Assassin's Creed: Revelations Review
Unlike the characters within it, the latest entry makes this action franchise begin to feel a bit old
The game’s fairly unique multiplayer mode of cat and mouse returns as well. Revelations does a great job with the tutorials, first letting you practice against AI and then other newbie players, before letting you out into the real thing. There are more locations and characters, with tons of customization options from visuals to perks. Many of the modes from Brotherhood return, alongside newcomers such as Capture the Flag and deathmatch. In the latter, players are given much the same tasks of eliminating others while trying to survive yourself. The difference, however, is that there is no radar, thus you’re forced to rely on your senses (visual and audio queues) to spot the target as well as escape or counter your pursuers. Deathmatch finally adds a level of intrigue and suspense to the online experience, which was otherwise previously missing because of too many UI assists.
Revelations continues to use the same engine as the previous games, so the graphics are on-par and still look rather good. The draw distance is solid, though the minor textures and artifacts do pop-in occasionally. Revelations features some stellar set pieces with great backdrops that would make even Uncharted jealous, but these sequences are few and far in between. Sound effects seem to have been touched up and add a certain ambiance to the city which lend themselves well to the atmosphere. The soundtrack is also quite good, along with continued stellar voice acting for most major characters. Some dialogue, particularly for the citizens, is re-used from previous games but that’s not too big of a problem. For some reason, both Desmond and Ezio look a quite a bit different, and it isn’t because of age.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations is a title that combines all of the major elements from the previous games, and yet at times feels lesser than the sum of its parts. Like trying to fill out the back of the game box with as many features as possible, the game seems to have lost its identity when it comes to gameplay. Not to take away from the great ending of Ezio and Altair’s storylines, but it’s Desmond who is supposed to be carrying the series into the next trilogy, and his plot has been the weakest by far. Ubisoft is clearly aiming to release a new game in the series every year, but it really doesn’t feel like the franchise has enough to pull it off. If you absolutely must have a new Assassin’s Creed game, Revelations is a safe bet. However, those who have been with the series from the beginning are likely beginning to tire of the very similar experience from one title to the next. As the series is set to return next year, here’s to hoping that the franchise can reinvent itself with both story and gameplay, and re-capture the imagination of the audiences much like original Assassin’s Creed did all those years ago.
Our ratings for Assassin's Creed: Revelations on PlayStation 3 out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
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