To say 2007 has been a big year in gaming would be a massive understatement. With the release of hugely anticipated titles such as Halo 3, Super Mario Galaxy, COD 4, Bioshock and many more we saw the hype and excitement growing bigger and bigger every second for Ubisoftâs latest release Assassins Creed. But is this stealthy adventure through the crusades really as good as everyone seems to making it out to be, in this gamers eyesâ¦.
LET DOWN OF THE YEAR
First thing that really got to me was the story. There had been speculation of the game actually having a future/sci-fi aspect to the story, even though all gameplay footage and screens were from the crusades. Well turns out those speculations were right, you are actually from the future, and through a device called the Animus, you can relive the memories of your ancestors whoâs past travels through the marvel of genetics. Iâm not going to lie, that is a very cool concept, and one that I should have embracedâ¦. What really got me was that they announce this to you at the very start of the game. That is a huge bombshell to drop. Think of the possibilities of this weird and wonderful story with weird things happening and then three quarters through the game the bombshell is dropped for maximum effect and makes the story so much more interesting. But no, they decided to let us know this first few minutes into the game, and for some reason it never sat right with me.
So you play as Altair, an assassin back during the time of the crusades. An interesting setting that is portrayed with vast landscapes and beautiful character models, there is no denying that this is one of the best looking games released this year. But is the gameplay that good?
After the tutorial mission and your first assasination, you have done all that you are going to do in the game, and after that it just seems boring and repetitive. How many citizens need to be saved from guards, all with the same things to say thanks with and the same amount of attackers, before you become bored, trust me after the first three or four you seem to stop caring.
Thatâs not to say itâs not good, itâs just not terribly exciting. I can tell you exactly what is going to happen for your first, and every sequential assasination mission thereafter. First you are going to sneak into the town in a group of preists as cover, then break away and find a man who is speaking to a crowd. You will follow him to an alley and beat the crap out of him unti you get the information you are looking for. After that, you will find someone to pickpocket who most likely has either throwing knives, or something of importance. Then you shall sit on a bench and eavesdrop on a conversation that tells you some more information. Find the assassins hideout, tell the guy you are good to go, then sneak out and kill your target. I know this all sounds fun, but after the first few times, it just gets old and boring
Controls are ok, and will take some getting used to, but every now and then you will find yourself jumping off a wall you were climbing instead of climbing a little higher. They arenât the best controls, but they certainly arenât the worst. With some more refinement it would make the game a little more enjoyable, but still good controls arenât going to make up for poor gameplay.
Is Assassins Creed good? YesIs it a visual delight? YesIs it the greatest game on Earth? Certainly not
Iâm going to sum it up for you. There was so much hype surrounding this game, when picking up a copy of the latest Australian Playstation Magazine the cover boasted âAsssassins Creed- The game so outstanding it created a Genre of itâs ownâ
NO IT DIDNâT
If you want to know what playing Assassins Creed is like, imagine Metal Gear Solid having sex with Prince of Persia and then giving birth to Sam Fisher from Splinter Cellâ¦. Interesting I know, but certainly not itâs own genre at all
Overall this is easily my dissapointment of the year
6/10
Posted by Hellerphant 
