Review
Played on: Xbox One XReleased: 2021
The fourth mainline Assassin's Creed game, Black Flag, had a strong emphasis on naval battles and changed the layout of the previous AC games. Going from single city locations, to a partially open world map at sea, complete with lots of islands to explore. Black Flag was also released at the end of the last generation of consoles, crossing over to the new one in a visually upgraded version. Releasing across platforms X360, XB1, PS3 and PS4.
The next instalment, AC: Unity, was built on an entirely new engine and thus built for the new generation only, marking the shift over to new hardware as a permanent one.
Strangely enough, though, Ubisoft decided to release a sort of sequel to Black Flag on the last gen of consoles only. Titled AC: Rogue, keeping the nautical theme and naval battles, but placing it away from the warm Caribbean beaches and in to the cold and icy waters of the North Sea. This year, sees Rogue getting a remastered release on the current gen, with Xbox One X taking the graphical console crown with a full native 4K resolution. It's the version I went for.
It's nice of Ubisoft to recognise the popularity of Black Flag and re-release this entry to the popular franchise, which under the radar for most. Especially to people who really enjoyed the naval battles and different approach to the AC formula.
So, does AC: Rogue Remastered hold up, boasting clearer visuals and enhancements over it's last gen form? Yes and no, considering there have been three mainline AC games in-between, with the latter, Origins, setting a new and high standard for AC controls and gameplay.
It's a tough call to follow, let's take a look.
Graphically we're basically taking a X360/PS3 game and running it in 4K. So, while it looks clean and things like textures and especially the shadows, are vastly upgraded, it looks like a last-gen game. Sure, it can look pretty but considering Microsoft's amazing, and totally free, 4K upgrades of backwards compatible X360 games, this feels like a fairly quick money grab from Ubisoft. But who's to blame them, the price is a third of full title anyhow and releasing it remastered leaves the game open to release on PlayStation and PC too.
Rogue's naval battles though, the main show of the game, are still as great as they used to be in Black Flag. Upgrading your ship with cannons, mortars and better armour to engage and take down larger and larger ships at sea still feels fun and engaging. Sending captured ships to your fleet management table is also addictive, as you micro-manage a fleet to capture resources at far away seaports, although I do really miss the companion app that let you do this!
This time around there are small additions that make the battles more tricky for the experienced Black Flag player too. Large icebergs floating in the sea, winds pulling you near shores etc. Subtle changes but things that will keep AC:BF fans happy.
It's hard to recommend Rogue for new AC players, let alone those whom have mainly played this generations trilogy of Unity, Syndicate and Origins. Especially the latter almost soft rebooted the entire franchise. However, fans of AC:BF that have missed the naval battles, should really check it out. While it won't be technically breathtaking in any way, let alone the story going anywhere fundamentally mind blowing, it's a nice continuation of the style and atmosphere AC:BF had.
I guess that die hard fans of Rogue, that moved to a current gen console, could appreciate the resolution upgrade. The most impressive one being on Xbox One X going from 720p on the X360, all the way up to native 4K.
Entertaining and nice value for it's low entry price, Rogue is aimed for the AC:BF fans out there and few others.
Strangely enough, though, Ubisoft decided to release a sort of sequel to Black Flag on the last gen of consoles only. Titled AC: Rogue, keeping the nautical theme and naval battles, but placing it away from the warm Caribbean beaches and in to the cold and icy waters of the North Sea. This year, sees Rogue getting a remastered release on the current gen, with Xbox One X taking the graphical console crown with a full native 4K resolution. It's the version I went for.
It's nice of Ubisoft to recognise the popularity of Black Flag and re-release this entry to the popular franchise, which under the radar for most. Especially to people who really enjoyed the naval battles and different approach to the AC formula.
So, does AC: Rogue Remastered hold up, boasting clearer visuals and enhancements over it's last gen form? Yes and no, considering there have been three mainline AC games in-between, with the latter, Origins, setting a new and high standard for AC controls and gameplay.
It's a tough call to follow, let's take a look.
Rogue continues Black Flag's storyline many years later and ties itself storywise neatly in-between AC:BF and AC3. Characters from both games make appearances, plus there's a shift from AC:BFs small villages to an entire New York map in Rogue too. Complete with gang warfare, neatly giving service to those who prefer urban AC games and enjoyed the gang stuff in AC: Syndicate.
You follow an Irish sea captain called Shay, learning his troublesome experience with the Creed. Interestingly, the storyline takes an incredibly different turn compared to other AC stories. This plot twist is perhaps Rogue's strongest suit and the thing that sets it the most apart from a long line of AC releases.
The weird thing about going back to a last-gen AC is that, although the map collectively is much larger than say Unity and Syndicate, the gameplay is not upgraded. As such, you're going back to a more cumbersome and fiddly control system. Manoeuvring Shay becomes frustrating and a reminder of how annoying the series used to control at times.
The added new feature of hidden enemies wanting to kill you, just feels more of a nuisance than actually adding anything beneficial to the experience. AC Origins changed so much gameplay, into a far more smooth and stealth friendly experience, it's hard to go back.
You follow an Irish sea captain called Shay, learning his troublesome experience with the Creed. Interestingly, the storyline takes an incredibly different turn compared to other AC stories. This plot twist is perhaps Rogue's strongest suit and the thing that sets it the most apart from a long line of AC releases.
The weird thing about going back to a last-gen AC is that, although the map collectively is much larger than say Unity and Syndicate, the gameplay is not upgraded. As such, you're going back to a more cumbersome and fiddly control system. Manoeuvring Shay becomes frustrating and a reminder of how annoying the series used to control at times.
The added new feature of hidden enemies wanting to kill you, just feels more of a nuisance than actually adding anything beneficial to the experience. AC Origins changed so much gameplay, into a far more smooth and stealth friendly experience, it's hard to go back.
Graphically we're basically taking a X360/PS3 game and running it in 4K. So, while it looks clean and things like textures and especially the shadows, are vastly upgraded, it looks like a last-gen game. Sure, it can look pretty but considering Microsoft's amazing, and totally free, 4K upgrades of backwards compatible X360 games, this feels like a fairly quick money grab from Ubisoft. But who's to blame them, the price is a third of full title anyhow and releasing it remastered leaves the game open to release on PlayStation and PC too.
Rogue's naval battles though, the main show of the game, are still as great as they used to be in Black Flag. Upgrading your ship with cannons, mortars and better armour to engage and take down larger and larger ships at sea still feels fun and engaging. Sending captured ships to your fleet management table is also addictive, as you micro-manage a fleet to capture resources at far away seaports, although I do really miss the companion app that let you do this!
This time around there are small additions that make the battles more tricky for the experienced Black Flag player too. Large icebergs floating in the sea, winds pulling you near shores etc. Subtle changes but things that will keep AC:BF fans happy.
It's hard to recommend Rogue for new AC players, let alone those whom have mainly played this generations trilogy of Unity, Syndicate and Origins. Especially the latter almost soft rebooted the entire franchise. However, fans of AC:BF that have missed the naval battles, should really check it out. While it won't be technically breathtaking in any way, let alone the story going anywhere fundamentally mind blowing, it's a nice continuation of the style and atmosphere AC:BF had.
I guess that die hard fans of Rogue, that moved to a current gen console, could appreciate the resolution upgrade. The most impressive one being on Xbox One X going from 720p on the X360, all the way up to native 4K.
Entertaining and nice value for it's low entry price, Rogue is aimed for the AC:BF fans out there and few others.
