Not only is this a wonderful standalone game, it's assassin's creed return to its roots. This is what all game developers should strive for. Listening to their audience's feedback on past games and making the necessary changes. They heard that we hated the real-world portions, wanted more stealth, less god-like abilities, traveling that didn't feel so bland and sparce. They delivered on all accounts. Sure the game isn't 100% flawless and I'd give it a 4.5 if I could. But it's a huge leap in the right direction for the franchise and easily in my top 3 AC games. I truly believe that the 1 and 2 star reviews are from people that haven't played it or have never read the fiction disclaimer at the start of any AC game.