Assassin's Creed does a great job being a unique gem, looking beautiful and creating a very convincing game world.
Desmond, a regular bartender minding his own business, is taken to a laboratory ran by an unpredictable doctor, and is introduced to a machine called the 'Animus'. It is used to access an ancestor's memory encrypted into a human's genetics. The real part of the game is when you get to play as Desmond's ancestor named Altair. Taking place during the Crusades, Altair is a part of a brotherhood of assassins. Both Altair and Desmond have mysteries to unfold, and they unravel simultaneously as the game proceeds. By the end, some shocking and unpredictable discoveries are made. Altair tries to piece together clues to figure out the connection behind the targets he is sent out to kill, and Desmond desperately wants to know why he's such an important asset to the mysterious scientists who brought him into the experiments.
The gameplay switches between control of Desmond in modern day, and control of his ancestor Altair almost a thousand years earlier. Altair is controlled in an open world that contains three larger-than-life renditions of Damascus, Acre and Jerusalem. The size and scope of these cities are mind-blowing, especially during the time the game was made. The cities are beautiful and highly detailed. Altair can jump and climb up just about anything, as he interacts with the thousands of citizens crowding the streets of each city. The game offers many primary targets to assassinate, each with their own little scenario that Altair must locate by gathering information from the citizens of each vibrant city. Information-gathering sessions are quite tedious and time consuming, being probably the worst element of the game. It a bit fun the first two or three times you do it, but once the game gets you to go through these locating processes almost a dozen times, it's quite exhausting. However, the combat manages to be fairly satisfying for the most part, besides the 'counter' feature it pretty much relies on, making combat a bit too simplistic. When you're in control of Desmond, not much interaction needs to be done. You'll usually just need to walk him to and from his bedroom assigned to him by the scientists, and once and a while you'll get to investigate some intriguing objects, revealing clues to the storyline's secrets. Sometimes I found myself more interested in Desmond's side of the story due to the repetitive nature of Altair's missions, but each time I went back in control of Altair, I was absorbed once again in the vibrant game world during the Crusades, and often the game would prove the repetition wrong by adding something new in the mix.
Technically, the game excels highly. The graphics are unbelievable, cloth physics are very prominent, the many citizens have hair that moves dynamically, and creates a very detailed experience to enjoy. Some of the sounds such as voice clips from the many townspeople sound very low quality in comparison to others, and can break the immersion a fair bit, and make the game seem dated. Rarely will you see a graphical glitch, but on occasions the ragdoll physics of enemies may go off the charts and create some crazy sights to see. The music is very intense, and expertly crafted. Each track in the game sounds equally as detailed as the excellent game world accompanying it.
Assassin's Creed is a great start to what seems like an amazing franchise. It is totally worth playing first when getting into the series, and shouldn't be missed despite it's many gameplay faults and shortcomings. In the end, Assassin's Creed is a very worthwhile gaming experience, and will launch you on your way to play the rest of the series. With crazy plot moments that keep you hooked, and a visually pleasing world.
The good:
-Unbelievably detailed cities realistically jam-packed with effort from the developers.
-Totally unique and unlike anything before it. The story and setting has never really been touched upon like this.
-The storyline is worthwhile and unpredictable. It drags on every once and a while and acts very subtle, but the last chapters of the game are absorbing and juicy.
-Some sequences are very intense thanks to an amazing musical, detailed musical score.
The bad:
-Too many extra areas in the game world that are simply a waste of space. These areas are beautiful, but never really serve a purpose in the mission objectives. The game's focus is pretty much set on the three cities alone. It's a sad disappointment.
-Information gathering begins to get unbelievably tedious and monotone around the slow dip in the middle of the game, but begins to feel more personal and interesting towards the end.
-Gameplay quirks can cause many frustrations, such as guards with too much of a temper, climbing and jumping on oddly-shaped or broken buildings doesn't go over too well, and the controls occasionally feel unresponsive.
Assassin's Creed is certainly worth playing if you plan on getting into the series, but if you get to the end and weren't too thrilled by the first entry, don't judge. Assassin's Creed was only the basic underlying formula setting up the concept. It's worth your time. 8/10