Nothing is true; everything is permitted

User Rating: 8.5 | Assassin's Creed PS3
Set in 11th century Jerusalem at the time of the Third Crusade, Assassin's Creed is a masterpiece in almost all aspects; it provides a unique gaming experience with some phenomenal graphics, impressive cut scenes and the vast tapestry of an ancient land to interact with.
In a sense Assassin's creed is a game within a game; two stories intertwine and leave you wanting to learn more about the mysterious ancestors of Desmond Miles (voiced by Nolan North) and more about the man himself.

Largely influenced by the book Alamut, written by Vladimir Bartol, the game opens with a poignant, beautifully detailed scene panning down over an ancient city to a square full of jeering crowds attending a public execution. The camera drifts to focus on a lone eagle, which then takes flight to the rafters of a clock tower where, crouching atop a wooden beam is a white clocked man; the Assassin, Altaïr ibn La–Ahad (voiced by Philip Shahbaz). Soon after the initial opening you learn all is not as it seems; the world loses some focus and distant voices can be heard. Suddenly you are pulled out of a machine, the Animus, which you learn is used to access specific genetic memories. Now you are introduced to Desmond Miles. Descended from a long line of assassins and aware of the Templers order he has always tried to keep a low profile but was ultimately caught, kidnapped and is currently imprisoned in a pharmaceutical lab owned by a company known as Abstergo Industries; a front for the Templers. Held captive by the unpleasant Warren Vidic (voiced by Phil Proctor) Desmond is forced to cooperate with his captors and re enter the Animus on a regular basis. Despite the grim situation he finds himself in, Desmond tries to engage in some upbeat chatter with Vidic, resulting in some rather amusing dialogue, and his assistant Lucy Stillman, (voiced by Kristen Bell), who seems to conceal a few of her own secrets. After the prologue you start off at the lowly rank of novice with very little equipment; it's up to you to persevere through to eventually become the ultimate assassin.

While re-living the memories of Altaïr in the Animus, where you will spend the better part of the game, you have a few invaluable advantages. You can scale buildings, run across rooftops and jump from building to building. You can also hide and blend in elsewhere around the cities. This comes in handy as you'll be able to blend in discreetly when there are guards around. An alertness level will show you if your actions are perceived as suspicious. Another perk here is that if you help certain locals or a member of the scholars they will later protect and hide you from pursuing guards.

Achievements can be earned for this game when played on an Xbox 360 (but unfortunately there are no PS3 Trophies for this game) totalling around a score of 1000 by completing challenges and events. You will also encounter in the open world map interesting side quests and more than enough fighting and witty dialogue moments to keep you entertained throughout. The only downside with the game is some repetitive aspects with missions, and a few annoying encounters with the local populations. Overall however it is an enjoyable game and provides an unrivalled experience that is well worth spending the time and effort playing.