Assassin's Creed Revelations - Disappointing.

[DanielBrown]

I agree with all your points apart from the bombs. Shrapnel bombs were awesome, and flinging Blood bombs on guards over and over never got dull.
Anyways; I did have a lot of fun with the game, but when I was done I felt pretty disappointed. I never really understood why Ezio was doing... the things he did. It's probably because I failed to pay attention, but I haven't had that problem in previous games.
I won't be boycotting the series or so, though I probably won't pre-order the next game. Considering that it'll probably be completely about Desmond I won't have any intrest in it anyways. Fuck Desmond.

 

[natster43]

I liked the Tower Defense game at first, but then it got to the point where certain attacks would be going well until I got to the Canon siege and they just destroyed every thing I built. Also that there was no good counter to the stabby guys. It stopped being fun quickly.

While I did like Constantinople's look, it somehow made it all look the same and easy to get lost.

Some of the mission things were extremely annoying, but they seemed a bit easier than Brotherhood's perfect synch requirements.

While I was fine with the increased notoriety from renovating, I was not fine with the removal of posters. It made it really tedious.

Altair's sections should have been a lot longer and been in more locations.

I am waiting to see what the will add to the next one, since it should be Assassin's Creed 3, and not just an extension.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

oh my god someone (who is internet) famous quoted me... omg omg omg omg. This is as awesome as when Graham and Matt from lrr quoted me when i saw a tiny inconsistency in their alex is awesome at magic and magic episode.

haha I'm not famous

While I was fine with the increased notoriety from renovating, I was not fine with the removal of posters. It made it really tedious.

I should have mentioned that actually. At least with the posters it never became a chore trying to lose your wanted level.

 

[BakaSmurf]

I was going to post a long-winded response to this agreeing with you, but about 10 minutes in I realized that I had started writing a review and decided to just chop it out and instead say that yes, I agree with you on the highlighted points, and that I'm going to finish my sudden review on WordPad and post it in the 'user-reviews' section section of the forums.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I was going to post a long-winded response to this agreeing with you, but about 10 minutes in I realized that I had started writing a review and decided to just chop it out and instead say that yes, I agree with you on the highlighted points, and that I'm going to finish my sudden review on WordPad and post it in the 'user-reviews' section section of the forums.

Link it here when you're done

 

[BakaSmurf]

I was going to post a long-winded response to this agreeing with you, but about 10 minutes in I realized that I had started writing a review and decided to just chop it out and instead say that yes, I agree with you on the highlighted points, and that I'm going to finish my sudden review on WordPad and post it in the 'user-reviews' section section of the forums.

Link it here when you're done

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.326921-My-First-Review-Assassins-Creed-Revelations#13341609

9 views and no responses? Oh my ego, my fragile fragile ego. :'(

Oh well, that's what I get for sucking at reviews I guess.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I think pulling out the drawing board and REALLY starting to think of new designs/streamline all the cluttered stuff and pulling out AC3 in TWO years would be beneficial as hell. It'd show us the extra time they put in to make it great, not only making us realize how much we miss the damn franchise.

Agreed. Unfortunately it looks like that will not be the case, they've already announced it for next year. (I think)

 

[VanityGirl]

I enjoyed playing as the assassins, but once thrown back as Desmond, I found the game wanting. His weird memory play throughs seemed strange and out of place more than anything else. I enjoyed the game overall, but it was lacking compared to Brotherhood, which in all hoesty was just a glorified expansion.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I enjoyed playing as the assassins, but once thrown back as Desmond, I found the game wanting. His weird memory play throughs seemed strange and out of place more than anything else. I enjoyed the game overall, but it was lacking compared to Brotherhood, which in all hoesty was just a glorified expansion.

Those Desmond bits are weird alright. The controls are awful.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Yeah, I think Ubisoft are really taking the piss with Revelations. I bought Brotherhood and enjoyed it well enough even if it was essentially the same game as AC2 as I was invested enough the series and hoped afterward they'd be moving on to AC3 so that we'd have new characters, milieus, cultures, weapons and toys to explore/play around with respectively but apparently not. It just really feels like they're milking it with this, I haven't bought the game and I'm not sure if I will, at any rate I'm sure as shit not paying full price for the thing. Maybe I'll pick it up when it drops, but I'm not really going in with high expectations.

 

[lastoftheline]

I'm hoping for AC3, they go completely off the wall.

imagine if they were looking for the grand temple, and used ancestors from multiple different times to try and get to it.
Like - an ancient city, trying to get into it then, but it's blocked, so they try somewhen else, and the get closer, but they need somehting different, etc.

IMAGINE THE FUN. IMAGINE THE VARIATION. IMAGINE HOW MUCH MONEY UBISOFT WOULD MAKE.

Don't hold out hope though.

 

[AstylahAthrys]

Yes, yes, yes. I got about 2 hours into the game and I just wasn't having nearly as much fun as I should be. Then I was met with a glitch where I can't move and I need to be searching for a Templar and I said "lol screw this" and put Skyrim back in.

I haven't even gotten far enough to see many of those points yet, but they sound disappointing and make me even less excited.

 

[Andalusa]

I really liked some of the things you didn't, OP. The bomb crafting, for example, yes it's boring to actually craft the bombs, but if you use them in the correct way, they're extremely useful.
Yes, the templar awareness going up after you renovate a shop is annoying, but it's more.. I want to say realistic, but that's not quite the word I'm looking for.
The Altair bits are only supposed to highlight the game, I enjoyed them, sure, being a die hard fan girl, I wish they might have lasted a little longer, the very last segment as Altair had me in tears. If you want to know more about what happens around your short bits as Alty, the book The Secret Crusade fleshes it out nicely.

 

[ImperialSunlight]

1. Too much un-needed clutter.

a) The bombs can be useful if you want to use them, but you can still get things done without them. I don't see a problem with that.
b) I agree somewhat.
c)The only loud explosions are shrapnel bombs and bombs for distraction, distraction ones being more stealth oriented, which fits with the assassin idea.

I agree with your thoughts on the map but I don't think it's a major issue. It's only annoying for a second or two.

2. Tower Defence

This minigame is horrible, yes. I thought it was good the first time I played it but then it just stopped making sense. Luckily, you rarely have to play it if you install assassins in dens.

3. Renovation

I actually didn't notice this... if this is true, it makes no sense...

4. Built by committee

I actually thought they did a really good job on the dungeons this time, I thought they were really cinematic.

I do, however, agree that it had a few too many ideas and could have streamlined them a bit.

5. Location

I think it is just personal preference because I absolutely loved the setting, I found it refreshing compared to the Italy setting that was getting a little dry in AC: B.

6. Instant fail mission parameters

Pardon my ignorance but... what are these?

7. Altair

I thought it was just long eneuph to wrap up Altair character, personally. Sure, it may feel short from a gameplay perspective, but in terms of story, it expanded Altair quite a bit.

8. Random dudes who stab you in the back and camping snipers

I agree.

9. Desmond's first person platforming bits

I didn't find the controls awkward at all. Hmm.

I actually enjoyed it quite a bit and found that it set the story up quite well for ACIII. I actually liked it much more than I did Brotherhood as it felt fresher.

 

[Broken Blade]

You guys too? I actually did a 2000-word "blog post" talking about why the game just didn't work for me, which is disappointing, because I did want to like this game. I don't really feel like posting it here, but long story short, I feel that if they'd somehow combined the plot of Revelations into Brotherhood, both games would have been improved, skipping what honestly feels like a filler game. There's a lot to like here, and I did enjoy the game, but it ultimately left me disappointed.

 

[SteakHeart]

Yeah, Revelations had plenty of missteps, but the core was still there, and I enjoyed it all. Yes, even the bombs and the tower defense.

 

[DarkAngryWolf]

To address your points:

1. True. I did think the bomb thing was kind of stupid. Just do what I thought with the trailer: make a thicker smoke bomb from the one before. Besides, I only used the splinter, smoke, and cherry and added from the weapon's dial. It's nice to have option, but this isn't option, it's fucking around with (mostly) useless shit.

2. Indeed, this mini-game blows. Sometimes I just let them win and kill the captain again, that part is kind of fun.

3. I like that it adds to your awareness, finally means if you do it too many times in a row and forget about it, you can become fully aware, it be somewhat tense to go through and get caught by guards. It is somewhat annoying, but I didn't see it as a flaw.

4. Not sure what you mean by the locations changes. I suppose you mean when you enter hidden tombs, search for keys, and when you go to kill the fat basterd that Talik was killed for supposedley being aliend with, right? Well, that's what it felt like in ACII to find the seals, or in brotherhood to get the Romulus keys. It feels normal to not feel normal in these sections. And in Brotherhood: Seemless? Not really, it was the exact same thing there, I really don't understand where you see a difference. If you speak, this ear shall remain listening.

5. Couldn't agree more, I hate the location. I hate the damn boring brown and too light gray everywhere, I prefer the beauty of Italia; Roma, Fierenza, Vieneza. I hated Jerusalum, Damascus, and here.

6. Mind expanding. Maybe my mind isn't that fresh, but I assume you mean when you start a mission then bullshit happens when you desyncronize immediatly. Yeah, it sucks, but I can get past that.

7. Of course Altair's sequences are short. This isn't his game anymore, this is Ezio's story. Merely bits of Altair's memoir to help the order not make the same split they did years ago. Besides, I like that their short. It means he doesn't over stay his welcome.

8. Indeed, these guys blow. I can't stand the jump scare with the music que, and they're only worth is the money you get from robbing their corpses. Not sure what you mean by snipers. You mean gunmen and bombers? Or something else. *shrugs*

9. Yes. Desmond's first person platforming sucks. But like Yahtzee said in Catherine "But as frustrating as the [block] puzzles were, they were never the kind of puzzles that made want to stop playing, or bang all of my expensive elctronic goods together. They just made me grip my controller harder, clench my teeth, and be all the more determined to get just one more level." Besides, I figured them out and loved the bits when he talked about his past. FINALLY!! I give two damns about the MAIN CHARACTER of the LAST 4 GAMES!!! [sarcasm] Great job developers and story tellers. [/sarcasm]

Overall, I like the game. Not the greatest ending of a trilogy (Ezio) or quadrilogy (Altair), but one I'm stasfied with. Is it perfect? No, nothing is. Is it great? That's in the eye of the beholder, but I think so. It's still fun, it's still good, it's still a great story. Overall: it's still Assassin's Creed. Can't wait for Assassin's Creed III. For those who don't now, as of right now it's been decided each game would be number by ancester. ACI (Altair), ACII (Ezio) ACIII (?) Seems it's going to be Desomnd, but who knows, besides Ubisoft.

 

[Project_Xii]

I too have strong feelings on Revelations. I loved brothergood, it was two MASSIVE steps forward for the series compared to Assassins Creed 2. Revelations, however, was like four steps back. The engine has aged horribly, and the free running is more like "restricted, annoying and finnicky running" compared to faster and more flowing movement schemes like inFamous 2.

As for you points:

1. Too much un-needed clutter.

a) you never really need them
b) they're a boring pain in the ass to craft.
c) loud-ass explosions aren't very assassin-ish

Agreed. The bombs were pointless. The only time I needed to use them was when i was FORCED to do so, for the Challenges and certain 100% sync mission requirements. Pointless, and effort that could have been put into other things.

2. Tower Defence

Despised this game from the bottom of my soul. That stupid tank thing at the end... yes, you could destroy it with cannons, but it pretty much ruined and semblance of a perfect run you might have had going. It ALWAYS made it to the building and took some life off, no matter how many bombadment blockages, bomb assassins and cannons you fired at it.

3. Renovation

This just added to the clutter thing for me. The monuments were especially ridiculous. Having to leave my console going and check back every few hours just so I could earn enough money to buy everything before the game ended was a pain.

4. Built by committee

Well, this I kind of disagree with. Even though the extra dungeons felt fractured from the rest of the game, i still think there were actually the best parts. Chasing after that raft down the river? Awesomeness. Really made up for the hum drum boringness of running around the city.

5. Location

Agreed. Boring as hell. So much copy and paste. I swear they're still using texture and structures from the first game.

7. Altair

I did enjoy them though, short as they were. Especially his ending. Fitting, in a word.

8. Random dudes who stab you in the back and camping snipers

The Stalkers were great (but only cause I never got stabbed by a single one... reflexs like a cat booyah), but the camping snipers sucked ass.

9. Desmond's first person platforming bits

Very out of place, and not that engaging. Could have been a sort of clever version of portal if they'd put more effort into it.

Overall, everything that made Brotherhood good was there, minus a great deal of other stuff, and plus a great deal of bad new stuff. Next years one better be a new engine and a proper full length game. i think one expansion between main games is definitely enough.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

6. Instant fail mission parameters

Pardon my ignorance but... what are these?

Desynchronised.... you were detected (even though the game spawned you into the line of sight of 4 guards)

FUUUUUUUU---

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I really liked some of the things you didn't, OP. The bomb crafting, for example, yes it's boring to actually craft the bombs, but if you use them in the correct way, they're extremely useful.

Yeah, since posting the OP I've come to discover the uses of Datura poison. Especially handy against those annoying Janissaries.

4. Not sure what you mean by the locations changes. If you speak, this ear shall remain listening.

What I mean is that in the way they are presented they feel, to me, somewhat segmented and different to the rest of the game. The lighting is different, the textures are sharper... in Brotherhood to me it felt like these places were a part of the overall world, just below or inside it.

In this game they felt like a completely different universe in a different game. I liked them (because they reminded me of Sands Of Time) but they just made me feel like 'oh well this is clearly the bit that xx studio designed' - the gap between them was too transparent.

6. Mind expanding. Maybe my mind isn't that fresh, but I assume you mean when you start a mission then bullshit happens when you desyncronize immediatly. Yeah, it sucks, but I can get past that.

Yeah that... it has happened me so many fucking times. I got stuck in a loop on the 'Dress up like a janissary' mission where I would insta-fail on that black screen before I even properly spawned in. I can hear the guards saying 'That hood!' before I can even see what's happening.

Then there's stuff like beggars knocking into you or assholes stabbing you in the back which causes you to be seen... just annoying. The Desync for being detected needs to be more generous. Punish us by having to run and hide, or fight, not by insta-failing. It's also frustrating as shit when you're trying to get those taunting 100% syncs. As a compulsive gamer I hate those 100% syncs because the means to achieving them often turn the game into a frustrating chore.

8. Not sure what you mean by snipers. You mean gunmen and bombers? Or something else. *shrugs*

Yeah, I mean the assholes with guns who hide in the boxes you can't get at. Assholes.