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Assassin's Creed (PS3)


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £16.94 (subject to change)

  • Assassin's Creed is set in Jerusalem in 1191 A
  • D
  • during the Third Crusade, when bloody battles are taking place in the Holy Land
  • You'll take on the role of an elite assassin, whose mission is to put an end to the conflict and carry out nine assassinations without getting caught
  • Become an elite assassin: climb walls, ride horses and blend into the crowd against a background of beautiful scenery in this rich and varied game

Good but Flawed
Review date: 2008-11-12 Rating: 8 out of 10

Assassin's Creed passed me by during its initial release, which was odd considering I have an interest in the Crusades and the Medieval period. When I did get to learn about it I avoided it because of the fairly negative reviews. Eventually my cousin got a hold of the game, and I felt impressed enough by the small demonstration that I brought a copy too.
While I certainly enjoyed the game, I do understand that the game's detractors do make a valid criticism of its gameplay.

It's worth covering the plot first. The game is split into two halfs. One is set in the Holy Land around AD 1191, at the height of the Third Crusade, when Altair, (the character you control) is given a task of eliminating nine elite members of the Crusader and Saracen armies, in order that his Master, Al Mualim, can usher in a new era of peace. The other half is seen through the eyes of Desmond Miles, Altair's descendant, some time in the near future as he is kidnapped by the members of Abstergo Industries, and forced to test out their new invention, the 'Animus', a machine that allows its user to access the memories of their ancestors.

One of the weak points of the game is how the two storylines merge; as what should have been a historical adventure quickly turns into a murky and confusing sci-fi thriller. Towards the last few levels of the game, the future/Medieval storyline becomes increasingly asinine and convoluted.
They also don't merge very well in terms of gameplay, as the future section only allows you to interact with two characters, access a computer and go to sleep. Essentially its just a glorified interactive cut-scene.

The other section, set in the Middle Ages, is where the main action takes place. Some have described this game as a Medieval GTA, and that's not too far off. You are given free reign to walk, run and climb (but frustratingly not to swim) over most of the Holy Land. Three large cities, Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre are available to explore, as well as all the countryside in between. This is not to mention the Assassin fortress at Masayaf. The medieval world is accurately reconstructed with the buildings and costumes being based on contemporary accounts. Historians were used during the game to ensure the visual world's accuracy. It works very well as visually this game is one of the most beautiful on the PS3. The graphics are stunning, while the the characters movements, whether in fights, or in climbing or on horseback, are fluid and realistic.

The game is also easy to get a control over, with some buttons being used as different body parts, for instance triangle for head, X for legs, square for sword hand etc. This makes climbing and fighting easy to control, but it also means there is little skill involved, espcially during battles, which involves pressing the right button at the right time to pull off a kill. That said, it's still a lot of fun.

The enemy AI on the other hand leaves a lot to be desired. You can simply walk behind a guard and kill him just by pressing one button (which allows you to blend in) which automatically makes you less conspicuous to them. They will at other times attack you for no reason. They will also attack you in large groups if they see you running through the streets. This makes travelling slow and difficult as you have to walk to most of your destinations in order to not attract attention to yourself.

Another hinderance to the game is how the missions are handled. In order to Assassinate somone you must first visit the Master Assassin at Masayaf. He will order you to travel to one of the cities, this means having to explore all the countryside in between (by climbing watch towers) which is time consuming and dull.
When you finally reach the city you must do the same, by exploring all the alleyways. Then you must visit the man at the Assassin's Bureau, he will ask you to carry out a series of investigations, including interrogation, pickpocketting, eavesdropping (just listening to a boring conversation for several minutes) and performing tasks for informers, such as having to kill a certain amount of people within a given timeframe, or collecting flags.
With these tasks completed you must then head back to the bureau. He will then give you your assassination target. Once you've completed the mission you must then head back to the Bureau (avoiding all the guards along the way). After this you head back to Masayaf for more missions. Essentially the entire game is played out this way, from start to finish. It is extremly repetitive, and it isn't helped by the characters dialogue, which is overlong and dull.
Another problem is the lack of activites to do. The cities are large and bustling, but there is very little interaction between you and its people. There are no shops to buy weapons, no buildings to walk into, and nothing much to do. The city folk themselves become annoying as they constantly spoute the same phrases over and over again as you pass them.
The game would have been less frustrating if the creators had entered a larger and diverse set of phrases for the game's citizens and public speakers.
The addition of the pestering poor women ("Please Sir, I need some coin!") , the drunks and the madmen will leave you fumming as they constanly push you about or get in your way, often blowing your cover and forcing you to do the same missions again and again.
A set of mini-tasks are included although they have no impact on the game's storyline whatsoever. These include fighting Knights Templar (a lot of fun) and collecting hundreds of flags (mind numbingly time consuming and utterly, utterly pointless).

I won't bother spoiling the game's ending for those who will play it, but I did find the game's direction towards the end rather disappointing, and I wasn't happy with how it turned from a historical adventure game into a sci-fi & fantasy/supernatural setting.

With all of this in mind though, Assassin's Creed is a good game. The sword fights are fun, and it makes a nice change from all those Modern/ World War 2 shooters. It's by no means perfect, and it didn't live up to the massive hype, but it's still a solid, enjoyable game.

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Reviews


AMAZING!!!
Review date: 2008-11-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

this game is a fun packed ride of all types. Killing, free-running, climbing, skill, chase, missions, a great story and easy to get used to controls... All in all this could be one of the best games on the PS3.

Not what it Seems
Review date: 2008-11-09 Rating: 6 out of 10

Before you buy this game I must say, this game is nothing like I thought it was going to be, that doesn't automatically mean bad..it's good but very different. Playing as Altair is unique and I was close to giving this game 4 stars because it is quite repetative. For the first day I played this game, I loved it. I climbed buildings and stabbed people for no reason - great. As the game progresses however, the small map doesn't come in handy at all.
I really wanted to like this game but I just couldn't get into it, I think all the hype behind it did it no good because it was overhtped - not as good as magazines and reviews were making it out to be so I was surprised to find myself bored after two days of playing.
If you have patience .. a lot of patience I reccomend this game because although the story is short it isn't too bad. One thing that really annoyed me is that, I felt as if I was getting somewhere with the game, playing the story, then I woke up on a surgery bed and all of a sudden you are indoors not playing as your ancestor. This happens frequently and makes the game annoying as hell.
I have played far worse games and in the future I will give it a second chance but it's certainly not what it should have been.

So good I bought it twice
Review date: 2008-10-29 Rating: 8 out of 10

Well, no I didn't. I rented it for the 360 and I've just bought it from Play for my PS3 (for £10, not the £46 advertised here). Yes, it does get a little repetative, but it's still the best looking game out there. If you want to see just what that box under your telly can do, this is the best way to go about it.

Good all round.
Review date: 2008-09-20 Rating: 8 out of 10

Thsi game is a hidden gem, it lacks a mulitplayer mode but in esscence its single player is a stunning creation.

The graphics are sound and the missions vary in difficulty, the story is intriguing and the skills needed to complete the objectives are easily mastered.some might think too easily!

The game is however a little repetitive but the changing landscape and challenging mission provide adequate means of enjoyment. Horse riding, areial free running and high dives from tall buildings are great fun and provide much excitement to a new commer but by the end of the game they lack thier sparkle.

Its a good game to come back to with a renewed vigour after playing the newest blockbuster it is solid all round and in a sense might be underacheiving slightly!

Product Details/Specifications


Recording label: Ubisoft
Manufacturer: Ubisoft
EAN: 3307210244222
Binding: Video Game
Release date: 2007-11-16
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Manfacturer maximum age: 216
Manfacturer minimum age: 192 months
Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
Brand: UBI Soft

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