Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Assassin's Creed: Revelations is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the fourth major installment in the "Assassin's Creed" series, and a direct sequel to 2010's "", concluding the "Ezio Trilogy". The game was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows in November and December 2011. A remastered version of "Revelations", along with "Assassin's Creed II" and "Brotherhood", was released as part of "The Ezio Collection" for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15, 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch  on February 17, 2022. The plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the millennia-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight to preserve peace and free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features the series protagonist Desmond Miles who, after falling into a coma during the events of "Brotherhood", must relive the memories of his ancestors through the Animus device in order to awaken and find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. The main story spans the years 1511–1512, and  follows an aged Ezio Auditore da Firenze (the protagonist of the trilogy) as he travels to Constantinople to find five keys needed to unlock a vault built three centuries ago by Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad (the protagonist of the first game in the series). While searching for the keys, Ezio becomes caught in a feud between the Ottomans and the Byzantines, and discovers that the Templars are also attempting to unlock Altaïr's vault and its secrets. "Revelations" features an open world and is played from the third-person perspective, with a primary focus on using Ezio's and Altaïr's  combat, climbing and stealth abilities to eliminate targets and explore the environment. Ezio, who the player controls throughout the majority of the game, can freely explore Constantinople and complete side missions unrelated to the main storyline. Altaïr is playable in a smaller capacity, as he is featured only in a series of flashback missions set in Masyaf from 1189 to 1257. In the modern-day, the player controls Desmond in a series of first-person platforming levels within the Animus. The multiplayer mode returns from "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood", and has been expanded with additional maps, characters, and game modes . The game was released with multiple editions, some of which featured exclusive limited-time content. Most notably, several editions included an animated short film, titled "", which serves as a proper conclusion to Ezio's story, and which was later re-released as a free download on the PlayStation Store. Downloadable content (DLC) released for the game includes new maps and characters for the multiplayer mode, and a story expansion titled "The Lost Archive", which adds more platforming levels to the modern-day. Upon release, "Revelations" received largely positive reviews, with praise directed at the world design and narrative, although some  reviewers noted that the gameplay of the series was getting overly familiar and the newly introduced features felt lacking in comparison to the ones introduced in previous titles. The game was a large commercial success, outperforming the sales of its predecessors. It was followed in October 2012 by "Assassin's Creed III", which introduces a new storyline and protagonist in the New World during the 18th century, while also concluding Desmond's story arc. Gameplay. "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" is an action-adventure, stealth game set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective. The game  features three distinct protagonists: Ezio Auditore, Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad, and Desmond Miles. When playing as Ezio or Altaïr, the game retains the series' standard gameplay formula, consisting of a mixture of combat, stealth, and exploration. While the base gameplay remains virtually unchanged from the previous title, "", "Revelations" does add several new features; most notably, the "Hookblade", which acts as a replacement for Ezio's traditional dual Hidden Blade (which is broken at the beginning of the game). The Hookblade is intended to facilitate traversal and compensate for Ezio's old age, allowing him to climb buildings much faster and reach  further ledges. It can also be used to jump over large gaps and access ziplines across the environment. Reportedly, the Hookblade speeds up navigation by around 30 percent. The Hookblade also has applications in combat, allowing for new moves such as grabbing and yanking enemies for a combo attack.Another new aspect in the game is bomb crafting. Introduced early on in the story, this mechanic allows Ezio to experiment with different shells and ingredients to create bombs with various effects, such as smoke to distract guards or lethal explosions that can take out large groups of enemies. There are  around 15 different bomb variations in the game, although only three can be equipped at any given time. "Revelations" is primarily set in the city of Constantinople during the rise of the Ottoman Empire. It is similar in size to Rome from "Brotherhood", and just like it, it can be renovated by purchasing different stores, such as armories, book shops, and apothecaries. Doing so not only grants Ezio access to that store's services, but it also increases the passive income generated by the city, which is deposited in the bank and must be collected regularly. The player can also  renovate several of Constantinople's landmarks, like the Galata Tower, Hagia Sophia, and the Topkapı Palace, to increase their income. Other locations include Masyaf and Cappadocia, which are visited by Ezio at various points in the story but become inaccessible after their respective sequences are completed. Similarly to "Brotherhood", players can gradually take control of Constantinople from the Templars by destroying their towers in each of the city's districts and killing the Templar captain stationed there. However, this feature has been expanded, as now the Templars will attempt to reclaim their tower if Ezio's notoriety in that district  becomes too high and the player has not yet taken over the other Templar dens. When this occurs, the player will have to defend the tower in a "Den Defense" minigame, where they control a group of Assassins from the rooftops and must fight off multiple waves of Templar soldiers and siege equipment. Another returning feature from "Brotherhood" is the ability to recruit Assassin initiates and call them for support during missions or send them on assignments to other cities around the Mediterranean Sea, which are controlled by the Templars. By completing contracts, the initiates gain experience and level up , granting them access to better equipment, and also reduce Templar influence in a particular region. When Templar control over a city is weakened enough, the Assassins can launch an attack to try and take it over. To prevent the Templars from reconquering a city, Ezio can assign up to five Assassins to be permanently stationed there. An Assassin recruit who has reached the highest possible rank can be assigned to serve as the "Den Master" for any of the Assassin-controlled towers in Constantinople. This allows them to level up five additional ranks, and also unlocks a unique mission for  each district, in which Ezio and the Assassin hunt down a dangerous Templar in that area of the city. Other side activities include Piri Reis Missions, which teach the player about the different types of bombs that can be crafted; Guild Challenges for any of the three ally factions in the game (Thieves, Mercenaries, and the Romani); and finding rare books for Ezio's love interest, Sofia Sartor. In-game collectibles include treasure chests, Animus data fragments, and Ishak Pasha's Memoir Pages, the last of which unlock a secret mission akin to the Assassin Tombs from "Assassin's Creed  II" and Lairs of Romulus from "Brotherhood", in which Ezio must explore the inside of Hagia Sophia to retrieve Pasha's armor set. Outside of the Ezio sequences, the game also features six Altaïr memories, which are unlocked after Ezio retrieves each "key" for the Masyaf library. In these sequences, Ezio is reliving key memories from Altaïr's life in Masyaf, during which the player controls the latter. Altaïr controls similarly to how he did in "Assassin's Creed", and lacks all of Ezio's advanced equipment, being limited to a sword, a single Hidden Blade, and throwing knives. Besides  Ezio and Altaïr, the player can also play as Desmond in the modern day, whose mind is stuck in the computerized core of the Animus, known as "Animus Island". The island acts as a mini-hub, from where Desmond can access five memory sequences known as "Desmond's Journey", as long as the player has collected enough data fragments or has "The Lost Archive" DLC installed. These sequences play differently from anything that has come before in the series, as they involve first-person platforming and puzzles, while the story is provided in the form of narration by Desmond, who  recounts his life prior to the events of the first "Assassin's Creed" game. The console versions of the game support the stereoscopic 3D mode for both 3D-HD and 2D-HD television screens. All "Revelations" gameplay videos and cinematics have S3D support. Multiplayer. Multiplayer gameplay also makes a return in "Revelations", and builds upon the basic game modes from "Brotherhood" with new characters and locations and improved matchmaking and game interface. Before release, Ubisoft stated that although this component is returning, the narrative, which is considered more important to the franchise, is an area of greater focus. As players  level up in multiplayer, they move up in their Abstergo Templar rank and gain access to more information about the company. New multiplayer modes are added to the already existing modes, including "story-oriented quests", as well as a much-requested Capture the Flag mode. Some multiplayer maps are based in the island of Rhodes. Among the new additions is a new multiplayer mode — Deathmatch — which differs from the previous multiplayer gameplay in that there is no compass pointing toward your assigned target, rather, there is a box in the top right of the screen where your current target is  displayed, which glows blue when you enter the line of sight of your target. There is also Simple Deathmatch, which also removes the abilities and perks from the players. The multiplayer function is protected by the Uplay Passport system on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which requires a code for access. Codes are included in all new copies of the game, but are tied to a single Uplay account. This means that players who purchased their copy second hand will need to purchase a new code to access the multiplayer. Uplay players can buy a new Passport code online or  activate a free trial. Players who preordered the game with specific editions received three exclusive multiplayer characters: the Ottoman Jester, the Crusader, and the Ottoman Doctor. Those who played the "Assassin's Creed Brotherhood" multiplayer received the Courtesan, a character who also appeared in the multiplayer for "Brotherhood". More characters and maps were later added via downloadable content. Synopsis. Setting and characters. "Assassin's Creed Revelations" features all three of the series' major characters up until this point: Desmond Miles (Nolan North), Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (Cas Anvar), and Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Roger Craig Smith). The main part of the  story takes Ezio to Constantinople, present day Istanbul, in 1511 AD, during the rise of the Ottoman Empire. Four of the city's districts are available to explore: Constantine, Bayezid, Imperial, and Galata. Ezio also briefly travels to Cappadocia, part of which is a completely underground city populated solely by Templars, and Masyaf, where the old Assassins' stronghold is located (featured in the first "Assassin's Creed" game). He discovers Altaïr has sealed within the fortress an ancient artifact that is said to be a powerful weapon which could end the Templar-Assassin war forever, and had the keys hidden  in Constantinople. The game also continues the stories of both Desmond, following the events of "", and Altaïr, following the events of "Assassin's Creed". Desmond's part of the narrative is set in 2012, and continues the story arc established in "Assassin's Creed". After falling into a coma at the end of "Brotherhood"'s story, Desmond has become trapped in the Animus 2.0, where he finds a safe mode known as "the Black Room". Helped by the preserved consciousness of Clay Kaczmarek / Subject 16 (Graham Cuthbertson), Abstergo Industries' previous Animus test subject, he must find a "synch nexus", a  key memory that links him with Altaïr and Ezio, to reintegrate his splintered subconscious and awaken from his coma. Altaïr's part of the narrative is told in the form of flashbacks experienced by Ezio through the keys he finds, which hold Altaïr's memories. It spans the years 1189–1257 AD, and depicts several key moments in Altaïr's life, primarily his struggle to lead the Assassins into a new era after becoming their Mentor. During the game, Ezio meets a variety of historical figures, including Manuel Palaiologos (Vlasta Vrana), an heir to the now-lost Byzantine Empire; Byzantine Templars  lurking in the shadows of Constantinople; Prince Suleiman (Haaz Sleiman), the man who will one day become one of the Ottoman Empire's greatest Sultans; and his uncle, Prince Ahmet (Tamer Hassan). Other historical figures include Piri Reis (Alex Ivanovici), Niccolò and Maffeo Polo, Ishak Pasha, Yusuf Tazim (Chris Parson), Al Mualim (Peter Renaday), Bayezid II, Selim I (Mark Ivanir), Shahkulu (Alex Ivanovici), and Tarik Barleti (JB Blanc). Ezio's love interest, Sofia Sartor (Anna Tuveri), is based on "Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman" by Albrecht Dürer. Plot. Single-player. Following , Shaun Hastings stays in Rome to attend Lucy  Stillman's funeral, while Rebecca Crane takes the comatose Desmond to his father, William Miles, in New York. To save Desmond's mind, they place him in the Animus's safe mode, the "Black Room". Awakening on Animus Island, a testing program within the Black Room, Desmond meets the consciousness of Clay Kaczmarek, Abstergo's previous Animus test subject, who explains that Desmond must repair his mind by fully reliving his ancestors' memories, at which point the Animus can separate Desmond from his ancestors, and awaken him. Desmond returns to the perspective of Ezio, who, in 1511, travels to the  Assassins' former fortress in Masyaf to learn more about their secrets. He finds Masyaf occupied by the Templars, who try to execute him. Ezio escapes, and discovers the entrance to an underground library built by Altaïr, which requires five "keys" to unlock. The Templars have found one key underneath the Ottoman Sultan's palace, and are searching for the rest in Constantinople. Travelling there, Ezio is met by Yusuf Tazim, leader of the Ottoman Assassins, and befriends the young student Suleiman. Ezio soon learns that the keys were hidden by Niccolò Polo, and meets Sofia Sartor, an Italian traveler and  collector. Ezio finds the keys with Sofia's help, while developing feelings for her. Meanwhile, Prince Ahmet and his brother Selim are quarreling over who will inherit the Sultanate. Revealing himself as Selim's son, Suleiman asks Ezio to investigate the Byzantine Templars, whom he suspects to be behind the feud. Ezio discovers that Manuel Palaiologos, with Templar support, is attempting to raise an army to overthrow the Ottomans and re-establish the Byzantine Empire. Ezio travels to Cappadocia, kills Manuel, and recovers the final key, but learns Ahmet is the true mastermind behind the Templar plot to open Altaïr 's library. During these events, Ezio uses the keys to witness various moments in Altaïr's life. He learns that Altaïr, after killing his traitorous mentor, Al Mualim, took over and tried to reform the Assassins, but was challenged by a former friend, Abbas Sofian. While Altaïr and his wife Maria were away fighting off the Mongol invasion, Abbas staged a coup, seizing control of the Assassins and executing Altaïr's youngest son, Sef. Altaïr sought revenge, but Maria tried to stop him, leading to her also being killed. Altaïr was subsequently forced into a self-imposed exile, but eventually  returned to kill Abbas and reclaim leadership of the Assassins. Years later, Altaïr encoded his memories on the keys before entrusting them to Niccolò. Returning to Constantinople, Ezio discovers that Ahmet has killed Yusuf and kidnapped Sofia, demanding the keys in exchange for her. Ezio agrees, but after saving Sofia, he pursues Ahmet and recovers the keys. While Ahmet is killed by Selim, now the Sultan, Ezio is spared due to Suleiman's endorsement, but is ordered to leave Constantinople and never return. After completing this memory, the Animus begins to delete excess data. Clay sacrifices himself to save Desmond  from being deleted. Ezio and Sofia return to Masyaf, where Ezio unlocks Altaïr's library, finding it empty except for Altaïr's skeleton and a sixth key. Through the key, Ezio discovers that the library was a vault meant to house Altaïr's Apple of Eden, and that Altaïr had sealed himself to protect it. Ezio leaves the Apple there, stating that he had seen enough for one life, and speaks directly to Desmond, knowing that he is watching. He tells Desmond that he realizes he is nothing more than a conduit for a message, and hopes that Desmond will  be able to find answers to his questions. With this, Ezio retires from the Assassins. Desmond is approached by Jupiter, a member of the First Civilization. He explains that his race had studied methods to save the planet from destruction, and transmitted all the collected data to a central vault—the Grand Temple. Jupiter tells Desmond that he must find the Temple before an impending solar flare hits the Earth and kills all of humanity. Awakening from the coma, Desmond finds Rebecca, Shaun, and William next to him, and tells them that he knows what they must do, just as  they arrive at the Grand Temple's location. Multiplayer. The multiplayer aspect has its own plot from the Templar perspective. After impressing Warren Vidic in the of Abstergo's Animus Training Program, the player is selected to participate in the second stage of the program for further training. Upon being promoted to the rank of Master Templar, the player is allowed into the inner sanctum of the Templar Order and is implanted with a tracker to ensure their trustworthiness. After reaching level 50, the player is dubbed an active agent, and assigned the task of finding and capturing the current  Mentor of the Assassin Order: William Miles. Section::::"The Lost Archive". During his time in the Animus's Black Room, Desmond unwillingly experiences Clay Kaczmarek's memories. Through them, Desmond learns that Clay was also an Assassin, assigned to infiltrate Abstergo Industries' Animus Project laboratory in Rome and discover what Warren Vidic hoped to achieve by exploring the genetic memories of various Assassins. Lucy Stillman, an Assassin herself, had been placed within the facility to rescue Clay when his mission was complete. In his memories, Clay recalls his father's disregard for his career goals, demanding that Clay should instead become  an engineer to provide for his family. Clay believed that his father's focus on wealth pushed his mother away from the family. Clay eventually realized that Vidic was using these genetic memories to discover the locations of the Pieces of Eden. In particular, Vidic focused on locating an Apple of Eden, which was meant to be launched aboard a satellite to control the minds of humanity across the Earth. Clay also discovered Lucy discussing her true loyalty to the Templars with Vidic, and revealed her actual motives, which were to remove Desmond from the Abstergo facility and transport him  to a more comfortable environment, where she would use the Assassins' resources to allow Desmond to discover the location of the Apple and recover it for the Templars. After discovering that Clay had learned about her treachery, Lucy wiped the security feed showing that he had witnessed her conversation with Vidic, and kept Clay imprisoned at the Abstergo facility, both to protect him and to keep her true allegiances secret. These memories continue in a loop until Desmond collects all the scattered memory fragments, which allow him to access a final memory. In it, Clay emails his father to tell  him not to worry about his disappearance, because he has found a greater purpose to serve, foreshadowing his suicide. Development. "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" was initially conceived as a Nintendo 3DS game called "Assassin's Creed: Lost Legacy" about Ezio traveling east to the Assassins' former city of Masyaf, where he would have discovered the origins of the Assassin Order. It was first announced during Nintendo's E3 2010 press conference. It was quietly cancelled and its main concept was developed into "Assassin's Creed: Revelations". In November 2010, Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot teased "something "Assassin's" related" in  2011, despite an earlier statement by Ubisoft Montreal's Jean-Francois Boivin that no "Assassin's Creed" game will be released in 2011. Geoffroy Sardin of Ubisoft later confirmed that there will be a "big" Assassin's Creed game in 2011. Guillemot also explained that ultimate goal for Ubisoft is to release new games in the franchise annually along with Ubisoft's most popular other franchises. In February 2011, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that the next "Assassin's Creed" game would be released during its next fiscal year, which starts on April 1, 2011, and ends on March 31 , 2012. On April 29, 2011 the game's name was released on the official "Assassin's Creed" Facebook page, with a link which led to a flash file. The teaser clip included the words, "Altaïr Ibn La-Ahad, Son of no one" in Arabic which hints that "Altaïr", the main protagonist of the first game, may once again be the main protagonist of the game. A third teaser clip for the game showed the city of Constantinople, which hints at it being the setting for the game. In the E3 rumor section of its April 2011 issue, Xbox World 360  said "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" is not "Assassin's Creed III", but suggests that game is also secretly in the works. "Revelations" was likely to be "another slimline "Brotherhood"-style offering", Xbox World 360 stated. On May 5, "Game Informer" released details of the game, and the game was "officially" announced by Ubisoft at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011. The game was developed primarily by Ubisoft Montreal in Canada. Production was aided in part by five other Ubisoft developers: Annecy, Massive, Quebec, Singapore, and Bucharest. Lead writer Darby McDevitt said that "Revelations" would not answer all the burning questions clouding the series , stating "Well, we won't answer everything because Desmond's story continues. But fans will definitely know most of the important details of Ezio and Altair's lives, and how they fit into the grand scheme." McDevitt also stated that 85 percent of "Assassin's Creed's" overarching plot is already "mapped out". McDevitt claimed original "Creed" protagonist Altaïr had his story arc written for two years, and that Ezio's ultimate fate was planned during the development of "Brotherhood". Voice of Desmond Miles, Nolan North, urged Ubisoft to adopt motion capture methods similar to Naughty Dog's "Uncharted". Speaking  in an interview, North admitted there is a "disconnect" in the Ubisoft game's current setup, which has voice actors provide voice facial animation separately from body motion capture, which is recorded by different actors. "I wish it wasn't done separately," North said. "Don't get me wrong, the mo-cap actors do a great job, but there will always be somewhat of a disconnect when it's done this way. After my experiences on the "Uncharted" franchise, where the actors do both performance and voice, I can honestly say there is absolutely a difference." The PC version of  Assassin's Creed: Revelations does not force players to always be online to work like its predecessors, despite Ubisoft's recent claims that its policy is a success, insisting it has seen "a clear reduction in piracy of our titles which required a persistent online connection". Even then, the always-online DRM was permanently removed from all single-player games. It does, however, require a one-time-only online activation the very first time the player plays the game, which will permanently bind the activation code to the player's account, and thus, it does not need to be activated  again on the same account if the game is reinstalled for some reason. This also applies to reinstalling on another computer. Following that, the player can permanently play the game in offline mode. Marketing and release. Ubisoft announced a PlayStation Network timed exclusive multiplayer beta for "Assassin's Creed Revelations" on August 10, 2011. The beta began on September 3, 2011, and finished September 17, 2011, exclusively for PlayStation Plus and Uplay members on PlayStation 3. On September 8, the multiplayer beta opened to everyone with a PSN account. The beta offered access to nine characters (The Sentinel, The Vanguard , The Guardian, The Vizier, The Thespian, The Deacon, The Bombardier, The Trickster, The Champion – all boasting different abilities), three maps (Knight's Hospital, Antioch, Galata) and four playable modes (the previously seen Wanted and Manhunt options joined by new Deathmatch and Artifact Assault variants). Media Molecule announced on November 15, 2011 that a new Ezio costume for Sackboy will be made available in "LittleBigPlanet 2" to promote the launch of "Assassin's Creed: Revelations". Those who pre-ordered through Best Buy got an exclusive multiplayer character. All day one copies of "Revelations" for the PlayStation 3 had the first "Assassin 's Creed" bundled as part of the disc, which launched in 2007. Ubisoft called the announcement a "special partnership" between itself and Sony Computer Entertainment America, and that the deal only applies in Europe. Additionally, Ubisoft released an "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" Avatar collection Xbox 360, which includes a Codex prop, Desmond's black hoodie, and a pet eagle. Also, the following outfits will be available: Ezio, Bombardier, Guardian, Sentinel, and Vanguard (female only). Retail editions. There are several different limited editions of "Assassin's Creed Revelations". The "Animus", "Collector's" and "Special" editions were available on all platforms and  only in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, while the "Signature Edition" was only available in North America through GameStop for all platforms. Those who pre-ordered "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" through GameStop automatically upgraded to the "Signature Edition" of the game at no extra cost. The "Signature Edition" features exclusive packaging, a bonus single-player mission ("Vlad the Impaler Prison"), an exclusive multiplayer character ("Ottoman Jester"), weapons capacity upgrades, an animated short film ("Assassin's Creed Embers Movie") and the original game's soundtrack. The "PS3-Only edition" includes the standard game contents plus a complete version of the "Assassin 's Creed" original game included in the game disc. This edition is only available to those who bought the game when it first released or pre-ordered it. The "Animus Edition" features an Animus box, an in-depth encyclopedia, an animated short film ("Assassin's Creed Embers Movie") and the original game's soundtrack. In-game content included is an exclusive mission ("Vlad the Impaler Prison"), an armor from "" ("Armor of Brutus") in single-player, weapons capacity upgrades, and two additional multiplayer characters ("The Crusader" and "Ottoman Jester"). The Gold Edition is digitally exclusive to the PC. It is available  on Uplay and Steam and it contains all the downloadable and redeemable content available on Uplay. Downloadable content. Uplay content. Ubisoft's Uplay system enables further in-game enhancements which can be redeemed by points that are given when playing the game. The available awards are a "Revelations" theme or wallpaper for PC and PlayStation 3, Solo Pack, Mediterranean Exclusive Missions, and Multiplayer Pack which unlocks the Knight character. Section::::"Ancestors Character" Pack. On the day of the game's launch, Ubisoft announced that they were working on various downloadable content (DLC) for the game. The first one announced was a  character pack, which was released in December 2011. It adds four new characters to the multiplayer mode: the Privateer, Corsair, Brigand, and Gladiator. Section::::"Mediterranean Traveler Map" Pack. The second DLC pack announced was the "Mediterranean Traveler Map" Pack, which was released on January 24, 2012. It adds six new multiplayer maps, three of which return from "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood". Section::::"The Lost Archive". The final DLC pack for the game, titled "The Lost Archive", was released on February 28, 2012. It adds a new campaign in the style of the "Desmond's Journey" sequences from the base game, as well  as most of the exclusive content from the different limited editions of "Revelations". The DLC pack is available for purchase separately and bundled with the Ottoman and Gold Editions. Reception. "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" received generally positive reviews from critics upon release. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 80.05% and 80/100, the Xbox 360 version 79.37% and 80/100, and the PC version 74.67% and 80/100 respectively. IGN gave the game a rating of 8.5 out of 10, stating "This is the best "Assassin's Creed" yet, even if that victory is claimed by an inch  and not a mile. If you've been following the lives of Altair and Ezio this long, you owe it to yourself to see their last adventure." 1UP gave the game a rating of B+, stating "While "Revelations" lacks that one supreme improvement or standout mechanic that defined "AC2" and "Brotherhood" each, it's still a damn fine sendoff for Altair and Ezio." "Edge" gave the game a rating of 7 out of 10, saying that "unlike the elegant lead, who's grey-haired but unbowed by the end of the adventure, "Assassin's Creed" has been quietly compromised by  age". Eurogamer also gave the game a rating of 7 out of 10, writing "where "Brotherhood" enhanced the thrill of being Ezio Auditore, "Revelations" distracts from it. Ezio may look old, but it's the series itself that really shows its age." "VideoGamer" gave the game a rating of 7 out of 10, stating "So, for the first time, a new "Assassin's Creed" game is worse than its predecessor, the first time the short development period has had a noticeable impact on the game's quality. It's a game of nearlies and might-have-beens: summed up by  the hookblade, a supposedly key new feature which in practice merely extends Ezio's reach slightly, and allows him to glide down the occasional zipline." GamePro also gave the game a rating of 7 out of 10, saying that "at its core, this is the "Assassin's Creed" we've grown to love in recent years, and it still serves as a pretty good time sink – plus, it's a necessary bridge to next year's already-announced follow-up. But obligation shouldn't be the primary reason to play something, and sadly, that's too often the case in  this humdrum campaign." "Game Informer" gave the game a rating of 8.75 out of 10, writing "a number of new features have been attempted to make "Revelations" feel new and different from its predecessors. In that quest for broader variety and a unique identity from the earlier games, "Revelations" makes some missteps that are hard to ignore. However, the game offers more of what has been great about the franchise, and that should be enough to bring most fans to the table, even if it is a poor starting point for new players." GameTrailers also gave the game a rating  of 8.8 out of 10, saying that "the engine is a bit long in the tooth and some of the content isn't entirely worth exploring, but if you're looking for an unforgettable top shelf action/adventure, heed the creed". "Official Xbox Magazine" gave the game a rating of 8.5 out of 10, stating "What's available here remains as ridiculously appealing as ever. It's still a thrill unique to the series to be perched six stories high, looking out across miles of meticulously rendered game world — even if that dazzling, danger-filled world has grown overly familiar , having traded what was once revolution for iterative evolution." UK "Official PlayStation Magazine" gave the game a rating of 9 out of 10, stating "As a conclusion for Ezio's chapter, "Revelations" proves an utterly brilliant swansong." In April 2020, "Game Informer" ranked the game as the tenth best game in the "Assassin's Creed" series to date. Sales. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced during an earnings call on November 8, 2011, that pre-orders for "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" were "significantly higher" than figures for "", yet the firm is still expecting a "double digit decline" in sales for "Revelations  compared to the other title. According to NPD Group, Revelations" was the fourth-best selling game in the U.S. in November 2011. Ubisoft announced sales of "Revelations" were up 10 percent year-on-year on 2010s "Brotherhood". That puts "Revelations" first month total at around 1.26 million. "Revelations" debuted at second place in the UK video game sales chart in its first week. Its week one numbers were better than those of its predecessor "Brotherhood" by four percent in unit terms and eight percent in revenue, making it the best performing title both in the series and in Ubisoft's  history to date. 61 percent of the game's sales occurred in the first 24 hours. As of February 15, 2012, the game has shipped 7 million copies worldwide.