Something new mixed with something old , which is a good thing.
The Graphics where great. The cities you go to are fully alive with crowded streets of soldiers and civilians of all sorts, all who you can interact with in various ways and of course kill. The game really flexes its graphic muscles when you scale the many view points in the game that gives you a birds's eye view of the city you are in most of the time. The soundtrack was good, it could have been better there was not much music in the game, mostly sound and that made the game what it was. the sounds of the places you happen to be in.
There are a few side quest in Assassin's Creed, however they aren't rewarding. There are many objects to collect around the world you travel through and forty Templars to slay but there is no reward for these efforts besides a check list that shows what you left to complete.
As for the story, it is something truely admirable, in outward appearance the game may seem like just another action game, but there is a twist to the story from the very beginning that may shock some. The story is something you will get into and lucky for us all that there is a part 2 in the works.