Assassin's Creed

THE GOOD:
As for the game play, here is what I think made it one of the best on the market:
I found that the game had stunning graphics even when I wasn't playing it on an HD T.V., and it didn't even seem to slow down the loading times. The variety of weapons, combo attacks, counter attacks, enemies, and random NPC's that could be used as weapons for or against you made the combat seem very realistic especially when combined with the assassin's most valuable skill, taking the fight to the rooftops. Altair could climb, jump, or maneuver around any obstacle that stood in his way. He can use his ability to: stealthily assassinate his targets, escape from pursuers, get to where he needs to go faster, and, my favorite, to use as a weapon against his pursuers. You can jump from rooftop to rooftop with ease, and climb almost anything to confuse the enemy, wait for them to give up, and jump at them like an eagle swooping down at its prey. The controls are very easy to use...

THE GOOD:
-Graphics. The visuals here are truly beautiful. Textures are expertly done, animations are fluid and incredibly well done. From viewpoints, panoramic views are breathtaking. Things only get better in 1080p with even the texture of Altair's uniform showing.

-Sound. The sound is equally impressive. With weapon clangs clean and crisp, and spine tingling flesh impacts. One move in particular causes you to ram a short sword down a mans skull and into his spinal column. This produces a sickening wet 'crunching' sound. The sound here is really top notch.

-Combat mechanic. While it is simple, it delivers a fun combat experience. With the ability to pull of some simple combos. The place it really shines are counter attacks, and dodging.

-Story. The story is a finely crafted one. While it does use the age old formula of 'Evil organization wants to rule the world'. It takes it in an interesting direction, broaching religious views, as...

THE GOOD:
- Great graphics
- A very interesting story
- Truly fun assassinations

THE BAD:
- Some voices sound terrible
- Gameplay gets repetitive

SUMMARY:
Gameplay
Controls
I've chosen to discuss the controls first as they are what you actually play the game with. Instead of doing standard bull, Assassin's Creed decided to be, dare I say it, "fresh and new" about it. It uses a "puppeteering concept" also known as "marionette controls". I've never seen anything like this before, but if you have feel free to contact me and tell me how wrong I am. The analog sticks still control your basic movement, but the face buttons control a body part. I won't get too deep into this as that's what the manual, or in this case an incredibly long unskippable tutorial (Don't freak out, there's still a manual if you want it for some reason), is for. You can hold RT to change how strenuous the action becomes....

Gameplay/Storyline - 8.5

Ubisoft's all new Assassin's Creed is a great game. In the game you are actually not an assassin. You are an average twenty-five year old bartender named Desmond Miles. You are mysteriously kidnapped by a company named Abstergo Industries. You soon find out that you are actually the main subject of an experiment. The Abstergo researchers had constructed a machine called the Animus. This Animus is able to contract memories from your DNA of your ancestors. In this case, one of Desmond's ancestors is an ancient assassin named Altair. This is where the game really begins. You play as Altair for the majority of the game fighting the crusades. You do go back to Desmond for small periods of time where you find out more information about your real life situation and just take a break from the Animus. So now you are an Assassin in 1191 who is a member of the Assassins Order during the Third Crusade of the Holy Land. Your Master has given you a task to kill...

THE GOOD:
Interesting Concept; Great Ideas; Fun little things to do; gorgeous environment; incredibly detailed.

THE BAD:
Very Repetitive; Combat system could be better; drags on in places.

SUMMARY:
Assassin's Creed was a highly anticipated 2007 title. Noted for its stunning graphics and deep storyline. The result was good but not fantastic. There were great strides made, but overall, it fell short of the mark.

To put it bluntly, this game is eye candy. Featuring some of the best graphics capable by the next-gen (it really should be called current-generation now, as the "next-gen" consoles have been around for at least two years now.) consoles, this game has some truly breathtaking visuals, and the game developers know it. Having players climb "view points" to clear up portions of the map, also has the player view the surrounding landscape. And it's beautiful. Sprawling cities, open desert, and lush oases, all look stunning. It's...

THE GOOD:
The controls and climbing mechanics are definitely revolutionary, holding down right trigger completely changes the functions of the A B X Y buttons it may sound complicated but it runs very smoothly(I'll go into more detail about the controls later on). Climbing and scaling buildings is amazing, the game kinda of has a "puppeteering" feel to it as Altair makes his way up the buildings finding footholds and handhold's himself. The graphics are truly stunning, the lighting and shading, texture is all beautiful and very immersing. The voice acting is also good with pretty good music and life like special effects such as the hoof beats of your horse.

THE BAD:
The worst and most disappointing part of the game which in my opinion really brings the score down is the repetition of the game, you have to assassinate these 9 leaders so you go to the same 3 cities which are divided up into 3 sections 3 times and do the same type of side quests. The...

THE GOOD:
-Beautiful
-Huge amount of quality and detail
-Fantastic animations
-Plenty to do

THE BAD:
-Soon gets repetitive
-Combat could be polished slightly

SUMMARY:
Assassins creed is probably the most anticipated game of last year that uses a new concept. Assassins creed, as the title suggests, is centered round an assassin which you control, Altair. But the concept of the game isn't merely set around the events in 1191 AD, but at the beginning of the game and throughout it you will control another character, Desmond. He is a pretty average modern guy in his twenties set in modern day humanity. Desmond is descended from a family of assassins, and is placed in a special machine called the animus by a group of scientists. Somehow the events of Desmond's ancestors lives is coded into his own dna, and the Animus can unravel these events for viewing by the scientists. The scientists motive for doing this is unclear for...

THE GOOD:
A lot of freedom to do what you want, even when you're in a mission.
The climbing and jumping mechanics
Top notch graphics and detail
Controls are easy to follow
Setting is historically accurate

THE BAD:
Fighting system could use some refining
The horse fighting gets a little confusing at times
Cannot enter buildings or converse with any civilians
Can't skip the cutscenes, even after playing through the entire game.
No co-op

SUMMARY:
Assassin's Creed won several awards at E3, and was one of the most anticipated games for this fall. Well, the game's has finally arrived, so lets see what this game is all about.

The Story:
The story of Assassin's Creed a two-sided one of sorts. Desmond, the main character, is just a regular bartender who, to his dismay, is a descendant of a family of assassins. He is placed in a machine called the Animus, which allows him...

THE GOOD:
- Great climbing mechanics
- Very detailed and gorgeous (yet realistic) graphics
- The free running, and horse riding is very fun and intuitive
- Controls are very smooth
- The story is 'interesting', to say the least
- Tutorials are well-informed
- The historical facts and detailed cities are extraordinary

THE BAD:
- The fight system definitely needs 'work'
- The story can be a problem for some people
- Not enough things to do
- No motivation for side quests/missions
- Can't go inside buildings, swim or interact with random civilians
- Horse on horse combat is none-existent

SUMMARY:
Assassins Creed was a long-awaited game that has kept doubters and fans in the waiting lines. The developers announced the making of this 'trilogy' almost four years ago, and we have been waiting eagerly since. But as time approached, and we began to look at the game, some of us were worried to say...