After gigabytes of trailers featuring the lovely Jade Raymond walking us through various aspects of the game, commercial spots with Massive Attack’s “Teardrop” building towards assassination, and endless speculation about they game’s sci-fi twist (including one major slip from Katie Bell), Assassin’s Creed is finally here. Yet despite all this hype and gamers worldwide holding their breath for AC’s release date, many are keeping their wallets in the back pocket and reviews are mixed. Through all this confusion, the question on everyone’s mind is: Does Assassin’s Creed live up to the hype? In a word: yes.
Graphically, Assassin’s Creed is one of the most gorgeous 360 games I have seen thus far. Though impossible to directly compare due to levels of lighting, scenery differences, and time period, Marcus Fenix should really watch his back for the white hooded, 9-fingered assassin. Whether standing atop a view point in downtown Damascus or diving through a merchant stand in Acre, this game is outright gorgeous. Ubisoft Montreal put a great deal of time into historical accuracy for the 3 cities you will explore. Detail is put into every aspect of the city, and though the citizens are a bit less fluid that Altair, the consistent stream of AI teaming the streets
immerses you in a world thousands of years in the past. With the climbing mechanism being one of the major selling points for Creed, Ubisoft Montreal was sure to polish every outcropping so that it blended perfectly with the scenery. I found myself stopping at times halfway up a spire in Damascus simply to marvel at the fact that Altair’s fingers were actually wrapped around a small circular flourish on the railing. Comparing Creed’s climbing mechanism to that of Crackdown is a sin, but Creed is a Crackdown on crack when it comes to climbing. I spent hours climbing every view point available to me, and for all of my main assassination targets I made an effort to always attack from above because it made me feel like a true assassin. While Ubisoft Montreal may not have fully realized the potential for various aspects of Creed, climbing was one area that they straight nailed on the head.Creed’s sound quality does not meet the same bar as its visuals, but it does a pretty good job. Voice acting is typically very well done, and helps further immerse you in the environment. Crusader guards speak a mix of French, English, and German when you pass by which deserves a few golf-claps to Ubisoft Montreal for continuing their historical accuracy into the auditory realm. The actor playing Altair speaks in an American accent, making him stand out from the rest of the voice acting in this game, but this is not a negative. The twist of the game is (yes, I will spoil it because it is unveiled within the first 2 minutes of the game) that you are actually in modern day, and since our genetic code holds all memories of our ancestors, two scientists are having you relive the exploits of Altair in order to gain a single vital memory. With the plot twist being that you are simply trying to relive a memory, it makes complete sense that Altair would retain his real-life accent and perpetually reminds us that we are in a memory.
While a musical soundtrack is virtually absent, this would be ok if the background noise had a bit more variety. Merchants tell citizens over and over to take a look at their wares, citizens say the same 4 lines when they see you climbing a wall, (my favorite being, “He is going to hurt himself, and when he does I am not going to help him”) and Citizen Saves (a side mission) always result in the same appreciative response that you are unable to bypass. Overall, Ubisoft Montreal does a good job offering up this Middle Eastern environment but a bit of variety in the voice acting and background noises could have taken this game to a whole new level.While the side quests can keep you busy for hours in a GTA-esque fashion, Creed is ultimately a story driven game. Creed developers called this a “flower box” concept versus the typical “sandbox” that GTA invented. Their explanation behind this is while you can explore and investigate side missions, Ubisoft is ultimately guiding your path like a row of flowers in a box. In other words: limited exploration. For each assassination target, Altair must only gather 3 pieces of intelligence before being granted a feather on which to wipe the blood of his victim as proof of the kill. The player can choose to gather further intelligence before going after the main target, but these side missions serve no real assistance to the player. Citizen saves result in either Vigilantes who will block the path of pursuing guards or Scholars who you can use to blend in when being chased. While this is a great concept, I found myself rarely using these to my advantage. It is much easier to run across the roofs or take the guards head on than run through the streets looking for a group of Vigilantes. Players will often complete these side quests simply for the pleasure of full completion or just to pick a fight, but will probably not take advantage of the rewards they offer.
The last area where Creed shines is in its combat. Altair is a master assassin and, as such, is a master at all weapons. The combat viewed in the trailers leading up to release really is that good. I found myself picking fights with groups of 10 guards in order to fully explore the extent of what Altair can do. The most fun combat elements are by far counter attacks and combo kills. After successfully executing a counter attack, Creed flawlessly shifts into a cinematic element in which you watch Altair carry out one of his many counter attack moves. Attacks range from a swift punch to the gut, a kick to the knee and a knife in the top of a guard’s head as he folds to the ground from a broken leg, or a broadsword to the collar bone Rob Roy-style. The combo kill follows the same concept, in which Altair turns the momentum of his blocked sword swipe into a more creative killing blow. Whatever move Altair chooses to do, it will generally involve a lot of blood and seamless movement.
While Assassin’s Creed does not completely live up to the hype it had created, Ubisoft Montreal delivers on a game that will become a franchise. In a day when gaming innovation is deeply desired, Creed steps into the light with incredible visuals, a revolutionary fighting and climbing system, and historical accuracy that is rarely seen in gaming. Creed’s potential has not been fully realized in this first installment, but Ubisoft Montreal got enough right that a sequel should be well on its way. So to answer the question: Is having 9-fingers really that cool? If a 9-inch switchblade comes out from the gap, you bet your ass it is.
