The PS Vita’s hardware is impressive, but tons of gamers are nevertheless still waiting for a must-have game to justify the purchase of Sony’s latest handheld. Today, I must regretfully report that Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation is probably not that game.

Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release date: Oct. 30
Price: $39.99

✭✭✭✭✭✭✭✩✩✩ Score: 7/10

I wanted to love it. I really did. I already love the way the PS Vita feels and looks, the way its dual sticks allow for decent controls, and the way its touch mechanics can be subtly integrated with traditional controls. And I love the Assassin’s Creed series—including Assassin’s Creed 3, my review of which is coming later this week. Liberation isn’t a bad game. Aesthetically, it’s superb, for a portable. And it’s got plenty of good ideas. But many of them, like the “personas” system, are marred by major flaws. As a result, it’s just not the best game that it could have been. Continue Reading…