Can the last-gen experience once again polish the recipe?

Aug 14, 2014 16:37 GMT  ·  By

While many people no doubt suspected that Ubisoft was going to release a separate Assassin's Creed game this year for those who still own a PS3 and Xbox 360 and can't get to play the upcoming Unity, the studio made it official a few days ago by announcing Assassin's Creed Rogue.

The fresh experience takes place during the same period of time as Assassin's Creed 3, with players controlling a brand new character, Shay Patrick Cormac, an assassin who turns against the brotherhood and joins the Templar order, allying himself with other already-known characters like Haytham Kenway, son of Black Flag hero Edward and father of 3's Connor.

While the exact story details weren't revealed, Cormac has now become a lethal assassin hunter and Rogue charts his crusade against the brotherhood across North America, particularly in the Northern Atlantic region.

Like with recent Assassin's Creed protagonist, Cormac owns a ship called Morrigan and can engage in a wide array of naval activities, including, of course, combat, against vessels owned by the assassin order as well as by American, British or even French forces.

The new ship is faster and much more agile than Black Flag's Jackdaw, and, more importantly, it's deadlier, as quite a lot of new weapons can be employed, from better front-side canons, to prototype machine guns that replace the old swivel ones seen in part titles.

The whole naval combat system has been refined and tightened by Ubisoft and it feels much smoother. However the seas are a bit rougher than the calmer ones seen in Black Flag, and the icy northern Atlantic ocean has plenty of surprise icebergs that can provide cover or act as major obstacles.

In terms of on-land gameplay, Cormac is better equipped than previous protagonists, getting to use not just trademark items like the hidden blade, but also a prototype air rifle that can fire different things, from firecrackers to distract enemies, to berserk or sleep projectiles. What's more, for those keen on causing havoc, he can also use a grenade launch to affect multiple targets at once.

Besides these pretty major additions, Rogue doesn't try to mess that much with the core Assassin's Creed formula, leaving its bigger brother, Unity, to revamp the combat, exploration, climbing, and much more.

Overall, however, it provides plenty of new things to enjoy and the whole Templars vs. Assassins conflict is certainly much more refreshing when viewed from the perspective of a knight.

Assassin's Creed Rogue is set to appear for PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 11.