If you're a fan of the Prince of Persia series, parkour, or action-adventure games you owe it to yourself to play this.
While Ubisoft tried to play coy with the story leading up to the release, it wasn't hard to spot the strange sci-fi influence in the game. It turns out that Assassin's Creed has two storylines, one in the clean sterilized real world, and another in the memories of Altair. Both stories drop enough twists and keep the player involved, but unfortunately only one of them gets resolved, while the other is left wide open for the expected sequel. Still, the game wears its sense of intrigue well and does an admirable job of propelling you through the monotony, despite the anticlimactic ending.
As for the repetition, it's definitely there and it does hurt the score a bit, but it's not a deal breaker by any means. The game is set up similar to most sandbox/open world games. You visit a city, you complete missions to advance the storyline, and then a new city or area is opened to you. The lack of variety in the missions available is what makes the game stale. You will have seen every thing the game has to offer within the first city. It would have been nice to see some more missions introduced later in the game, or maybe have a few stipulations placed on the ones already available, like having to pickpocket a thief on the run, or ambushing a group of soldiers transporting an informant. There are more areas to explore, new techniques and weapons to earn, and secrets to be found, but the core of the game doesn't change much. That's where the story, and more importantly the controls come in.
Assassin's Creed uses a puppeteer control scheme that makes you feel less like you're inputting commands and more like you're steering an intelligent program. It doesn't sound like it would be much fun, and Ubisoft took a gamble, as it could have easily slid into something too robotic, but they managed to hit the perfect balance of player input and computer automation. By just holding a few buttons you can effortlessly scale walls, swing from poles, race across rooftops and more. The controls keep the game fresh, skipping across rooftops and climbing dangerously high towers never gets old. It's an exhilarating experience that's aided by the incredible scenery. Based on real world locations, the gorgeous cities act as playgrounds for Altair without looking too obvious. There are a few conveniently placed carts of hay, but for the most part, the cities feel like real cities, complete with marketplaces, town squares, churches and more. In other words this isn't like a Tony Hawk game, you won't see an oddly placed skate ramp in the middle of a village. The objects that Altair can interact with are seamlessly blended into the scenery, and it really helps sell the experience and immerse the player.
While stealthy assassination is the name of the game, Altair will frequently have to battle it out with a group of attackers. Just as they did with the free running controls, Ubisoft took a gamble and placed all of the combat maneuvers on one button, a scheme that works well, but could have used a little more. Pounding on the attack button in different ways will yield different attacks, while a counter move and block serve to spice up the action and move combat along. With three different weapons and several entertaining, brutal animations, the combat is fun to watch, but not always a blast to participate in. The sketchy enemy AI can be a chore to battle. Twelve men may surround you, but they'll each take turns striking at you, most of the time. In some rare instances your enemies will go crazy and pummel you with unmanageable blows. Altair could have also benefited from a few more acrobatic moves, as the combat feels a bit stiffer than the fluid free running.
The questionable AI isn't confined to the combat either. Sometimes bumping into a guard will cause a full alert while other times simply running past him will. It's possible to murder a person in the middle of a crowd and walk away as if nothing happened, but sometimes if you throw a knife three stories up and stealthily kill a guy the whole city goes on the hunt. And running from pursuers is a joke when cutting a corner and sitting on a bench can fool the AI. These strange instances are only frustrating because they pull you out of the immersive experience the game works so hard to create. Like the repetitive missions, the inconsistent AI isn't a deal breaker, but it sure is annoying.
On the plus side the graphics are absolutely stunning. Each city has a colored filter that gives it its own personality. There's the dusty yellows of Damascus, the drab blues of Acre and the proud greens of Jerusalem. There's also a connecting hub called the Kingdom that beautifully replicates ancient Mediterranean landscape. The scenery is a joy to behold and a pleasure to explore, whether on horseback or on rooftops. The cold, clean laboratories from the real world portions are also nicely done and help set the mood for the story. The characters also look great, and as you would expect from the developers of Prince of Persia, they animate smoothly and realistically.
The sound design is as expertly crafted as the visuals. The music is epic and it builds in all the right places, and the voice acting is top notch. The accents and languages for each location are spot on, with Altair sounding appropriately out of place with his modern American accent. The cities sound alive with chatter from the citizens and crowds in the markets. The only misstep with the sound would be the repetitive phrases spouted by the guards and citizens, but other than that, the game sounds as great as it looks and plays.
Overall
If you're a fan of the Prince of Persia series, parkour, or action-adventure games you owe it to yourself to play Assassin's Creed. The game has its flaws, but the high points-the incredible free running, beautiful graphics and intriguing story-make it worth a play through. A normal play through will take 10 to 13 hours, though you can get much more out of the game by completing every mission and searching for hidden flags. It should be noted that the repetition is only as bad as you make it. If you want to complete everything, you're in for a more monotonous experience than someone that just wants to casually play through the game.
Purchase?
This game is definitely a must buy if you're an action-adventure fan, but if you're nervous about the controls or the repetitiveness you can probably get enough from a rental. Either way, it's a game that should not be missed and an experience worth the wait.