This feels more like an actual sequel to the previous 2 than another direct continuation like Brotherhood was. The visuals and feel of the controls are much better, and the presentation is mostly great. Istanbul/Constantinople is an amazingly atmospheric and textured setting, and I appreciate the smaller scope of it. The stealth here is better too, since you can see guard routes, and the bombs add a lot of possibilities even if they're kind of a pain to deal with when you want to switch them out. The hookblade is a great addition to movement, which just feels better and more responsive in general. The story with Old Ezio mostly works, and I loved the interludes with Altair that finally make him an interesting character, but it feels like development got cut short or ran out of time/budget cause it truly drops the ball in the final act on everything other than Ezio and Altair's personal endings. I cant believe they did my dude Yusuf so dirty like that! The present day stuff is weird this time since Desmond is in a coma inside the animus, so most of it is pretty abstract. So abstract it even has an entire abstract dreamscape-brutalist first person narrative puzzle game in there to deliver that story through! Which is maybe the most 2011 thing I have ever seen in a game. The puzzle levels are pretty good though, honestly, so ultimately I respect them for making that very strange choice. Why not! Anyway, this one plays the best of the Ezio games and I liked his actual ending a lot, but the rest of that final 1/4 of the game being so weirdly truncated and sloppy prevents it from being the best of the trilogy.