Games

With Ubisoft focusing the bulk of its  attention on the next-gen Assassin's Creed: Unity in the run-up to Christmas, this PS3/Xbox 360 instalment in the best-selling franchise feels like something of an afterthought by comparison.

Highly reminiscent of 2013's brilliant Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag in its mix of stealth, murder and naval exploration, this latest game still adds a few twists of its own to the template. These include the ability for your ship to be boarded by enemies and – most pivotally – a character who sides with the Templars over the Assassins (hence the title). As radical as this notion may seem to fans, in truth it doesn't really change the game experience. The only difference of note is the addition of missions that tasks you with protecting NPCs from Assassins, which requires extra guile from players as they track down their enemies' hiding places with the help of whispered audio cues.

While the game's scenery remains as vast and visually stunning as that of its predecessor, the world itself feels less involving and the main campaign is the shortest the series has seen to date. And, while not as bug-ridden as its next-gen counterpart, …Rogue is also prone to some game-crippling glitches that really should have been ironed out during playtesting.

Assassin’s Creed: Rogue, Ubisoft, Xbox 360/PS3/PC, £40 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 3/5