Being an avid fan of the Assassin's Creed series, I was dead set on getting Revelations. I couldn't wait to see where Desmond Miles would find himself in his ancestor Ezio Auditore's shoes (or, boots, rather), and I was desperate to figure out what the hell happened with Brotherhood's ending. So popping the game into my Xbox 360 was kind of a big deal.
The game's storyline is the best part of the series, second only to the free-running skills. If you remember Brotherhood's ending, there was mention of, "Put him back in the Animus!" Revelations starts off around there. Desmond has fallen into a coma after his encounter with the Apple, and he's stuck on Animus Island. Occasionally Subject 16 (not just a number anymore!) comes by to talk to Desmond and offers a little insight: The Animus is having trouble differentiating between Desmond and Ezio, and every trip into Ezio's memories tips that balance out of whack even more.
Speaking of Ezio, his storyline in this game is interesting. Naturally, Ezio has to get these keys before the Templars, so he travels to Constantinople and meets with the assassins there to find the keys. Ezio meets new allies and enemies along the way and even finds a love interest. There's a few twists and turns, but it's super enjoyable.
The game play is basically the same as it was in Brotherhood: Run around the sprawling city, climb up walls and towers and find collectibles (animus data fragments used to unlock Desmond's "memories"). It's the same old formula, really. The hook blade makes it easy to get around the city rooftops (using the many zip lines) and climbing up to out-of-reach ledges is a breeze now (plus, the long jump you can do on a lamp instead of turning 90 degrees was a great mechanic). The game uses the hook blade automatically, so there's no need to press a button to activate it or anything (unless you hold B to catch a ledge as you fall).
The hook blade is also a major component of combat. You can hook enemies and tumble over them, great for getting past a barricade. And of course, you can use it for some excellent killing blows (my favorite is when you hook them, pull them close, stab with hidden blade and then yank the hook blade away; you don't see it, but I'm pretty sure a chunk of his sternum is gone).
As much as I loved Revelations, I hate to say it wasn't completely perfect. The targeting system (LT on the Xbox 360) was done away with, opting to auto-target, which I disliked a bit; I cannot tell you how many times I aimed at a Templar official to take him out only to have the targeting switch to a citizen a second before I shot my gun.
The story did seem a bit short to me; I would've enjoyed a deeper-delving narrative. Also, the ending (after Ezio's farewell) confused me and threw me for a loop.
I enjoyed playing Revelations, no doubt about it.
Yes, it had some flaws that irked me a little, but overall it was an awesome game and worth buying. If you're a big fan of the series, then go buy the game and play it right now.
If you're a casual gamer and looking for something to play, then get Revelations. It'll make a fan out of you.
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