From: Ubisoft
For: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
4 stars (outs of 5)
I missed the early wave of Assassin's Creed hysteria. And suddenly it gets to 2011, and the fourth AC game in five years is released. How has that happened?
Anyway, there is still plenty of buzz around a franchise that may be running the risk of overdoing a good thing.
The series is built around a bartender called Desmond Miles, the direct descendant of a line of top-class assassins. With the help of a nifty device called the animus, Desmond gets to experience life as his ancestors, Altair or Ezio.
Revelations sees you playing as Ezio, who has been working as an assassin in Italy during the Renaissance period. His journeys take him to Constantinople in search of a weapon that is sealed within a fortress and rumoured to be the key to ending the war between the Assassins and the Templars.
Broader stories within the game include the struggle between the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantines, and a meeting with a stranger, which helps Ezio find out more about his own ancestor, Altair.
But enough about plot. Assassin's Creed is all about gameplay, and it's a hefty package of stealth and run-jump-climb, over-the-rooftops action.
Ezio is quick and light on his feet, and needs to be as he completes missions as both the hunter and the hunted.
The controls are effective and completely non-threatening, and a hookblade tool allows you to swing around even easier.
Open exploration and side missions extend an absorbing primary story.
Collectables and upgrades, the recruitment of a coalition of assassins and economic elements combine to make this one sizeable game.
It's lovely to look at, too. The cities are vast, the views spectacular and the character models impressive.
