	Assassin’s Creed
	Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft Release Date: Out Now Players: 1	Words By:
Hmmm. It looked so good in promo movies shown a year ago, even though you could spot some horrible tearing as the camera swivelled and a few other glitches as well. Ah whatever, the animation was so damn good and the intense fighting action looked to be well done too, Assassin’s Creed promised to be some sort of Last Ninja/Tenchu/Prince of Persia/GUN/heck, maybe even a hint of GTA hybrid - set in the Holy Land in medieval times, and it looked good, damned good. Okay, so the setting of the game is the Holy Land in 1191, and you play Altair, a highly trained killer out to assassinate the leaders of the Third Crusade - except no it isn’t, and no you’re not. In some bizarre, last-moment-tacked-on-feeling mess of a scenario you find yourself playing some dorky guinea pig of a relation (named Desmond for goodness’ sake) of a 12th century assassin involved in some preposterous plot involving a search for an artefact via a computer simulation/time warp animus experiment thingy. Yes I know… Groan… and Sigh etc. I really can’t be bothered to give you a proper description, let’s just assume that the developers feared they might offend some religious denomination/faction/race/government/sexual persuasion/minority/majority/U.S. Agency/cult or another and bottled it big time in a frenzy of politically-correct gutless wankyness. Whatever the case the “simulation” part of the game constantly wrenches you out of the amazingly detailed Middle Eastern world that the impressive game engine creates, and at regular intervals slaps you in the face with Matrix-esque virtual walls and a cool, clinical modern laboratory setting that you get dumped back to when you come out of the animus simulation and return to being dorky-Desmond. It’s annoying, badly done and for this someone at Ubisoft needs a good slap. Ah well, back to Assassin’s Creed’s goodness, of which there is plenty. The 4 cities (Jerusalem, Damascus, Acre and) in which most of the game occurs are massive, and unlike most game’s cities, heaving with people, all of whom seem to be leading their own little lives and have their own little mannerisms and vocal comments (usually ‘is he mad’? Or ‘why did he do that’? when I’m around). The population play a huge part in the game too, as they may not only hamper your progress or hinder your escape at times, but you can also rescue some from enemy soldiers’ evil intentions and make them important allies; these new friends will tackle chasing guards for you or allow you to blend in with them in order to sneak into other areas. The cities all have a few loonies, drunks and beggars dotted around to act like moving hazards as well, and they add hugely to the random element during missions as obviously you nearly always want to remain as anonymous as possible, and even simply bumping into someone at the wrong moment can cause them to drop their water jug and create a commotion. Too much violence or trying to enter somewhere you shouldn’t will result in dozens of soldiers/guards chasing you, but whatever happens Altair can usually fight his way out with fists, sword or daggers, or more simply run for it and escape to the rooftops and hide for a while until they lose interest. It’s during these chases that the AI, physics and Altair’s amazing animation really shine. Passers by will try and get out of your way, soldiers will try and slash you as you run by, and if you bump into anyone when running flat out you’ll go sprawling to the floor. Kill a guard on a rooftop and should his body fall into a busy street it’ll cause a real hullabaloo, it’s fascinating to watch. You can also kill a soldier and use the discovery of his body as a diversion to lure guards away from an entrance you want to pass through – it’s clever stuff. But AC’s jewel is Altair’s ability to run, jump, clamber, climb or swing - simply traverse the many different surfaces of the cities with such speed and grace that you wonder if the developers had a Parkour (free running) game in mind at the outset. Lara Croft was certainly a well-animated and agile little thing in her last couple of games, but Altair makes her look stiff and clumsy in comparison. Only the recent Prince of Persia games come close, and although the Prince has some flashy moves he never had to deal with as many varied obstacles as Altair. I have to say that despite the horizontal tearing AC looks wonderful. The game has huge draw distances (and plenty of heady climbs to admire them from), with superb use of blurring and lighting create Middle Eastern warmth and make AC ooze atmosphere. The game’s textures are good throughout, and stony/earthy colours abound. Remarkably, an immense number of buildings and objects doesn’t mean there’s a lot of repetition either, and the authentic architecture looks amazing as you contrast the slums or the poor districts with the palaces and cathedrals. It’s not all about vastness of view and buildings though, graphical flourishes like the fabrics in the game, weeds growing out of cracks or the beautifully animated horses also deserve mention. Only AC’s intentional “anomalies” and the tearing blemish what is a superb looking game. When cornered (or you just feel like fighting) Altair can certainly handle himself, and the simple but brutal combat feels great, with only a few easy to remember combos to worry about, and as far as I’m concerned that’s a good thing. Demoted and shamed at the start of the game, Altair earns back skills and abilities as he completes missions – every major assassination results in a regained weapon and ability. Other missions and tasks unlock new areas of the city, previously walled off with the aforementioned translucent Matrix-inspired walls. Other missions include eavesdropping and pick pocketing, but there’s a distinct lack of variety that the game never manages to shake off - you can't even pick up an enemy's weapons or even use a bow and arrows, your own throwing knives are your only ranged attack. A big part of the variety problem is the lack of any real stealth in the game, pick-pocketing, for instance, are one of the few times in the game when Altair gets to be sneaky, and it just doesn’t seem right. Yes you can sneak up on enemies from behind, but Altair has no crouch or crawl move, and you just have to approach them from behind or wait for them to turn their backs and approach them at a run. Being stealthy is mostly just a matter of blending in and moving slowly, and whether Altair is on foot or on horseback both are a real pain in the ass, and slow the pace of the game to a crawl. Ah well, I’ve yammered on long enough. Overall I have to say that Assassin’s Creed disappointed me, but only because I had great hopes for it. It’s still a game that at time is beautiful, dramatic and never far from violent. The sprawling locations and views from horseback will evoke memories of Shadow of the Colossus, unfortunately the game never manages to immerse you to the same level as that classic due to its own annoying, built-in glitches and anomalies, and that’s a shame.

Best Bits
- Altair’s animation and free running manoeuvres
- Remarkably detailed realisation of Holy Land locations
- You can get truly medieval on enemies with some brutal, realistic moves
- Individuals and crowds actually feel like they have some weight
- Occasionally provides great atmosphere and sweeping vistas
- Plenty to do and find if you don’t get bored easily

Worst Bits
- Some tearing and the odd glitch
- Being an assassin is not as varied as it should be
- Not enough stealth
- Missions become samey after a while
- The animus plot “twist” in the game is underdeveloped and frankly, crap


by: Diddly