Assassins Creed - 10/10
For many gamers eagerly awaiting the awe inspiring medieval mammoth that is none other than Jade Raymond's Assassins Creed, it was always going to be an exciting moment, and at the same time, a nerve racking moment, exciting due to the fact that this is without doubt one of the biggest most anticipated games on the gaming calender and nerve racking because it could be one of the biggest dissapointments in the gaming world. I, like many gamers, dont want this game to fail, because it would be the biggest shame to occur in the next gen era, period. Im happy to report (from a personal perpective that is), that Assassins Creed is an absolute ruby of a game. The lofty ambitions of Jade and Co have paid off and the results are really quite phenomenal. This is the kind of game that you have been waiting for, this is what you pay that $1000 for your PS3 for, to play steller king-like software such as the Creed. If it was Ubisofts intention to leave a lasting impression that would be memorable for years to come, than it has worked in extraordinary fashion, trust me, this is one outstanding gaming experience you will never ever forget.
The moment you even see the fresh scented, plastic wrapped cover of Assassins Creed screaming "buy me" on the shop shelves will have you licking your lips and frantically struggling to pull out that green bill from your wallet, whacking the game on the counter, impatiently waiting for the staff member to print out that reciept (which i doubt you will need considering how god-like this title is), running home like you're being chased by gangs and waiting in bated breath as you insert the Creeds disc into the PS3's slot. Wipe that shiny sweat drip off your forehead, it is true, Assassins Creed is in your console, in your house, its real, it is out now, you have just bought it and rightly so, this is one of the biggest games to spawn this year. Then the loading screen blazes across the T.V, you grin and ready yourself for one of the most amazing gaming experiences you could ever muster the effort up of dreaming of.
Assassins Creed is absolute hell to review, not in a bad way, but in a great way, there is so many astonishingly awesome aspects about this game its almost impossible to know where to start. There is just plenty to like about this triumph of a game. The storyline is centred around the assassin, Desmond Miles, who is kidnapped by the blood thirsty Abstergo group who are intent of rubbishing through Mr Miles memories in order of uncovering a dark secret to fulfill there dirty deeds. Having said that, this is when the journey begins, we play through the contents of Miles mind which basically lets the player play in the memories of his ancestors, while he is lying down in a lab similar to the one seen in films like The Island or even The Matrix. This is where we tread in the brown buckled warrior boots of Altair, a hooded medieval assassin whose intent on eliminating the members of the Knights Templar. Altair is decked out in long flowing white robes, a hood that covers most of his face and is more than happy to use that hidden wrist blade to slit the throats of many unsuspecting knights at his leisure, in short, he is one of the coolest characters to ever grace a video game.
Lets start off by explaining some of Altairs abilities, this guy is as agile as you can get, he sprints at frantic speeds, runs up walls, balances on wooden poles and flag banners across gaping crevices above enormous flowing river streams, he can climb and suspend himself up pretty much anything with style and grace and when the going gets tough, he will be able to either twist his rusty sword steel through the soft flesh of an enemy knight, or lodge his wrist blade through some cartilege or some poor blokes neck. The most awe inspiring move Altair can pull off is the leap of faith, which see's Altair taking a swan dive off a towering building, nothing makes the eyes moist more than watching Altairs leap from the heavens only for him to land in a stack of hay below, climbing out of this hay cart will have Altair dusting of straws from his white cloaks, not only does the leap of faith look terrific but its also a very handy escape tool when Altair has alerted the guards. Altair makes the huge cities of Assassins creed his own personal playground as he scours over rooftops, leaps up walls, balances on beams, swings off ceiling ledges and jumps over crates. He can also insult some of the city locals as well, by either barging into them knocking them over, grabbing them by the scruffs of the neck and throwing them into other pedestrians or even gently discreetly shove them out the road with his arm by placing his hand on someones shoulder and pushing them aside. You almost feel as though you run the kingdom with this guy, he is seriously awesome.
The combat is much better than i thought it would be, it may lack the combat depth of Heavenly Sword but Assassins Creeds Altair can still pull off some wicked moves, wether it be prodding his bloodied blade through the guts of an enemy, or slashing faces with his swift wrist blade which i think is one of the best weapons in any game. Sneak up on a near by guard whilst on a high ledge with the wrist blade equipped will result in a grisly finishing move where Altair jumps on the enemy and introduces his wrist blade to the guys throat. During the game, Altair can also mount horses which can also be used to trample distant enemy guards, which also makes for another optional attack if sword fighting isnt your forte. Overall the combat could have had a few more combos for Altair to pull off, but still, with so much other ways of attacking and approaching targets it really isnt that much of a loss, you will still be awe struck by Altairs poetic ballet of sword fighting combat as he proudly sprays the blood of his enemies.
The big highlight of Assassins Creed would no doubt have to be the enormous land scapes and massive cities you can explore, these gigantic metropolises demand exploration and are detailed to the absolute pixel core. The scale and expansive scope of the environments just look endless when you stare at it on the horizon. Within each city, brims detail and is packed with atmosphere, some grey washed out cities have tall church towers that almost reach the sky's limit, huge tall city minarets, white birds flock from the rooftops as Altair passes by, huge church bell gongs can be heard from the distance, it all looks and sounds so amazing. But just wait until you reach the more sun soaked desert towns filled with dusty dry roads, streets awashed in a blazing glow of orange colours, horses casually galloping around or tending there water troths, there a pine trees populating the desert sand dunes, isolated tent camps and the odd lonely oasis and rippling water stream, there are also street markets packed with fruit stalls and carpet shops drowning in rolled up rugs as well as dangling lanterns that mottle the kingdoms streets and qaint back alleys. Not enough detail? Then just plant your already stunned eye balls on some of the pedestrians, all these NPCs looked different, you would get the occasional big bearded wardens, muslim girls that carry pots on their heads *which Altair can knock off* as well as dark middle easterners with turbans or females clothed from head to toe in black cloaks, its amazing how different everyone looks, on paper they may seem similar, but some of them have older faces and so on. Its simply a remarkable effort on Ubisofts part to have cities as richly detailed as these as well as being utterly thrilling to explore.
Assassins Creed isnt just about the exploration, atmosphere and combat however, there is a chalice load of other techniques Altair can do in order to approach his target. You can make him look downwards in order to hide his face from nearby knights, or you can try and blend and mix in with that distant crowd. There is nothing quite as nerve racking as watching the guards stare at you in suspicion as you try and discreetly walk through the kingdoms front gates. You can also eavesdrop on peoples conversations which can give you clues and directions to the whereabouts of your targets, eavesdropping can be done by sitting Altair on a nearby bench and watching life pass by, whilst doing this if you enter the bird eye view, the screen will be awashed in blur and the surrounding characters will be highlighted in blue. I cant see it being a great approach to missions as it can get boring just finding conversations sometimes but its helps nonetheless. One of my personal fave aspects to this game is the pickpocket feature, which can only be performed if Altair is sneaking up on someone and is locked on to that target in order to thieve himself an item from that pedestrians pocket. The final approach in action is the interrogation of enemies, this just basically involves Altair roughing up some citizens abit in order to get some advice or some clues on certain scenarios to reach his target. it almost feels like a GTA set in medieval times.
From an audio side of things, Assassins Creeds music really suits the arabic/crusaders vibe of the game, some of the music that rings the ear sounds similar to tunes coming from Incas and aztecs, some tunes even sound egyptian and is an absolute pleasure to listen to. Voice work is solid but i feel Altair could have done better with a more roughed up voice tone, not too over the top like Solid Snake but more gravel throat, more cold blooded. Apart from that everything from the whistles of wind, blowing of sand to the scuffle of Altairs boots hitting concrete and sand is all brilliant vocally.
Visually the game is an absolute opal, it shines in every department, huge huge HUGE cities can be seen far into the distance blurred out by the deserts heat haze or winds of sand, and are gloriously detailed, just get Altair to crouch down on a overhanging ledge up on a high tower and just marvel at the scope and scale that this game pumps out, it is truly un- freaking- believable. No amount of words or text can describe how king like it looks, play it and cry in delight, it is special, possibly the best looking game this year.
Flaws? Every game has them, there were some freezing issues with the game which got cleared up by the recent firmware update, i didnt notice any other gpaichal glitches, the game ran as smooth as a hot knife through butter. Combat could have used with abit more variety, but unlike Heavenly Sword, AC wasnt totally reliant just on combat style. AI is most of the time well behaved, but on occasions especially when Altair is spotted, the guards will continue to chase and chase up rooftops you didnt even think you could reach, either they have the same special speedy ability of Altair or they can fly, otherwsie the AI felt abit over the top at times, but not enough times to bother your playthrough.
Overall, Assassins Creed is a must have for any owner of a PS3 and a 360, it is special, and is what i believe to be the first true next generation title for the PS3. Its not genre altering by any means but it does give other games of this type plenty and i mean, plenty to ponder about. I think as a game on its own, it has set its own benchmarks, it does alot better than other games of the same nature and sprinkles abit of originality on top of that as well. Jade Raymond had a reason to grin, she and the team at Ubisoft have produced a dazzling game here in Assassins Creed that will keep you more than thrilled from start to finish and will have you possibly muttering the words "what next?" A breathtaking experience in every sense of the word living and breathing with atmosphere and teaming with life. Consider it an early Xmas present that you will not forget in a hurry because as far as game of the year, i think at this moment and time, the throne belongs to the Creed.
Submitted by callan5
23/11/2007
16
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