WeView: Assassin’s Creed: Liberation

We may have taken a break from our regularly scheduled WeView for E3, but we’re back and it’s time to look at Assassin’s Creed: Liberation. Although I’m going to be drawing inspiration from Jim’s review of the HD version of the game available on PS3, 360 and PC, you can also share your thoughts on the Vita version of the game if you’re so inclined.

First, however, lets take a look back at just what Jim thought of this oft overlooked entry in the Assassin’s Creed series. Starting on the positive side of things, Jim highlighted the game’s star, Aveline, as an example of how to create a well rounded female character. “Instead of being overtly sexualised or feminine,” he noted, “her gender traits are applied subtly and have no real weight on how the game plays out.”

Jim also praised the game’s visuals, citing both the Vita and HD versions. He considered it to be a “great looking game” on Sony’s portable, and equally impressed when playing the HD version. He also pointed out that some character models on the home console iteration had seen “a moderate boost”, although with limited facial animation, and praised the improvements to textures and the lighting system.

That does seem to be all that Ubisoft got right though, as he also derided the game’s “disjointed narrative” and said the game felt “half-baked” overall. In particular he was annoyed by the way “characters come and go in an instant”, leaving you with a plot that’s “almost impossible to pick up again” after the first few sections of the game.

The game’s new Persona system was met with equal scorn. This essentially allows you to switch between three disguises, an element that’s been sorely missing from Assassin’s Creed in the past. However, Liberation requires you “to visit designated areas on the map just to switch… Persona”, a decision that’s incredibly limiting. The game’s “lady” disguise also significantly limits Aveline’s movement abilities, leaving the game feeling flat while it’s in use.

Ultimately the game featured so many issues that Jim found it hard to recommend, despite how interesting a character Aveline was. He rated the game at 6/10, feeling that it really didn’t hold up well when compared to Black Flag, which was released just a few months before the HD update:

Even with a one-year gap between them, there are enough similarities between Liberation and Black Flag to recommend the former. It’s certainly not the best game in the franchise though does open up yet another chapter in the Assassin’s Creed saga. Still, those who have become particularly attached to Black Flag may find it hard to hoist up their sails and touch down in New Orleans.

So now that we’ve covered Jim’s view on the game, it’s time to get your opinion. Whether you played the Vita version or the home console port, we’d like to hear what you thought of Aveline’s adventure. It doesn’t matter whether you loved or hated the game, just let us know your thoughts by dropping us a comment below. Remember to include an overall verdict from the Buy It, Sale It, Plus It, Avoid It scale so that we can sum the community’s view on the game in Monday’s WeView Verdict.