One of the coolest games I have ever played, but not without fault.
Now, there will be some SPOILERS ahead, so watch out.
Pros: Pretty awesome story, blending with the crowd is actually kinda cool, running after an assassination is fast-paced and exciting, missions are fun the first few times around
Cons: Missions get repetitive by the third assassination, some of the informer missions are a pain to complete, ending is a little too vague, some aspects of the gameplay are not clearly explained
When I got this game I already had a basic idea of the storyline, thanks to one of my more obnoxious friends. So not many of the twists in the story caught me by surprise. But as I was playing, I was thinking just how awesome it would be if I didn't already know what happened.
I don't really get the opening scene. Instructions come at you a mile a minute, and you don't really have to do any of it to continue. Random retards/drunks are slapping at you, and you can hear voices. I think that's what you're supposed to be paying attention to, so I just ignored the instructions and retards and just sat there listening.
The whole future/past thing is pretty sweet. At least, I thought so. It's nice to get to snoop around as Desmond, but he moves so slowly that it found myself holding down RT and A even though nothing happened. But then again, having him sprint around with the doc and chick watching would've been kinda weird.
Nothing in this game is really a cut scene per se, nothing stops for the scene. It's merely a pre-set scenario. you can still move around, you just can't get too close. Sometimes white crap will flutter in front of the screen, and if you press any button when this happens, you get to view the scene from a different and far better angle. I don't really know what these things are supposed to be, all I know is that they are called glitches.
Eventually you come to Masyaf. I wish there was more to do here, all you do is walk to the fortress and back, whenever you come. Which is often.
We are assigned a task introduced to the different mission types. None of them are terribly difficult to pull off, except maybe the informer missions. Let's break them down:
Interrogations are a little too easy. Block, hit, block, hit, over and over. You don't even have to follow them out of the crowd. The guards don't care. Thugs will occasionally interfere, but the same method still applies.
Pickpocketing can get a little annoying, just because you have to move so slow, and the person getting their pocket picked stops so often. In the last few levels, it looks impossible, but it's surprisingly easy. Just slow.
Informer missions can be easy or hard. At first, it's all smooth sailing. The flag missions never seem to get any more difficult. However, the assassination missions (minor ones for the informers, not the major ones) are just annoying. At it's hardest, you have to off five people in five minutes without anyone finding you. It sounds easy, but believe me, it's not. I never have liked time limits.
Eavesdropping is by far the most easy and interesting. Sit, lock on, press Y. Hearing the info is more fun than looking it up.
The first real mission is pretty exciting. I definitely has a less missions than the others though. I guess it's almost like practice. However, around the third assassination mission, you start to get more of the same. Probably because you revisit cities. Yes, that's right. You go to three cities, then you start the cycle over. At least you get to see more of the city each time.
Riding through the Kingdom is tedious, and for some reason, everyone knows who you are. Blending is slow as heck, so it's easier to just run to the next city and ignore the screams of "Assassin!" Fortunately, you only have to do this a few times.
You actually can develop some sort of a strategy for this game, but you would never know unless someone told you. Information that you gather is stored and can only be accessed in the pause menu. I really wish that the game had clearly told you that, it comes in pretty handy.
Combo kills are extremely tricky to pull off, and it's usually just best to rely on counter kills, especially when fighting multiple enemies.
The ending is left open for a sequel, which is good. But it's left a little too open. I thought Eagle Vision only applied to people, but now we can see blood on the walls? If the Piece of Eden makes the Bible completely unreliable, why are there strong references to it? It also felt a little out of place, but you just have to remind yourself that this is, indeed, a sci-fi game.
And, this is a simple complaint but true: The AI sucks. They can react if you kill their teammate, but really, who rubs their leg in a sword fight? besides defense-breakers, you can really just sit there, hit them when they get distracted, and come away no worse for wear.
Okay, enough complaining. This game really is good. I tend to nitpick, but let me tell you, this is a nice game.
The assassinations are awesome and, foe me, never get old, probably because you have to approach each one a little differently. And having to escape after is challenging, but never really frustrating.
Hiding is cool also. I never can get over running around a corner, sitting on a bench, and watching the guards plow right past you.
The storyline is clever, stretching across hundreds of years, and I hope the sequel builds on it well. Altair is not always a nice guy, and people you thought you could trust turn out to be the scum of the earth.
All of the voice actors do a great job, with the exception of Altair. He's just alright. Sounds a bit too modern to me.
Combat, although annoying at times, is a lot of bloody pleasure. The finishing moves are reason enough to rent this game. Stealth kills have this cool sound effect (no words can describe it). Throwing knives is a little unsatisfactory, but it gets the job done.
I hope we get to see more of Altair on consoles soon. PSP gets an important part of the storyline that we won't, and that makes my piss boil.
Overall, this game is fun, but can get pretty repetitive. You may want to rent it first though, it's definitely not for everyone.
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