The scope is impressive, and the core visuals are stunning, but the journey into delivering a true next-generation Assassin's Creed title isn't completely successful.
This is topped off with a global illumination system that mimics the way light bounces across environments in real life, bringing depth to locations throughout the game. Developed using a radically upgraded version of the AnvilNext engine, the technology allows for hundreds of NPCs littered around the streets, while the exquisite building work across the cityscape is filled with incidental details and layered with realistic surface shaders. A year after the launch of the new wave of consoles, the Assassin's Creed franchise has finally made its next-gen leap, leaving Xbox 360 and PS3 behind for good (though those consoles get their own game this year, Rogue).
