Worthy End Cap to the Ezio Trilogy
I think this game is pretty inaccessible to anyone who hasn't played at least the previous two AC2 games, so this review is only for those players. Some people have concerns with annual releases of video games, but I prefer it also long as they maintain quality. AC has done that with AC2: Revelations. I do have some criticisms, but they have nothing to do with quality.
Story
The best element of AC2: Revelations is the narrative. It was really satisfying to play an old Ezio. It's rare to get to play a characters entire life in a video game series. The background story related to the Janissary and Sultan wasn't as interesting as the previous two games, but the main plot involving Ezio, Altair, Desmond, and the pre-human civilization at the center of the story, more than made up for that.
Gameplay
It's still a blast to play as Ezio as you climb, jump, parachute, grapple and other acrobatics around Constantinople. But I have to say, after playing the Batman Arkham games, the controls could use a little improving. It's not as fun or as easy to control Ezio as Batman, and in my mind the two games are almost identical in format. Still, we're talking about the two best melee combat games IMHO. So it's more of a A and B+ comparison.
World Mechanics
One the best new elements of the last game (brotherhood) was the introduction of world mechanics. There's a lot at play between the guilds, your assassins, and the Templars. Most of the same trappings are here again, but with a few additions; however, most of the new elements don't actually add fun to the game. In fact, there is a tactical guild defense where you have to protect your guild in a RTS style combay that I found just annoying. After a couple defenses, I simply made sure I would never have to do it again. There is also a risk like world combat feature linked to your assassins' missions that was less annoying, but it didn't really do much for me. It was more work than anything.
In the end, I really enjoy the final installment of the Ezio trilogy. I look forward to the next installment, but they better make sure they spend the proper amount of time rethinking the game play and controls. It would break my heart to see them just beat it into the ground by releasing the same game with a new character.
