Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Amazing"

Ok, so I beat Assassin's Creed just now, a few days after my mother who's going for the 1000 points. And I gotta say... this game is near perfect. I don't like saying things like that because I don't want to feel embarrassed when I say it about another game the next week, but I mean it. I got it on sale with The Orange Box and was skeptical of it from working in a Gamestop and hearing all this hype about it without seeing actual gameplay. Didn't want another Bioshock-hyped game, but I figured for $40, if I didn't like it, I'd sell it. Man, am I glad I got this. Didn't even open up The Orange Box as I'd spent for too much time on Assassin's Creed. And when I wasn't playing it, my mother would brag about getting 65 Jerusalem Crosses without a map in one day. It... gets addictive.

Assassin's Creed is not only stunningly beautiful and a blast to play, it's got the best story I've seen in a video game since Xenogears. The very notion that this is to be a trilogy makes me anxious and nervous, anticipating the next 2 in the series. It's also an honoring feeling that such writing is for a game and not a sci-fi novel series or some high-budget Hollywood flicks. However, as much as I can go on about the story, which would spoil lots and possibly offend some, it has to be addressed when you notice the extremes in reviews for the title. And why ARE videogame journalists getting as dumb as the average gamer if they already haven't gotten as ridiculously vapid? "No ending?" Hell, I was so in awe by the second half of this game and its cliffhanger that I wanted to punch anyone and everyone who could knock the story of this who've, you know, ever read a book in their lives. I'm with the Penny Arcade guys on this one: if you don't have the 2nd ending achievement, you don't know the ending (to a rumored third of one saga). Guess it didn't have enough orcs in it.

"Poor control?" The animus tutorial not only explains how to do everything you'll need to do throughout the game but there are also new abilities and items you obtain which also yield optional tutorials. Everything felt seamless. "Repetitive gameplay?" If you can herald an FPS' gameplay innovation and say this about Assassin's Creed, it's probably because you're getting ~paid~ to review games. Simply put, if you don't want to reach all view points, kill all templars, find all flags and glitches, save all citizens, scan everyone/thing around the animus, and/or complete all investigations, no one's pulling your arm.

Sure, some fights can drag on for miles and apparently assassins can climb 100 feet into the air but can't swim, but there's really no reason I can pan this game. Why isn't it a perfect 10? Because I want more and I believe more could've been offered. Perhaps it's because they're saving it for later but then the teasing also gets me hot and bothered. If GS were still allowing the average score rating system (a better system than the .5 increments, might I add), it'd be a 9.8 without a doubt. Few things are more satisfying then hurling knives at people from a rooftop, or finally nailing those pesky flag race. Then again, few things are more frustrating then trying to pickpocket a priest when some woman runs in front of you, begging for change. You fling her to the side and she ends up busting a merchant's stand which, in turn, topples a citizen which, in turn, alerts said priest. Ugh. That I could've done without.