Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Assassin’s Creed Revelations is a well-reviewed, top-selling game this holiday season. As you fight your way through the throngs of retail zombies and consumer whores, it might seem tempting to reward yourself with this time-spanning murder spree of a game. If you’re asking me, I say do it; the game is pretty excellent. However, if you’ve never played a game in the Assassin’s Creed series before, the idea may seem daunting. Ubisoft has released four enormous games in five years, and the plot is surprisingly complex for what appears to you to be a game about shoving your bladed wrists into the throats of religious and political figures. However, fear not! For in this article, I intend to do nothing less than dissolve the complicated narrative mysteries of this franchise into a single, pleasantly digestible, and quickly readable little corn nut of an article for you, the uninitiated. Read on for GameZone’s definitive “Assassin’s Creed: The Story So Far”

Part 1: Assassin’s Creed

The first thing you need to know is that all of these games so far are set in 2012, just months before the supposed end of the world. This may seem odd at first in a game filled with imagery from the past, but let me explain: The Assassins and Templars are two warring factions who’ve been at it for centuries. The Templars want to obtain the fabled “Pieces of Eden” in order to control the entire world’s population, which they believe will help stave off the apocalypse. The Assassins, however, won’t allow this much power to get into such sinister hands, and so throughout history, they’ve been covertly murdering Templars in order to keep the world in balance. However, as time has gone on, the Templars have grown in money and power, while the Assassins have been hunted almost to extinction, and never before has the world’s fate been so unsure. Enter Desmond Miles.

Sup, dude? Cool jacket. Wear a similar one forever, okay?

 

Desmond is a humble bartender who grew up in a modern day Assassin community hidden somewhere in the Black Hills of South Dakota. He rejected his heritage, left his family, and was living off the grid under an assumed name until he was kidnapped by the Abstergo Corporation to be used as a subject in their Animus project under Dr. Warren Vidic. The Animus is a device through which the subject is able relive the memories of their ancestors, as stored within their DNA. Dr. Lucy Stillman, the attending scientist, explains to Desmond that he was chosen as a subject because of his Assassin heritage, and is specifically going to be used for his connection to a particular Assassin who lived during the Crusades, Altair ibn La-Ahad. Though resistant at first, Desmond eventually syncs with the Animus and finds himself experiencing Altair’s story firsthand.

In 1190 AD, just as Richard the Lionhearted has captured the Muslim city of Acre, Altair makes an attempt on the life of Robert De Sable, Grand Master of the Templar Knights, but he fails, and loses all of his status among his fellow Assassins. However, Al Mualim, head of the Assassins, allows him the chance to redeem himself on the promise that he bring peace to the Holy Land by systematically eliminating nine corrupt political figures, culminating in De Sable. Altair succeeds in doing this, but not before realizing that all nine of his targets are high-ranking Templars. As he finally kills De Sable, the Templar reveals to Altair that Al Mualim is secretly a tenth Templar, and that he has been using Altair to eliminate all of his competition and to ensure that he alone would have control of a powerful Piece of Eden that can control people’s minds. Luckily, Altair is able to defeat Al Mualim in battle and recovers the artifact, but as he does, it activates one more time, revealing several different locations around the world.

Sup, Altair? You know, that jacket looks an awful lot like Desmond’s.

 

As Desmond lives through more and more of this story in the Animus, between sessions he begins to discover through secretly reading emails overnight at the Abstergo compound, that the company is actually a front for the Templars, of whom Dr. Vidic is a member. Once they get the locations Altair saw out of his memories, they plan to kill him. Fortunately, Lucy reveals herself to be an Assassin as well, and saves Desmond’s life, buying him more time to explore his surroundings, which he does by using Altair’s “eagle vision” ability, which he obtained through a process called the “bleeding effect”, which passes on traits of the ancestor through the Animus. This enables Desmond to see various messages hidden on the walls of the room, written by its previous occupant and experimental Animus subject, the mysterious Subject 16. They reference, among other things, The Book of Revelations and the Mayan 2012 Prophecy, and they seem to hint at larger revelations to come. See what I did there? That’s the new game! Revelations!

Part 2: Assassin’s Creed II

The second game begins almost immediately following the first one. Lucy shows up, and it turns out she’s a stone cold killer, who literally resorts to murdering people to help Desmond escape, which he does by again tapping into the “eagle vison” he received from the “bleeding effect”. The two fight their way out of Abstergo, but not before Desmond climbs into the Animus one last time so that Lucy can transfer all his files and witnesses the birth of his next ancestor of note, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze, who lived in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance.

Ezio doesn’t know he can do anything besides spread and cross his arms for pictures.

 

Lucy then spirits Desmond away to a modern-day Assassin’s hideout, where they meet up with two other more bookish members of the order, historian and analyst Shaun Hastings, and Rebecca Crane, a scientist who created her own version of the Animus, the Animus 2.0. They then explain to Desmond that he needs to get in their new Animus and relive Ezio’s life, so that Desmond will learn to be an Assassin himself by intensifying the “bleeding effect”, and also so that they can find the remaining Pieces of Eden before the Templars do.

Desmond rejoins Ezio just as his family is forced to go into hiding after being betrayed during an attempt at political revolution in Florence. His father and brothers are hanged, and he’s left with his uncle Mario at their family’s countryside villa to watch over his emotionally fragile mother and sister. Mario reveals that Ezio is the newest in a long line of Assassins and trains him so that he can exact revenge on all the people who conspired against his family.

He travels across Italy, murdering the high-ranking betrayers and meeting various people along the way, including Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci helps him by building him new weapons and equipment, and also helps to translate ancient writings by Altair. As Ezio assassinates he way up the ladder, he eventually finds that Rodrigo Borgia, leader of the Templars, is to blame, and that he has an artifact called “The Apple of Eden” that belonged to Altair hundred of years previously. Borgia wants to topple the Medici family and take over all of Italy. He also believes he is the prophet named in old accounts of the Pieces of Eden, and that he’s meant to bring the Templars to a fabled location known only as “The Vault”, which is supposed to have valuable codexes and Pieces of Eden inside. Ezio and Borgia have a showdown in Venice, and just as Borgia almost kills Ezio, all the people who’ve helped him thus far arrive and reveal themselves to be assassins, too. Borgia flees, and Ezio recovers the Apple. Ezio is officially inducted into the Order, named the true prophet meant to stop the Templars, and he decides he’s going to go after Borgia, and try to stop him once and for all.

Fun Fact: Rodrigo Borgia is the biggest shit-head in Italy.

 

As Desmond spends more and more time in the Animus, a few different things begin to occur. First, he does indeed gain many of Ezio’s abilities through the “bleeding effect”. However, the effect is so powerful that even outside of the Animus, Desmond begins to have visions. Most notably, he enters a memory where he sees Altair in bed with Maria, who appears to be a Templar. Even stranger, Altair leaves during the memory and focus stays with Maria before Desmond’s consciousness returns to the present, which seems impossible. Also, through Ezio, Desmond notices glyphs that seem to only be present in the Animus and not the actual past, that correspond to the glyphs Subject 16 left on the walls at Abstergo. Each one contains a piece of a clip Subject 16 left behind when he hacked into the Animus, and when they’re all put together, they form a short clip of naked man and woman whose bodies are covered with symbols made of light, running through what looks like a futuristic take on heaven. They call themselves “Adam” and “Eve” and they are apparently being chased by an unknown entity. They pass by workers who seem to be working on artifacts similar to the Apple. Just before the video ends, Eve holds up the Apple itself and says “Adam, I have it.” WEIRD.

Desmond returns to the Animus and picks up Ezio’s life several years later. Borgia is now Pope, and Ezio is at the Vatican to kill him and get to “The Vault”, which is supposedly under the Vatican. Apparently, the Papal Staff is also a Piece of Eden, and Borgia thinks he can open “The Vault” with it. In the final showdown with Borgia at the Vault gates, Ezio defeats Borgia, but decides not to kill him. He also uses the Papal Staff and the Apple of Eden to open “The Vault” even though Borgia couldn’t, proving himself to be the actual prophet.

However, all he finds inside is a mostly empty chamber, and the hologram of a female figure who calls herself Minerva, and addresses Desmond directly under the pretense that she’d been waiting here for Ezio to find her so that she could speak to him through the Animus. She explains that she’s part of an ancient society that built a civilization on Earth far predating any other, and that it was her society that is actually responsible for the creation of humans. Eventually, the humans destroyed most of their civilization in a huge war, so the last few survivors of her people hid themselves away in sacred places across the globe so that someone would find them and stop the humans from destroying the Earth.

Back in the modern day, Desmond barely wakes up before he finds out that Abstergo is attacking their hideout. Lucy gives Desmond a hidden blade like the one Altair and Ezio use, and the four of them fight their way out and escape to a remote cabin. They go over the tapes, and Lucy theorizes that Minerva was referring to the geomagnetic reversal of the Earth’s poles. To find out, they decide to have Desmond head back into the Animus. If only there was a game that wasn’t quite AC III but that served as sort of like a buffer to fill the gap and tie up all the loose-OH WAIT HERE IT IS.

Part 3: Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

Brotherhood opens with Desmond trying to use the Animus to get one of Ezio’s memories from 1507. However, he’s unable to do so and ends up in Viana during a battle for a short while before Ezio remembers how his family’s country villa was similarly destroyed. Desmond is shot even further back in time to very shortly after the events of Assassin’s Creed II. Borgia has disappeared, and the Papal Staff disappears into the floor of the Vatican. Ezio and his uncle Mario ride back to the villa in Monteriggioni and find it under siege by Cesare Borgia, Borgia’s son. Mario is killed in the ensuing battle which leaves the villa in ruins, and Ezio passes out as he chases Cesare towards Rome.

When Desmond wakes up, he, Lucy, Shaun, and Rebecca have arrived at the Villa Auditore at Monteriggioni in modern Italy. They have decided to use it as a safehouse while they try and recover the Apple of Eden from wherever Ezio put it, using the Animus to look. Lucy also seems to think that when Minerva touched it, something about it changed. Desmond also begins to see a much older Ezio around the villa in a similar way to his visions of Altair and Maria as a result of the “bleeding effect”. They deduce that Ezio came back to the villa much later and hid a bunch of numbers and glyphs all over the place. As they inch closer and closer to finding the Apple, they decide that Desmond needs to go back into the Animus to find more clues.

Weird face, Cesare. Maybe he smells his dad’s head.

 

Ezio wakes up in Rome and finds it in a sorry state as a result of Borgia rule. He begins to fight back by uniting the various factions of the city, initiating less experienced assassins into the order, and sending them all over Europe. He then moves to cut off the Borgia supplies and funding, destroys their weapons of war, and even damages their relationship with the French. He saves the life of actor Pietro Rossi from Cesare’s goons and earns himself a key to the Borgia Castel Sant’Angelo, where he can conceivably assassinate both Borgia and Cesare. Coincidentally, as he infiltrates the building, he witnesses Cesare kill his own father, as well as force the location of the Apple from his half-sister Lucrezia.

Ezio beats Cesare to the hiding place, in the Basilica di San Pietro, and uses it to destroy the rest of Cesare’s army. He then brings his assassins against the remaining men near Rome’s gates, and Cesare is arrested. As he’s being carried away, however, he defiantly says that he won’t be arrested for long, and that no man will ever kill him. Leonardo da Vinci convinces Ezio to use the Apple to find out if what Cesare says is true, and it turns out it is. Ezio then decides to leave the Brotherhood of Assassins he’s created and track down Cesare, wherever he is.

He finally catches up with him during the Siege of Viana in 1507, the original time that Desmond tried to get to in the van at the beginning of the game. He fights him on the walls of the castle and eventually throws him off, technically letting the fall kill him rather than any man. He then takes the Apple down into another one of the Vaults under the Santa Maria Aracoeli.

This could literally be the ghost of an alien. Who knows?

 

Desmond and his companions immediately head for the Colosseum in Rome, near where the Vault entrance lies. As they make their way through the secret passageways leading to Santa Maria Aracoeli, another of Those Who Came Before named Juno appears and speaks so that only Desmond may hear her. As they all enter the secret chamber, finally locating the Apple, Juno gets creepier, talking about a sixth sense that Desmond maybe has. As Desmond touches the Apple, cryptic symbols again appear all over the place. He loses control of his body, and Juno forces him to stab Lucy in the gut with his hidden blade. They both fall unconscious as the blood flows deeper and redder. All we find out after this is that Desmond is in a coma, and that despite some protest from more benevolent assassins, he is once again placed in the Animus.

So what now, friends? Does Lucy survive? Who are Those Who Came Before? What is this sixth sense? What the hell is going to happen? What time period is it going to be in? (This should link to my Assassin’s Creed Time Period Article) There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to play Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Did I pique your interest? I hope I at least put you at ease about starting a game series three games in. Take it from me, the game is great, and I’m glad if I helped you along the way to enjoying it.

The Heroes and Villains of Batman: Arkham City - Part 2

The Heroes and Villains of Batman: Arkham City - Part 2

The gruff-voiced Caped Crusader faces more than his fair share of villains in the ongoing fight to bring peace and civility to Gotham City. Thankfully, he has a few friends on his side who can help beat up thugs and relay crucial, life-saving information straight to his cowl. Everyone knows that Gordon is the GPD's most trustworthy cop and that the Riddler is game for a good brainteaser, but do you know when they first came into cannon? How about their video game appearances? Our twenty-plus character rundown will give you all the details to fill your rogues' gallery and hero database as you traverse the open world of Arkham City.

Solomon Grundy (voice actor Fred Tatasciore)

Named after a nursery rhyme, Grundy was ushered into the DCU as an opponent for the Green Lantern Alan Scott. Since then, he's taken on the likes of Batman and Superman. A zombie, Grundy skulks the sewers below Gotham and Opal City. Despite his hulking frame, he's often portrayed as unintelligible and even peaceful. He originated in All-American Comics #61. Aside from Arkham City, he appears in DC Universe Online.
Recommended reads: Faces of Evil: Solomon Grundy, Starman

Ra's al Ghul (Dee Bradley Baker)

If Batman ever married for practical reasons, Ra's al Ghul would be his father-in-law. The internationally recognized assassin, who believes his prerogative is to clean humanity's slate through the destruction of whole civilizations, is also the father of Talia al Ghul—mother, as it happens, of Damian, Bruce Wayne's son and the current Robin. Ra's himself has maintained immortality through use of the Lazarus Pits, hidden under his watchful protection. His comic book debut was in Batman #232, and his video game appearances include the Batman Begins adaptation and Dark Tomorrow.
Recommended reads: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, The Return of Bruce Wayne

Alfred Pennyworth (Martin Jarvis)

Alfred is Batman's ever faithful butler, secret-keeper, medic, and confidant. Despite his age, many comics depict Alfred as a highly capable, surprisingly spry member of the Wayne household who can land a few blows against even the toughest intruders. Whatever the portrayal, he's a mean cook and loyal servant and friend. He began his commendable career as Batman's assistant in Batman #16. He's a character in Lego Batman.
Recommended reads: Knightquest, No Man's Land, Battle for the Cowl

James Gordon (David Kaye)

Commissioner Gordon is one of Gotham's most honest cops and Batman's main source in the city's police department. Friends through worsening times, he and Batman have met on the rooftop of GPD headquarters for years, talking crime scenes and bad news. Their connection runs deeper than police matters, though. Barbara, Jim's daughter, is secretly Batgirl (Oracle in the Rocksteady games). Detective Comics #27 provided his introduction. He's appeared in Arkham Asylum, DC Universe Online, and Lego Batman.
Recommended reads: Batman: Year One, The Long Halloween, No Man's Land

Oracle (Kimberly Brooks)

Once Batgirl, the fiery redhead changed her code name to Oracle after she was crippled by the Joker in her own home. Paralyzed, she routinely puts her detective skills and computer smarts to work for the Bat-family and Gotham's other resident crime-fighters. In Arkham City, she serves alongside Alfred as Batman's radio support. Her first appearance as Oracle was in the comic Suicide Squad #23 and in video games, Batman: Dark Tomorrow.
Recommended reads: The Killing Joke, Batman: War Games

Mad Hatter (Peter MacNicol)

Modeled after the Alice in Wonderland character (there's a handful of those in Batman cannon), Jervis Tetch, otherwise known as the Mad Hatter, subjects unwilling victims to mind control via special hats. His criminal activity often involves kidnapping, tea parties, and rhymes. He was created for Batman #49. He appears in such games as Lego Batman and DC Universe Online.
Recommended reads: Haunted Knight, Batman: Life After Death, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

 Calendar Man (Maurice LaMarche) 

Julian Gregory Day's biggest role was in The Long Halloween, which gave him the competition of the villain Holiday. Since then, he's resided in Arkham as one of its most curious and eccentric inmates. Like his name suggests, Calendar Man is obsessed with dates, a fascination that has come in handy for Batman on the rare times he's visited. His first appearance was in Detective Comics #259—that's September 1958 if you're keeping track. His cell is shown littered with calendar pages in Arkham Asylum.
Recommended reads: The Long Halloween, Dark Victory

 Azrael (Khary Payton) 

The name Azrael refers to a religious assassin indoctrinated by the Order of St. Dumas. Notably, Jean-Paul Valley stepped in as Batman when Bruce Wayne was out of commission during the Knightfall, Knightquest, and Knightsend storylines (see "Bane" below). Michael Lane also took the name of Azrael, and his version shows up in Arkham City. The character first appeared in Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 and is featured in Lego Batman.
Recommended reads: Knightfall (story arc), Azrael: Death's Dark Knight

 Deadshot (Chris Cox) 

Weapon expert and hitman Floyd Lawton boasts an bold reputation: his aim will never miss, or so he says. He values money above all else and is known for having a death wish. Before his plot was foiled by Batman and Gordon, Deadshot sought to reign as king of Gotham's underworld. He came to comics with Batman #59 and was an enemy in the NES Batman game.
Recommended reads: Batman: Cacophony, Secret Six

 Clayface (Rick D. Wasserman) 

The shape-shifting Clayface has posed a serious problem for Batman in the past, even to the point where an imitation of the supposed late Jason Todd was erected and animated from the same unique clay. The original Clayface was Basil Karlo, a B-movie actor in Gotham, and there have been numerous incarnations since (the most recent is Johnny Williams). The very first comic book to feature the character was Detective Comics #40. He faces off against Batman in The Adventures of Batman and Robin and Rise of Sin Tzu, among others.
Recommended reads: Batman: Hush, No Man's Land

 Bane (Fred Tatasciore) 

The giant who broke Batman's back in the Knightfall comics reprises his role in Arkham City; this time acting as an unlikely ally. While hopped up on venom, Bane is nearly impossible to stop, but the masked villain has more than raw strength on his side. He's also got brains and is one of the only characters to have figured out Batman's identity. Though once a big name, Bane became an afterthought in comics until Arkham Asylum and the upcoming Christopher Nolan film, The Dark Knight Rises, provided his comeback. His first appearance was in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1. He's a villain in the 1998 Batman and Robin and Batman: Chaos in Gotham as well as other games.
Recommended reads: Knightfall, Secret Six

 Talia al Ghul (Stana Katic) 

Talia is more relaxed than her father Ra's, especially toward Batman, but over the years she's grown more estranged to both him and her son Damian, whom she barely raised and then disowned after he accepted the mantle of Robin. In the past, her reasons for committing criminal acts were more tied to familial loyalty than her own interests. She's helped Batman on several occasions. She debuted in Detective Comics #411 and is seen in such games as Batman: Dark Tomorrow and Lego Batman for the DS.
Recommended reads: Son of the Demon, Batman and Robin Vol. 2

 H  ush (Kevin Conroy) 

With his rise in popularity, it's only fitting that Hush would cameo in Arkham City. A fairly new villain, Tommy Elliot was Bruce's envious childhood friend and is now his enemy in adulthood. After Batman RIP, Elliot even underwent plastic surgery to make himself look identical to the absent Bruce Wayne. Upon first appearance in Batman #619, Hush wore bandages over his face and taunted Batman with mind games. He's a character in Lego Batman and DC Universe Online.
Recommended reads: Batman: Hush, Heart of Hush, Streets of Gotham: House of Hush

What character not mentioned here would you love to see in a Batman game?

Naruto Shippuden : Ultimate Ninja Impact

Naruto Shippuden : Ultimate Ninja Impact

Much like the yearly Dragon Ball Z games, Naruto seems to be popping up across consoles and handhelds with his familiar storyline of a nine tail demon fox housed inside a rambunctious young spiky haired kid and his adventures. This portable iteration takes players through the beginning of the Shippuden storyline, all the way up to the Five Kage Summit Arc, though it takes some liberties in terms of a gameplay standpoint.
Someone over at Namco Bandai must have heard my pleas to combine the gameplay styles of the Dynasty Warriors series with a Naruto game, and the result is actually quite entertaining. I can already hear the masses of people complaining that the Warriors' series are straight up button mashers, and to an extent, they are. But they're also the type the game that you can boot up, take down hundreds of enemies, and just feel like a bad ass doing it. The same applies to the Impact. The game is structured through Acts that play out on map menus. Each space is either a key plot element or a battle that lets you Rasengan a bunch of people straight in the face!

Impact borrows some elements from almost every past Naruto game, while mixing up some new ones. The crazy, over-the-top action sequences from the Storm series make a return when fighting bosses. The simple control scheme from past Naruto is back as well, with one attack button, one chakra button, and one projectile/item button. The biggest change, however, is how you progress through each level. As I previously mentioned, you will take control of your favorite Naruto character and dispose of hundreds of lifeless drones as they spawn on the map, which ultimately leads to a boss fight.
Though most of the characters control similarly, it's their special moves that set them apart. Naruto has his clone combos as well as his powerful Rasengan, Gaara takes control of the sand to punish his enemies, Kakashi has his Lightning Blade, and so on. It's amusing to test the limits of each character, as well as unleashing their ultimate attacks. Characters can be powered up via a card system, where various cards are unlocked through beating stages. These cards will raise certain stats such as more chakra, hit points, and damage. Certain cards are also part of sets that give additional bonuses when equipped together.

Naruto fans will be pleased that the entire game is voice acted, save for a few parts, with all of the respective voice actors from the show belting their lines out. From a graphical standpoint, the game doesn't look half bad either. It's not on par with the Storm series, obviously, this is the PSP after all, but some of the action elements, such as the giant boss battles, look just as stunning and action-packed as they did on the consoles. Of course, know that you'll be facing off against hundreds of "clone" enemies that tend to stand around more than they actually fight, but that's just something that comes with the territory.  It doesn't deter from the overall enjoyment.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact is a fun romp through the Shippuden storyline mixed in with some Warriors'-style gameplay. It's not the deepest game when it comes to gameplay mechanics, and a lot of it will stem out of button mashing. For those wary of the orange and black jumpsuit-wearing ninja, this might not be the best game to ease you in, but for Naruto fans this is a no brainer.

Five Lessons GTAV Could Learn From Saints Row: The Third

Five Lessons GTAV Could Learn From Saints Row: The Third

The Saint's Row series began life as little more than a sillier Grand Theft Auto. The original game seemed to wear its GTA-knockoff moniker on its sleeve. Yet with every subsequent sequel the series has diverged further and further, and Grand Theft Auto IV took another step to cement the divide between the two series. With Saint's Row: The Third, Volition has created an open-world game with an identity all its own, and important improvements to the formula that make it not only unique, but an important step forward in the genre.
There are things that Saint's Row: The Third could do better, and Rockstar is still king when it comes to crafting a serious narrative, but the sheer amount of fun I had with SR3 made GTAIV seem like work in comparison. That's why I think Rockstar should be paying attention to this game, and if they took anything away from it, I hope it's these five lessons.

#1 – Consistency and Identity – While Grand Theft Auto IV certainly took the road less traveled in terms of narrative goals, it faltered far too often. By the end of the game Nico Bellic had lost the sympathy of most players. The schizophrenic jumps between vehicular manslaughter and introspective narration were jarring. Saints Row: The Third, surprisingly, doesn't have this problem. While completely ridiculous, the game is so sure of its identity that you're never questioning your character's motives. Sure, being ridiculous and over-the-top in a video game is a lot easier than being dramatic and thoughtful, but I applaud SR3 for sticking to its guns throughout. I can only hope GTAV, whatever tone it takes, it takes with the same level of consistency.

#2 – RPG Elements and Progression – Saint's Row: The Third's character progression is phenomenal and addicting. Money has a very tangible value in the game, letting you improve yourself, your arsenal, and expand your property. Much like a western RPG, you create your character from scratch, and the game gives you endless options for improving them and making them your own. The magic is that while you can dress them up like a cross-dressing furry, Volition still managed to craft a character with a clear identity, much like Mass Effect's Shepard or Dragon Age II's Hawke. Rockstar creates fantastic characters, but they hold most of them (except maybe CJ in San Andreas) a bit too close to the vest. For GTAV, I hope Rockstar lets us take a more active role in our character's progression, just as Volition has allowed with SR3.

#3 – Playability, Above All Else – This one is tricky for me, because I found the finesse required to drive, fly, and move around GTAIV very compelling. Saints Row throws finesse out the window for the sake of sheer playability, and the result may be a bit fake, but ultimately much more fun. Some things, like jump kicking through car windows to steal them, are too silly for GTA, but if Rockstar could come up with a realistic alternative, GTAV might feel a bit less bogged down in monotonous minutiae. Top that off with more ways to quickly get a vehicle or jump to destinations, and GTAV could be mature and artful without devolving into a chore.

#4 – More Activities, More Distractions – Saints Row: The Third follows the same narrative structure as the GTA series, offering up one or two story missions at a time and following a mostly linear narrative. That said, the game never feels like a mission grind the way GTA does. There was always so much to do in SR3 that I could spend hours ignoring the main plot and still not only have a ton of fun, but advance my character in meaningful ways. If Rockstar gives players more genuinely compelling alternatives to the main missions in GTAV, I think more players will be driven to actually finish the game.

#5 – Make Missions Special – I can list off at least a dozen amazing mission moments in Saints Row: The Third, yet for a game that was twice as long, I can only remember one amazing mission from GTAIV – the bank robbery. For GTAV, I hope Rockstar takes a more discerning approach to their mission design, giving each mission an identity and purpose the way Saints Row: The Third has done. I don't expect to jump out of a plane in a tank or travel to cyberspace, but a little more variety could go a long way.

Whatever Rockstar chooses to do with Grand Theft Auto V, even if it's the most self-serious and deliberately-paced entry in the series, I hope it's at least as engrossing and absorbing as Saints Row: The Third. That may be asking a lot for a game that will surely be innovating in other ways, but if anyone can pull it off, I think it might be Rockstar

MW3 vs Battlefield 3 Final Verdict(PS3)

MW3 vs Battlefield 3 Final Verdict(PS3)

The first-person shooter genre has undoubtedly thrived on this generation's consoles, but none more than 2011. This year was arguably the biggest year for the genre with two juggernaut titles: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3. The Call of Duty series has ruled the genre for the last half-decade, and is wrapping up its biggest series in franchise history. Battlefield, on the other hand, is looking to stake its claim as the true king of FPS. Both titles have been out for weeks now, and it's time to finally crown this year's top military shooter.
Single-player: 
The Modern Warfare series has brought gamer's countless hours of action and thrilling cinematic appeal. The third installment of the series not only went back to its roots in terms of gameplay, but offered players a whole new way of storytelling. The series has introduced dozens of characters and landmarks all across the globe, which has created a blurry story - rightly so. MW3, though, answered all the questions and told a fantastic story. The game utiltized its personal feel with characters like Captain Price and evolved the game around their stories. By the end of the campaign, you were emotionally attached to the main characters, and were gasped by each's fate. Though the story used action sequences seen in past games, they were amped up to an extra level and were brought out in full force. The short campign offered a satisfying close to the series and tied off all loose ends.
Known as a multiplayer developer, DICE promised its community a worthwhile story that player's could fully invest it. Hype was built through successful TV ads, and it looked like BF3 was going to be the "complete experience." The downside to the campaign, ironically, is that it tried to coppy what CoD has done. DICE turned away from their past campaign formulas that added its own flavor: comedy, squad involvement, and vehicles. Instead, DICE took a serious, more straight up shooter path, which was a worthwhile "clone," but never seemed like a Battlefield game. The campaign offered several fantastic cenimatic moments, but you never really cared about what was happeneing because there was no emotional attachment with the characters and their mission.
Winner: Modern Warfare 3 

Multiplayer: 
It was known for months leading up to MW3's release that the multiplayer formula was not changing. Instead, Activision and Sledgehammer Games were polishing up the foundation and adding new features that would hopefully satisfy fans. The experience works, there is no argument there, but it feels as though Activision got complacent - afraid to step out and try something new. It can definitely be argued that the multiplayer is just a large DLC, adding new maps and modes, but whether you agree or disagree with that statement, there's no arguing that the multiplayer is the smoothest and most polished component to date.
Battlefield 3's online experience can be described as one simple word: spectacular. DICE's expertise with multiplayer is carried over to BF3. The entire experience feels like an innovative push. Vehicular combat is back and better than ever, and the addition of jets creates a whole new battlefield in the air. Class restructurization has proved to be one of the highlights for multiplayer, creating balanced gameplay among the four class options. Each match feels like a fresh experience, and unlockables can keep players playing for months. BF3's multiplayer is arguably one of the best multiplayer military shooters in years, and should not be passed up by anyone. Period.
Winner: Battlefield 3
Online Application: 
If you've been living under a rock lately, you're probably unaware that each title offers an online application for multiplayer: Battlelog for BF3 and Call of Duty Elite for MW3. Deciding which application is better is definitely tough at this point because both services have experienced problems. Call of Duty Elite has had the rockiest start with its servers being overworked, but Battlelog has also had a rough start with certain features unavailable due to problems. For 4200 MSP, I really expected a deeper experience with Elite. For free, Battlelog offers many of the features that Elite does, and is somewhat easier to access. Nonetheless, I expect Call of Duty Elite to evolve into a unique service, but for now, it's questionable if it's worth the yearly fee.
Winner: Battlefield 3 

After analyzing each component of both titles, it's time to reveal the final verdict. The head to head winner is....Battlefield 3! 
Battlefield 3 triumpths over MW3 due to its push for innovation. While both titles are worth your money, Battlefield 3 is unlike any other FPS you will ever play. The experience is unique, action packed, and will have you playing for a substantial amount of time. Simply put, Battlefield 3 is a title you should not pass up, whether you are an avid FPS fan or not.

The 5 Coolest Time Periods Assassin’s Creed 3

The 5 Coolest Time Periods Assassin’s Creed 3

I’m excited, you guys. I’m excited because I love Assassin’s Creed, and because Assassin’s Creed Revelations came out this week. I mean, seriously, there might as well have been a pool of pee pee collecting beneath my feet over at the E3 Ubisoft multiplayer demo booth. Seriously, if Ezio Auditore was a cake, I’d be the insatiable fat kid engorged with his deadly sweet frosting-covered flesh. I LOVE Assassin’s Creed. It’s super cool.

Me, playing Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

Speaking of things that are super cool, leave it to Ubisoft to, just a week before their holiday tentpole drops, tease the next entry in the series for 2012. Even cooler is the popularly held idea that this game will be none other than Assassin’s Creed III. Of course, Ubisoft is being understandably tight-lipped about this to keep the focus on Ezio and Altair’s swan song, but I say it’s never too early to start speculating.
And so, ladies and gentlemen, get your history books and your hidden wrist blades ready. Let’s take a minute to talk about the five coolest time periods Assassin’s Creed III could be set in, in no particular order.

When a game has the word “Assassin” in the title, the mind immediately goes to ninjas, right? Shurikens, katanas, nunchaku, and smoke bombs, guys! Not to mention, samurai and ronin and feudal lords! And like, cool tall grass in the rain scenes? Come AWHN! The high drama of the goings on in feudal Japan is like the perfect setting for a game about assassins! People were probably straight up murdering each other all the time!

YES. YES. YES.

The ninja, oftentimes also called shinobi, are so mysterious that no one really even knows for sure if they ever existed. Historically, they were known to be sort of like, secret agents for hire, known to suddenly appear from someplace near the Iga and Koga regions of Japan somewhere around the 17th century, and then just as quickly, they sort of vanished into myth. That’s why we don’t know that much about them, because it’s tough to separate real accounts of ninjas from like, stories of their magic, where they can like, turn invisible and like, sprint across the water. Perfect fodder for a game, you guys! Let’s see this!

Also, it wouldn’t hurt your feelings as much as some OTHER ninja games.

The only real hard sell for me is that I can’t imagine a real, solid way for the current storyline to smoothly tie in, with it being so Western-centric, but the concept of being a ninja with gameplay as satisfying as we get in Creed is exciting enough that I wouldn’t really mind whatever stretch they needed to implement to make it work. I bet a lot of you agree with me, too. When I ran a Google image search on “Feudal Japan”, not even mentioning anything about the game, one of the results on the first page was the fan-made concept art I used right up there! Outrageous. We all want this. It would be amazing.

This one comes from a theory I have about where Ubisoft’s ideas for time periods come from: the adventures of Robert Langdon. In Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, we learn a lot about the Holy Grail and the history of the Crusades. This is also the setting of the original Assassin’s Creed. We also expand upon this, and figure in the Vatican setting from Angels and Demons in Assassin’s Creed II. Heck, my boy Da Vinci’s is in the game! So, considering the Freemasonry lore, early US history, and conspiracy theory we see in The Lost Symbol, it’s not out of the question to think that maybe this post-Revolutionary War America is a good guess. Plus, how dope would that be?
Imagine riding a horse through a Washington D.C. under construction. At night, the lamplight casts long shadows on the brick buildings as you climb up a nearby overhang as you pass it, with a long blackpowder musket slung across your back. You make your way up a bell tower and use your hidden wrist blade to neutralize a guard in the top before using the tower as a sniping position. Or imagine perching in the rafters, and listening in on a meeting of the inner sanctum of the Freemasons, and learning about how they’re connected to the Templars! DUN-DUN-DUNNNNNNN!

  A screenshot from my dreams. This is basically what it would look like, right?

All I’m saying is, we’ve seen a little too much of deserts, wide-open fields, and Mediterranean zones so far. Gimme some lush forests! Let’s get out of Europe! Let’s see some cold weather! There’s more to Western Civilization than cool Bible stuff! Let’s see some cool, secret George Washington stuff, bros! The Templars are coming! The Templars are coming!

Oh man, this one is exciting. In my brain, for this game to be as awesome as possible, it would not only have to take place in the deep jungle of Central America, but in a version of the Aztec Empire where Montezuma II’s already been killed, the area is rife with sickness, and the Spanish presence is positively stifling. I’m not the only one who thinks this idea is fantastic. In fact, Assassin’s Creed II came really close to being set a little earlier than this, in the Mayan-era Aztec Empire. Also, Borgia already visited the Aztecs in an official Assassin’s Creed Facebook game called Project Legacy from last year, so precedent totally exists!
In my fantasy scenario, the Templars have come over from Europe to find some alien artifact that was left with the Aztecs. An Assassin is hot on their heels, but before he has a chance to stop them, he starts to die of smallpox, and has to teach an Aztec native who stood out to him in eagle vision about his destiny as a killer. The game could play off of how the Spanish would not count our hero as a threat, and all the bloodsport and human sacrificing in Aztec life would be so dope to see in 1080p. Also, are you kidding me? Who doesn’t love ancient alien theories?

If anyone has ever thought of it, high quality fan art already exists. #protip

Also, it’s super-rare to see heroes of Mexican ancestry in video games. The only one I played that had one this whole last year was Shadows of the Damned’s Garcia F**king Hotspur, and I really feel like it added a fresh feel to the game. I had a great time with it. Also, look how cool this freakin’ white and red Aztec-style assassin’s outfit looks! Dope as hell, right?

At first, this one doesn’t seem too exciting, but only because there’s not really any sort of romantic, cool idea of England in the 1800’s, except for really dirty poor people, child labor, and the mutilated corpses of prostitutes, courtesy of Jack the Ripper.  Yikes. But think about what we’re not considering! Miles and miles of slanted rooftops of stone and iron! Smokestack forests! Cranking gears and wheels! Steam power! You guys, a game in the Industrial Revolution is the closest we’ll ever get in history to a Steampunk Assassin’s Creed!
I just want to give you a few visual touchstones for what I’m imagining here: That cool birdcage apparatus from The Prestige, the atmosphere of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, the weird secret society-type goings on from From Hell and Leauge of Extraordinary Gentlemen, those weird torture devices and surgical tools from Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, and screw it, that giant spider from the 1999 film adaptation of Wild Wild West. Picture all that stuff, imagine it’s like, perpetually dark and foggy, and imagine a scruffy little orphan, clothed in rags, being whisked away from his crappy life to learn to kill rich old dudes who sit around looking at naked chicks and pretending that magic is real.  The awesomeness practically becomes tangible.

Elementary my dear...Assassin! (I apologize for this joke.)

Also, speaking of Sherlock Holmes, how about this tasty, little, extra crispy chicken strip of an idea? What if the assassin character can’t let anyone know he’s an assassin, but a Sherlock-style detective is hot on his case, complicating the situation at every turn? This would be a nice complimentary idea to the game, I think, especially considering how sh**ty some people are at stealthily murdering even a guard or two in these games. Having to create alibis for ourselves and properly disposing of our victims would really keep us from giving up, sprinting around, and stabbing every single person all the damn time.


First of all, I’m going to assume that many of you aren’t fully sure of what the hell time period this is. Secondly, I’m going to tell you that it’s the one with like, Anastasia and Rasputin and Czar Nicolas II near the end of Russia’s Imperial years at the turn of the century. This is the time period that some of the series’ writers have expressed interest in doing, and really, it’s pretty perfect. People were murdering each other for power constantly, the entire royal family and even the country’s system of government was on thin ice, and you have like, the perfect real-life built in villain in Grigori Rasputin. That’s right, that weird bearded guy who’s always falling apart in the film version of Anastasia is a real guy.

Apparently, the character of Bartok the Bat was based on that creepy look in his eyes.

He like, dabbled in the mystical arts, had most of the royal family under his thumb, and the real way that he was killed was basically a real life boss fight. He was poisoned, stabbed, beat, sliced, shot, and thrown into ice cold water with his hands tied before he went down, and when they found his body, he had already freed himself from his ropes. Yikes. He also rarely showered or took any real steps to clean himself, and it’s very likely that he once raped a nun. Double yikes. But yeah, can’t you imagine this guy in some like, crazy Hellboy-esque wizard’s robes, casting spells and tapping into the power of the Pieces of Eden?
Plus, just do a quick Google image search on the House of Romanov and check out how beautiful those buildings are! They like, fully look like they fit in with the established Assassin’s Creed style, without keeping the same tired settings we’ve seen in the last three (and the recently FOURTH!) game. The inclement weather would also be a neat new element, and would probably drive more of the action inside of these beautiful palaces, but also, white robes are hard to see in snow, aren’t they? Think about it. SO cool.

Runners Up:

Listen, Assassin’s Creed is a well-loved franchise, and sure, there’s a bunch more places that we all want this game to be. Even I had a few more that I wanted to write about, but as I thought about them more and more, they all seemed to have a nagging little something that kept me from writing full-fledged entries on them. Here they are, for my (and hopefully some of your) personal satisfaction.

World War II

As much as I’d like to see this, with a wrist blade used to kill Hitler, and the rumor of a strong female assassin going around attached to this rumor, I agree with Patrice Désilets, recent ex-creative lead on the series. He said in an interview with MTV Multiplayer, “I ask myself, how many games can we make in World War II? That's maybe the only [setting] I'd say is not interesting to me.”

Modern Day

This is another fun one to think about, especially since the character of Desmond is so developed now, and we now feel like we have a little stock in his storyline, but I also think that taking the historical aspect out of the formula might ruin a lot of what makes these games fun.

Ancient Egypt

This one could be real awesome, especially considering that it could be done in either the glory days of the New Kingdom, or when Alexander or Rome started creeping in, and, with all the ancient alien theories floating around, it would fit in perfectly. However, I think it would be too weird to go so far back in time when the focus of the game is on 2012, and each entry moves close to that point.

The Far Future

This one is a dark horse, and mostly far-fetched, but how cool would it be if the “present day” of Assassin’s Creed III was 1,000 years in the future, after whatever happens with Desmond and Lucy and those weird-ass aliens, where you play as a descendant of Desmond who goes back into the Animus to relive the events of 2012? Even I don’t know how I feel about this, but you know, might as well mention it. Play Assassin's Creed Revelations to see if all revelations are... well... revealed.