Consider, if you will, that with Revelations, Ubisoft have now made a trilogy of games starring Assassin's Creed 2's
Ezio Auditore. The developers have now literally made a trilogy before
completing the actual trilogy that they started. The last stand for Ezio
until next year's likely Assassins Creed 3's new hero and new
setting, have we spent enough time already with the Italian playboy or
can he lure us once more time in Middle Age-era Constantinople?
After last year's surprisingly excellent Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, hopes were high that Revelations could add to the series' core mysteries, while adding a wealth of new gameplay additions. While Revelations can't boast the type of attention-grabbing inclusions of its predecessor (namely multiplayer and assassins management), Ubisoft haven't rested on their laurels over the last 12 months either.
The most notable change this time around is that Ezio is no longer to be found in Renaissance Italy, having hopped on a boat primed for what is known today as Turkey's capital, Istanbul.
With a more multicultural setting and stunning architecture, Constantinople is a fine playground, though it's obviously not nearly as recognisable as the likes of Venice or Rome. However, traversing the city is rendered easier than ever thanks to the gameplay addition of a hook blade, which allows Ezio to zip line his way from building to building and climb with ease.
One aspects of the game, however, that didn't nearly feel as essential is the game's constant need to fill you in the no-doubt incredible world of smoke bombs.
The majority of items you loot are ingredients for a variety of explosive concoctions, while bomb-making tables are always close by. In truth, I never found the bombs too handy and if anything, their constant shoehorning into the plot was distracting and at times, irritating too.
Tower defence trials
Though Brotherhood-style assassin management is light in Revelations, a tower defence-style mini game is introduced to evoke a similar concept of harnessing your assassin control. Here you can defend your areas of control from rival attacks in brief tower defence scenarios, though I find the mode a poor implementation of the genre's tropes. Honestly, there are better tower defence titles available for free in the Apple App Store so you may want to heed my advice and instead lose your den, only to manually kill the Templar leader afterwards and re-take it.
If you're wondering why I haven't yet mentioned the single player storyline it's because unlike the title itself, Revelations is actually pretty free of revelations, with the entire game existing within protagonist Desmond's comatose state. Without a strong antagonist, the game takes at least 4 chapters (or 'Memories') to kick into life and even then, the storyline elements are nowhere near as revelatory as that of previous titles, nor do they feel as essential.
Where Revelations does improve upon its predecessors, however, is in its fully-featured multiplayer mode, which now has more maps, modes and customisable options than you could imagine. While the series' unusual approach to multiplayer won't be too everyone's tastes, it's fully implemented to the extent that if you loved it the first time around in Brotherhood, you'll have dozens of hours enjoyment here.
Though Assassin's Creed: Revelations is a finely made video game, there's a sense that the real adventure is twelve months away, with the latest in the series merely fulfilling its promise of a yearly turnaround for the lucrative franchise. Despite glimmers of brilliance and the chance to reacquaint you with one of this console generation's most charismatic heroes, Revelations at times feels superfluous and inessential.
Having taken a giant leap forward in quality with Assassin's Creed 2 in 2009, Ubisoft will need to do the same for the next numbered release in the series, as this title is starting to show just as much age as its silver-bearded Ezio
Format: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal; Publisher: Ubisoft
After last year's surprisingly excellent Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, hopes were high that Revelations could add to the series' core mysteries, while adding a wealth of new gameplay additions. While Revelations can't boast the type of attention-grabbing inclusions of its predecessor (namely multiplayer and assassins management), Ubisoft haven't rested on their laurels over the last 12 months either.
The most notable change this time around is that Ezio is no longer to be found in Renaissance Italy, having hopped on a boat primed for what is known today as Turkey's capital, Istanbul.
With a more multicultural setting and stunning architecture, Constantinople is a fine playground, though it's obviously not nearly as recognisable as the likes of Venice or Rome. However, traversing the city is rendered easier than ever thanks to the gameplay addition of a hook blade, which allows Ezio to zip line his way from building to building and climb with ease.
One aspects of the game, however, that didn't nearly feel as essential is the game's constant need to fill you in the no-doubt incredible world of smoke bombs.
The majority of items you loot are ingredients for a variety of explosive concoctions, while bomb-making tables are always close by. In truth, I never found the bombs too handy and if anything, their constant shoehorning into the plot was distracting and at times, irritating too.
Tower defence trials
Though Brotherhood-style assassin management is light in Revelations, a tower defence-style mini game is introduced to evoke a similar concept of harnessing your assassin control. Here you can defend your areas of control from rival attacks in brief tower defence scenarios, though I find the mode a poor implementation of the genre's tropes. Honestly, there are better tower defence titles available for free in the Apple App Store so you may want to heed my advice and instead lose your den, only to manually kill the Templar leader afterwards and re-take it.
If you're wondering why I haven't yet mentioned the single player storyline it's because unlike the title itself, Revelations is actually pretty free of revelations, with the entire game existing within protagonist Desmond's comatose state. Without a strong antagonist, the game takes at least 4 chapters (or 'Memories') to kick into life and even then, the storyline elements are nowhere near as revelatory as that of previous titles, nor do they feel as essential.
Where Revelations does improve upon its predecessors, however, is in its fully-featured multiplayer mode, which now has more maps, modes and customisable options than you could imagine. While the series' unusual approach to multiplayer won't be too everyone's tastes, it's fully implemented to the extent that if you loved it the first time around in Brotherhood, you'll have dozens of hours enjoyment here.
Though Assassin's Creed: Revelations is a finely made video game, there's a sense that the real adventure is twelve months away, with the latest in the series merely fulfilling its promise of a yearly turnaround for the lucrative franchise. Despite glimmers of brilliance and the chance to reacquaint you with one of this console generation's most charismatic heroes, Revelations at times feels superfluous and inessential.
Having taken a giant leap forward in quality with Assassin's Creed 2 in 2009, Ubisoft will need to do the same for the next numbered release in the series, as this title is starting to show just as much age as its silver-bearded Ezio
Format: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal; Publisher: Ubisoft
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