In its short life, Assassin's Creed has defined itself as one of the great action-adventure games of this generation of gaming. In this time, it's also created one of the most likeable, interesting, and human characters in all of gaming: Ezio Auditore da Firenze, former Italian playboy, current Grand Master of the Assassin Order. After two games in Assassin's Creed 2 and Brotherhood, Ezio is finally being put to rest, along with AC1 protagonist Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, in Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Is this the best entry of the series, or is it just the same old thing as AC2? I've beaten it, and here is my review.
Keep in mind that this is MY review of the game. Your opinion may very well differ from mine.
Story
Revelations once again follows the story of Desmond Miles (Nolan North). After the events of Brotherhood, Desmond has fallen into a coma, being placed in the Animus to keep his mind from falling to pieces. To return to the real world, Desmond has to go back into his ancestors memories and find a memory that ties all of them together. On Ezio's front, the now 52 year-old Assassin goes to Masyaf in attempts to unlock former Grand Master Altair's hidden library, which may contain the secret to ending the war between the Assassins and the Templars. After meeting an overwhelming number of Templars upon arriving, Ezio learns that five keys are needed to open the library. Ezio then travels to Constantinople, attempting to find these keys before the Templars can.
I will first say that this is NOT a good entry point for anyone new to the AC series. You should have at least played AC2 and Brotherhood if you want to understand what's going on. Now with that out of the way, the story. The series has been known for its masterful story telling, and that is certainly at its best here. The game has been advertised as having all three main protagonists together for the first time. While that's certainly true, don't be mistaken; this is still Ezio's story. That certainly isn't a bad thing though, as like I said before, Ezio is one of the best gaming protagonists of this generation. And since the game's duty is to end Ezio and Altair's stories while leading to Assassin's Creed 3, it's important that they do it right. Boy, do they. The last 10 minutes of this game bring a PERFECT end to Ezio and Altair's storylines. It may be sad to let go of a character who we've literally been with from birth, but Revelations still makes it incredibly satisfying. The ending isn't an 'OMGWTF' moment like Brotherhood, but it pumps you up for the next game, which I am totally ready for.
On the subject of Altair, whenever you find a Masyaf key, Ezio will relive one of Altair's memories (A memory within a memory. Assassinception.) I was never really a fan of him. He wasn't a bad character, but we never really got to connect, identify, or feel for him in AC1. Revelations fixes all of that, and despite having only a few moments of gameplay, Altair's sections are probably some of the best parts of the game, finally making the stoic, badass Master Assassin feel human, something that he desperately needed. Desmond gets segments as well that deal with his past, but these are completely optional.
Gameplay
Of course, what makes a game is NOT its story, but its gameplay. And Revelations both succeeds and slightly suffers in this aspect. Asides from a few remapped controls, gameplay should feel instantly familiar to any AC veteran. You'll spend time free running over the city, stabbing foes in the back, and fighting waves of soldiers with your sword. Gameplay certainly isn't groundbreaking in Revelations, but did it really need to be? That's not to say nothing is new here. A welcome addition to the game is the Hookblade, a replacement for your second hidden blade. This weapon allows you to roll over guards, zoom across ziplines, and climb buildings faster. Another addition is the ability to craft bombs. Ranging from deadly shrapnel to thick smoke to skunk fumes, bombs can be used in several different ways. I personally found myself using the tactics that I'm more familiar with, but bombs are still a welcome addition to the game.
In the optional Desmond segments, the game goes first person mode, and becomes more of a puzzle game, all while explaining a bit more about Desmond's past. While it's certainly not quite as fun as running around and stabbing people, it is a welcome change of pace, and the fact that it's optional helps those who don't want to stop the stabbing. All in all, another welcome addition.
However, one thing that ISN'T a welcome addition is the new Den Defence minigame. Revelations brings back the Templar and Assassin Dens from Brotherhood, but now Templars will fight to take them back. The game then becomes like Tower Defence, with Ezio placing Assassins over the rooftops to fight off waves and waves of Templars. The only thing I think about when doing this is how much funner it would be to actually be on the streets, fighting off those Templars with your Assassin brothers. It's boring and monotonous, and the worst part is, if you fail, you can immediately kill a Templar captain and take the Den back, making it pointless as well.
Presentation
The presentation has been amped up in every way from previous installments, especially in the graphics department. Character models, especially face models, are drastically improved from the last games. You can see the age in Ezio's face like never before in AC. Constantinople is large and beautiful, and the game virtually never stutters when processing such a huge playground for you.
Voice acting has consistantly been good in Assassin's Creed, and this has some of the best. There is not a single weak link in the cast, with everyone bringing in a great performance. Altair has had the biggest step up out of all the characters, actually having a Middle-Eastern accent now, rather than sounding like an American in the middle of Masyaf.
Assassin's Creed probably has one of the more underrated soundtracks this generation, and it really is a shame. Revelations' score is great, complimenting everything going on in the game, and bringing in the best music of the series. I was sad that the incredible 'Ezio's Family' the staple song of Assassin's Creed 2 and Brotherhood, did not make one last appearance for Ezio's last appearance, but I can live with that.
Verdict
So I give Assassin's Creed: Revelations a:
9 / 10
Sure, the gameplay may not be incredibly revolutionary. Sure, Den Defence sucks. However, those missteps pale in comparison to everything Revelations does right. The story is probably the best it has been in the series, the gameplay is mostly great, the presentation has been seriously amped up, but most importantly, the game did it's one most important job, saying goodbye to Ezio and Altair, and did it PERFECTLY. There is so much I didn't mention in this review, but that's because Revelations has so much to do, that I didn't want the review to drag on. Revelations does a far better job standing on its own than Brotherhood did, and this is probably the best game in the series so far. Many people say that it hasn't done much since AC2, but the truth is, AC1 was so mediocre that the improvements in AC2 were far more noticable, whereas the last two games have been expanding and improving on the award winning formula. It may not be a GOTY contender in the end, but for any action-adventure fan, or AC fan, there is no reason as to why you shouldn't have this game.
So, do you have Assassin's Creed: Revelations for the PS3 or 360? What did you think? Was I too harsh or too leniant? Did I miss anything? Let me know.
In its short life, Assassin's Creed has defined itself as one of the great action-adventure games of this generation of gaming. In this time, it's also created one of the most likeable, interesting, and human characters in all of gaming: Ezio Auditore da Firenze, former Italian playboy, current Grand Master of the Assassin Order. After two games in Assassin's Creed 2 and Brotherhood, Ezio is finally being put to rest, along with AC1 protagonist Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, in Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Is this the best entry of the series, or is it just the same old thing as AC2? I've beaten it, and here is my review.
Keep in mind that this is MY review of the game. Your opinion may very well differ from mine.
Story
Revelations once again follows the story of Desmond Miles (Nolan North). After the events of Brotherhood, Desmond has fallen into a coma, being placed in the Animus to keep his mind from falling to pieces. To return to the real world, Desmond has to go back into his ancestors memories and find a memory that ties all of them together. On Ezio's front, the now 52 year-old Assassin goes to Masyaf in attempts to unlock former Grand Master Altair's hidden library, which may contain the secret to ending the war between the Assassins and the Templars. After meeting an overwhelming number of Templars upon arriving, Ezio learns that five keys are needed to open the library. Ezio then travels to Constantinople, attempting to find these keys before the Templars can.
I will first say that this is NOT a good entry point for anyone new to the AC series. You should have at least played AC2 and Brotherhood if you want to understand what's going on. Now with that out of the way, the story. The series has been known for its masterful story telling, and that is certainly at its best here. The game has been advertised as having all three main protagonists together for the first time. While that's certainly true, don't be mistaken; this is still Ezio's story. That certainly isn't a bad thing though, as like I said before, Ezio is one of the best gaming protagonists of this generation. And since the game's duty is to end Ezio and Altair's stories while leading to Assassin's Creed 3, it's important that they do it right. Boy, do they. The last 10 minutes of this game bring a PERFECT end to Ezio and Altair's storylines. It may be sad to let go of a character who we've literally been with from birth, but Revelations still makes it incredibly satisfying. The ending isn't an 'OMGWTF' moment like Brotherhood, but it pumps you up for the next game, which I am totally ready for.
On the subject of Altair, whenever you find a Masyaf key, Ezio will relive one of Altair's memories (A memory within a memory. Assassinception.) I was never really a fan of him. He wasn't a bad character, but we never really got to connect, identify, or feel for him in AC1. Revelations fixes all of that, and despite having only a few moments of gameplay, Altair's sections are probably some of the best parts of the game, finally making the stoic, badass Master Assassin feel human, something that he desperately needed. Desmond gets segments as well that deal with his past, but these are completely optional.
Gameplay
Of course, what makes a game is NOT its story, but its gameplay. And Revelations both succeeds and slightly suffers in this aspect. Asides from a few remapped controls, gameplay should feel instantly familiar to any AC veteran. You'll spend time free running over the city, stabbing foes in the back, and fighting waves of soldiers with your sword. Gameplay certainly isn't groundbreaking in Revelations, but did it really need to be? That's not to say nothing is new here. A welcome addition to the game is the Hookblade, a replacement for your second hidden blade. This weapon allows you to roll over guards, zoom across ziplines, and climb buildings faster. Another addition is the ability to craft bombs. Ranging from deadly shrapnel to thick smoke to skunk fumes, bombs can be used in several different ways. I personally found myself using the tactics that I'm more familiar with, but bombs are still a welcome addition to the game.
In the optional Desmond segments, the game goes first person mode, and becomes more of a puzzle game, all while explaining a bit more about Desmond's past. While it's certainly not quite as fun as running around and stabbing people, it is a welcome change of pace, and the fact that it's optional helps those who don't want to stop the stabbing. All in all, another welcome addition.
However, one thing that ISN'T a welcome addition is the new Den Defence minigame. Revelations brings back the Templar and Assassin Dens from Brotherhood, but now Templars will fight to take them back. The game then becomes like Tower Defence, with Ezio placing Assassins over the rooftops to fight off waves and waves of Templars. The only thing I think about when doing this is how much funner it would be to actually be on the streets, fighting off those Templars with your Assassin brothers. It's boring and monotonous, and the worst part is, if you fail, you can immediately kill a Templar captain and take the Den back, making it pointless as well.
Presentation
The presentation has been amped up in every way from previous installments, especially in the graphics department. Character models, especially face models, are drastically improved from the last games. You can see the age in Ezio's face like never before in AC. Constantinople is large and beautiful, and the game virtually never stutters when processing such a huge playground for you.
Voice acting has consistantly been good in Assassin's Creed, and this has some of the best. There is not a single weak link in the cast, with everyone bringing in a great performance. Altair has had the biggest step up out of all the characters, actually having a Middle-Eastern accent now, rather than sounding like an American in the middle of Masyaf.
Assassin's Creed probably has one of the more underrated soundtracks this generation, and it really is a shame. Revelations' score is great, complimenting everything going on in the game, and bringing in the best music of the series. I was sad that the incredible 'Ezio's Family' the staple song of Assassin's Creed 2 and Brotherhood, did not make one last appearance for Ezio's last appearance, but I can live with that.
Verdict
So I give Assassin's Creed: Revelations a:
9 / 10
Sure, the gameplay may not be incredibly revolutionary. Sure, Den Defence sucks. However, those missteps pale in comparison to everything Revelations does right. The story is probably the best it has been in the series, the gameplay is mostly great, the presentation has been seriously amped up, but most importantly, the game did it's one most important job, saying goodbye to Ezio and Altair, and did it PERFECTLY. There is so much I didn't mention in this review, but that's because Revelations has so much to do, that I didn't want the review to drag on. Revelations does a far better job standing on its own than Brotherhood did, and this is probably the best game in the series so far. Many people say that it hasn't done much since AC2, but the truth is, AC1 was so mediocre that the improvements in AC2 were far more noticable, whereas the last two games have been expanding and improving on the award winning formula. It may not be a GOTY contender in the end, but for any action-adventure fan, or AC fan, there is no reason as to why you shouldn't have this game.
So, do you have Assassin's Creed: Revelations for the PS3 or 360? What did you think? Was I too harsh or too leniant? Did I miss anything? Let me know.
baylaust out.