Assassin’s Creed Revelations review 0

t’s hard not to completely lose yourself in Assassin’s Creed Revelations. There's plenty to explore, loads to climb and arses to be kicked

As we review Assassin's Creed: Revelations, we can't help but feel a little teary eyed about the prospect of this being our hooded friend's final adventure.

It’s been a long, hard road for Ezio Auditore da Firenze but, as mentioned in this Assassin's Creed: Revelations review, the Italian rake gamers met all the way back in Assassin’s Creed II.

Over the last 50 years, he’s had his family torn from him, had his homestead burned to the ground, has suffered countless wounds and hardships and found himself embroiled in a civil war fought in the shadows of society. So how will he fare this year?

Assassin’s Creed Revelations Review: Gameplay

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is, first and foremost, a giant, beautiful sandpit for the player to enjoy at their leisure. They can take out enemy strongholds and build new headquarters on the ruins.

They can recruit assassins to their guild and send them off on secret missions through Europe, Africa and the Middle East. They can bribe thugs or Romany women to distract guards while they help themselves to trinkets or the contents of a passer-by’s pockets.

They can use a Hook Blade to grab hold of roof ledges or rip out the throats of their opponents. They can craft a large array of bombs. They can defend their guilds against armies of attackers in a tower-defence game.

They can buy equipment, collect earnings and renovate buildings. But best of all, they can parkour through the game’s vast open expanse, shimmy up towers, leap from building to building and engage in a lot of swordplay.

The action-packed madness will certainly make for an exciting Assassin's Creed: Revelations film.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations Review: Features

There’s also a plot of sorts, and this is where a whole-hearted recommendation becomes a little hard to justify. This is because the game, which is by no means bad, is the latest section of a plot, which has become so barmy and convoluted by now that newcomers will battle to follow what’s going on.

Playing Assassin’s Creed: Revelations as an entry point to the series is like starting to watch The Wire with the eighth episode of the second season.

The backstory runs thus; a bartender called Desmond has been kidnapped by a secret society calling themselves the Templars.

Apparently he’s the descendent of a line of assassins and the Templars hope to access his ancestor’s memories, in order to track down some artefacts that can change the course of mankind (or something).

To that end, they stick Desmond in the Animus, a machine that allows the user to experience parts of the lifetimes of anyone who shares their DNA.

With the Animus, Desmond relives the memories of first Altair, a Medieval assassin, and then Ezio Auditore, an Italian noble who turned assassin during the Renaissance and…

…are you still following any of this? No? Good, I thought it was just me. All you really need to know is that in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, the lion’s share of your time will be spent as Ezio in Constantinople, during the time of the Ottoman Empire, with occasional visits to the Animus and the Medieval Middle East.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations Review: Verdict

The large portion of the game involving Ezio and Altair is absolutely ace; the sections involving the latter are a bit brief and bit too scripted, but overall they do the job.

The parts set in the future, where Desmond has to navigate the inside of the Animus in some sort of first-person platforming game are badly made, but thankfully they’re kept to a minimum.

The real draw, though, is Ezio, and his engrossing travails through Constantinople. Forget the convoluted story - you don’t need logic when you have bombs and a Hook Blade.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations availability: Out now

Assassin’s Creed Revelations price: £37.89

Watch the Assassin's Creed Revelations trailer (below)

Enjoyed this Assassin's Creed Revelations review

Best iPhone Games 0

Here's our picks for the best iPhone games currently available. We weeded through the thousands of titles to bring you the cream of the crop.

With over 400,000 apps now available for download in the iTunes app store, the gaming options are nearly limitless. In the sea of games for the iPhone, some are worth your 99 cents (or download time) and others are not. We’ve taken on the burden of sorting through the endless games to bring you what we think are the best iphone games for everyone from the intense console gamer to the casual word puzzle enthusiast.

Angry Birds ($.99)

This notoriously obsession-inducing game begins with the story of some ugly green pigs who stole eggs from their neighboring birds. These birds are now, as you would assume, very angry. Users fling the angry (and squealing) birds at fortified castles inhabited by the green pigs in an attempt to destroy the pigs and get to the next level. It’s a game of trial and error, but birds with different advantages (extra power, wider coverage) and pigs with extra protections (hardhats, etc.) keep things interesting.

Jenga ($.99)

The nerve-wracking party game Jenga now comes to the iPhone with real-time 3D physics simulation and gyroscope integration. The amazingly realistic game uses sensitive touch technology to recreate the tension and anticipation of pulling out as many Jenga pieces as you can before the tower crumbles. The game features a four-player Pass ‘n’ Play mode that lets users come back to the game at their own pace, and a new arcade mode, which challenges users to increase speed and grab special points along the way.

Mirror’s Edge ($.99)

This visually stunning game puts users in the middle of a ‘perfect society’ where they have to run around the city performing various parkour-style stunts to stop deadly threats and any forces of evil. The game was specifically designed for the iPhone’s retina display and takes full advantage of it with crisp visuals. Players use swipe controls to run up walls, jump rooftops, and ride zip lines in 14 different levels.

Infinity Blade ($5.99)

This sword-fighting action game will make you feel like you’re sitting at your console in the comfort of your own home instead of staring at your small iPhone. Powered by Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 technology, Infinity Blade brings cutting edge graphics to your small screen in a 3D castle world. The game uses touch controls and can be played in single player and multiplayer modes.

Words With Friends ($1.99)

This ad-free word game has taken both iPhone and Android users by storm with its Scrabble-like game-play and play at your own pace design. Users can play matches with friends (on either iOS or Android devices) or with randomly selected users. The addicting game is not designed for immediate satisfaction, allowing users to play turns when they have a free moment on the bus, waiting in line, or on a break from work. Get competitive and break out your dictionary app for this one, you’ll need it.

Fruit Ninja ($.99)

Like Angry Birds, this action game is extremely simple but extraordinarily addictive. Users swipe a finger across the screen to slice fruit as it flies across the screen. Miss slicing one too many and you’re out. Slice multiple pieces of fruit with one swipe for combination points and watch out for flying bombs, which will kill you and your score in an instant. The game features classic and arcade modes as well as multiplayer for Game Center-enabled devices. Turn the sound up because, trust us, hearing your fruit be slashed and splattered is the best part.

Plants vs. Zombies ($2.99)

The much-loved tower defense game that started out as a hit on PC is now available for the iPhone, to the relief of countless fans. Users must defend their homes against hoards of angry zombies attempting an invasion. Planting a variety of zombie-zapping plants will fend off the walking dead, and the more zombies you kill the more plants you can get to defend your home. The game has 50 different levels that feature different scenes and backgrounds. The game stays interesting thanks to the variety of zombies with special skills and tricks.

Sparkle the Game ($2.99)

This action puzzle game puts speed and accuracy to the test as users shoot orbs into a constantly moving line, hoping to make them disappear fast enough that they don’t fall into the dreaded abyss. Users tap the screen where they want to shoot orbs; match three orbs of the same color to make them disappear. Three game modes, different scene locations, and hidden bonuses and secrets keep the action fun. The game is simple in concept, but the entertainment will last hours.

Bejeweled 2 ($.99)

This addictive game is one of the top paid apps of all time, and for good reason. The puzzle game challenges users to match sparkling jewels to get points to get to the next level. The premise is simple but the fun of beating each level is addicting. Different modes allow for intense or relaxed play, and new Facebook integration allows users to challenge their friends to a match.

Toki Tori ($2.99)

In this puzzle platform game, users must guide the adorable Toki Tori through 80 levels and four different worlds to gather as many eggs as possible. Fun animation and solid graphics make this game a treat to play, even on your small iPhone screen. Toki Tori is a perfect game for someone who loves simple old-school video games or wants something casual and fun.