ASSASSIN'S CREED REVIEW
by Motoo344
After reading the early reviews of Assassins Creed, I was a bit skeptical. I had pretty much decided I was buying it whether it got a 2/10 or 10/10...I was going down with the ship if it was awful. I am not going to reveal any of the story to you because thats not the point of a review in my opinion...so here it goes. Pics courtesy of gamespot.
Gameplay 9
I think game play is an aspect of Assassins Creed that most people are interested in. Assassins Creed offers a change of pace from the norm. In no way is this like Oblivion. Yes, you can pretty much go and explore where ever you want, but there is a main story to follow and you do have restrictions. It falls short in a game like Oblivion in its side quests, there is not a ton of things to do besides the main story. Besides the main story, there is flag collecting, killing the Templars and saving citizens(which you will need to do to get into the cities).
The main story has you killing enemies of the Assassins guild. The head of the guild is making you do this because you have disgraced the order and need to prove yourself once again. This is part of the story in which you will learn from playing. You will receive your mission and then head to one of the three cities, Acre, Damascus and Jerusalem, to speak to the Assassins representative there. He will tell you where too look for clues and you will do so in the form of a few different ways. Ease dropping, pick pocketing, interrogation and assassin informants. You need to gather a certain amount of info before you are allowed to take out your target. This info will give you clues on when, where and how to go about making your kill.
Making your kill can be a thrilling experience. Getting into chases through the streets and then jumping off a beam onto your prey is a rush. Seeing citizens you helped block guards chasing you is one of many small aspects that is great about this game. Sometimes it is a bit frustrating trying to kill your target, but in the end it, it is worth it. It might take you a few tries to figure out how to get the perfect kill and not have fifty soldiers chasing you down the alley ways, but overall the kill sequences are brilliant.
There are some side quests. Collecting flags...theres a lot of them scattered throughout the world...cant wait to see all the locations. Theres also killing all the Templars, these fellows are not easy in a one on one sword fight. Stealthy assassination is your best bet here. Besides these quests there is not much more, but these will keep you busy if you want to do all of them.
The best parts about Assassins Creed are the assassinating...duh... sword fighting and climbing objects. Assassinations and sword fighting are one button, but the kill animations and the challenge in taking out your targets and timing your counter attacks makes up for it. There are a few different kill animations and they all rock. If you kill a lot of guards sometimes the last one or two will run away, so chasing them down and putting your hidden lade into the back of their neck is very rewarding.
Climbing objects is great fun, probably one of the best parts of Assassins Creed. You are able to climb almost anything. Hoping from house to house and running up walls is so much fun and looks so real. Everything runs so seamlessly, it does not feel like things are just stuck in walls so Altair can climb them.
You'll come across perches like these throughout all the cities. You know you can get up top when you see an eagle flying above it. Some of them are super high and you can see entire cities.
The controls are fairly simple. Right trigger is your action button and left is your stealth button. Holding either of them in will change what the colored buttons do. Things like sprinting and tackling use the action button and blending and gentle pushing uses the stealth button. Climbing takes a bit to get use to. The first few times you might jump off the wall, but after about twenty minutes you should be good to go.
Assassins Creed has taken a lot of flack for being repetitive. In the beginning it is, but as you start to uncover the story and really get into it, you forget that you have done the same little things over and over. It really is not as bad as people say. The further into the game you get, the better and better it becomes. So if you stick with it, you will be surprised how repetitiveness is not an issue.
The AI is not that bad. If you play the game like you are suppose to and do not hang around a crime scene right after you murder ten people, then it wont seem like the guards are stupid for not knowing who did it. Generally they wont arrive immediately after you kill someone, so if you assassinate a soldier and walk away it all flows very nicely.
You can see the HUD here. Its pretty easy to follow, top lest is your health. You gain it back after every fight or after time when you fall. Health really is not an issue unless you are fighting a lot of people. The radar tells you how far from your target you are. You can set your own way point also. The top right has the colored buttons, they change depending on what trigger you are holding. The bottom left will have your weapons, the d pad controls what weapons you have out.
Sword fight. Notice the icon is red, that means you are being chased or in a fight. Yellow means your being watched but they wont chase you. You need to break the line of site in a fight and then hide to clear your red alert level. This can be done buy hiding in rooftop gardens, park benches or just killing everyone!
Sound 9
The sound is great. The soldiers harassing the citizens are a little annoying cause they all pretty much say the same thing, but other than that it is wonderful. The street vendors sound great and so do the poor begging women. The voice work is diverse and flows with the game. None of it seems cheesy or out of place. The background noise and music is right where it needs to be and is very well done.
Graphics 9.5
The graphics of Assassins Creed are beautiful. I honestly do not think you will find a better 3D recreation of the medieval holy lands anywhere else. You will quickly discover how wonderful the world is to explore. Climbing to the tops of towers and looking out on cities or towns is a wonderful experience. The first time I climbed up a tower I just looked around for a while and took it all in, truly amazing. Each of the cities has its own individuality. Even when you think you have explored enough of the cities, theres always a flag to collect or Templar to kill in some hidden alley way.
The character models are wonderful and nothing seems out of place about individuals. Animations are smooth and crisp, the beggars are even wonderfully done even though they get annoying when trying to sneak up and assassinate your target. The best moments of the game come in your assassinations and sword fighting. All which look excellent, minus a glitch or two here and there. Altair seamlessly goes through any motion you ask him too, whether climbing to the top of a steeple or taking on ten enemy soldiers.
I really have not run into any glitches. I honestly can recall two, where I was fighting and went to swing my sword and went half way through a wall.
Value 8
I think this is what many of you will make your decisions based on. Assassins Creed's lack of xobx live features is a turn off for many people. I think many of us have stepped back from being able to enjoy a good single player game. If you are looking for Oblivion part two, this game is not for you. If your looking for a game that will keep you occupied for 20+ hours and have a unique story then you should give Assassins Creed a try. This game is defiantly worth playing, at the very least you need to rent Assassins Creed because it is a welcome change. While it did not meet all of my expectations is provided me with a lot of fun and I am happy with my purchase.
Overall 8.75
Like I said. If you can really sit down and enjoy a single player game this is a great game. Its lack of multi player will turn a lot of people off, but I really recommend everyone give Assassins Creed a try. Some slow points and a bit of repetitiveness hold it back, but it makes up with its overall presentation and story.
Linear Mode
