Assassins Creed Revelations represents kind of a negative in the series, if I'm being honest. The last game in the Ezio trilogy (2 and Brotherhood being the others) has a lot of points where it shines, such as in its storytelling, and connecting 2 to 3 (same with Brotherhood), but it also has a lot of shortcomings, in how lazily it is presented, and how rushed the whole game feels.

You do not get any out of Animus scenes, as Desmond is in a coma throughout the game, and we get very little insight into more of Desmond's character development. This game is primarily about Ezio, and what he hopes to accomplish.

So where does AC:R fit, within the scale? Is it as great, for example, as 2, which to this point is the clear gold standard for the series? Or is it as repetitive as the first game, without the fallback excuse of "it's the first game in the series"?

Graphics - 7

Same s***, different day. The game brings very little to the series graphically, as the same old models seem recycled, with the exception of Ezio's, which seems a bit smaller? Would make sense, since he's supposed to have aged, dramatically. There are a few visually pleasing set pieces, but you are unlikely to really be paying attention on them, so it's kind of wasted effort.

But where this game fails is that they don't try anything truly new. Most things seem straight copy pasted, and as such, a lot of this review could be copy pasted from someone's Brotherhood review.

So why a 7? The game does a great job of recreating things, as they usually do. The churches and citadels in the game (based off real-world places) are extremely accurate, as far as I can tell, and a lot of care is taken in these things that history buffs will appreciate.

Sound - 7

Much like with the graphics, the game just hasn't changed, so there's no incentive to really give any points out here. The music tracks kind of run together, and feels so much like previous games, that you'll probably like it more if you just treat Revelations as a continuance of Brotherhood. As a separate game, it just doesn't really bring anything to the table.

The voice acting, as always, is probably the highlight of Assassins Creeds' soundboard, and it shows. Roger Craig Smith reprises the role of Ezio one last time, and he knocks it out of the park, accurately depicting Ezio's aging body.

Addictiveness - 4

I'm going to be honest, I almost stopped playing the series with this game, because it just stopped being fun. It took me a long time to complete, not because it was hard, or a long game, but the gameplay just felt so stale and boring, that I just had to keep putting it down to find something more mentally challenging.

A lot of this comes back to what I've been saying, it feels like a straight copy paste of Brotherhood. The online play (I'm not even sure it's still up, if not, dock a point or two, depending on how important that is) wasn't terrible when it was live, but if you played Brotherhood, you've basically already played it.

The biggest gripe I have with Revelations, and how it fits into the AC series, is they almost did too good of a job making you feel like an old man, and while realism is appreciated, it just doesn't make for a fun game. Add in a story-line that you can honestly just ignore, and you'll see a lot of people skipping Revelations to play 3, something that also generally does not come recommended.

Maybe I'm being too serious about a game that is literally came out only 5 years ago, and giving it too critical a review, based on what we know now about the series (that it gets better, 4 and Syndicate are apparently insanely good, but I'll get to those games too eventually). In my opinion, though, this game is very easily skipped, unless you desperately need an AC game and you haven't played this one.

Depth - 5

Say what one will about the game, it doesn't lack for things to do. While the least in depth game in the series, it still clogs you with tons of busy work that will keep you active if your goal is 100% completion. Why you would shoot for 100% completion, I know not, but still, the option exists.

A lot of the game's depth comes in the form of seizing citadels, and they all get kind of samey, especially late in the game. Many are tied into story missions, but as I recall, most are not. They help you uncover more things to do, but again, just busy work.

If you like said busy work, you'll probably enjoy this game, but I like a little more flavor with my steak, and I like steak the same way I like video games, well done. This game feels very rare at times, and just lacking in any real substance. A must play for those seeking a very specific flavor, but a must skip for people who like good games.

Story - 6

You are Desmond Miles, you are in a coma. You need to get through the Animus's "Black Room" in an attempt to piece together Desmond's mind (basically it exploded because he was forced to kill Lucy at the end of the last game). There's a couple catches though. Subject Sixteen, who has been trapped here forever, desperately wants to leave, and at multiple times teases taking Desmond's body.

Essentially the plot is "Remember s*** about Ezio and Altair, so that Desmond's personality can be separated from theirs, and the animus can differentiate the two". It sounds complex, but it's a bit of Deus Ex Machina no doubt intentionally done by the devs to squeeze money out of fans expecting a good game.

As Ezio, you travel to the usual historic locales, and fight historic, real bad guys, and it culminates in another bit of Deus Ex Machina, where Ezio talks directly to Desmond, somehow knowing he is there.

It's a skippable bit of story, but if you watch it all the way through, you'll emerge with a better understanding of the core of Deus Ex Machina Assassins Creed.

Difficulty - 2?

Like it's not hard, but it almost got me to quit the AC series, which would have been a true shame. It's literally the same as every other game. If you didn't find the others hard, this will be no harder.

GRADING FOR ASSASSINS CREED REVELATIONS
Graphics - 10% (10% of 7 is .7)
Sound - 10% (10% of 7 is .7)
Addictiveness - 35% (35% of 4 is 1.4)
Depth - 20% (20% of 5 is 1)
Story - 25% (25% of 6 is 1.5)
Difficulty - 0% (0% of 2 is 0)
Total - 5.3

Bonus Points - I'll give a couple bonus points, just because I pity who worked on this game, and they've brought such good games in the past. Don't get used to it.

Overall - 5.5

The game fails to be captivating, and worst of all, it fails to be fun. Ezio's last story might be a point of contention, since most will want to know how we get from Brotherhood to 3, but honestly, you could probably make up your own story and it would make more sense, thematically.

Watch a quick Let's Play, read a Synopsis. But do not play this game.

EDIT - I made a mistake in my maths. The depth was originally given .5 points when it should have been given 1. The total was raised, and the bonus points were nerfed a tad. The overall rises from a 5 to a 5.5