Assassin's Creed Revelations

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First things first -

If you haven't played the first Assassin's Creed and subsequent releases (or at LEAST starting with II, and going forward) go no further. Do yourself a service and start with II as a bare minimum and work yourself forward to this, the 3rd in the Ezio Auditore trilogy. Otherwise, you'll be completely lost.

For those of you familiar with the story, you're going to find Ezio Auditore in his twilight years on a quest to find Altair's legendary, yet quite well-protected, library. The Templars have caught wind of it and Ezio is also trying to find his way in to thwart their attempts at worldwide control. This is hardly a spoiler as you're quickly brought into this within minutes of beginning to play Ezio no further spoilers here.

From the standpoint of playing all of the previous Assassin's Creed entries, how does this one fare? Well, I finally played it tonight and I must say that it is really quite remarkable. There's a major change in the way that combat is handled you select a primary and then a secondary weapon so that you can enter a sword fight and then throw knives at will, for example (no longer do you have to constantly "weapon wheel" between sword and throwing knives constantly). Graphic engine has been updated and it's quite smooth; I don't find it stuttering nearly as often as it used to. Even the story itself has been given a facelift now there's more of a cohesive, unified story rather than a series of seemingly disjointed events culminating in your goal in the first place of killing "x" person because he did "y". "Eagle vision" also has some significant improvements, some subtle and some not. For example, in addition to identifying enemies, you'll actually see faint red lines indicating a guard's patrol route. This enhances the formulation of tactics. In other cases, where smoke bombs are even more effective at obscuring your enemies' ability to attack you, "eagle vision" will actually allow you to pierce the cloud and attack your enemies at will. In addition, you will be collecting materials to craft a variety of different bombs (lethal and non-lethal). The animations of Ezio kill moves are superb and some of his abilities show that Ezio, in his twilight years, is deadlier than ever. The music, as always, is very well-done and the voice acting is even better than usual. The beginning of the game reminds me of Matrix Revolutions, but I do mean this in a good way.

The environments are breathtakingly beautiful. The game has departed from Italy and finds itself in Constantinople, once the true crossroads of the world between Europe and Asia when the United States was still a mere 264 years away from declaring its own independence. Ezio finds himself with new equipment (the hook blade is fun opening a variety of attacks as well as an ability to zip line around your environment fantastic!), friends (including a romantic interest), and actually enters into the conflict politically it's no longer a mere Templar/Assassin conflict. There are layers to appreciate here as Ezio makes an ally and as I am starting to delve into it, I truly appreciate what Ubisoft has created here.

If there is one thing that I have to complain about, it's the mode where you have to defend your own Assassin's Keeps in addition to creating them for those of you familiar with Brotherhood. It becomes a "tower defense" game at this point...and I don't mean that in a flattering way. It's one thing that Ubisoft could have omitted (or seriously improved upon) without impacting the story whatsoever. It comes off as a silly gimmick that didn't appear to have been given a significant amount of thought in terms of how it flows with the rest of the interlocking parts. This is an oprhan 301st piece in a 300-piece puzzle; it doesn't fit and, quite honestly, you don't really need it to complete the experience.

I haven't had a chance to explore multiplayer too much, but what I've seen so far seems to indicate that Ubisoft has taken the best parts of Brotherhood and have added both modes and additional customization not seen before. I'm more into the story then the multiplayer, but Revelations has shown me enough to convince me to give it a try...later. Assassin's Creed is still, first and foremost, about continuing a quite fascinating story. And the final chapter to the overall story arc (with Ezio's presumably ending here, if rumors are believed) is to come in yet a single year, although how Ubisoft plans to bring this epic to a conclusion in the absence of such a strong character like Ezio has my curiosity piqued.

Despite the fault of "tower defense", everything else is so vastly improved that I still have to give it a solid 4.75 stars (5 stars on the Amazon scale don't think it deserves a 4). Enough said get it and enjoy!

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I received the Assassin's Creed Revelations Signature Edition, it comes with a bunch of extras (including the original Assassin's Creed) but I haven't checked those out yet.

I've only been playing for a few hours and without spoiling any of it, I think Ubisoft has done a fine job producing another installment of the Assassin's Creed series. The graphics are great, the story line is engaging and leaves you wondering "where is the apple?" I'm very pleased with the improvements made in combat scenarios and weaponry (which was already pretty good to start with). However, with all these additions it means the controls have changed slightly, but I haven't found it to be too much of a nuisance or hassle as the quick introductory tutorials were helpful.

Assassin's Creed Revelations in my opinion is a solid 4 out of 5 stars, the only thing holding it back from that extra star is that it still feels a bit recycled from previous AC games. However, I would still recommend this game to a friend and especially someone who already enjoys the Assassin's Creed game series.

UPDATE:

It's somewhat difficult to lower Ezio's infamy because of a lack of heralds to bribe and officials to assassinate (I haven't seen any wanted posters). Because of this I don't really care for Ezio's infamy going up when I renovate a shop. It doesn't bother me as much when the infamy goes up because I've recruited another assassin or taken a Templar den, as these are more infrequent than renovations. But since the Templar's don't attack unless Ezio's infamy is extremely high, this is only a small nuisance so far.

The game is significantly more interactive than its predecessors, which I think makes it even more engaging than I initially thought. The weaponry is exceptional, Ubisoft really went above and beyond with crafting very unique and innovative weaponry (and combat techniques) which weren't seen in previous games. I also really enjoy how polished and fluid Ezio's movements are during free running and combat.

PROS

Great graphics

Engaging story line

Improved combat and weaponry

More developed and interactive game play than its predecessors

CONS

Some of the story line feels a bit recycled from previous AC's

Controls have changed slightly

Infamy increases when renovating shops, as well as recruiting assassins and taking over a Templar den; lack heralds, officials and NO wanted posters

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Visuals, Gameplay, and Story what more can you ask of a game?

After I sat out the previous Assassin's Creed games, I was not so sure if it would be a good idea to start playing from the middle of the series. Well after about 9 straight game playing hours, I can safely say that tomorrow is shot, and I have had a blast with this game!

What works well?

1. The visuals are gorgeous -

Whether it is Ezio's motion-cap as he climbs up and down walls; or the smooth cinematic swordplay; or the sights and sounds of medieval Constantinople; or the haunting melodic soundtrack; this feels so much more than just a game. The reflection from the pool of water in the Yerebatan Cistern is to be experienced. The graphics are beyond awesome!

2. Gameplay is excellent

This is a fast paced action game, with deep elements of strategy. This definitely isn't a button masher, as it is important to maintain stealth through many missions.

Voice acting is wonderful with authentic-sounding Italian accents (at least to my ears). The characters are also well fleshed out and you certainly meet some intriguing ones in your travels, including Yusuf Tazim who teaches Ezio bomb crafting and the use of the hook blade.

In addition, the gameplay is extremely varied with many mini-games such as a Benhur style chariot race and a tower defense sequence where you must protect your den from waves of incoming enemy troops.

There's also an eagle vision mode which works much like Detective mode in Arkham Asylum, and helps identify your foes and discover clues in the environment (mostly treasure).

3. Absorbing story

Once I started, I literally could not stop. Being new to this series, I probably should have begun by playing the first few games. Not being familiar with Desmond, Altair, and Ezio, it was much harder to get invested in their problems. Likewise, not knowing what the Animus is, can really put a crimp in your enjoyment. Despite that I still managed to enjoy the game.

What doesn't work well?

The climbing mechanics are nowhere as forgiving as you would encounter in games like Infamous or Uncharted. Every wrong move you make is penalized with a long slow drop, often to your death.

In addition, the crowds keep getting in your way and while it is realistic, crowd behavior can be annoying when they constantly complain as you try to get through them.

Finally, for those new to the franchise, I would note that the combat system is quite complex. In addition to the standard Primary and Secondary Attack buttons, there are moves to disarm your opponent (R1+square); to perform a hook and throw combination (R1 + tap O); to throw a heavy weapon (Hold Square and release); etc. There's even a X to kick the opponent to throw off his defense. All in all this was a bit too complex for me, personally so I tended to stay within a smaller subset of the combos.

Did I enjoy this game? Without a doubt yes. This is motion-cap based gaming at its best you can almost swear that it is a human rather than a CG generated image at times.

Definitely a winner from Ubisoft!

Happy Playing!

Read Best Reviews of Assassin's Creed Revelations Here

The day before release, I decided to take a peek at the reviews for Assassin's Creed: Revelations, just to get a better idea of what I was getting myself into. I was somewhat disappointed with that I had found. Reviewers made the game feel glitchy, incomplete, and rushed. At midnight that same day, I was eager to get my hands on the game to see just what everybody was complaining about.

What I found was a game with an interesting, engaging story coupled with the fun gameplay from past iterations. Needless to say I breathed a sigh of relief.

My completion time for the game was somewhere around 10 hours (which was roughly the same as Brotherhood) over the course of two day. One might think that completing the main story in a game would leave a player feeling cheated, but it was exactly the opposite. Everything having to do with the story was so interesting that I just couldn't wait to zipline over to the next exclamation point to see what happened next. I don't want to do into any spoilers, but know that the story is much richer than Brotherhood's, and more filling than the first two games as well.

It wasn't the story alone that kept me playing, it was the gameplay.

The hookblade is a fantastic addition to Ezio's arsenal. He can vault over guards, perform zipline assassinations, collapse scaffoldings with it, execute a wide variety of combat moves, as well as catch himself on a building while free running.

One point I saw reviewers bring up was their total and complete hatred for Den Defense. I'm not sure how you can develop such a serious dislike for it though, since if you keep your Templar Awareness in check, you hardly have to deal with it at all! In my entire time playing, I have only done it one time outside of the tutorial. Just bribe heralds and kill the witnesses and you'll be fine. It really isn't that bad though to be honest. It just takes some getting used to.

Altair's missions were a bit longer than the Christina missions from Brotherhood. I don't want to spoil the actual missions, but despite being short they were an absolute delight to experience.

Desmond's time in the game consists of five first person puzzles detailing his time before his capture by Abstergo. You simply walk forward, using simple block pieces to create a platform in front of you, and listen to Desmond remember his past. It really is quite interesting and while completely optional, provides insight into the character we know very little about.

Well, that's it! I hope you guys don't pass up on this incredible experience! It really was a fantastic game, from beginning to end.

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Ezio is getting old, and so is AC. As usual, the graphics and cut scenes are pretty good, the story is decent, and the mechanics have improved. The problem is that is the exact same game as AC, AC II, AC Brotherhood. Minor tweaks to the gameplay and new cities to explore weren't enough for me to really enjoy it this time around.

If this is the first time you have played an Assassin's Creed game, you will love it. It's great (as long as you don't mind missing a lot of back story). If you've played the previous games, you've played this one.

The multiplayer component is fresh and fun, but doesn't have a ton of replay value.