Ubisoft

I adored last year's . The game wasn't so much part of the franchise as an amazing open-world pirate adventure released under its banner. Building on the series' free-running historical gameplay, it gave players broad access to the wide Caribbean seas, transforming an often limited experience into with scallywags and scoundrels.

, the fifth release in the franchise and the first made exclusively for the next-gen consoles PS4 and Xbox One, feels like a slight step back. It's a massive game without a doubt and, for the most part, takes full advantage by flaunting the power of current-gen gaming. Gamers again take on a somewhat underdeveloped assassin character, as he charts his way through the Brotherhood, this time thrown into the fray of Paris during the French revolution.

The 18th-century French capital is a treat to explore, with every palace, church and household recreated in painstaking, almost obsessive detail. And within its streets, the city teems with life: the impressive crowd system can be awe-inspiring and overwhelming.

But for all its surface-level additions, the gameplay feels a little staid. Much of it follows the tried-and-tested path of parkour running and standard assassinations, although there are some worthy additions. The "organic" elements so hotly hyped by the developers are just mid-mission options for a greater sense of choice - but they do take away the endless frustration of having to complete things to a T.

More useful is the RPG-like customisation, the chance to "level up" your preferred skills being a welcome addition for a series increasingly putting the focus on in-game abilities. There's also a new co-op mode replacing the multiplayer, and while it's an interesting option for exclusive missions, it's not wholly developed yet and at this point, nothing more than a buddy system.