Here at Game Rant, we love the Assassin's Creed series. There are certainly a few gripes to be had about the games, especially the first, but the story of the series is undeniably awesome. The rich connection between actual history and the events of the game as well as the extremely cool sci-fi premise of memories encoded in our DNA have kept gamers enthralled ever since they played the first Assassin's Creed. Naturally, Assassin's Creed Revelations is a game we're all waiting for.
With all the love the Assassin's Creed gets for its storyline, there's often a large focus on the single player campaign of the main series, and not enough thought put forward to all the possibilities that lay in the multiplayer component of the game, first introduced in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and returning for Revelations. Indeed, the potential for co-op play in Assassin's Creed is something that's been mentioned for years. Perhaps the signs have been there all along and we just haven't seen it. The recent Assassin's Creed Revelations reveals may just be setting us up so it can pull it off.
Ubisoft has been sharing a lot about the game and it just doesn't seem to add up. Why reveal so much now when E3 is already the perfect venue to showcase the game and all its brand new content? If Ubisoft gives us everything before E3, then what's going to be left to make headlines against the plethora of major reveals when the media attends Ubisoft's press conference or get hands-on with the game at the expo?
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood may have been the first clue. With a name like Brotherhood, it seemed a little strange that players weren't able to play the campaign together, as an actual "brotherhood." What if, instead of sending their assassins on missions, gamers were actually able to take part in those missions with friends?
It would be great if there were missions where players had to split up and follow separate targets so you could interrogate them both at the same time before either alerts the guards. Better yet, having to assassinate multiple targets trying to escape in opposite directions. Another possibility would be using one assassin to lure a target into an ambush laid by the other. There are plenty of opportunities for the mechanics of Assassin's Creed to lend well to a co-operative experience.
The clues may already be in place and a real possibility that co-operative play is on its way may have come with the information revealed about the characters of Assassin's Creed Revelations. One of the new characters that gamers were introduced to was Yusuf Tazim, a Master Assassin in the city of Constantinople who becomes a close friend and friendly rival of Ezio's.
This places Yusuf at the same rank as Ezio, with likely the same proficiency in the art of assassination. Friendly competition is always a good thing, especially when you're competing against your real friends. Doesn't this sound like the perfect character through which players could play co-operatively?
Adding to this, there has been evidence to suggest that this is an avenue that Ubisoft was interested in pursuing. Back in early December of last year it was revealed that a survey put out by Ubisoft asked a number of questions about what gamers would like to see in a sequel to Brotherhood. A number of those questions have already been officially announced as features in Assassin's Creed Revelations.
- An upgrade to the Assassin's Blade that increases the fluidity and speed of free-running? Hookblade, check!
- An enhanced Eagle Vision: see the patrol paths of guards, spot clues to complex navigation puzzles, detect when characters are lying during interrogations, etc? Eagle Sense upgrade, check!
- An intuitive crafting tool that lets you create custom bombs from dozens of ingredients found throughout the game world? Bombs, check!
Wait, what's that question halfway down? Online and offline co-operative play? If this list is any indication of features that Ubisoft was already cooking up then there's definitely some credibility in the hope that when Assassin's Creed Revelations hits E3, that this is going to be the ace up Ubisoft's sleeve. This is what's going to surprise everyone. Well almost everyone, because me, I'm already hoping for it.
Assassin's Creed Revelations could maybe possibly hopefully be bringing assassination co-op on November 15, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PC and PS3.