 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Ubisoft Montreal |
| Publisher: | Ubisoft | |
| Genre: | Action | |
| ESRB: | Mature | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | HDTV 720p/1080i/1080p, In-game Dolby Digital | |
| Buy Now: |   |
Perhaps no big-budget title in recent years has polarized the gaming community quite like Assassin's Creed. Controversy over the title began well before it even launched, when Ubisoft made the (quite frankly smart in my view) decision to make the lovely Jade Raymond the face of the game. This of course generated quite a few complaints from gamers and critics alike, ranging from downright tasteless internet chatter involving what forum cretins would like to do to her sexually, to arguments that Ubisoft's promotion of her marginalized the collective efforts of the rest of the development team. The game itself has also had the same polarizing effect, with review scores all over the map. To this we add our own opinion, which is largely positive despite some repetitive gameplay elements and a few other minor problems.
In Assassin's Creed the player assumes the role of Altair, an assassin of unknown origin living in the year 1191. Altair works as an assassin in the Holy Land, taking down various targets in cities such as Jerusalem, Damascus, and Acre that are believed to be working to harm its citizens or the interests of the Assassins themselves. Each mission begins with Altair traveling to the city in question, and then gathering intel on the mark before carrying out the hit.
As an assassin, it's vitally important that Altair maintain a low profile in each city he visits. It's here that interaction with the throngs of people roaming the streets comes into play. Blending with crowds is vitally important, with an indicator providing a quick glimpse at Altair's current profile in the area. The first social stage is anonymous, wherein Altair can go so far as to walk right past soldiers without being spotted. However, if Altair starts a fight, is spotted on rooftops, pushes a local, or does anything else unusual the guards will start to become suspicious. If that suspicion grows for whatever reason, Altair will eventually become exposed and soldiers will attack on site. At that point, the only way to return it to a normal status is to find a hiding spot (such as a bale of hay, inside a group of scholars, or in a roof garden) without the guards seeing it. Altair will then "vanish" until things return to normal.
Even though it borrows liberally from Metal Gear Solid as far as Altair's level of exposure is concerned, this part of the game is still handled very well. While the throngs of people roaming the streets aren't individually as believeable as they are in a game like Oblivion, collectively as a group they behave very realistically. Citizens will panic and flee if Altair attacks the guards, or mutter under their breath if he performs a death-defying stunt. Renegade bands of citizens will even protect Altair as he rescues other citizens from the guards' torture. The player must therefore exercise patience and discernment, knowing when it's OK to break into an all-out sprint and when he should instead play it cool and gently brush past the crowd.
The first step in gathering intel before each assassination is to survey the land upon arriving in each new district of a city, and that involves climbing to the top of the highest buildings in the area and literally having a look around. Once Altair reaches a viewpoint and views his surroundings, he then discovers and marks on his map the various locations he can go to investigate and further the plot line. Aside from finally taking out each target, this was the most-thrilling part of the game for me. Although Altair will lock onto each part of a building that's usable as he climbs, actually spotting those locations and taking the proper path up the side of a building (while avoiding the prying eyes of the guards) can in itself be a challenge. Finally reaching the top provides a thrilling panoramic look at the city itself, and the should-be suicidal jump off into a conveniently-placed hay cart below that follows is a rush.
Posted: 2008-04-30 19:50:35 PST