Assassin's Creed Rogue
Overview -
Along with 'Assassin’s Creed: Unity,' the first Xbox One/PS4 generation only 'Assassin's Creed' title, Ubisoft has a simultaneous offering for its last-gen fans. 'Assassin’s Creed: Rogue' is set in between 'Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag' and 'Assassin’s Creed III', during the Seven Years’ War (called the French and Indian War in the US). This conflict began in the 1750s and involved all major European powers and their New World colonies.
Video Review
I can't see much difference in graphical quality in the AnvilNEXT engine since it was inaugurated with 'Assassin’s Creed III' in 2012. The visuals are certainly not bad, just unchanged. Faces, textures, and backgrounds are decent enough, although the lighting is where the engine suffers. Shadows are fuzzy and obfuscated, especially on backgrounds with high contrast, like skin. The art design and environments are pretty, with a focus on snow, ice, and other arctic features.
Audio Review
The soundtrack has a strong colonial flavor and heavily features string and woodwind instruments. New sea shanties have been added for more musical diversity on the high seas, and the musicians found in taverns are very entertaining, often incorporating satire into their songs. The voice acting is superb and most of the actors for previous installments have returned, such as those of Achilles, Haytham, and Adéwalé. There are some issues with sound effects syncing up, especially during kill animations.
Final Thoughts
'Assassin's Creed: Rogue' is an adequate, if familiar, conclusion of the latest chapter of 'Assassin’s Creed'. It adds enough to qualify as a full-fledged release and features a decent storyline. The bugs are tolerable and certainly not as distracting as its big brother 'Unity'. Gameplay wise it's perfect for anyone enthralled by the seafaring focus of 'Black Flag.' For anyone who hasn’t tossed out their last-gen consoles quite yet, it’s among the best 'Assassin’s Creeds' to be found in that generation.