Assassin's Creed: Rogue Remastered

This historical action adventure has gotten a new bit of life thanks to its remastered play, which packs new content and visuals into a story that many gamers may have missed. Assassin's Creed: Rogue Remastered feels like a loving ode to Ubisoft's historical action franchise. Its story is set in a time period well-explored by other entries in the series, and the counter-based melee combat and parkour-style environment traversal are the same as in previous games. But the locations are beautifully rendered (and enhanced with its 4K graphics and updated visuals), and the action is sharply honed. Play involves a mix of exploration, combat, and quests that drive the complicated plot forward. Similar to its immediate predecessor, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, it includes navigation through ocean and rivers.

The story -- which features guest appearances from some franchise favorites (including the charming brute pirate Adewale from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag -- Freedom Cry) -- fills in some important gaps and finally lets players take on the role of a member of the Templars. This provides insight into what has otherwise been a largely opaque and perhaps even vilified fictional organization. Unfortunately, unlike some other Assassin's Creed games, there's no multiplayer option. The game pushes no boundaries and offers no headline-worthy innovations or alterations to the series' tried-and-true formula. The addition of features such as wave-generating icebergs are minor at best. But it delivers more of what has made this one of the most successful series in modern gaming. Could Assassin's Creed: Rogue Remastered change the opinion of long-time fans of the series by playing on the side of the villains? Who knows -- but it's great to see that Ubisoft decided to remaster and re-release this game, which flew under the radar for many gamers during the switch over to the current generation of consoles, so now they can make up their minds.