Assassins Creed
Xbox 360
PS3
PC
If you have ever wondered where the idea of dying as a martyr and then getting the seventy something virgins came from then wonder no more, this is where it all started. Look up the word Assassin and you will find a deep an interesting history that now you can experience for yourself thanks to Ubisoft. You are now the hunter, and having a load of chicks around to cook, clean and give foot rubs is quite the bonus.
The year is 1191, actually… it’s not, its just a few years from now… actually it’s both. Confused? Good, then let me explain. You are Desmond Miles, and you’re also Altair Ibn La-Ahad… more confusion eh? Ok, let’s begin again. Desmond Miles is a modern day assassin turned barman and he is our main character in the not too distant future. A nutty professor and his hot sidekick working for a secret bunch of secret people have kidnapped poor Desmond and all because his genetic code contains the memory of his ancestors. After he is hooked up like a lab rat to some fancy gadgetry he can access these memories, and here comes the best bit… you play the memories of old as his ancestor Altair… simple really. Ok, so it all seems a bit mad, but it works and it works good!
For most of the game you are the assassin Altair and your enemy is everyone you piss off, especially the westerners. The setting is in the crusades of the holy land around the twelfth century when King Henry went to war with the Arab world. This means for us lots of French and English solders to hunt and kill in attempt to boot the crazy Eurotrash out of your land… an age old story really.
When you first begin the game it is fair to say that it is a dazzling sight and the dedication that went into making this title is apparent straight away. It looks amazing and you will be totally absorbed into this historic setting. The cities are immense and the people walking the streets are very convincing, beggars, holy men, and mentalists that smack you on sight, it’s like a weekend in Galway. But the real heart of the game is in your character Altair, despite his dodgy American accent, he’s one cool customer, a real angel of death. The main story line has you hunting various cities form Damascus to Jerusalem in search of specific targets, this hunt is your redemption for making a mess of a serious mission involving the Ark of the Covenant. You go from hero to zero in the opening part of the game and there after it’s all up hill. As you do progress you are rewarded with new weapons, fighting skills, acrobatic abilities and increased health and this serves as one of the ambitions to complete missions. There are also side missions like saving civilians from corrupt solders, pick pocketing secret information and finding look out posts giving you a good view of the city along with making you mission objectives that bit clearer. You can also collect flags that are scattered throughout the game or hunt down every Crusader Knight in the land.
There is great open-endless in what approach you take to a task, when trying to get through a guarded doorway for example, there is the stealth approach where you can sometimes climb around or over the obstacle and take out any roof guards quietly with the blade hidden up you sleeve, or you can try to blend with some holy men and walk right past the guards. Then of course you can just hack your way through, and although this can be enjoyable it can also be dangerous and could end in you having to flee for your life trying to shake off the chasing swordsmen, this too is of great enjoyment.
The actual fighting method is good and you have several options at your disposal, the sword being one of the best for straight out scraps. During a battle with solders timing is the key to success and with the help of some well earned fighting skills you will be able to take on large groups of enemies with little trouble, all of which is bloody and enjoyable to witness in the form of mini cut scenes that flow with your direction. For the most part you will be galloping around on your horse or running on rooftops and hanging from ledges that would give Lara Croft vertigo. This is allot of fun and the fluid motion and character animations make it a seamless ballet of dangerous stunts and jumps.
Criticisms are few, the odd bug here and there can be easily forgiven, of which there are a good few. The cut scenes, although somewhat interactive can ramble on a bit till you catch yourself snoring, because you are unable to skip them. The areas of the game based in the near future can slow the overall pace, not in a good way, and at times you might find the tasks a bit repetitive, but the good points of the game overshadow all this and the atmosphere alone can carry these negative elements and make them minor problems.
Assassin’s creed has the feel of a Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones type game with more than a touch of a medieval GTA element. That combined with stunning visuals excellent sound and atmospheric music not to mention the realistic and immersing environments that make this an excellent title for all adventure platform lovers.
Take a trip to the holy land and see where it all began… maybe you can even score with one of those hot virgins!!
Reapers Verdict: Class Act! Bit repetitive but well worth the play time... A must for 3rd person gamers. Get it!
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