long time to accumulate, and the weapons you have at the start are enough to carry you through the whole game. Especially since the game is very short. I finished the main story mode in one day, which I find insulting given the cost of the game. But how do you purchase weapons and armor you ask? I'm about to discuss the worst part of this lazy game.

The den system. This irritated me so much, it made me rush through the game to finish it early. Every time you renovate a building you increase your templar awareness, which eventually puts one of your dens at risk of being taken over. You heard that correctly, THE GAME PUNISHES YOU FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING. But it gets worse. You protect the den with this "tower- defense" mini game, which is the single worst idea I've ever seen in this series. You magically spawn units to defend against an unfairly powerful templar squad that attempt to break down the den. It's not so much about strategy, as it is about frantically spawning things in desperation, as the enemy barely gives you any time to recover units before attacking again. It's so annoying having to play this thing over and over every-time I want to renovate buildings, so I didn't want to earn money. Wish I could've earned back the money I paid for the game.

The combat system is still satisfying, but underwhelming due to nothing new. It's still standing around and waiting for enemies to attack, and then countering. Unless you fight the Janniseries, who are unfairly tough since the game never explains how to fight them. The graphics aren't bad, but aren't good for a 2011 title.

The story is downright terrible. I won't give away any spoilers, but in this game's story you find out nothing new, it doesn't answer the big question everyone had after seeing the ending of Brotherhood, and it's full of characters who, in comparison to the beautifully written and unique Italian characters of the last two games, feel one-note and awfully boring. Nothing happens that is relevant, it's filled with plot holes, the Altair missions are reasonably interesting but very rare, and the Desmond part of the game is boring. You ponder through an awkward first-person mode, with platforming puzzles that look like a parody of portal 2, while Desmond recounts extraneous information about his upbringing, which leads to nothing. The story in the game is so irrelevant, non-conclusive, it feels like you can skip it and play AC3 straight after brotherhood. You should do, because this game is the least memorable in the series. That is the most objective statement in this review, because two years after this game was released (and after AC3), no one ever talks about this anymore. I have to much time on my hands.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations is a masterful conclusion to the story of Ezio Auditore, and it truly showcases Ubisoft's dedication to evolving the series. Set in the vibrant city of Constantinople, the game breathes life into the era with remarkable detail and a noticeable leap in graphics from its predecessors. The architecture, bustling markets, and unique atmosphere add an immersive layer that enriches the experience and draws players into Ezio's world.

The story offers a deeper, more introspective look at Ezio as he seeks answers and closure. By connecting his journey with that of Altair, Revelations not only adds depth to Ezio's character but also honors the legacy of the Assassin's Creed franchise. The moments where past and present intertwine are genuinely moving, adding a level of emotional resonance that fans will appreciate.

While some gameplay mechanics can feel a bit repetitive, particularly for those who played the previous entries, the addition of the hook blade and bomb crafting keeps it engaging and refreshing. Minor issues aside, Revelations does an exceptional job of balancing action with storytelling, giving Ezio a satisfying and respectful farewell. For any fan of the series, it's a journey worth taking.

I love this game ,this has to be one the greatest endings of ezio adventure in ac game heres why.you played as a altaïr for second thime but sume missions only if the altïar still availible to be playble assassins i will be super shock i am huge fan of ezio in third atventure and don,t gibe me wrong. The cinematic is greate actually one of the best cinematics of entire series. I really enjoyed story and chareters.but i wasn,t preaper for because some missions are pretty pepetetive and begining of game you need the chasse rhe templar and end of the missions is so sloppy Overall i really love this game has some great story i love the ezio and this is why ezio trilogy is better than RPG trilogy.

Following the end of the last installment(no spoilers in this review), Desmond is in a coma(trapped on the Animus running in Safe Mode, Inception's Limbo(I guess since they were already ripping off The Matrix, why not go to that one next), and we meet Subject Sixteen, who is all like "I thought I was fine, too, but now look at me! I'm like a cross between Jake Busey and The Joker!". Anyway, he tells him that he has to go through "whatever remains of his ancestors' memories that he hasn't already seen, so that it can't be new to him, for when it'll all "attack" his mind"… which sounds like nonsensical BS(why would him already knowing the memories keep them from affecting his mind?). Anyway, because of this, he relives the last of his two forefathers experiences(well, the fun parts, anyway), and thus, we get proper closure for both. Ezio is now in Constantinople in 1511, a glorious(the graphics get the anticipated upgrade, not much is changed in that regard; acting remains solid) locale where he meets new interesting characters(some of them actual historical ones), and where he… feels terribly out of place(I wish they'd made it a different person, one who lived there). He goes there searching for the five Masyaf keys, that will unlock a massive door at said, lovingly recreated castle, which is said to hold something important that will change things(yeah, like we've never *that* before in these…). Each of them contains one of Altaïrs flashbacks, and we relive them. Most of the supposed answers(evidently, their creed about everything being permitted includes stringing audiences along; and near the end, it gets a serious Matrix sequels vibe… I really hope they have a better idea of a proper conclusion than the Wachowski's did for that series) here are backstory and plot(well-written and nicely told as usual), but a little new is divulged. We even find out a little more about the ever-mystical Templars! You continue to steal towers from them(by killing the Captain belonging to it and lighting the signal at the top - though this beautiful new vista already has a full, functioning system of tunnels, so you lose the joy of getting more and more of a rapid way to move between areas... also, except for the carriages(which make up a few of the action set pieces(that early on seem as though Ubisoft used up all their cool ideas for such with the previous incarnation... turns out, they just spread them out more and integrated almost all of them into the main story, which is arguably better), with Ben Hur-like races where you smash the others, and get pulled behind them by a rope, steering side to side to avoid rocks in your path! This happens early on), there are no horses in this whatsoever), and afterwards, they may try to take them back(if your Awareness reaches 100%, that is… and it's harder to keep it down than before, with less effect from fewer tools to prevent it, and now, even renovating causes it to increase! It really feels like a civil war is being fought), and you will engage in Den Defense, something unique to this. It's basically RTS in third-person, you're static and can look around, and have to keep the waves of enemies from reaching the end of a "corridor" of buildings, by putting barricades in their way and placing your men behind them, or atop roofs, calling in cannon barrages and shooting, yourself. Both sides have different types of infantry, each with strengths and weaknesses(this also means that this mini-game will surprise you with new stuff the first several times), and their charge tends to culminate in them bringing in a siege weapon, that, if you defeat it, will be assembled by your people and be used to hold them back, next time. If it doesn't float your boat, you don't have to do it much at all. Also, as part of how the recruits in this are like a photo negative of how they are in Brotherhood(still an overall superior effort, being more balanced, bringing more new great things to these, etc.), if you get them trained to top level(which is now much easier, lacking the feel of accomplishment... though now, you "meet" them, going on individual missions with them), once that happens, they will immunize these hideouts against attack(well, I guess it just means you don't personally have to act as general). Some other aspects of that is that sending them into other big cities now "matters", they're taking over these places, and/or increasing your(/decreasing their!) control of them, so you feel like this conflict isn't only taking place where you are. In addition to a well-done throwing system and alternate fire(for all ranged weapons except the crossbow), this allows you to craft bombs, in the three self-explanatory categories of Lethal, Diversionary and Tactical, with shells of differing fuses/applications, three levels of how powerful the gunpowder is, and numerous effects(smoke, distracting by way of noise/sight, killing by explosion or poison fumes, etc.). This is shorter than the others, feeling like an expansion pack. Multiplayer will have you playing for longer than its predecessor, with every map, ability(short of Sprint Boost, that was somewhat useless... and they can now be crafted, to improve them, though you have to choose in what way(deselecting others)...! Again, only consequence in this franchise is in MP) and game mode(and they're joined by new ones, such as CTF) returning. The relationship between pursuer and target is evened out, and more hints are given about where targets are(and this is included where it wasn't before). There are a ton of chances for customization(and everything costs Abstergo credits, earned by playing, now), in models, weapons used, what move will be used for the well-implemented Taunting, and the personal emblem which you are granted extreme freedom in designing. There is some disturbing content and a lot of bloody violence in this. I recommend this to fans of these. 7/10

I love Assassin's Creed as a concept, but it's depressing to see how they've managed to make each installment in the series progressively worse after Assassin's Creed 2, which in my opinion is the best one of them all, closely followed by the original game.

You do everything BUT assassinate people in the latter ones. You buy shops and buildings, look for books, treasure chests and animus fragments, train recruits, try and dominate the Mediterranean and so on and so forth...

Ezio seems to be going out of his way to not kill anyone. That was the good thing about the first game in the series: Each sequence has a key target you have to assassinate.

And how about those countless cinematics that go on and on without end? It's obvious that the developers of really wanted to work in the movie business. But when playing the game for a second time, or replaying specific missions in order to achieve 100% synch (which in the end doesn't seem to have any real effect at all) it's tedious with endless dialogues.

And it's obvious that Ubisoft don't give a crud about PC users. When you want to skip a cinematic in other games, you usually press enter or space and it skips right to the action. In this game you have to press escape to enter a menu, select skip cinematic and you're instantly taken to a load screen which lasts about as long as the cinematic itself. The same thing when you buy a shop or a building; the camera swirls around Ezio, sort of locking him in place, thus preventing him from starting to run instantly. Instead he looks like a bumbling retard, stumbling into people while staring at the building he just bought.

Little things, I know, but when you have to do it a zillion times in a game (after all, there are 95 buildings you can buy in this one, and the cinematics never stop), it's frustrating that Ubisoft couldn't have come up with a more user friendly solution.

Oh, and while we are on the subject on endless things, how about those dreadfully boring "walk with me while I deliver expository dialogue for 20 minutes" missions? It's ridiculous that you can't skip those, especially when, again, playing the game for a second time, or replaying specific missions in order to achieve 100% synch.

Also, the games are getting smaller in scope for each iteration.

Assassin's Creed: Acre, Damascus, Jerusalem + the whole countryside between these cities.

Assassin's Creed 2: Florence, San Gimignano, Forlì, Venice, Monteriggioni and the Vatican.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood: Monteriggioni, Rome, Viana and the Vatican.

Assassin's Creed Revelations: Constantinople and Cappadocia.

Revelations is kind of like Brotherhood where there is one main city where most of the action takes place (Constantinople vs. Rome) but unlike Rome Constantinople is freaking tiny. And not one horse to be found anywhere.

People may criticize the first game to not have enough story, but come on, the story part in Revelations is tiny! Had I not deliberately spent hours upon hours doing side missions, buying houses, training recruits and looking for shiny treasure chests and data fragments like some moron with OCD, I would've had no problem playing through this game in a day or two. And don't give me any crap about how this isn't a full sequel, but sort of a mid-game between Assassin's Creed 2 and 3. Well, it's not an expansion pack! I paid full price for it, thus I expect a full game.

Honestly, I have doubts whether I'll play Assassin's Creed 3 or not. Judging by the previews, a whole lot of the game seems to be taking place in the goddamn countryside. And the cities seem to be full of two-story buildings (wow!) with the odd church steeple thrown in here and there. Compare that to the epic scale of the old cities in the Middle East and Europe with their massive structures, and Assassin's Creed 3 seems kind of underwhelming. I hope they prove me wrong.

(Word limited review for this site.)

Console:

Playstation 3

Genre:

Third person 'stealth' action

Setting:

Constantinople; The Animus (virtual world)

Story:

The final (?) story arc concerning the assassin Ezio Auditore, who is now middle-aged (see previous reviews).

Graphics:

Very good. The colours look a bit bleached though, which is no doubt a design choice...perhaps reflecting the faded appearance of Ezio. That design choice makes the artwork less impressive visually than its predecessors which featured Ezio.

Gameplay:

Good about the game:

* Less of an emphasis on the PITA puzzles of the previous two games which required looking up the answers on search engines or video sites.

* It was fun being able to charge about the city on foot, bowling over anyone who got in your way! This dealt with an earlier frustration in the series...running about the city on foot but being impeded by other citizens. The sounds that the citizens make when you charge them is also amusing.

* Creating your own mini-games, which are more fun than the game's! E.g. I had a little bit fun of charging civilians near the water's edge into the water. They sank like stones! The trick was to not fall into the water yourself! One similarly amusing incident occurred when Ezio hired some allies and one of them just plunged to their death from a great height...for no apparent reason! Bad A.I., but hey!

Bad about the game:

* The assumption by the devs that players would just want to walk every square centimetre of the city...literally. i.e. trophies, 100% synchronisation or other collecting "quests" really require you to go through the tedious process of walking every square centimetre of the city. What's nearly as annoying is that it can often be quicker to sprint around the city than to take the "shortcut" through the tunnel system!

* Related to the above point is the fact that I'm just sick of games exchanges gameplay which is fun to do again with "incentives" to replay the game...like trophies, 100% synchronisation and other "challenges" where you have to do something "x" number of times or find all instances of an object or whatever. E.g. I thought I was done with those stupid challenges when I had the misfortune of discovering that the devs thought uncovering wells was a "fun" thing to do! I really couldn't be bothered walking every square centimetre of the city to do that. No thankyou! The sooner that devs ditch the stupid PITA trophy system and other "incentives" to replay a game the better!

* To expand on the point above...I played the game trying to be as completionist as I could. That entailed putting the story LAST. i.e. I just focused on "completing" as many of these "challenges" etc. as I could. That really knocks my score down considerably. Story first, please!

* Once again, skipping cinematic cutscenes takes as long (or longer!) than actually sitting through (but not watching) the cutscene!

* I also left the entire Desmond-in-The-Animus stuff to last as well. Fortunately this stuff was not as bad as the previous games' "puzzle" solving, as comments I'd read online had led me to believe. However, it was annoying that in one of the "puzzles", the "hint" that is provided was not visible...unless you were ALREADY on the right track! That's the first puzzle sequence that you had to choose. Of course, I chose the wrong direction to explore, so I just ended up looking for the solution online...again, because I'm not the kind of person who just luuurves to explore every square centimetre of a map for "the fun of it"! Life's too short.

The ugly:

* Having returned to this franchise after many years (I posted my last review on the series around 23/06/2011), I was reminded of the God-awful character control movement in some sections of the game...e.g. "The prince's banquet" sequence was abysmal...a massive grind. This section might even induce ragequit on some. Like with all previous games in this series, it's possible to kick backwards (and so lose ground and time) when trying to move ahead. This sequence required you to beat some others in a footrace...so, losing time and ground will just force you to have to restart the sequence. Adding insult to aggravation is how other NPCs such as guards will impede you. Worse, if they bump into you, they can knock you down from the rooftops, killing your chances of getting 100% in the race. So to for your footrace competitors. However, if you bump your fellow competitors they never fall...but you can, or be slowed down! The another annoying factor for this sequence is the "leap of faith" points where you can unintentionally dive off a rooftop (slowly, I might add!) and thus have no hope of getting 100% for the section. I'm guessing that I entered double digits in the number of attempts I took to 100% this part of the game. Absolutely hated it!

* Related to the previous point, the on-screen advice provided on how the controls work can also be false, thus frustrating attempts to get 100% for certain sections. E.g. for "Hagia Sophia's secret" you get into a rhythm for leaping backwards from a hanging position. It works every time. However, right towards the end of that sequence, for some mysterious reason, that backward leap method will see you plummet to your death! To make matters worse, the on-screen instructions aren't even helpful...they're irrelevant to the actual correct procedure that you must use (in that final instance)...it just sucks that the "rules" for backward leaping arbitrarily change in this way during the course of one sequence.

Conclusion:

After vowing to ditch the series after the previous game, this game didn't change my mind about the franchise.