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Assassins Creed
Duration/Variety: 8
Gameplay: 8
Story/Pacing: 8
Visual Quality: 10
Sound Quality: 8
Impression: 10
8.3
I was really wary of trying Assassins Creed (even though I got it the day it hit the streets).
I have played a lot of Ubi Soft games in the past, have worked with UBI during the development of Far Cry, and I must say I had some serious reservations about the game as it was advertised.
Not because the idea did not sound exciting - because it absolutely did!
There is no other publisher in the world today that can nail a premise, an atmosphere and an art style, tie it all together and create the most appealing piece of trailer candy - like UBI Soft.
Often times, though, they fail to deliver on the most important aspect - the gameplay.
And I LOVED everything about what Assassins Creed promised it would be. So much so that I was worried that the game cannot possibly match what I built up in my head, so I assumed it would completely pale in comparison. And guess what - it didn't pale at all. Obviously it was not everything I wanted, but it was damn close. Altair will go down in history as a really iconic character, but one that is not forced into a tight role that serves nothing else but to advance some contrived story - like for example the Prince of Persia.
Altair is the epitome of game freedom, because there is no barrier for him in the Assassins Creed world.
The environment navigation, and the ease with which it is performed was a stroke of genius. I want to get up there - screw the complicated puzzles - just run towards it holding a single key on the controller. The developers correctly understood that this game was not about environmental navigation, but could not be as cool as it is without a flawless implementation of such an interaction. The game is about what you do when you get to where you are going, and in that aspect lies its inevitable flaw - inevitable because if it was also done correctly, this game would have achieved perfection. In the intent to make getting there as cool and effortless for the player, the developers forgot to put the same time and energy into WHAT you actually do when you get there. So you are relegated to menial tasks once you are at your objective.
Some people can't look that over, so Assassins Creed got mixed reviews. I couldn't care less about it - I had too much fun collecting flags, climbing lookout points high over the city, and saving citizens from the oppression of their police. You are reading a review from a guy who never used the teleportation feature of this game, and instead slowly rode from city to city, looking behind every corner for templars or patrols, or simply enjoyed the countryside. The quality of the game world was so high, I actually advanced the story line purely incidentally, because a flag would be nearby or something. I did not feel let down by the conclusion also, if anything I was happy I have more sequels to look forward to.
In other words - applause to you, UBI. You have completely impressed me, and proved a prediction of mine as completely wrong. My hat is off to you guys, and I look forward to more games like this.
And I LOVED everything about what Assassins Creed promised it would be. So much so that I was worried that the game cannot possibly match what I built up in my head, so I assumed it would completely pale in comparison. And guess what - it didn't pale at all. Obviously it was not everything I wanted, but it was damn close. Altair will go down in history as a really iconic character, but one that is not forced into a tight role that serves nothing else but to advance some contrived story - like for example the Prince of Persia.
Altair is the epitome of game freedom, because there is no barrier for him in the Assassins Creed world.
The environment navigation, and the ease with which it is performed was a stroke of genius. I want to get up there - screw the complicated puzzles - just run towards it holding a single key on the controller. The developers correctly understood that this game was not about environmental navigation, but could not be as cool as it is without a flawless implementation of such an interaction. The game is about what you do when you get to where you are going, and in that aspect lies its inevitable flaw - inevitable because if it was also done correctly, this game would have achieved perfection. In the intent to make getting there as cool and effortless for the player, the developers forgot to put the same time and energy into WHAT you actually do when you get there. So you are relegated to menial tasks once you are at your objective.
Some people can't look that over, so Assassins Creed got mixed reviews. I couldn't care less about it - I had too much fun collecting flags, climbing lookout points high over the city, and saving citizens from the oppression of their police. You are reading a review from a guy who never used the teleportation feature of this game, and instead slowly rode from city to city, looking behind every corner for templars or patrols, or simply enjoyed the countryside. The quality of the game world was so high, I actually advanced the story line purely incidentally, because a flag would be nearby or something. I did not feel let down by the conclusion also, if anything I was happy I have more sequels to look forward to.
In other words - applause to you, UBI. You have completely impressed me, and proved a prediction of mine as completely wrong. My hat is off to you guys, and I look forward to more games like this.