Assassin's Creed: Revelations

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I didn't really like the first Assassins Creed. Sure it was fun and had some good elements to it, but it got old very fast and the missions became more of the same monotony. Then with Assassins Creed 2, you could tell there was a marked improvement in almost every area. Brotherhood took what 2 did right and expanded further with the ability to control a group of assassins, making missions much more creative. Revelations doesn't add any new gameplay elements (unless you count bomb making, which wasn't really that important to the game), but it does continue a formula that works very well.

Being a huge history buff, i enjoyed getting to run around sixteenth century Constantinople, which is very accurately recreated. The plot, involving political intrigue among the Sultan's sons made for a good plot line, but it wasn't even the main plot line. Desmond's attempt to piece his brain together provided a very inception-y vibe. The six missions you get to play as Altair are also very cool, and give very good closure to the character. Revelations continued the dungeon exploration levels which were first introduced in 2, and they still work well here. The ending gave Ezio a very good sendoff, and the final moments have me very intrigued for the next title.

Overall: If you like open world action games with a good plot and gameplay, you will enjoy this...but I would recommend playing 2 and Brotherhood first as you may be a little confused about characters and plot in the beginning.

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I decided to do a multiplayer review since EVERYBODY typically only reviews the single player while only spending 3 or 4 sentences on the multiplayer component. I must say I became incredibly addicted to brotherhoods multiplayer as it offered a totally radically different experience from your typical FPS like COD or Battlefield. The revelations multiplayer only adds to the greatness. New game modes like deathmatch and artifact add an exhilarating new touch to your more typical game modes.

Deathmatch puts you in a very close, tight section of a map with NO compass. You are only given a picture of your target and it is up to you to do the rest.

Artifact is a basic Capture the Flag mode. Its works like this: Once you cross the "halfway" point of the map you will only be able to stun, thus you must constantly be on your toes in your attempt to get the flag/artifact and be weary of defenders hiding in crowds near the the flag or what not.

Customization plays an even bigger role. New characters can be customized endlessly with different types of weapons, belts, cloths, and you can even unlock gold weapons. You can also put emblems on the back of your cape.

The are 50 ranks, but unlike brotherhood where 50 is the level cap, you can now prestige. But get this...You don't lose anything! You keep unlocking more stuff, and here's the kicker...you can do this 99 times. And ubisoft says you still unlock stuff right up to prestige 99. Wow.

If you are looking for a fresh break and want some inject some strategy and "outwitting" into your gameplay, then pick up Revelations. You'll notice that most high standing game review sites like IGN, gamespot, and gameinformer, have knocked it. But there reviews where slanted toward single player and they had nothing but praise for the multiplayer component. Remember that the whole game must be taken into account when giving a review.

Buy Assassin's Creed: Revelations Now

This game was a rather large disappointment for me.

It felt like it should be a DLC for Brotherhood, in terms of length, depth and new features.

Abysmally short with a comparatively poor story and the upgrade/restoration features just weren't compelling unlike II and Brotherhood (You could only get 3 sets of armor in the campaign if you weren't focused on collecting all 100 memory fragments, the rest were pre-order and retail exclusives. The game also wasn't paced so that you unlock and can afford all the best gear by the last quarter).

It also seemed like they just tried to push it out as quick as possible to wrap up the story of Ezio/Altaïr so they could get on with focusing on Desmond.

Revelations seems to be the first blunder in the series and the first sequel worse than its predecessor.

AC1 was pretty good, AC2 was awesome, Brotherhood managed to improve slightly on AC2 and then Revelations just seemed so flimsy and cheap after the last two solid titles.

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I'm writing this review because I think the overall rating for "ASSASSIN'S CREED REVELATIONS" is a bit over-weighted on the high side. It's not a bad game, just not a great game hence my middle of the road 3-stars. Here's why:

PROS

Visuals: One of the main reasons I play video games is to be immersed in a wholly-created environment that I couldn't experience any other way. The "Assassin's Creed" series has always delivered on this level, and continues to do so in "Revelations". Walking around an early 1500's version of Constantinople (now Istanbul) filled with period detail is the major appeal of the game for me, and was reason enough to buy it. Ubisoft delivered.

Platforming: Another strength of the "Assassin's Creed" series, and again, well done. Climbing buildings, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, ziplines, views from high promontories all fluid, all gorgeous. And taking out some of the guards along the way never seems to get old.

Gameplay: In large part, decent, i.e., reminiscent of previous titles but with some troubling additions and exceptions, which brings us to:

CONS

Gameplay Part II: Others have remarked about the slapdash and tedious nature of "Den Defense", and I have to agree. I dreaded having to play this "mini game" so much (and it's triggered any time your "notoriety" (now called "Templar Awareness") tends too high, which it does often, which is another "Con" I'll get to below) that I spent a disproportionate amount of time leveling up my assassin recruits to impervious Den Masters, in order to avoid having to experience it again.

Notoriety: In previous titles, "notoriety" was limited, manageable, and even fun. In "Revelations", it's irritating. Now, even renovating a shop (necessary to increase your income) will raise your notoriety level, making you scramble for ways to reduce it. Tearing down Wanted Posters is no longer an option. Instead, you must find one or two available Heralds to bribe which, as another 3-star reviewer noted, turns the process into renovate a shop, bribe a herald, renovate a shop, bribe a herald. Which gets old quickly.

The Revelations: While the main character (Ezio) story and gameplay is largely satisfying (and thankfully comprises the majority of the game), "Revelations", as the name implies, also allows you to play as Desmond and Altair, learning more about their backstory and/or fate. This is a good idea... just not entirely well executed or enjoyable. The Altair missions are okay, but more expository than filled with drama. The Desmond "memories" are worse, taking place in an under-designed "Portal Lite" universe which serve only to keep your fingers twitching while listening to narration.

In other words, many of the revelations in "Revelations" are not all that revelatory.

That said, if you can buy the game for around $20, I still think there's value there.

Finally, since I've played all 4 titles in the "Assassin's Creed" series, I'll take a moment to list them from (IMO) Best to Worst:

1. "ASSASSIN'S CREED II": The best of the series, IMO. The beginning of the Ezio storyline, with multiple locations (Florence, Venice, and others). Ubisoft worked the "kinks" out of AC1 and came up with a title beautifully balanced between Gameplay, Story, and Immersion.

2. "ASSASSIN'S CREED BROTHERHOOD": A close second, not the least reason being that it functions as a worthy extension of AC2. "Brotherhood" introduced the element of assassin recruits, a fun addition to gameplay that made Ezio feel even more powerful. Also, the setting is Renaissance Rome, and even though the ancient landmarks are already in ruins, it's a real kick to be able to climb all over things like the Colosseum.

3. "ASSASSIN'S CREED REVELATIONS": For all its flaws, the main storyline (and gameplay) are still decent, and the graphics are beautiful.

4. "ASSASSIN'S CREED": The original. While it's odd that the game that started such a blockbuster franchise is my least favorite of the series, there are some compelling reasons why. I'll give a minor and a major. The minor would be the lack of polish on the gameplay side, i.e., having to spend an inordinate amount of time "walking slowly" so as to avoid ticking off NPC's and getting into constant (and repetitive) fights. The major would be crashes. The game was constantly crashing on my brand new PS3, with the nadir being a hard freeze just before I could perform an assassination it had taken me a half hour to set up. That was it for me. I had to give up the game...

...but not the series, which has proven to be one of the best of this console generation.

Unfortunately, "Revelations" was a step backwards, IMO.

Maybe they'll get their "mojo" back with ACIII.

But this time I'll wait for the reviews!

Want Assassin's Creed: Revelations Discount?

A lot of people are bashing the newest installment of Assassins Creed, I for one, love it. The hook-blade and bomb making add a little bit of freshness to the series. The bombs actually make it easier to stealthily get around if you use the, "cherry bomb" to distract some stagnant guards (as some of the completion % will rely heavily on NOT killing people) the, "rolling thunder" bomb makes a nice little mini-game in and of itself by having to blow off caps that have been placed on hiding wells.

Now granted I've not yet been able to beat the game, but I am a scour every corner type of player with kids and 80+ hours a week work schedule, but I'm at about a 75% completion and so far I've loved it. The leveling up of your assassin recruits is much easier this time around, despite having to level them to 15 instead of 10 as in Brotherhood. Once at level 15 you can assign a master assassin to a den to keep the Templars away, just keep in mind that performing 3 "Den Defense" is a requirement on the Assassins Guild list.

The historic areas you explore are grand, and you do learn some accurate, and inaccurate, information but it is all in fun. I've only played one of Desmonds "Black room" scenes, and it was confusing at first, (or I was half asleep) but got much easier once you got the hang of it.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Playing as Altiar is fun, seeing him go from young assassin to reclaiming his throne and seeing him as a family man gave more depth to the admittedly lack of depth-for-character in the first installment. Also, when you're playing as Altiar as an 86 year old man using the piece of Eden, seeing the "ghost" assassins dropping down for the kill as the Apple does its work throws some surprise in the mix for the Templars wanting it so badly

*End Spoiler Alert*

The 75% I've put into the game so far has been fun. Granted they could have added a few more puzzles or challenges, but to come up with a whole new game of this magnitude in a years time? Kudos, sirs, kudos.