Assassin's Creed Rogue - First Impressions

Rating: 8/10Verdict: A safe bet done rightReview by: Krishna BahirwaniDeveloper: Ubisoft, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Sofia, morePublisher: UbisoftPlatforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft WindowsStoryAssassin's Creed Rogue is an Assassin's Creed game set in 18th century North America and takes place at the time of the French and Indian War. In the game, you play as Shay Patrick Cormac, an assassin who has a change of heart and becomes a Templar.This game is therefore the first time that you can experience the Assassin's Creed universe from the perspective of a Templar. Playing as Shay, you get all the skills of a Master Assassin as well as skills and weapons that have not been seen before in the franchise. You get to experience Shay's rise to become the most feared Assassin hunter in history. The goal of destroying the Assassins takes you through New York, the wild river valley, and far away to the icy cold waters of the North Atlantic.GameplayThe gameplay of Assassin's Creed Rogue is very similar to that of Assassin's Creed Black Flag. Following the less than optimal launch of Assassin's Creed Unity the PC version of Assassin's Creed Rogue was delayed by a couple of months and will release tomorrow, a move I believe has paid off.You start off with dual weapons – a sword and a knife and the new animations are pretty good. The parkour and movement is generally very well done and the game brings back the naval combat from Black Flag. The game also introduces burning oil, which leaves a trail of fire behind to burn enemy ships, and the puckle gun, capable of delivering continuous machine-gun-like fire.GraphicsThe game is based on the same engine as Assassin's Creed Black Flag but does look about the same. The game however does not compare to Assassin's Creed Unity in terms of visuals as it is targeted towards the older consoles. The animations, physics and details are pushed further than what was available in Black Flag without any damage to the frame rate and playability. The game lacks anti-aliasing options as Ubisoft has only included FXAA, despite having MSAA and TXAA in both Assassin's Creed Unity and in Black Flag. This however can be adjusted using your graphic card if you know what you are doing. Sound A great part of the game is its music, which follows the tradition of Black Flag and Assassin's Creed II's soundtracks which had great music. The game does recycle some music from the past which I don't have a problem with because it's good, but it does seem like Ubisoft was a little lazy with that.VerdictOverall, I recommend getting this game as it's a great Assassin's Creed game and while it's a safe bet, it's a safe bet done right.