Flametrooper
04-27-2008, 3:37 PM
Assassin’s Creed Review
Note: This was played on the 360, so I don’t know how the PS3 version scales up to this
With sprawling landscapes, massive, lively cities, amazing graphics, and awesome assassinations, you would think that Assassin’s Creed couldn’t go wrong. But it does in many ways. The game that it could have been didn’t emerge. Don’t get me wrong, it is a keeper and a great game, but it could have been tons better.
Storyline
So, the storyline. One of the parts where the game shines. Instead of just thrusting you into the shoes of Altair, the assassin from the middle ages, you are put into the shoes of Desmond. He has been captured by a group of scientists and put into the Animus, a machine that through your DNA can see your ancestor’s memories.
Altair happens to be Desmond’s ancestor. I won’t spoil the story for you, but that is the basis. Everything you do is a memory, which justifies that when you die, you “reinitialize” again at your last checkpoint. After every couple of assassinations (there are nine total) you are taken out of the Animus and given some time to rest. During this time more is revealed to you about the real storyline and why these scientists want your memories. However, the ending for me was on of those endings where all you can say is “WTF!?!”
Graphics
Amazing on every scale or level. It never gets old, climbing to the highest place you can find and observing the city life below you. Or being chased by a horde of guards through the marketplaces of Jerusalem.
Sound
The soundtrack is great, as are the different accents and voices of your targets and guards. However, after hearing an identical copy of the last preacher you just saw say the same speech as you pass by is the most annoying thing I have ever heard in the game. By the time you are midway through the game you kill every one of them just to shut them up. The citizens say the same stuff as well, such as “A murderer is on the loose!” or “Why is he doing that? He should stop that foolish nonsense,” as you climb up a high building.
Gameplay
Assassin’s Creed takes a step away from normal hack and slash gameplay to deliver a very tactical, strategic, precise fighting system and a completely new interaction system. The two main parts of it are low profile and high profile. You are always in low profile, which allows you to only do socially acceptable actions, such as walking, pushing aside people in your way, and blending in with a group of scholars. However, the moment you click right trigger, you go into high profile. As long as you hold that down, you can run, sprint, attack, grab and throw anybody, and climb buildings. However, in high profile, guards are more likely to notice you.
This system adds a much more interesting layer to the gameplay. Your assassinations also take place in high or low profile. Low profile assassinations include walking up behind them or next to them and discreetly stabbing them. High profile assassinations include charging them, jumping onto them, and stabbing their throat, or running into then, stabbing them as you go, and tossing them aside.
Your weapons consist of a sword, a short sword, throwing knives, your fists, and your assassination blade. Each of these has its own ups and downs, but the combat system is put together very well.
X controls your attacks. So, if you want, you can just repeatedly hit x till the guards die. However, if you want, and later on you will need to, you can do a variety of things. Say you are in a fight with four guards. You can grab the first guard and toss him into another, counter and kill another guard when he swings his sword, and use your momentum from hitting the last guard’s sword to slice him across the neck. The counter attacks and combo kills are viscous close up cinematic events that don’t ever get old.
So that is the basics of combat and the gameplay system. However, the assassinations are the core of the game, and where it shines. Unfortunately, this is also where the most faults are.
Each assassination mission consists of three things. First, you must gather information about your target. Then, after getting permission from the local Assassin’s Bureau you must take down your target. Then, as you are chased by guards you have to escape back to the Bureau.
At first, it seems flawless. But after the first couple assassination missions, the repetition shows. Gathering information about your targets includes either pick pocketing civilians or soldiers, eavesdropping on conversations, interrogating agents of your target, or doing a task for an informer who will give you information.
Every single mission, they are always the same. The words may be different, the letters may be different, but it is the same thing. It gets really boring, and the only thing that stops you from going insane is the end glory of killing your target.
Every target presents a unique challenge. You can charge him outright and have a sword fight, or silently kill him from behind. The setup is great as well, silently taking out guards and archers till there is no one left to guard your target is satisfying every time. When you finally kill your target, as he dies, he reveals a bit more about the story to you that leaves you with just enough curiosity to want to keep going.
After he is done talking, it is just you running and fighting for you life till you get back to the Assassin’s Bureau.
Extras
For achievements, this game has a pretty standard set. Do a certain amount of combo kills, counter kills, assassinations, throwing knives kills, etc. There are flags scattered across the city that you can collect which give you achievements as well, although good luck finding them all without help from guides. Templars, elite soldiers from the crusades, are targets as well and your arch enemies. They are extremely hard to kill but if you kill all 60, achievement unlocked.
In every city district (poor, middle, rich) there are about 10 citizens you can save by killing the guards harassing them. This gives you access to citizens helping you take down guards and scholars giving you a place to blend in among the white robes.
As well as that, there are High Reach Points, which give you a map of the city. You can climb literally hundreds of feet into the air. When you get to the top, the breathtaking view is absolutely stunning. After that, you jump far below into a haystack. It makes you amazed every time as you plummet to what seems like certain death.
This has one of the few good horse-riding sequences as well, allowing you to fight from atop your house, gallop, and rear your horse up. You can skip around the cities without going through the Kingdom, or ride through the massive no-mans land that separates the Christian and Muslim cities.
Overview
So, as a game goes, Assassin’s Creed is satisfying on every level. It is plagued my repetition and small control problems occasionally, but all-in-all it is a great game. I feel like if the developers had put just a bit more effort into this, it could have been an amazing game. But instead, it just settles for great. Not to say that great is bad. Great is much better than most games out there, but it doesn’t reach that stellar level that it could have.
Assassin’s Creed Review Scores
Story: 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 7/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Extras: 9/10
Overall Score: 8.5/10
Fun Stuff To Look At
Trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cc-ClutaN_I
Awesome’s Creed Flash Video: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/411493
Written by Flametrooper
Gamertag: Flametrooper
Edit: As requested, a few trailers. I will see if I can get a few screens as well.
Trailer 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc-ClutaN_I)
Trailer 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6h0Apl8zrg&feature=related)
And here are screenshots on the official site. Actual gameplay footage.
Screenshots Link (http://assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/home.php#/screenshots-xboxpspc/)
Note: This was played on the 360, so I don’t know how the PS3 version scales up to this
With sprawling landscapes, massive, lively cities, amazing graphics, and awesome assassinations, you would think that Assassin’s Creed couldn’t go wrong. But it does in many ways. The game that it could have been didn’t emerge. Don’t get me wrong, it is a keeper and a great game, but it could have been tons better.
Storyline
So, the storyline. One of the parts where the game shines. Instead of just thrusting you into the shoes of Altair, the assassin from the middle ages, you are put into the shoes of Desmond. He has been captured by a group of scientists and put into the Animus, a machine that through your DNA can see your ancestor’s memories.
Altair happens to be Desmond’s ancestor. I won’t spoil the story for you, but that is the basis. Everything you do is a memory, which justifies that when you die, you “reinitialize” again at your last checkpoint. After every couple of assassinations (there are nine total) you are taken out of the Animus and given some time to rest. During this time more is revealed to you about the real storyline and why these scientists want your memories. However, the ending for me was on of those endings where all you can say is “WTF!?!”
Graphics
Amazing on every scale or level. It never gets old, climbing to the highest place you can find and observing the city life below you. Or being chased by a horde of guards through the marketplaces of Jerusalem.
Sound
The soundtrack is great, as are the different accents and voices of your targets and guards. However, after hearing an identical copy of the last preacher you just saw say the same speech as you pass by is the most annoying thing I have ever heard in the game. By the time you are midway through the game you kill every one of them just to shut them up. The citizens say the same stuff as well, such as “A murderer is on the loose!” or “Why is he doing that? He should stop that foolish nonsense,” as you climb up a high building.
Gameplay
Assassin’s Creed takes a step away from normal hack and slash gameplay to deliver a very tactical, strategic, precise fighting system and a completely new interaction system. The two main parts of it are low profile and high profile. You are always in low profile, which allows you to only do socially acceptable actions, such as walking, pushing aside people in your way, and blending in with a group of scholars. However, the moment you click right trigger, you go into high profile. As long as you hold that down, you can run, sprint, attack, grab and throw anybody, and climb buildings. However, in high profile, guards are more likely to notice you.
This system adds a much more interesting layer to the gameplay. Your assassinations also take place in high or low profile. Low profile assassinations include walking up behind them or next to them and discreetly stabbing them. High profile assassinations include charging them, jumping onto them, and stabbing their throat, or running into then, stabbing them as you go, and tossing them aside.
Your weapons consist of a sword, a short sword, throwing knives, your fists, and your assassination blade. Each of these has its own ups and downs, but the combat system is put together very well.
X controls your attacks. So, if you want, you can just repeatedly hit x till the guards die. However, if you want, and later on you will need to, you can do a variety of things. Say you are in a fight with four guards. You can grab the first guard and toss him into another, counter and kill another guard when he swings his sword, and use your momentum from hitting the last guard’s sword to slice him across the neck. The counter attacks and combo kills are viscous close up cinematic events that don’t ever get old.
So that is the basics of combat and the gameplay system. However, the assassinations are the core of the game, and where it shines. Unfortunately, this is also where the most faults are.
Each assassination mission consists of three things. First, you must gather information about your target. Then, after getting permission from the local Assassin’s Bureau you must take down your target. Then, as you are chased by guards you have to escape back to the Bureau.
At first, it seems flawless. But after the first couple assassination missions, the repetition shows. Gathering information about your targets includes either pick pocketing civilians or soldiers, eavesdropping on conversations, interrogating agents of your target, or doing a task for an informer who will give you information.
Every single mission, they are always the same. The words may be different, the letters may be different, but it is the same thing. It gets really boring, and the only thing that stops you from going insane is the end glory of killing your target.
Every target presents a unique challenge. You can charge him outright and have a sword fight, or silently kill him from behind. The setup is great as well, silently taking out guards and archers till there is no one left to guard your target is satisfying every time. When you finally kill your target, as he dies, he reveals a bit more about the story to you that leaves you with just enough curiosity to want to keep going.
After he is done talking, it is just you running and fighting for you life till you get back to the Assassin’s Bureau.
Extras
For achievements, this game has a pretty standard set. Do a certain amount of combo kills, counter kills, assassinations, throwing knives kills, etc. There are flags scattered across the city that you can collect which give you achievements as well, although good luck finding them all without help from guides. Templars, elite soldiers from the crusades, are targets as well and your arch enemies. They are extremely hard to kill but if you kill all 60, achievement unlocked.
In every city district (poor, middle, rich) there are about 10 citizens you can save by killing the guards harassing them. This gives you access to citizens helping you take down guards and scholars giving you a place to blend in among the white robes.
As well as that, there are High Reach Points, which give you a map of the city. You can climb literally hundreds of feet into the air. When you get to the top, the breathtaking view is absolutely stunning. After that, you jump far below into a haystack. It makes you amazed every time as you plummet to what seems like certain death.
This has one of the few good horse-riding sequences as well, allowing you to fight from atop your house, gallop, and rear your horse up. You can skip around the cities without going through the Kingdom, or ride through the massive no-mans land that separates the Christian and Muslim cities.
Overview
So, as a game goes, Assassin’s Creed is satisfying on every level. It is plagued my repetition and small control problems occasionally, but all-in-all it is a great game. I feel like if the developers had put just a bit more effort into this, it could have been an amazing game. But instead, it just settles for great. Not to say that great is bad. Great is much better than most games out there, but it doesn’t reach that stellar level that it could have.
Assassin’s Creed Review Scores
Story: 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 7/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Extras: 9/10
Overall Score: 8.5/10
Fun Stuff To Look At
Trailer: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cc-ClutaN_I
Awesome’s Creed Flash Video: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/411493
Written by Flametrooper
Gamertag: Flametrooper
Edit: As requested, a few trailers. I will see if I can get a few screens as well.
Trailer 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc-ClutaN_I)
Trailer 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6h0Apl8zrg&feature=related)
And here are screenshots on the official site. Actual gameplay footage.
Screenshots Link (http://assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/home.php#/screenshots-xboxpspc/)