Assassin's Creed (PS3)

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Editorial reviews

Product Description
The first game in the Assassin's Creed franchise is set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart. Shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness, the Assassins intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. Players, assuming the role of the main character Altair, will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and to shape events during this pivotal moment in history.

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Amazon.co.uk Preview
It’s easy to see why there was so much fighting amongst the console manufacturers to try and make this game a format exclusive. Where early launch titles may have disappointed this game not only looks like a next generation game but it plays like it too. Taken at face value the story casts you as an Arabic fighter in 1191, out to assassinate the nine Western leaders of the Third Crusade. There is more to the story than that though making it more than simple historical adventure it first seems.

Since it’s developed by many of the same team behind Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, it’s no surprise to find the game using many of the same ideas. With the bold claim that you can climb on or over anything in the game world that sticks out more than two inches, this allows incredible freedom of movement, with a style of acrobatics heavily influenced by Parkour/free running. The game also innovates in terms of combat, with each of the face buttons controlling a different area of the body, rather like a marionette. As such one button controls the feet, one your open hand, one your weapon hand and the other your head.

As an assassin stealth plays an important role in the game too, but here it’s often a case of hiding in plain sight as you mill around inside large crowds of people. Everyone will react to you realistically though, so if you go around pushing people out of the way, or even killing them, the crowd will react and report you. With stunning graphics and genuinely innovative gameplay this is destined to be one of the most important releases of the year.
HARRISON DENT

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Customer reviews

review by: Macdaddy date: 2009-01-06 rating:
Good while it lasts
This game is not the disappointment that many people claim. It is true that the game play is repetitive but this does not reduce the amount of fun I had while playing it. The graphics are fantastic and the freedom of the game hides the rather linear plot (not to say that it is dull. The character control is an new and innovative however the problems with the game are firstly it is only relatively short and it does not require that much skill to complete. A good game while it lasts though but probably not worth the £40 price tag.

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review by: the game reviewer date: 2008-12-27 rating:
mildly entertaining
Assassins creed is great fun easy controls for great moves the only downfall with that is this makes the game easy and the enemys only last a second before Altier thrusts a sword up the enemys stomach.Also why is Altier the only ''criminal around'' I mean they could of added more robbers or murderers to make it more realistic.But the moves are great and voice actings good but im sorry thats not enough to make this game good.

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review by: date: 2008-12-24 rating:
i am having so much fun
i only started this interesting game and i have having soo much fun this game got good mission control and many more the game got nice timeline and wont make you bored so if you wanna a nice game with fight jumping on roof and everything this is the ideal game so i recomed you buying this game

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review by: date: 2008-11-12 rating:
Good but Flawed
Assassin's Creed passed me by during its initial release, which was odd considering I have an interest in the Crusades and the Medieval period. When I did get to learn about it I avoided it because of the fairly negative reviews. Eventually my cousin got a hold of the game, and I felt impressed enough by the small demonstration that I brought a copy too.
While I certainly enjoyed the game, I do understand that the game's detractors do make a valid criticism of its gameplay.

It's worth covering the plot first. The game is split into two halfs. One is set in the Holy Land around AD 1191, at the height of the Third Crusade, when Altair, (the character you control) is given a task of eliminating nine elite members of the Crusader and Saracen armies, in order that his Master, Al Mualim, can usher in a new era of peace. The other half is seen through the eyes of Desmond Miles, Altair's descendant, some time in the near future as he is kidnapped by the members of Abstergo Industries, and forced to test out their new invention, the 'Animus', a machine that allows its user to access the memories of their ancestors.

One of the weak points of the game is how the two storylines merge; as what should have been a historical adventure quickly turns into a murky and confusing sci-fi thriller. Towards the last few levels of the game, the future/Medieval storyline becomes increasingly asinine and convoluted.
They also don't merge very well in terms of gameplay, as the future section only allows you to interact with two characters, access a computer and go to sleep. Essentially its just a glorified interactive cut-scene.

The other section, set in the Middle Ages, is where the main action takes place. Some have described this game as a Medieval GTA, and that's not too far off. You are given free reign to walk, run and climb (but frustratingly not to swim) over most of the Holy Land. Three large cities, Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre are available to explore, as well as all the countryside in between. This is not to mention the Assassin fortress at Masayaf. The medieval world is accurately reconstructed with the buildings and costumes being based on contemporary accounts. Historians were used during the game to ensure the visual world's accuracy. It works very well as visually this game is one of the most beautiful on the PS3. The graphics are stunning, while the the characters movements, whether in fights, or in climbing or on horseback, are fluid and realistic.

The game is also easy to get a control over, with some buttons being used as different body parts, for instance triangle for head, X for legs, square for sword hand etc. This makes climbing and fighting easy to control, but it also means there is little skill involved, espcially during battles, which involves pressing the right button at the right time to pull off a kill. That said, it's still a lot of fun.

The enemy AI on the other hand leaves a lot to be desired. You can simply walk behind a guard and kill him just by pressing one button (which allows you to blend in) which automatically makes you less conspicuous to them. They will at other times attack you for no reason. They will also attack you in large groups if they see you running through the streets. This makes travelling slow and difficult as you have to walk to most of your destinations in order to not attract attention to yourself.

Another hinderance to the game is how the missions are handled. In order to Assassinate somone you must first visit the Master Assassin at Masayaf. He will order you to travel to one of the cities, this means having to explore all the countryside in between (by climbing watch towers) which is time consuming and dull.
When you finally reach the city you must do the same, by exploring all the alleyways. Then you must visit the man at the Assassin's Bureau, he will ask you to carry out a series of investigations, including interrogation, pickpocketting, eavesdropping (just listening to a boring conversation for several minutes) and performing tasks for informers, such as having to kill a certain amount of people within a given timeframe, or collecting flags.
With these tasks completed you must then head back to the bureau. He will then give you your assassination target. Once you've completed the mission you must then head back to the Bureau (avoiding all the guards along the way). After this you head back to Masayaf for more missions. Essentially the entire game is played out this way, from start to finish. It is extremly repetitive, and it isn't helped by the characters dialogue, which is overlong and dull.
Another problem is the lack of activites to do. The cities are large and bustling, but there is very little interaction between you and its people. There are no shops to buy weapons, no buildings to walk into, and nothing much to do. The city folk themselves become annoying as they constantly spoute the same phrases over and over again as you pass them.
The game would have been less frustrating if the creators had entered a larger and diverse set of phrases for the game's citizens and public speakers.
The addition of the pestering poor women ("Please Sir, I need some coin!") , the drunks and the madmen will leave you fumming as they constanly push you about or get in your way, often blowing your cover and forcing you to do the same missions again and again.
A set of mini-tasks are included although they have no impact on the game's storyline whatsoever. These include fighting Knights Templar (a lot of fun) and collecting hundreds of flags (mind numbingly time consuming and utterly, utterly pointless).

I won't bother spoiling the game's ending for those who will play it, but I did find the game's direction towards the end rather disappointing, and I wasn't happy with how it turned from a historical adventure game into a sci-fi & fantasy/supernatural setting.

With all of this in mind though, Assassin's Creed is a good game. The sword fights are fun, and it makes a nice change from all those Modern/ World War 2 shooters. It's by no means perfect, and it didn't live up to the massive hype, but it's still a solid, enjoyable game.


review by: date: 2008-11-09 rating:
AMAZING!!!
this game is a fun packed ride of all types. Killing, free-running, climbing, skill, chase, missions, a great story and easy to get used to controls... All in all this could be one of the best games on the PS3.

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Accessories

Hori Arcade Fighting Stick (PS3)
Chillstream Controller for PS3
4Gamers Controller Charging Dock (PS3)
Logitech Black Chillstream Controller (PS3)
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