The Assassin's Creed series has transported us throughout history, taking us to the the Third Crusade, Renaissance Italy, the American Revolution, and the colonial Caribbean, among many other times and locales. The franchise has also grown into a juggernaut over the past seven years, with annual releases keeping the enthusiasm alive. Over the past four years, Ubisoft has been working on Assassin's Creed Unity, its vision for the franchise on new-gen consoles. The only other entry to have this long of a development cycle was the first game. While Ubisoft is looking forward, it hasn't forgotten the past. Not only has it gone back to the series' roots to reinvent it for the new generation, but it's also filling a hole in its history and storyline with one final last-gen surprise: Assassin's Creed Rogue. This month, we examine both games and the future of the franchise in an exciting double feature with two unique covers.



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Rogue places fans in the shoes of a Templar, controlling former Assassin-turned-Templar Shay Patrick Cormac. Employing the popular naval gameplay from Black Flag, you navigate a ship across the frigid North Atlantic. Other locales you visit include the Appalachian River Valley and a reimagined New York. Shay is an assassin hunter who has to be even more clever to outsmart his sneaky foes. This entry takes place during the Seven Years' War, filling in the gap between Black Flag and Assassin's Creed III. We won't spoil much, but it has a crucial link to the Kenway saga. Our exclusive feature gives more insight into Shay, details how the cold waters are different from Black Flag's Caribbean setting, and discusses the tools Shay has at his disposal for outsmarting assassins. The Seven Years' War is part of what lead to France's financial troubles, and it's hinted that Shay has even deeper ties to Unity.



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Meanwhile, the new-gen exclusive, Assassin's Creed Unity, follows Arno Dorian on a quest for redemption during the French Revolution. Things aren't black and white for this Assassin, as he's been raised by Templars without knowing it and even falls in love with one, Elise. Ubisoft introduced Elise in a trailer last week, but we have the scoop on exactly who this woman is and her role in the story. In addition, we have new story threads that reveal further what Arno's quest entails, what historical events and people we can expect to see, and how his allegiance to the Assassins complicates matters. Our studio visit to Ubisoft Montreal also provided us insight into how the series' three core pillars – stealth, navigation, and combat – are being completely revamped. We even got our hands-on a cooperative mission. Fans have been begging for co-op, and we detail Ubisoft's creative vision for how it adds to your experience as an Assassin in the crowd.

To get a glimpse into our exclusive online coverage for Rogue and Unity, you can watch our coverage trailer below or on YouTube.

This issue may be packed with Assassin's Creed, but we've also got our first hands-on look at Dragon Age: Inquisition, we chronicle our experience with the latest Destiny beta, take another look at Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and talk to Nintendo about Hyrule Warriors. This issue is also brimming with features. Matt Helgeson looks back on 20 years of Neversoft, Ben Reeves explores franchises that were better left in the past, and Matt Bertz investigates whether the term "indie game" has lost all meaning.

Print subscribers should see their issues arriving in the next week or two, but it's available now if you subscribe digitally (available on PC/Mac, iPad,Android, and Google Play). You can also get the latest issue through third-party apps on Nook, Kindle, and Zinio starting tomorrow. To switch your print subscription to digital, click here, or to create a new subscription to the digital edition, click here

We have a full month of Assassin's Creed coverage set up for gameinformer.com, complete with video interviews with the developers, character profiles on the main cast, and hands-on impressions of cooperative play. Remember to keep checking our Assassin's Creed hub throughout August for all the exclusives. Access the hub by clicking the banner below.