Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

I have made this review a little vague as to try and not spoil too much of the story.


I am rather late to the party and do I feel stupid. When I first got an Xbox 360 back in 2009 I bought it from my friend who basically got it for free on Amazon and it was around 9 pm so I couldn't go buy a game. He had many 360 games so I borrowed Assassins Creed from him. I played only a few minutes of it and was put off by the controls. I wanted to give the game another shot so I bought it during a steam sale back in 2011. Again only played a few minutes because the controls seemed too difficult to remember. Finally a few weeks ago I decided to try for a 3rd time and played a little bit longer. I learned the controls were not at all as difficult as I once thought and my ignorance kept me from playing a great game all these years.


The game is rather simple which is not a bad thing. The basic story is about a guy named Desmond who ancestors were assassins and he is at a company called Abstergo Industries and they have him in a machine called the Animus. While he is hooked up to the Animus we get to play as Altair who is an Assassin and one of Desmonds ancestors. The scientist in charge of the Animus tells Desmond they need to know about something that was locked away in Altair's memory because the fate of the world depends on it. Once you get passed the opening part of the game and the story is set up you learn that there are men throughout the 3 holy cities that are a threat. The game is basically go to one of these cities, go to the Assassins bureau and talk to the person there, find a way point to synchronize with, do a minimum of 2 tasks ranging from assassinations, pick pocketing, interrogations, etc, at any point after doing 2 go back to the bureau and receive your target, kill him, run back to the bureau, return to your master. The game play is mostly combat, climbing, and stealth. The combat is fun and allows you to doge and counter attacks. Your list of weapons includes a sword, dagger, throwing knives, and hidden blade. Running around and climbing on stuff is also fun and works great. The stealth is fun and required for some mission, but it doesn't go as far as say Metal Gear Solid. It all sounds rather simple but the game play is fun, the graphics are amazing, and there are many side things you can do. The game has 2 stories to it. The first is the main story that involves Altair. It is nothing special, basically an Assassin doing what he is told to better help mankind which is all I will say for now. The second is the overall story about Desmond, the Assassin brotherhood, and something else which I won't say to avoid spoilers. It is kind of like Resident Evil all the way until 5. Each game had its own story but then there was the overall story of what Wesker, Umbrella, and/or The Agency had planned in the long run. The first game doesn't go into the second story too much, but it is there and it is noticeable. So if you are looking for a game that has simple yet great game play, amazing graphics, a nice story, and a bigger story unfolding in the background then Assassins Creed is a must play.