Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack Review

Game: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack

Developer: Ubisoft

Publisher: Ubisoft

Available On: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC (Reviewed on Xbox 360)

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations has been out for a few months now, but Ubisoft’s support for the game’s brilliant multiplayer mode, is unwavering. The second piece of downloadable content for the game has been released, this time around we have a collection of six old and new multiplayer locales for assassins to go wild in (well, as wild as stealthy cold-blooded killers can be).

For something that sounded odd when it was originally added to the Assassin’s Creed formula, the multiplayer modes for both Brotherhood and Revelations have been a fantastic added bonus, that turned out heaps better than originally expected. What could have been a tacked on set of Deathmatch modes, turned out to be a brilliant mix of stealth, tactics and murder. It’s the kind of multiplayer experience where even if you aren’t doing particularly well, you still end up having a good time and feel like your skills have improved with each round. The excellence of the multiplayer is further increased when team modes are added to the mix.

Ubisoft’s contributions in terms of DLC content for Revelations, have so far been a strictly multiplayer affair. The end of last year saw the release of the Ancestors Character Pack, a low-priced, yet ultimately unsatisfying collection of 4 multiplayer characters (with a few Achievements/Trophies thrown in for good measure). This time around, for the price of we have six map packs to play around with:

• Jerusalem
• Constantinople
• Dyer
• Firenze
• San Donato
• Siera

The first three maps are all new creations, inspired by the locales in the main single-player game; the others are three of the best maps from Brotherhood, with each map also having its own Achievement/Trophy for performing a particular feat within.

To be honest, for 800 of your Microsoft Points (or £7.99 on PlayStation 3 & PC), you would expect a little more content. Granted, there are map packs for other games that are just as expensive (or more), but the thing is with these maps is that they don’t terribly effect the actual multiplayer gameplay. These maps offer little more than a change in scenery, which could be unnecessary to most; although it was nice to see the Brotherhood maps make an appearance. While I understand that it costs money and resources to create these maps, there needs to be more content to justify the cost of this pack and Achievements/Trophies aren’t enough (800 Microsoft points could buy a decent Xbox Live Arcade title).

Maybe I am coming across a bit harsh, the design of the maps themselves are top-notch, as you would expect from a game containing such lavish architecture, with each map having its own sense of individuality. Something I must note, is that I have been playing the game on my Xbox 360 in 3D, using a pair of TriOviz glasses (as used by Enslaved: Odyssey To The West, Arkham City, Arkham Asylum and a few others). Assassin’s Creed lends itself well to the added dimension, with the extra depth really adding something to the environments, especially when navigating through streets and alleyways. Siera’s Carnival scene looks particularly gorgeous in the Third-Dimension, with the firework-lit streets and the hustle-and-bustle of the crowds serving as an incredible backdrop to an assassination spree.

In regards to the previously mentioned Achievements/Trophies, there is little to say about them. As specified earlier, each map has it’s own accolade to strive for, ranging from performing 3 stuns without dying in Jerusalem, to obtaining 2 variety bonuses in the Firenze map. These are all easily obtainable (I managed to earn all six in the space of an hour), so these awards do little to add any longevity to the experience.

VERDICT: To summarise, this is a content pack that offers little to anyone but dedicated assassins. 800 Microsoft Points/£7.99 is far too much to pay for content that offers little more than new scenery (which admittedly, is really nice scenery). To make things worse, Ubisoft offer a free trial for this content, allowing you three days to pretty much experience everything available (apart from the Achievements/Trophies), further making this content pointless. Ubisoft need to offer more substance to their DLC than characters and locations. Some new modes would be the icing on the cake for an already great multiplayer experience.

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