I would've put this in the COD4 thread, but since this is a different game, I felt it deserved it's own thread.
So I've had a lot more time to play Assassin's Creed, and boy am I glad I did. What I originally took as clumsy and slightly bothersome finally revealed itself as one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had.
You play Altair, one of the Hashashin, a secret assassination organization, during the Crusades. Throughout the game, you're stripped of your rank and your weapons and have to get them back through progressing the story. Each weapon and ability holds it's usefulness, and you'll find yourself using them all over and over again.
You're tasked with assassinating nine men, divided into three cities, Damascus, Jerusalem, and Acre. These people all actually died or disappeared during the Crusades, so it's not hard to see why Ubisoft Montreal chose this time period. These assassinations will require patience, timing, and skill to accomplish. I'll get to that later.
ControlsControls are tight, and easy to understand. All the buttons correspond to a part of Altair's body. The Y/Triangle button works for Altair's head, the X/Square and B/Circle buttons function his arms, and A/X work his legs. Rarely will you come across a situation where the controls give you a problem. I doubt you ever will.
CameraCamera is fully controllable during the entire game, excluding cutscenes, where Altair is still movable, and the camera centers around you and the general target. Nothing missing here, everything is perfect.
GraphicsIf I had to sum it up in one word, the only one that would fit would be Phenomenal, though that's a bit of an understatement. What you see in-game is what you see in cinematics, and this isn't a bad thing. Here's a screenshot of what jumping is like in-game, though static images don't do the game justice.
The graphics are unparalleled, and I don't think anyone can really disagree with that.
SoundThe entire score is astounding. Walking transfers to battle seamlessly through sound. The second you aggrovate a guard, the place turns into a battlefield, and the pounding music gets your heart racing.
As far as normal sounds go, it doesn't get much better than this. Everyone sounds real and lifelike, what more could you ask for. The only person I could see as unrealistic is Altair, but an explanation is given for his lack of accent.
StoryThough not my favorite storyline, it definitely keeps you interested. There is surely a twist revealed in the first five minutes, but it's nothing game-breaking. If you don't at first, you'll learn to love it.
CharactersAltair comes off as one of the most badass characters you'll ever see. His arrogant attitude, while at times unreasonable, allows you to relate to him a lot more. His partner's in death-dealing, who you don't really come across too often, are also very lifelike, holding their own qualities.
Guards make up most of the enemies you'll fight, and while their AI isn't spectacular, it doesn't leave you bored. The archers and footguards will keep you running, fighting, jumping, and killing until your fingers bleed. Even then you won't want to put the game down.
There are also Templar, the elite of the guards. While these guys don't mean imminent death, they always give you that "Oh hell, I've really got to be careful now" feeling.
GameplayGeneral Travel is always fun. Leaping from rooftops, climbing up buildings is fluid and fast. Never before has a game allowed you to scale a building so easily, and still looked so well while doing it. Leaping from roof to roof never gets old, and you'll find roofs serve as a good vantage point, and a great place to fight on.
Fighting is also very intuitive. There is really only one attack button, along with a Grab button. This doesn't go to say that combat is simple, or boring. Fighting is one of the many exciting parts of this game. Countering an attack by breaking someone's arm, then slashing them in the back is quite possibly the best way to kill someone. Fighting is all based on timing, and it's still very easy and very fun. Animations here are also just as fluid as the rest of the game.
Now on to the best part, Assassinations. You'll get the okay for your target, and then go find them. You'll then take part in a cutscene, showing this person worthy of their demise. After the cutscene, it's time to do your job. Whether you choose to stealthily approach them, mixing in with the crowd or scaling the rooftop near them, or chase them down is your own choice. Digging your wrist blade, or whatever weapon you choose, into your enemy leaves you to return back to base, with one small problem. You're not the guard's #1 problem. You have to escape, or fight your way out. You'll have to utilize sharp turns and high buildings to be able to shake them off.
In short, Assassin's Creed is one of the best Action-Adventure games I've ever played. If you get the chance to play it, play it for a few hours, the first won't leave you satisfied, the next will have you tied to the 360 or PS3 for weeks.
I've left some bits out, but...
Comments?
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This post has been edited by Ayen: Nov 19 2007, 02:09 PM