The flagship of Ubisoft's greatest gaming series once again comes to the PC, PlayStation 3 and the XBox 360 as players return to 15th century Constantinople as the legendary Ezio Auditore di Firenze, an assassin of unparalleled skills in Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Although you do spend the large majority of the game as Ezio, the other protagonist is Desmond, a distant relative of this assassin whom a secret organisation is attempting to unlock the memories of his past through the Animus machine.

For the uninitiated, this powerful machine allows people to unlock their ancestors memories which in turn allows gamers to control the enigmatic Ezio. It's a clever premise that actually borders on scientific debate as to whether DNA can actually hold memories and in turn, past life regression. However for fans of Altair, you even get to play as him which is definitely a blast from the past as you return to Musyaf.

During your time and interrogation of Desmond, you'll also encounter your own memories which is considerably different as opposed to playing Ezio. It's quite a surreal experience as Desmond interacts with his own memories that is almost extesentialist in nature like some sort of world created in Tron.

However the star of Assassin's Creed: Revelations is Ezio, a brilliant character that male gamers want to be and female gamers want to be with. Check out what our resident writer and super hot model Tara Babcock thinks of Ezio here. What I did enjoy about this new story of Ezio, apart from the political intrigue is that this assassin is considerably wiser than previous incarnations and reminds me a little of Indiana Jones from Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull but of course, not quite as old. There's also some great moment with his lover, Sophia.

Before I get to the gameplay, I need to talk about the graphics first. Wow. This virtual interpretation of 15th  Constantinople is truly a sight for sore eyes and looks amazing in FULL HD. The attention to detail on this city not only helps the player become immersed in this renaissance world but the technological feat of its developers should also be commended.

Whether it's the realistic lighting that bounces off through the city or the shadow effects, it creates this living, breathing city, especially when nightfall covers the city. Non player characters interact with this virtual city quite realistically with some well designed models and great texture details. The animation of Ezio as a spy is also a treat to watch with his catlike grace and very cool Parkour movements. However with all this virtual perfection, there are some graphical issues such as pop-ups and clipping but for the most part, it's still quite a thoroughly impressive title.

So what about the gameplay? Considering that this series started in 2007, developers Ubisoft Montreal have really perfected the gaming of the world's favourite assassin. The beauty of the gameplay is how flawless the movements are of Ezio as he precariously climbs up walls and performs these awesome Parkour manoeuvres.

Apart from killing enemies with his bare hands, Ezio has a wealth of items at his disposal such as guns and knives to take out his enemies and his targets. There is also this Batman like hook which allows him to reach even higher places and even renaissance looking parachutes to glide him back to Earth. The hook blade is also great for grappling and long jumps. Zip lines are just as fun, especially when used for air assassinations. In terms of vehicles, horses have been replaced with carriages as you ride them through the streets of Constantinople which is quite exhilarating and thoroughly enjoyable as the templar's continue their war against the assassins.
 
Aside from getting your hands dirty, Ezio can recruit other assassins to his cause in order to fulfil contracts and create a powerbase for him in other cities such as Athens. Best of all, there is a levelling system for your recruits which can assist in making them become leaders of your other cities. You can even make bombs in this new instalment of Assassin's Creed such as bombs to poison or bombs to just... EXPLODE.

In reference to your other assassins, the developers have included a new mini-game which is a tower defence game and  is almost reminiscent of those iPhone games but of course with considerably better graphics. By placing assassins and other classes in certain sections of the city, they will assist Ezio in keeping control by killing the invaders to his domain. Given that, this tower defence strategy is a little weird for the series but interestingly enough, I actually enjoyed it as it does give you a slight respite from the main gameplay as areas become contested. 

Multiplayer allows for new characters for the gamers to choose and some really awesome new areas to play. Although the mechanics are similar to the multiplayer mode from Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, the biggest change is the death match mode which basically removes the radar. This definitely makes things considerably harder for the player and for the most part, it's all about killing. There is however a different version of capture the flag called Artefact Assault which requires you to use Parkour as you run across rooftops and through alleyways to get the enemy flag back to your base.

Final Level 

Although some people were expecting an Assassin's Creed 3 and many believe that we are treading through familiar territory again, I actually disagree. The developers have actually created a very sturdy game that have definitely added to the franchise and the fleshing out of the series. I enjoyed the story, even though there were a few clichés but overall when added to the gameplay, it created a game that as a fan of the series, I was pleasantly surprised. Even with the mini-game of Tower Defence and the sometimes lacklustre multiplayer modes, Assassin's Creed Revelations is a beautiful game that works on most levels as we once again revisit the world of Altair and Ezio.