Review of Assassins Creed: Revelations

ASSASSINS CREED: REVELATIONS
FOR PS3
Price: Rs 2,699

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? While not exactly novel, it still keeps you engrossed.

Our favourite Italian assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze is back-for the last time. Assassins Creed game developer Ubisoft has decided to let him retire in peace after this one last mission. This will also be the game's final installment of the Renaissance era, which is good news as you can hardly distinguish Rome from Constantinople. Ezio is no longer a young assassin. With his grey hair and a visible paunch, it is obvious that a graceful exit was the order of the day. Yes, we are still stuck in protagonist Desmond Miles' mind. The part bartender, part assassin is strapped on to the Animus, the machine that accesses his ancestral memories-the master assassin Altair ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio. The cinematic sequences in Assasins Creed: Revelations are breathtaking. With vibrant graphics, it successfully makes the characters and Constantinople as real as they can get. The sound track too gets you into the groove. But these are all too similar to the previous AC editions. So it's not exactly something new. Nonetheless the game keeps you engrossed.

The plot is to find the keys of Altair, hero of the first edition. The most important addition in this version is undoubtedly the Hook Blade, which not only helps Ezio climb roof tops but also helps him slide down cables. The hook also helps reach out to and grab walls as you fall, reducing your chances of becoming street pizza. The hooded assassin also gets his hands on bombs. But despite having an explosive arsenal, you (or Ezio) invariably end up using the traditional weapons as they are a lot more fun to wield. Perhaps, the addition of bombs in this version was a bit of a waste. There are also mini games, like Brotherhood, where you can train assassins and send them off on contract missions. Your aim is to extend the assassins' influence and defend your turf from Templar attacks. To keep things interesting, Revelations gets back the multi-player feature. Now from being the assassin, you can become the target. There are other play modes like Capture the Chest and hide-and-seek games that have new characters with new special abilities, maps and modes.

This game might not be a big revelation as its title suggests; it does fail to break away from its own mould . But what it does smoothly is finish the chapter on Ezio and Altair. Revelations will keep you thoroughly engaged through its visuals and game play.

DINSEYLAND ADVENTURES 2
FOR XBOX 360 KINECT
Price: Rs 1,999

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? A realistic, though unchallenging tour of Disneyland.

FOR THE CHILD IN YOU: It is your day out in the Happiest Place on Earth-Disneyland-and Kinect gives you that touch of reality as you walk around. Disneyland 2 is the first open-world game for Kinect where you are free to explore the theme park however you like. There are over 100 adventures you can take and over 40 characters you can interact with. You can also take photos of landmarks, hug, chat and dance with your favourite Disney characters, pose for pictures, visit shops and take a ride on famous Disney rides. Each character you meet will give you a quest or ask you to track down something or take a ride in the park. The Kinect comes in here as the rides take the form of mini games, where you get to interact with the attraction and its story. Once you create your avatar and understand the game, it's time to interact with the main six Disney characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, and Goofy.

Your trusty map displays the locations of the Disney characters and the rides. There is no doubt the presentation and visuals are realistic and excellent, but it would have been better if we could customise the avatar rather than choose from ready options. In many ways this Disney is full of pomp and glamour and no competition. Things are too unchallenging, even for the targeted age group. For example going to combat against pirates sounds fun and adventurous but with only three fighting options-low, high charge and dodge-the idea suddenly collapses. Don't get us wrong, this is easily the cheapest way to let your kids and yourself enjoy Disneyland as the experience touches phenomenal levels but your interest will wane. However, Disneyland Adventures 2 will definitely let you get in touch with the child inside you and bring a smile to your face.

HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED ANNIVERSARY
FOR XBOX 360
Price: Rs 1,999

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? Reunion time for old Halo fans and must-play for new ones.

HALO RELOADED: The remastered graphics of Halo, one of the world's best first-person shooting games, allows you to revisit the antics of the master chief. No new levels have been added but then that's the beauty of this game as-the entire first edition has been reworked in such a way that a first time player will never guess this is a 10-year-old game. It was good to be reacquainted with the reliable Magnum pistol, which remains the best weapon to overpower the Covenant aliens. The Assault Rifle is another effective arm. The multiplayer mode is where things get a bit tricky. Purists will probably be critical because the original Halo didn't have this option. The Halo Reach engine enables six reworked classic maps. The Ridgeline map is a surprise addition as it was exclusive to the PC and Mac versions of the original game. The captivating game modes, weapons, character customisation kept us enthralled. You can tweak the settings to play either the original music or the re-mastered and enhanced soundtrack. The game developers want to show how far the graphics have progressed- press the Select button to switch between the latest and the original graphics.

NEED FOR SPEED
FOR PS3
Price: Rs 3,299

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? The graphics are great, but the action gets repetitive.

HO-HUM RACING: Can Need For Speed: The Run inch closer to Gran Turismo and Forza for supremacy in the car racing franchises?. The first striking thing about NFS is the graphics-clearly the best yet in the series. The life-like surroundings, lacking in previous editions barring Hot Pursuit, has upped the level of excitement. Driving on avalanche-affected roads in the Rocky Mountains is not only a challenge but a scenic experience. What makes this game realistic is the fact that the fastest car is not always the winner. So though you might take a fancy to a Chevrolet Dodge or a Ford Mustang you need to brush up your skills, you will find them hard to control as they drift at the corners. The best bet, of course, would be to start with a slower BMW M3. The protagonist, Jack Rourke, has a mob debt hovering over his head and the only option for him is to race across the United States and win the prize money which he can use to pay off his debt. Yes, the storyline is as thin as it sounds. The good thing about The Run is that it lets you experience different real-world vehicles like muscle cars, street racers and super sports cars. Basically, a bit of everything to tackle different driving challenges for the player.

However, this idea sadly fails to impress even though you can use muscle cars for long highway stretches, street racers for owning the tracks and sports cars to conquer the urban jungle. The problem is that you can drive down from San Francisco to New York with your first car, the M3. This is where the10-stage race with many multiple short races between cities becomes predictable, bordering on the boring. What was disappointing was the artificial intelligence that runs the rival cars. It attacks your car but holds the line when the rivals are side by side. This where all realism shatters. Excellent trailers and great graphics but NFS:The Run has to get more substance and inject a lot more interest for the speed freaks.

SAINTS ROW: THE THIRD
FOR PS3
Price: Rs 2,499

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? A must for action addicts.

TURF FIGHT: They are brash, arrogant and abusive- but entertaining to the core. In Saints Row: the Third, our gang members have become celebrities and the big, bad Syndicate wants a piece of the profit. The concept of the game remains basic-crack some bad guys' skulls, turf out rivals and recruit more members for your gang.

The new edition gets a multi-player option: Co-op. It doubles the mayhem. It also has the Whored Mode, a survival game with three maps, each with 30 different challenges that require mowing down enemies. To keep things interesting each challenge comes with a different set of rules. The graphics will not win awards with the retro-arcade visuals that give the game a seedy ambience. Because of the lack of realism, the violence in game is not gory. It is, however, definitely an over-the-top game with colourful language and game play, a veritable cross between Pulp Fiction and Grand Theft Auto.

Courtesy: Gadgets and Gizmos