I find myself really surprised at some of the reviews of Assassin's Creed - it is as though the reviewers feel guilty for overscoring Halo - a competent game, but far from the breakthrough the scores suggested - by underscoring AC.

Yes, this game does repeat certain things, but last time I checked, shooters repeat shooting quite a lot - and that does not hurt scores. This game offers combat, sneaking, high speed escaping, leaping around a beautiful city, pickpocketing, eavesdropping, following informant to secluded spots etc... it's a real treat.

The story is compelling (especially within the Holy Land); the crowds, despite a certain amount of reptition of phrases, are unparalleled in a game. I know this part of the world, and believe me, this is realistic.

The post assassination chases are great - I cannot remember a game that had me so convinced I was in a living breathing place... and with such relative freedom. The acting is strong - although I agree that Altair's accent feels a little out of place - and the variety of things to mess around with... well, I just cannot understand the scores of 70.

I would not give this game a perfect score; I think COD4 is what constitutes a perfect game for its genre and tech level - but I would give it a solid 9 for sure... it is fresh, and consistently interesting, if you have brain that is.

I can see why some teenagers might not have the patience, but as a game player in his mid 30s, this is a marvellous game.

I, too, have been enjoying AC. I understand the criticism of the repetitiveness of the quests, but I'm so busy enjoying the view, that it hasn't really bothered me. I love climbing to the top of buildings and just looking around. And I still get a little frisson every time I do the "Leap of Faith." It reminds me of Spiderman 2, with a richly detailed city you can just play around in. I don't believe it quite matches the standard of Oblivion, which I think is still the standard for open ended RPG. There is no interaction with the NPCs apart from bumping into them. And I miss the interiors.

The other big complaint from the reviewers that I've read is that the end is unsatisfying, and feels like a simple set up for the inevitable sequel. I haven't gotten very far, so I can't comment on that.

You are IRRITATED at assassins creed ratings? I am too, but not because they are bad, but because they are so good. This game is absolutely the worst game I have ever played, due to the fact it was so hyped.

The fact that you like this game, fully displays your inexperience in the gaming field. So what exactly do you like about assassins creed? The story? The graphics? The dialog and voice acting? The game play? The environment? The A.I. ? The COMBAT?

Story: You think it's a good story? I don't, they tagged it on. I've never been as uninterested with a story, as I have with this game. Heres the thing, Ubisoft thinks it's a GREAT story. First off, you are stripped of your rank which makes you lose weapons....But MOVES ? How did they go about stealing your moves? You get upgraded along the game but after about the 6th assassination you only get extra throwing knifes lmfao. I still don't understand what was going on. You like it because you sit on an Animus and go back in memories? You must like really dull stories. It lacks integrity, and the fact that they revealed the twist at the front of the game, and the ending is a absolute "wtf" just puts the cherry on the top. Thats not even where this game fully becomes a piece of junk.

The graphics are great sure. But has this game really done what no game has done before? You cannot dare to say this game looks better than any other game made before in the past. So sure you can enjoy the graphics, but don't base your liking of the game only on the graphics because thats not what a 60 dollar game should rely on.

The game play.....oh man...So you agree it's repetitive. But than you go as far as saying that FPS's have a repetitive nature as well. Well whats repetitive about this game? Is it the 3 side missions you can do which include Eavesdropping (sitting on a bench and listening to an un skippable boring cut scene (If you think it isn't boring, you may like to watch infomercials as well), Pick Pocketing which is watching another unskippable cut scene than wait for a guy to look left than right and then presses x when he starts walking, or Informant which gives you assassinations which are sometimes timed and also gives you FLAG RETRIEVING MISSIONS LMAO the fact that they made that part of the story line is just a ridiculous joke, and thats just the vague overview. Is it in order to get any of those 3 side missions you must climb the same looking building with the Wooden Plank on the top, with a bundle of hay on conveniently under it, and press Y than do it again...than do it again...than do it again till you find another side mission (refer to the above for what side missions are) for nearly an hour per mission? You need 3 side missions to complete an investigation, I felt like I was a robot. You can save citizens too, which they say the exact same thing every time, and all you do is fight guards...if you win (which you always will) you get a deal of either monks or scholars. You can use these guys to get away from guards.... which is a laughable concept. Or you can hide in one of the 4 hiding places. You can hide with the Scholars which I have explained wouldn't work because you look nothing like them, you could hide on any of the MILLION identical sheet tents, or you can sit on a bench between 2 people which is beyond ridiculous as the guards pass you and they don't see you as they stop RIGHT in front of you and look at you (they knew who he was everywhere else, but they can't spot him on a bench? cmon) Than you got the gazillion hay stacks everywhere in the city, places you didn't even know they could fit hay. Need to perform a leap of faith? Stick a hay stack there, and there, oh and there. You've got to be kidding me. Under every wooden plank, there is a hay stack you can count on that. I could just keep going.

The Environment, vast cities, LIFE LIKE CITIZENS, almost as if the city is ALIVE. Wrong. The citizens are just mindlessly roaming around, they aren't doing a job, except for the people with jars on the shoulder which are basically just roaming around WITH a jar on their shoulder. You have the drunk guys who all look the same and only attack YOU, you have the poor ladies (only ladies, I guess men aren't poor) that only beg YOU for money, which is extremely annoying because you can't punch them or kill them without a penalty. All the citizens look the same...all of them with a few variations. You can't go into buildings, you can't destruct the environment (except for maybe a pot on a ledge which evaporates when it hits the ground). No day and night transitions, and the water looks poorly done. Vast cities !!! Each city looks exactly the same as the other. Yes each city you go to is an identical representation of ever other city. That 1 city it variates from looks EXACTLY the same as every other part of the city, with the exception of a few locations in which you will perform your storyline assassinations at. But let me tell you what they do, Ubisoft is so nice. Since they wanted you to buy their game for 60 bucks they knew the cities were too repetitive, they unoticeably changed some designs somewhere in the city (I haven't seen this, but i've been told that they did change some designs on the walls around I dont believe it though) and better yet they changed the lighting. One city will have red lighting, one city will have blue lighting etc. Thx ubi!

Yeah! The combat! Well every city looks the same, but there are 2 variations between what guards look like. They all look the same in their own way, they all walk, talk, fight the same. To fight you only need X and right trigger. Only 1 guard fights you at a time so no worries. You have 2 weapons, dagger and sword which have about 4-5 counterattack animations each (an hour into the game, you've already seen them all 10 times over). Throwing knifes are useless. Assassination have about 3 animations. You could literally kill everyone in the town....but don't worry. After you kill a group of guards in the city, no more will come for you. With security like that, my grandma could take over one of those massive kingdoms. Guards do the same thing....only way you can kill some are to just keep counter attacking them. They give you a dodge move....which is almost a joke because you don't even need to use it. Why would you dodge their attack when you could use a counterattack move and kill them? They give you the ability to jump, which I never used once. They give you the ability to look around...which wasn't rewarding. I felt like I was playing dynasty warriors, only this time, the enemy was a amazingly bad at fighting. I will have to explain this more in the A.I. section.

A.I. rofl.......... let me give you the logistics. You know that push move they talk about? It doesn't even work, why the hell would you want to use it? The A.I. stares mindlessly into nothing. I don't even know how to describe how bad the A.I. is. I killed someone in front of a guard, and then he walks 1 foot in front of him and says "Who Did this ?" (he variates from "Who Did This?" to "Who is responsible for this?" thats it lol) So i'm thinking oh thats gawd awful. This one is the best. In front of every the same town, there are 4 guards in front of it. So after doing the 15 minute horse journey...you can either get off and do amazingly boring hide with the scholars which wouldn't even work because I look nothing like them due to the fact I have a huge knife on my back and red on. Or you could just RUN in. So basically a random guy forces his way into this kingdom, what happens? You just keep running you get about 8 guards on you, in which one time they just forgot about me or you could just kill all of them which takes about 5 minutes. These kingdoms are super secure (NOT!), almost like America and Mexico...the illegal immigrants come in but the Democrats could care less (the gaurds are the democrats). The guards are more of acrobats than you are, and they have 50 pounds of equipment on. They are masters of throwing rocks , but only trainees when it comes to the sword. The archers on the buildings are actually just for looks. They never pose a threat because they can't hit you with anything because they attack so slow, and if you run at them they will just point the bow at you. How about the archers on the 30 story towers? Do they expect him to hit an intruder from up there? After I killed them there was a HAY stack on top of one of the Outer walls I almost died laughing on how stupid that was. One time there was 4 guards guarding something, they wouldn't let me walk past them, so I just jumped across over the water to the other side and they never even cared as they watched me trespass. You know the whole "stealthy" thing in this game, its a bunch of crap. You can climb buildings in front of everyone and they won't care. But if you are just walking down the street....slowly (using the slow push too) they just know you are an assassin. Guards somehow set up 2 man road blocks every so once in a while. How the hell did they know I was coming down that alley? If you are running with a horse, you are an assassin. If you are jogging down the street you are an assassin. If you fall from a building, you are an assassin. If you trip and fall, you are an assassin. Still can't pick me out on a bench though. I say "WHO DID THIS" to the idea of making this game. A.I. is just bad, I don't feel like going on anymore, as I could go on forever.

Uhh lets see Dialog and voice acting....they say the same thing over and over again. The game is so unorganized, that you don't learn anything while you are playing it. You have to listen to a 10 minute discussion between 2 of the same people in the exact same location several times in order to just catch you up on it. Already seen that cut scene? Watch it again, you can't pass them. The main character sounds like he is doing a cold reading off of a script. The other guys are good, and thank goodness, because you have to hear their exact same dialog over and over again.

I barely beat this game....and after my friend watched me play it he refused to play it himself as did his brother. Hours of grinding climbing up buildings to scout for the next side mission wore me out. DAMN that game was boring. And YOU are irritated at the reviews? The fact that I hate this game doesn't lie in the fact that this game-is-bad it lies in the fact that this game as hyped up to the point of no return and that Ubisoft regardless of this being one of the most glitchy games ever to be released STILL thinks this game is fantastic! I won't sucker into it. Ladies and gentleman who read this, I have literally went over every little concept of A.C. that is the game. I don't care if you like it, this game was hyped up to the extreme and it fails miserably. It pisses me off that everyone gives this game a 100, whereas if it was made by some third class company it would be coming in with 60's and below and you know it. This game is bad, face it.

I keep editing this, because there are uber spelling and grammar errors in here lol

This message has been edited. Last edited by: OneShot,

Wait...So you did, or didn't like it?

"The fact that you like this game, fully displays your inexperience in the gaming field. "

hehe - I remember the thrill of playing my friend's brand new zx81.

"So what exactly do you like about assassins creed? The story? The graphics? The dialog and voice acting? The game play? The environment? The A.I. ? The COMBAT?"

the whole package

"You cannot dare to say this game looks better than any other game made before in the past. So sure you can enjoy the graphics, but don't base your liking of the game only on the graphics"

I am more of an overall atmosphere person.. this game has it in spades.

"Or you can hide in one of the 4 hiding places. You can hide with the Scholars which I have explained wouldn't work because you look nothing like them, you could hide on any of the MILLION identical sheet tents, " etc

there is a concept in fiction called suspension of disbelief. it requires imagination though... you are being too literal.

"
All the citizens look the same...all of them with a few variations. Each city looks exactly the same as the other. "

I see.. so medieval European architecture, castles, cathedrals (acre) looks the same as arab mosques, souks (damascus)? To me the cities are extraordinary; then again, I have spent time in the Middle east, so I have an advantage.

"you can either get off and do amazingly boring hide with the scholars which wouldn't even work because I look nothing like them due to the fact I have a huge knife on my back and red on" etc..

Once more - you gotta use that tricky trick called suspension of disbelief. The truth is, you use it in all games you play...

"this game was hyped up to the extreme and it fails miserably. It pisses me off that everyone gives this game a 100, whereas if it was made by some third class company it would be coming in with 60's and below and you know it. "

Not 100, no, but 80-90 bracket for sure, in my book.. then again, I relish games for the new worlds they show me, the imagination they display... and I have played a LOT of em. So maybe that's why fresh and inventive is so important to me.

I am someone who wasted a whole summer playing elite. (the original). Now THAT was suspension of disbelief, let me tell you - yet what a great game that was at the time.

So sad you can't enjoy a game like AC. Still, I am sure there are others out there for you... it's a bumper crop this season.

No I do NOT like A.C.

So you are telling me a couple of new textures makes an identical city feel alright? When you walk in the first gate, you feel like you've walked in it a thousand times. Have imagination? When was a quote "realistic" assassin game supposed to have imagination to that extent. They should of just "imagined" the main character having laser vision if they use that logic.

This suspension of belief you say, is a fancy way of saying: Ubisoft is too lazy to add more than 4 hiding places in A.C. not even counting on how ridiculous these hiding places are. I guess they aren't advanced enough to hide behind walls and stuff, because the A.I. always knows where you are. You think it's fun going to those (3 years and older required to hide) hiding spots to wait for a scripted guard to run up and face a wall point blank and act like he is looking for you only to give up 15 seconds later....give up on the man that just killed 20 of his guard friends and has a large cloke with red and a large dagger on his back (which looks like no one in the entire game, so makes an easy find...but not for this retarded A.I.), than run off at a super accelerated speed jumping across buildings as if he taught the main character how to be an acrobat just to go and disappear. I would like you to compare this game to Obilivion please. When games like Oblivion set the bar, it doesn't give a stuck up company like Ubisoft the right to go and make a game well under it. As I am thinking, this entire game is nothing but an easy point and click game. I could literally beat this game with 2 or 3 fingers. This might of been a good game a couple of years ago, but not at all does it deserve an 80 in this day and age...a day and age Crysis came out...and Oblivion that came out like 1 or 2 years ago (maybe longer dont remember) that had assassin missions more fun than this entire game.

quote:

Originally posted by OneShot:
No I do NOT like A.C.

Yeah. Actually, I got that.

You need to relax, though. I'm afraid you're going to get a sub arachnoid hemorrhage.

I don't think this is the greatest game ever made. I agree that it is inferior in almost every way to Oblivion. But I can still enjoy "The Forty Year Old Virgin," even though I've seen "Citizen Kane."

One of the reasons that I don't find the quests that repetitive, is that I usually don't play the game for more than an hour or so at a time. Even that is often separated by a couple of days. So, each time I go back, it's entertaining enough.

I think the cities are beautiful. I love the architecture, but then, I love the middle ages. Just seeing the cathedral or mosque in the distance is enough to give me a charge.

My problems with the game are some of the same that you have. I think they missed an opportunity to show times of day. Night missions would have been beautiful. One of my favorite things in Oblivion was looking out over a body of water as the sun went down, and AC could have been equally lovely in that respect. I also miss interiors, like those in Oblivion. Still, Spiderman, and the Godfather game, which I think AC more resembles, were entertaining enough, without those elements.

Which brings me to my final point. Not every game has to be everything to everybody. Personally, I found the Halo series dull and frustrating, and I found the Half Life series too gory. Different people are gaming for different reasons. I actually want a game that is beautiful, and relatively easy to play. I'm much more interested in the story, character, and atmosphere than I am in button mashing. Graphics count a great deal to me. Challenge, not so much.

Ok, so you don't like the game. Take it back to EB, now, when you can get a reasonable buyback for it, and get something else. However, your stridency, your implications that anyone who doesn't agree with you is some kind of n00b, and comments like this

quote:

These kingdoms are super secure (NOT!), almost like America and Mexico...the illegal immigrants come in but the Democrats could care less (the gaurds are the democrats).

frankly undermine your credibility. It makes it easier to dismiss some of your legitimate arguments, as the ravings of someone with bigger issues.

I never bought the game (rented), one.

Two, I was simply drawing a political example to where you simply can't argue that I am wrong.

Three, anyone who doesn't understand that giving high ratings to a bad game ultimately hurts them IS a noob.

You don't seem to understand the meaning of why I say what I say. This game may be alright, but it is getting 100's by almost all the players. The game company that made this product translates that into a successful project (Assassins Creed) and will thus make another piece of crap. This game deserves maybe a good 70, that's it. I am tired of overrated games. You take my tone too seriously, as if I am getting worked up over this. Could it be my choice of words? I am being dramatic as if I would talk in person.

Comments like:

quote:

You need to relax, though. I'm afraid you're going to get a sub arachnoid hemorrhage.

It's obvious you are exaggerating to an extreme, just like I was exaggerating to an extreme when I drew the political example that you dislike so much.

In my opinion, that is an attack at me personally, which shows that you are offended which makes YOUR credibility voided.

Don't get so worked up, my friend!

quote:

Originally posted by OneShot:

anyone who doesn't understand that giving high ratings to a bad game ultimately hurts them IS a noob.

And with this use of the word noob, you lose any shred of credibility in my book.

Perfectly willing to discuss pros and cons.. in fact, I enjoy it.

But when someone starts describing people as noobs?

Ah well, the internet is for everyone I guess. On to Mass Effect for me...

The only reason I used the terminology "noob" is because of one simple reason. I was quoting another individual:

quote:

However, your stridency, your implications that anyone who doesn't agree with you is some kind of n00b, and comments like this

Said by our good friend kendocubano himself. So please direct all flames to him.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: OneShot,

I dunno, my feelings for Assassin's Creed are very mixed. While it does some things right, it also puts its foot in its mouth a lot.

The Good
The atmosphere and graphical quality of this game are simply astounding. Sitting around in the kingdom doing absolutely nothing is a treat. Also, the combat system is very fluid, and becomes like second nature within the first few hours. The free-running and parkour nature of the climbing is a lot of fun, and just adds to the whole element of being an assassin.

The Bad
Unfortunately, there is a lot wrong with the game. For starters, while the graphics are beautiful, I have rarely stumbled upon a game with so many glitches and graphical snags. It seemed like I was passing through someone in the streets, or falling inexplicably every few minutes. Next, the gameplay is incredibly repetitive, to the point where I was tempted to just quit playing. Combat never grows challenging, only slightly more aggravating, and the missions are boring as watching paint dry, simply put. The story is absolute garbage, and may be the most pompous, overly-preachy storyline in any game in recent history. It never has any lateral movement, as our hero (the REAL one) only learns of the circumstances surrounding him, and at that, not that much about them. Finally, and I can't believe this is still an issue in 2007, but it is...you die when you hit water. I'm sorry, but that poor excuse for lax programming does not fly in this day and age of "next generation" gaming.

Overall, I enjoyed playing the game, but only because I rented it. Had I purchased it, I think I would be giving a much more bitter review, as this may be the most disappointing game in quite some time.

Final Score- 7.6/10

quote:

Originally posted by OneShot:
Two, I was simply drawing a political example to where you simply can't argue that I am wrong

(emphasis mine)

I think this speaks volumes.

The last thing I am interested in is getting into a flame war. But, if I were launching an ad hominen attack, I would have left no doubt in your mind.

You are, of course, welcome to your opinion. Enjoy, and adieu.

@ aschoftheclash

I completely agree with what you were saying. Though 7.6 is still a little higher than I would like to give it, it is much better than a flat out 100.

@ kendocubano

Is that an overly complicated way of saying that you would blow me away politically? If so... I welcome your opinion as well!

quote:

Originally posted by OneShot:
Two, I was simply drawing a political example to where you simply can't argue that I am wrong.

It may seem cool to spew out indoctrination in the hopes of sounding triumphant, but all it does is serves as a red flag of your lack of knowledge of the issues relating to immigration and your scornful, wrongheaded dismissal of the ideologies of, I'll understate, 40% of the U.S. population (about 120 million people).

It's fine to have your own opinion, but using that as a springboard to (wrongly) criticize others isn't.

That's all I have to say. Adx

Oh well Mr. Sinister if I am so wrong, why are you so offended? Did you ever think for a second that I have more knowledge than you, and that you were wrong? I can't even understand what you are talking about. Who is 40% of the U.S. population? Lastly, I don't care if your offended because you are Democrat (if that is what you are proclaiming to be, because I can't even understand what you are saying).

Now I will sound official by doing this:

That's my response. OneShot

OneShot,

I'd say that a less aggro approach would have had everyone singing your praises. Your details were abundant, to say the least. For the most part they are right on the money and I agree with you. At the same time, I agree with the others.

Unfortunately, even if you don't mean to, you come across like a pompous SOB. It's the argument against intimidation: "if you think this way about [blank], there's something wrong with you", trying to make people second-guess themselves (even if you don't realise you are doing this) instead of sharing respectful opinions.

I rented and played AC for about 2 hours. I don't feel the urge to continue with it. I think I've seen it all. That said, for two hours I thought the graphics were stellar, the environment was great and the actions were fun to perform (even though I could picture them becoming monotonous in a few hours).

You're right that Ubisoft can feel satisfied in having "one of the highest rated games of the year" and that it is a bad thing. Hopefully, the individuals who made the game won't let it get to their head and will attempt to fix their shortcomings in the future.

Again, OneShot, you may have given the review of the year if you hadn't acted like an immature boy, who is likely between the ages of 15 - 20. If you are open to it, you will learn. We all have to at some point. You have all the signs of a smart kid who doesn't know how to deal with people.

quote:

Originally posted by Il Mago:
OneShot,


I rented and played AC for about 2 hours. I don't feel the urge to continue with it. I think I've seen it all. That said, for two hours I thought the graphics were stellar, the environment was great and the actions were fun to perform (even though I could picture them becoming monotonous in a few hours).

You're right that Ubisoft can feel satisfied in having "one of the highest rated games of the year" and that it is a bad thing. Hopefully, the individuals who made the game won't let it get to their head and will attempt to fix their shortcomings in the future.

On one level you have seen it all, on another I did find the story enjoyable enough to keep on going - though that is a matter of taste, I can accept others don't.

The comparisons with Crackdown are valid... in fact the structure is very similar indeed. I did not finish Crackdown. (I may have if I did not have other great games to play). But I feel AC is worth the journey - a) it is not actually that long. b) the flavour is so great, IMO.

I am coming from a different direction on the reviews, I suppose. I agree scores are inflated in general, to the point of becoming a little meaningless.

But I also feel that innovative games deserve a slightly inflated score, to encourage gamemakers to try new things. This IS a new thing - parkour in the Holy Land? Awesome.

I can overlook the repetition because I actually did not repeat that much... I did the minimum investigations for each mission, and so they did not feel too burdensome.

I did enjoy climbing the towers for the views though... this game had a strong 'just one more thing before going to bed' element...

In that I was a little reminded of Sid Meier's pirates game. Very repetitive, but stayed fun for me pretty well all the way through. I really did not mind the roof gardens etc... I thought they worked fine.

Here is what this game could have done better IMO -

a) Swimming would have been nice. I can live without it though. I enjoyed throwing people in the drink.

b) The powers you gained could have been more meaningful... you basically had what you needed after about three assassinations. I did like the combat, all said and done.

c) Nighttime would have been nice. I like daytime settings more in general, but a few night missions would have mixed it up a bit.

d) More could have been done with the Kingdom... I would have liked more interaction with armies preparing for war.

e) The flags felt undeveloped... although they probably took a leaf out of Crackdown's orbs for that.

f)Competing with other assassin's might have been fun. And more of a sense of plot-related reward for completing certain informant tasks.

g) More pickpocketing options could have been interesting...

All that said and done, I feel I got my $60 worth. I won't be going back too often to it, probably, but I certainly hope Ubisoft continues to push the boundaries of types of gameplay.. and don't want them to be discouraged. I applaud what they did.

I envisage a similar game in ancient Rome, Athens and Alexandria... or today in London, Paris and Tokyo. (New York has been done enough). Sky's the limit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MarkT,

Well I finally looked at what the game got and it got an 83. That sounds reasonable to me and is about the enjoyment I am getting out of it.

Mark T, a well thought out, and reasonable assessment of the game. I agree with virtually everything so said.