Loading up the Animus...

Are you as excited as my other half and me?????

Ladies and gents, the fourth and final (??? gasp) chapter of the Assassin's Creed series is coming in November!!! In a literary stand point, the story is absolutely, positively "I love Altair! I love Ezio! I, uh, like Desmond." Critics, journalists, bloggers, gamers alike have all used words like: amazing, awesome, great game, uh... wonderful, #1 game of the year.... To me, there's not a single word that would (nor could) wrap up Assassin's Creed. I can think of a word to describe Altair and Ezio: SEXY! (What? I'm a girl! I'm allowed! You know you think they're hot and saucy too! Admit it!)

As you can tell, I've got my copy of Game Informer, issue 218. I've actually had it for a while now, just haven't gotten around to writing about this sexy game. The cover features our ever beloved Ezio (on front) and Altair (on back). Flipping through GI's issue, I actually skipped over and missed the whole article about AC. (Yes, I'm going on a mini tangent; bear with me.) Somewhere a bit past the main event article, I opened the magazine all the way and saw my nemesis: A Clown. Okay, fine. I confess! I squealed, slapped the magazine closed and tossed it on my desk. It took me a few hours to pick the magazine back up, but I managed to do so!

So, back to the original topic! As much as my other half and possibly many of you were hoping, Altair is not the main assassin. Sigh away, folks. I feel your pain. However, our favorite playboy, Ezio, is back and with a touch of grey in his hair. (Makes him sexier. Yes! I know! He's not real! So what? You think he's sexy too!) No, we're not going to be leaping off high flying towers in Rome or Florence; instead, we're flying high in Constantinople! Yes, girls and boys, we're heading to the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where the double-headed eagle rears its head on every gold piece of the richly fat and hearty!

Naturally, the graphics of the cut scenes and of the game play previews are superb, and Ezio's attire (above right) is wicked hot. Wait! His attire is not only hot, his new gadgets are flipping! Don't believe me? Besides his hidden blade and swords and daggers of sorts, Ezio has the capabilities of making big booms! (explosives) Yep, you heard me right! There's a crafting system in Assassin's Creed Revelations!!! I'm hoping it's not too rough. It'll be awesome to craft some gnarly flash bombs or smoke screens. I don't believe I've mentioned Ezio's new grappling hook. I believe they called it a "hookblade" that Ezio will use as a method of grabbing his opponent, as well as zip-lining his way around Constantinople! (see below)

From what I've read and seen in previews and teasers and articles, there's going to be new faces in AC: Revelations. My immediate thought was: DUH! He's in Constantinople! His original peeps are in Italy! So, where does Altair fit in? For starters, it looks as if Ezio's first stop in the Ottoman Empire is to Altair's hometown of Ma... Ma... grabs GI magazine... flipping through pages... Masyaf. He is seeking out a certain item that has great value for both Assassins and Templars. (Damn. I was seriously hoping to be done with those red-cross on white armor jerks!) I'm not going to divulge into the story. I told myself that I wouldn't. If you want to know more about the story line, I highly recommend Greg Miller's spoiler article with IGN. Mind you, I called it a "spoiler article." If you're a lore buff, I wouldn't read it! You can also check out GI's Matt Miller's (what is up with all these Millers?) Assassin/Templar War article.

As we all impatiently anticipate the arrival of Assassin's Creed Revelations in November 2011, I can't help but reminisce about the lore of Assassin's Creed I, II & Brotherhood. The "ooh" and "aah" of the first assassination by Altair's hidden blade, the assassin's ceremony (complete with the finger chop and leap of faith), Ezio's vengeance; so tempted to get the first two games again!

Personally, I am a lore follower, while my other half is the game player. I had issues with the whole horse controls in Brotherhood. I know, I know: "You had what issues?" Half the time my gaming other half tried to jump, he just fell off the horse, and it's frustrating for me because then you lose the damn mark, and the horse slows to a walk or a stop.... Another issue I had with game play: climbing walls. In I and II, things seemed quick and easy (as the main game goals were just kill this person, that person, this person), but in Brotherhood, I noticed that Ezio seemed to have a mind of his own at times: You want him to jump left, he starts off jumping left but drops to the right. (No, it wasn't the controller. He played with two different controllers.) You coax Ezio to climb this way, he swings that way. Hopefully, the touchy, feely Ezio will obey your commands easier in Revelations? (Seeing how he's all old'ish and requires special tools to help him get around....)

I really didn't care about the Brotherhood multi-player mode. Yes, there is a multi-player mode in Revelations. You'll have to talk to my other half about that mode. I care about the main story. Sure, the characters players can choose from have a lore about them, but it's just not the same. I've always been a big PVE gamer. I despise PVP; blame my always healer class toons on MMO's? However, the sketches and artwork I've seen of the new multi-player characters are very (turning all girlie on your guys) pretty.

Last thought: Why have I failed to mention Desmond? Oh ya, because there's a chance he may end up like his predecessor: Lost in the Animus for-e-ver. You heard me right. Ubisoft is introducing the "black room" inside the Animus. Like the "white room", the "black room" contains memories of... you think I'm going to spoil Desmond's adventure(s)? I am not that type of person! I do hope that Desmond does not fall victim to the Animus. As much as I found his character a bit lacking in I and II, I grew to enjoy his growing knowledge and naivety in Brotherhood. I'd hate to lose him to the Animus, just because he's a bit too curious for his own good.

Now, let's all go back and play Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 2, and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood as we drool our way to November 2011.

Until next game -- (is it November yet?)