While walking in the shoes of a Templar sounds promising, Assassin's Creed Rogue's dull story, uninspired characters, and largely recycled visuals offer little the franchise hasn't already done better.

Familiar and strong combat; A ton of side quests to complete and goodies to collect; Explanations of some less-accessible game lore

A lackluster story; Uninteresting and unsympathetic characters; Sights and sounds lifted wholesale from the last AC game

The Assassin's Creed franchise is a strange beast, with its method of setting up major protagonists that are then done away with in order to introduce a brand new one every few titles or so.

Elsewhere, the game gives you some new toys in the form of a silenced air rifle and a grenade launcher. These don't add much, however, as they're just alternative ways to tranquilise, send enemies berserk, or kill.

Assassin's Creed Rogue may well have begun life as a hedged bet - a PS3 and Xbox 360 game knocked together in case the next-gen consoles hadn't taken off by now - but despite its slightly awkward role as b-side to Assassin's Creed Unity, the result is a welcome follow-up to Black Flag.

A nice new take on AC game that unfortunately marked the beginning of the end. The first of so many Ac games so forgettable and inconsequential to the series. Still worth a playthrough if just to close the chapter of american ******ins

Assassin's Creed Rogue is a great installment in the series. While it doesn't overhaul gameplay mechanics all that much, it delivers a fun experience that turns the table on the assassins and shows the conflict from a new angle.

Shay is a great character; Lots of great adventures; Large environments; Good additions to core mechanics

Poor visuals on PS3; Some annoying boss fights; Naval warfare doesn't have that many new things

The annualization of the Assassin's Creed series presents a constant dilemma for Ubisoft in which the company must satisfy fans and reinvent itself in some way to appeal to a larger market.

Shay's turn from Assassin to Templar; Plenty of content; Naval combat/traversal still has its charms

Very similar to Black Flag; Tags

Assassin's Creed Rogue has found itself at a bit of a disadvantage upon its release. After all, it's a last-generation effort that arrived day-and-date with Assassin's Creed Unity, the first next-generation exclusive entry in the multi-million stealth-action franchise.