Back in early 2011, one of Ubisoft's staff of the Assassin's Creed team mentioned that there will be an announcement of something related to the Assassin's Creed franchise. Many fans speculated that it will be the announcement of Assassin's Creed III. Some fans were hyped and excited while others were afraid that Ubisoft is now milking the franchise with spinoffs on console, handheld devices, and even a comic book. Well, it has been proven false that it is NOT Assassin's Creed III, but another spinoff game of Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood's hero, Ezio Auditore da Firenze
After a week or so of vigorous teasing, Ubisoft finally lifts the curtain on Assassin's Creed Revelations, the third and final chapter in the Ezio trilogy, coming to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC this November.
In Assassin's Creed Revelations Ezio Auditore embarks on a journey of self-discovery and revelation in the footsteps of his legendary mentor, Altaïr. He'll travel to Constantinople in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a gathering army of Templars is threatening to destabilize the region.
Assassin's Creed Revelations also sees the return of online multiplayer, with new mode, new maps, and new characters.
"Delivering the final chapter of the Ezio trilogy is an important milestone in the Assassin's Creed franchise for us and for our fans," said Alexandre Amancio, Creative Director at Ubisoft Montreal. "Assassin's Creed Revelations includes lots of new features and some significant surprises. We can't wait to show our fans what we have in store at E3 this year."
For more on Assassin's Creed Revelations pick up the June issue of Game Informer, available this month.
I LOVE this franchise and all the conspiracy in history and such. I agree that Ubisoft is indeed milking the series, but if the games and story continue to be good, then I have no problems with it whatsoever. I am a little tired of Ezio, but I think it's cool how we got see him grow up (AC 2 -> Brotherhood -> Revelations) from a spoiled and carefree noble teenager to a Grand Master of the Assassin Order. We are practically getting to play all 3 major characters of the series so far in this, so that is an awesome feature. Ezio's story is more developed than Altair's, so this is a welcomed addition since we will know more about Altair.
On May 06 2011 05:47 Fruscainte wrote: I can understand two games, but this is just taking it too far.
They can't ride this money train of Ezio forever.
It doesn't matter if they use one character 3 times ( They just said its a trilogy now and its the end of Ezio), the only thing that matters is if they bring a proper story with larger character development and much enhanced gameplay then thats still pretty damn good. Its all about the execution.
Love the franchise but its time to move to a different time period. This is a game where the story could take place anywhere in history, but instead we get 3 games set during the same time.
I personally loved the ezio games and would love to see another, the ending of brotherhood was crazy :O
why does it matter who the character is if its a good game? and milking it? It's three games? how many games was mario used before it became overused? Link? I love how people are criticizing a business cause they found a character that people want to pay money to see xD
You know, Assassins Creed 2 was a true sequel. They improved on every aspect of the game and it was well worth the purchase. Assassins Creed 2: Brotherhood was at best an overpriced expansion pack to the game. For me to buy this next one, it better be a true sequel and not just another expansion pack with a hefty price tag.
OMG I WAITED FOR ASSASSIN'S CREED 2, BEAT IT IN 1 SITTING. WAITING FOR ASSASSIN'S CREED: BROTHERHOOD, BEAT IT IN A FEW DAYS. BEEN WAITING FOR THIS GAME AND I WILL BE BEATING IT IN MY FIRST SITTING!!
I'm playing the first assassins creed right now, enjoying it alot! I have the second game as well as, gonna start to play it as soon as im done with the first one! Would love to see more (If they manage to do something good )
More of the same is not bad - especially since i LOVED every single AC game. The story is so crazy on so many levels and yet it all makes sense. I just hope they keep their word and release it at the same time on all platforms instead of delaying the pc version like they did with brotherhood.
On May 06 2011 06:55 Kolvacs wrote: All i can say............... "FUCK YES!"
OMG I WAITED FOR ASSASSIN'S CREED 2, BEAT IT IN 1 SITTING. WAITING FOR ASSASSIN'S CREED: BROTHERHOOD, BEAT IT IN A FEW DAYS. BEEN WAITING FOR THIS GAME AND I WILL BE BEATING IT IN MY FIRST SITTING!!
totaly agreed, GONNA BEAT IT IN ONE SITTING ASWELL! love it!
Honestly I thought brotherhood was terrible compared to AC2, the story just wasn't there. They need a fresh protagonist for the franchise, I don't think I'll be picking this up unless the reviews are insane.
On May 06 2011 07:41 proxY_ wrote: Honestly I thought brotherhood was terrible compared to AC2, the story just wasn't there. They need a fresh protagonist for the franchise, I don't think I'll be picking this up unless the reviews are insane.
Well, Brotherhood got almost the same score as AC2. My only gripe with Brotherhood was the ending felt rushed with the crazy year jumps of Ezio chasing Cesare. What was wrong with the story of Brotherhood? AC2 was about Ezio growing up to be an assassin and trying to avenge his father and brothers. In Brotherhood, Ezio decides to settle down because he believes that his job is done until he an attack on the villa occur. Both stories are similar because you track down Templar by Templar until the final villain with some twist along the way.
On May 06 2011 07:45 XerrolAvengerII wrote: i was honestly hoping for a female assassin ;( nova anyone?
There's still a chance. Ubisoft only numbers an AC game when they introduce a new ancestor, I dunno why people can't understand that. They've said so many times in any AC related news.
On May 06 2011 10:12 sung_moon wrote: i was always more curious about altair's storyline. yea ezio is awesome, but back to the original guy
If you have a handheld or can possibly borrow one, you should play the 2 spinoff games based on Altair. 1 is before the events of AC1 and the other is after AC1.
I like Ezio, a much better character than Altair for sure. I don't mind the milking of Ezio because he has SO much character where Altair had basically none. I enjoy Assassins Creed I and II and I wasn't gonna get Brotherhood but I ended up getting it and loved it. I will definitely be picking up this one, I'm sure it will be good.
Wasnt Ezio like 50 by the end of the second game?? It seemed like his story was completed in Brotherhood (but then again, I also felt his story was done after ACII)
I`d just rather see a new setting, but I dont mind Ubisoft milking their cash cow as long as the games maintain their quality
I only played Assassin Creed 2 and I liked it for one or two days, but then the gameplay turned to be pretty repetitive and boring. In my opinion it's the same problems of all these "free roaming" type of games, they're enjoyable for the first hours but after that they become dispersive and repetitive
Ezio was, what, 18-20 when ACII began? By the end of the game two decades had passed. This puts him at 40-ish during Brotherhood, so I expect he'll be in his 50s during Revelations. Personally, I feel like it would have been fine to end Ezio's story with ACII, but I suppose he was such a charismatic character and the setting was so well reproduced that they wanted to extend his story arc. Also, Brotherhood was not a good stopping point narrative-wise in any case - it was just too fragmented.
I'll be interested in seeing how Ubisoft will deal with Ezio's advanced age. That must be a crucial point.
Looking forward to the next game . Played AC, ACII, and Brotherhood, and I've enjoyed all three so far.
I'm really wondering at how his skills will change, if they will diminish, or increase possibly? when he gets older, and just HOW old he will be in Revelations.
On May 06 2011 23:16 procyonlotor wrote: Ezio was, what, 18-20 when ACII began? By the end of the game two decades had passed. This puts him at 40-ish during Brotherhood, so I expect he'll be in his 50s during Revelations. Personally, I feel like it would have been fine to end Ezio's story with ACII, but I suppose he was such a charismatic character and the setting was so well reproduced that they wanted to extend his story arc. Also, Brotherhood was not a good stopping point narrative-wise in any case - it was just too fragmented.
I'll be interested in seeing how Ubisoft will deal with Ezio's advanced age. That must be a crucial point.
I understand what you're saying, but I thought Brotherhood was a good closure for Ezio. The reasons is Ezio stabilized Italy from the Borgia, strengthened the Assassin order, became the Grand Master, and secured the Apple of Eden and allowing his bloodline to find it down the line. I think it's cool that Ubisoft is taking their time to bring their characters to a proper end from their younger days to the day they are old or death. Altair's story was let abruptly until they made 2 spinoff games (prequel and sequel) on handheld.
I feel as though Ubisoft are really milking this franchise now. They're just churning these things out, (1 per year??) I played the latest one for a few hours before getting bored, the whole engine / premise has run its course. imo.
i bought the 1st AC off of it looking cool and great reviews. but i never even finished it (got to like the 8th or 9th assassination) because it was so boring. everything that wasnt an assassination was boring as shit (all the side missions and riding horse between towns), the combat was laughably stale, and the production values (story/dialog/voice acting) were subpar. the platforming/climbing stuff was pretty neat but not nearly enough to carry the game for me.
i never played ac2/brotherhood because it just looked like more of the same with more equally shallow game mechanics/systems.
its such a shame becuase i really feel that the premise for AC is really cool. I just wish the execution wasnt so uninspired. but i guess it's successful enough that they will never feel the need to actually change anything. so sad :\
On May 10 2011 08:44 Ideas wrote: i bought the 1st AC off of it looking cool and great reviews. but i never even finished it (got to like the 8th or 9th assassination) because it was so boring. everything that wasnt an assassination was boring as shit (all the side missions and riding horse between towns), the combat was laughably stale, and the production values (story/dialog/voice acting) were subpar. the platforming/climbing stuff was pretty neat but not nearly enough to carry the game for me.
i never played ac2/brotherhood because it just looked like more of the same with more equally shallow game mechanics/systems.
its such a shame becuase i really feel that the premise for AC is really cool. I just wish the execution wasnt so uninspired. but i guess it's successful enough that they will never feel the need to actually change anything. so sad :\
AC2 is much better compared to AC1. The combat is as bad as the 1st one, but there are much more interesting stuff to do and assassinations are more varied and fun. + The sidecontent is varied and fun also.
I hope this puts Ezio to rest. He was fun but I think I can't stand him for a 4th game.
On May 10 2011 08:44 Ideas wrote: i bought the 1st AC off of it looking cool and great reviews. but i never even finished it (got to like the 8th or 9th assassination) because it was so boring. everything that wasnt an assassination was boring as shit (all the side missions and riding horse between towns), the combat was laughably stale, and the production values (story/dialog/voice acting) were subpar. the platforming/climbing stuff was pretty neat but not nearly enough to carry the game for me.
i never played ac2/brotherhood because it just looked like more of the same with more equally shallow game mechanics/systems.
its such a shame becuase i really feel that the premise for AC is really cool. I just wish the execution wasnt so uninspired. but i guess it's successful enough that they will never feel the need to actually change anything. so sad :\
AC2 is much better compared to AC1. The combat is as bad as the 1st one, but there are much more interesting stuff to do and assassinations are more varied and fun. + The sidecontent is varied and fun also.
I hope this puts Ezio to rest. He was fun but I think I can't stand him for a 4th game.
could you elaborate on the "much more interesting stuff to do"? from what i could tell it was just like this whole whole real-estate/economy thing that looked not interesting at all, especially when playing an action game.
It's going to take part in Istanbul this time. Oh my god I'm so excited to see the city I'm living in in 16 th century, at the time of Ottoman Empire's golden age! Climbing Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, scanning for glyphs...SO EXCITED!
On May 12 2011 02:28 Bleak wrote: It's going to take part in Istanbul this time. Oh my god I'm so excited to see the city I'm living in in 16 th century, at the time of Ottoman Empire's golden age! Climbing Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, scanning for glyphs...SO EXCITED!
I just hope there's a mission to knock off those disgusting minarets
On May 12 2011 02:28 Bleak wrote: It's going to take part in Istanbul this time. Oh my god I'm so excited to see the city I'm living in in 16 th century, at the time of Ottoman Empire's golden age! Climbing Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, scanning for glyphs...SO EXCITED!
I just hope there's a mission to knock off those disgusting minarets
I don't think Suleiman the Magnificent would like that :D It's the strongest era of Ottoman Empire after all.
On May 10 2011 08:44 Ideas wrote: i bought the 1st AC off of it looking cool and great reviews. but i never even finished it (got to like the 8th or 9th assassination) because it was so boring. everything that wasnt an assassination was boring as shit (all the side missions and riding horse between towns), the combat was laughably stale, and the production values (story/dialog/voice acting) were subpar. the platforming/climbing stuff was pretty neat but not nearly enough to carry the game for me.
i never played ac2/brotherhood because it just looked like more of the same with more equally shallow game mechanics/systems.
its such a shame becuase i really feel that the premise for AC is really cool. I just wish the execution wasnt so uninspired. but i guess it's successful enough that they will never feel the need to actually change anything. so sad :\
AC2 is much better compared to AC1. The combat is as bad as the 1st one, but there are much more interesting stuff to do and assassinations are more varied and fun. + The sidecontent is varied and fun also.
I hope this puts Ezio to rest. He was fun but I think I can't stand him for a 4th game.
could you elaborate on the "much more interesting stuff to do"? from what i could tell it was just like this whole whole real-estate/economy thing that looked not interesting at all, especially when playing an action game.
Well there are more side missions and for the most part it's more fun to play then in AC1
On May 10 2011 08:44 Ideas wrote: i bought the 1st AC off of it looking cool and great reviews. but i never even finished it (got to like the 8th or 9th assassination) because it was so boring. everything that wasnt an assassination was boring as shit (all the side missions and riding horse between towns), the combat was laughably stale, and the production values (story/dialog/voice acting) were subpar. the platforming/climbing stuff was pretty neat but not nearly enough to carry the game for me.
i never played ac2/brotherhood because it just looked like more of the same with more equally shallow game mechanics/systems.
its such a shame becuase i really feel that the premise for AC is really cool. I just wish the execution wasnt so uninspired. but i guess it's successful enough that they will never feel the need to actually change anything. so sad :\
AC2 is much better compared to AC1. The combat is as bad as the 1st one, but there are much more interesting stuff to do and assassinations are more varied and fun. + The sidecontent is varied and fun also.
I hope this puts Ezio to rest. He was fun but I think I can't stand him for a 4th game.
could you elaborate on the "much more interesting stuff to do"? from what i could tell it was just like this whole whole real-estate/economy thing that looked not interesting at all, especially when playing an action game.
Well there are more side missions and for the most part it's more fun to play then in AC1
Love the Assassins Creed games and I am gonna get this instantly in November . I always enjoy free-roam games where you're a total bad-ass though (GTA, Mafia, Prototype to name a few).
I like Ezio and his story line , however I wish I can play one more game with al-tair bin la ahad , I read all of his codex pages in AC2 , and it seems like he went through a lot.
On May 17 2011 02:06 Tchado wrote: YES ! MORE ASSASSIN'S CREED !
I like Ezio and his story line , however I wish I can play one more game with al-tair bin la ahad , I read all of his codex pages in AC2 , and it seems like he went through a lot.
They will if you read the link above.... Expect more answers than questions in Revelations, but they will still keep the fans guessing. It's obvious that they are going on the route of answering questions that many fans had since AC and AC2, so it leads a path towards AC3. As for AC3, you can tell that Ubisoft is aiming for a 2012 release since the modern day time period in the series is 2012.
On May 17 2011 02:18 Mattidute wrote: Only problem i got with Ezio being the main char of this game is, he has no more antagonists left as we pretty much killed them all in Brotherhood.
Not entirely true. The Templar Order is large and they can always elect a new Grand Master since the Assassin-Templar War has been going on for centuries. Besides the fact that Ubisoft wanted a new location, there has to be a reason why the Templars relocated themselves to Turkey besides looking for the seals of Altair.
Yeah, the templars are still alive and controlling huge corporations and governments (Vidic and Abstergo are just one person and one company) in current events in the game, so it'd be false to assume that Ezio had just killed the entire Templar organisation by his own hand.
Looking forward to this. I love the medieval setting. Playing through AC2 and ACB really made me appreciate the history of 15th/16th century Europe. I'm watching the new Borgias tv series, which is excellent, as well as the Tudors.
AC's environment and everything was always done so well, but there's never been any "depth" to the game. It makes me so sad every time a new one comes out. I'm always waiting for some progression, more items, some skill element to running, some RPG type skills or something...it never there. Brotherhoods main new "feature" was an ability that actually allowed you to avoid playing the game and let NPCs do it for you.
I always start out having fun and then 5 hours in realizing I'm just doing the same thing as at the start while becoming more and more hideously overpowered. I didn't upgrade my char basic weapons and armor at all in brotherhood because I flat out didn't need 24 bars of health, I didn't even need the 4 or whatever you start with. Upgrading just meant I could basically not use the combat system at all.
On June 07 2011 18:34 sob3k wrote: AC's environment and everything was always done so well, but there's never been any "depth" to the game. It makes me so sad every time a new one comes out. I'm always waiting for some progression, more items, some skill element to running, some RPG type skills or something...it never there. Brotherhoods main new "feature" was an ability that actually allowed you to avoid playing the game and let NPCs do it for you.
I always start out having fun and then 5 hours in realizing I'm just doing the same thing as at the start while becoming more and more hideously overpowered. I didn't upgrade my char basic weapons and armor at all in brotherhood because I flat out didn't need 24 bars of health, I didn't even need the 4 or whatever you start with. Upgrading just meant I could basically not use the combat system at all.
See this is why i could never get into the first game, it's just the same old same old and the start of AC1's story hardly sucked me in. Shame, it actually has potential if they made the gameplay less dull.
That new CGI trailer is just awesome. Amazing presentation. Probably the best trailer I've seen this year and I'm not even really all that excited about the game. I mean, I'm looking forward to it, but AC has always been my sorta backup games for after I've finished with the 'main' games.
Just saw the CGI trailer, and my jaw dropped in awe. Amazingly well made! Screw the game, just make one and a half hour of this, and I'll gladly pay up!
p.s. The games have been good too, btw. But that trailer was just too amazing.
Meh, people can say they are milking it (they are) for all they want, but the games continue to be good after each release. It's obvious that they want to release AC3 in 2012 since the modern day time line in the series is 2012. They want to answer most of the questions that fans had since the first AC game in Revelations. Once that is done, we can go in AC3 with little questions and jump straight into Desmond's and the new ancestor's shoes.
The new gameplay trailer looks just as shitty as the first game. One of the worst wastes of money I've paid for. The game gets repetitive and boring after playing for 15mins or so. Everything you do in the game after the first 15min is exactly the same. I'm betting in this new game, the whole game is just like the trailer and that's all the game has in it.
On September 02 2011 19:50 heishe wrote: Did one of you guys just receive a mail with a beta key for Revelations? I didn't even know they had a multiplayer beta.
Also I can't find a beta-website of some sort. I guess it hasn't started yet so there is none.
edit: Actually, gmail didn't show me the email correctly. There are instructions right underneath the key :D
I DID TOO! If you got it, I guess it is legit. Got so suspicious when I got it Well, I gues it is legit when we both got it
On September 02 2011 19:50 heishe wrote: Did one of you guys just receive a mail with a beta key for Revelations? I didn't even know they had a multiplayer beta.
Also I can't find a beta-website of some sort. I guess it hasn't started yet so there is none.
edit: Actually, gmail didn't show me the email correctly. There are instructions right underneath the key :D
I DID TOO! If you got it, I guess it is legit. Got so suspicious when I got it Well, I gues it is legit when we both got it
I got one as well. I'm not really sure how legit it is, since all it gives you is a code and no instructions on how to get the beta through PSN. Instead, it has 2 click here links which looks quite shady. I think I'll just leave this be for now.
On September 02 2011 19:50 heishe wrote: Did one of you guys just receive a mail with a beta key for Revelations? I didn't even know they had a multiplayer beta.
Also I can't find a beta-website of some sort. I guess it hasn't started yet so there is none.
edit: Actually, gmail didn't show me the email correctly. There are instructions right underneath the key :D
I DID TOO! If you got it, I guess it is legit. Got so suspicious when I got it Well, I gues it is legit when we both got it
I got one as well. I'm not really sure how legit it is, since all it gives you is a code and no instructions on how to get the beta through PSN. Instead, it has 2 click here links which looks quite shady. I think I'll just leave this be for now.
Anyone good at reading the source code of the message and shit? From: "Ubisoft" <beta_ubi@email.ubi.com>
Hmmmmmmm, it seems like it might just be legit. I'll give it a shot tomorrow and see if it works. Still, I was never really interested in the multiplayer aspect of the game anyway but it doesn't hurt to check it out.
I currently work on the AC brand as a programmer. Just wanted to say that many games of starcraft have been played while making this game at lunch time I hope you guys will enjoy it, it is a great game.
On October 05 2011 20:40 zeOllie wrote: Man. I love the ac series but 3 games on one character?!?! im actually pretty sick of ezio lol.
But yeah, can't wait to see where they'll go in ac3, they said maybe japan or some other place in asia :D
I can see how and why people are tired of Ezio, but I personally like it. It is rare for a video game to have a character that we played from the day he is born to the day he is an old man. I think Revelations was a good step for Ubisoft because it will bring closure to Altair and Ezio and answer many questions that fans had since the first game. Who is "they"? The time period and location of AC3 is up in the air for speculation. The strongest possibility at this moment is the French Revolution because of all the hints in Brotherhood and the multiplayer.
On October 05 2011 21:03 Yalpe wrote: I currently work on the AC brand as a programmer. Just wanted to say that many games of starcraft have been played while making this game at lunch time I hope you guys will enjoy it, it is a great game.
Nice! Perhaps you can give us a little hint for the single player? ^^
On October 05 2011 21:03 Yalpe wrote: I currently work on the AC brand as a programmer. Just wanted to say that many games of starcraft have been played while making this game at lunch time I hope you guys will enjoy it, it is a great game.
I've loved all the AC games so far, can't wait for this one
On October 05 2011 21:03 Yalpe wrote: I currently work on the AC brand as a programmer. Just wanted to say that many games of starcraft have been played while making this game at lunch time I hope you guys will enjoy it, it is a great game.
A new video that is 38 minutes has been released. There is no spoilers since it's in the early parts of the game, which means a lot of tutorial stuff. It is a cool video nonetheless.
On November 08 2011 11:56 zoLo wrote: A new video that is 38 minutes has been released. There is no spoilers since it's in the early parts of the game, which means a lot of tutorial stuff. It is a cool video nonetheless.
I bought the game this morning and just finished it after around 8 hours of play (didn't do much side stuff). If you like Assasin's Creed then this one is a blast. Answers tons of questions while giving lots of teases as to what we will see in Assasin's Creed 3. Two thumbs up from me.
This game is a MUST RENT for the finishing of the storyline, but a DO NOT BUY because there is a very short storyline and little extra to do inside the game.
Really it is a let down. Compared to the previous two games it isn't nearly as awesome as the previous one. The major thing they added is the equivalent to a simple flash video game -_- I know the next one is going to be awesome, but they really should have either found a way to make it a 3 game Ezio character or make the original two longer. The only benefit that I have for purchasing the game is that I can let other friends play it now.
On November 19 2011 01:51 MilesTeg wrote: God I can't wait to have time to play this. Constantinople must be so awesome, and in the end that's what really matters with these games to me.
On November 19 2011 19:55 Diamond wrote: Just beat this game, was a lot of fun.
Felt a bit short and the den defense minigame was stupid >.<
How long did it take you to beat it?
I'd say about 10 hours, but I did almost no side stuff, and am pretty good at AC games so I blew through it at warp speed 9. Probably (just guessing) it would be a 15-20 hours game for most people.
i bought it for PS3 and it came with a 30% discount code for AC2 or Brotherhood, only useable on the PSN store. i have both games already, so if anyone is interested in the code, shoot me a PM
On November 21 2011 20:42 Necosarius wrote: Oh I want this so bad >_< It's just a little sad that this is the end of Ezios storyline. I liked him as the "main character".
Still I am salivating at the mouth to see what they do with this next. I expect AC3 to be phenomenal when it does come out
I won't give any links, as to stay in accordance with the rules. However, the PC version has been cracked and released on private tracker sites. Not sure about public trackers such as TPB.
Yes, that's right. It's been cracked properly and released weeks before the actual game is released on PC.
So I played quite a bit of this game but after a while, less than 10 hours in, I just realised this game was tedious and all its new elements that weren't in ACB (which was the best IMHO) were ruining the story experience and making life more difficult than need be.
The great game mechanics remain, climbing massive towers than seem impossible but looks amazing, spectacular settings, brutal (in a good way) kills and actually challenging combat sometimes with guns and heavily-armed opponents that will strike you down the first few times you encounter them. The hookblade makes climbing so much faster and more fun, the graphics still beautiful, the story still fun and exciting (even though I didn't finish it and it's still OTT but that's the way it's supposed to be).
But I had a huge issue with the Templar Awareness and subsequent den defense. It is a hugely time-consuming and so far repetitive system that gives not much benefits to the player directly but you have to face if you want to renovate the city and have good equipment and items. Heralds make life somewhat easier but they only give a pitiful -25%, meaning you need to spend a huge amount of time if you want to become secret again. Officers who you kill for -50% IIRC only appear when you have maxed out awareness and often it becomes too little too late to avoid den defense. Finally, each renovation is +25%, so you can only renovate 4 shops before an attack or you have to search for Heralds/Officers.
Frankly, it sucked. While the den defense bits were fun and refreshing at first, it fluctuates between being trivial and hugely difficult. Moreover, I wanted to play Assassin's Creed, not a strange version of TD, and if that TD is taking up a quarter of my time in game if I wanted to do complete some of your other side objectives (ie renovate the city), something is not right.
Less out-of-body and out-of-control minigames, please, Ubisoft.
Did you try the multiplayer? If you didnt then you realy should. It's the most unique multiplayer there is and the mechanics are really nice (altho there is some room for improvement).
Having played brotherhood multiplayer as much as to become top 5 in leaderboards, I bought this game solely for the multiplayer. I have played about 50 hours of multiplayer but havent even started the story yet :D It is that good.