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Xbox 360 | Action | Assassin's Creed

Boxart for Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed 62 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.75
  • SOUND: 4.75
  • CONTROL: 5.00
  • FUN FACTOR 5.00
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.6
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 5.0
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Hands-On: E3: Assassins Creed Hands-On Impressions

Hands-On by PapaFrog | 07/12/2007 | 21:38:29 PM PST

I stood on the top of one of the highest towers overlooking Jerusalem and surveyed the landscape of the sprawling city. The mist cleared out as an eagle circled above. I narrowly escaped the guards after assassinating a known slave trader and this was my moment of rest. This was the moment I began to understand the assassin's creed.

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After the brief time I spent playing Assassin's Creed on the Xbox 360 I walked away in awe, not only of the vastness in the size of the environment, one that is 15 times bigger than the one shown at last year's E3, but of the moral choices I had to make in my mission to assassinate the figure heads establishing what has come to be known as the Third Crusade.

Freedom of choice is the driving force in Ubisoft's upcoming action title. The majority of the game's story is still being kept under-wraps, but from what little of the game I played, it follows the story of an assassin named Altair. This story is moved along though missions that are laid out in three stages; discovering the identity and location of a target, hunting them down for the kill, and fleeing from the pursuing forces of the law and making it safely back to the assassin's bureau.

This part detective, part action/stealth, part free running game finds strength in choice. No two players are likely to complete a given task in the same way. One player may choose to climb up the side of a building to reach a target, while another may choose to directly assault guards, all that matters is the target is reached and eliminated. During the staged cut-scenes of the game, although it is hard to call them cut scenes as players always maintain control of the character and camera, a white light will flash prompting the player to push different buttons on the controller to change camera angles for extra story details making the game feel more like a movie.

This idea of choice is translated to the controls of the game as well. Players will remain in what is called a 'low-profile' stance where they will walk casually, and when bumping into NPCs will gently nudge them. Holding the right shoulder button down initiates a 'high-profile' stance causing players' movements to be more aggressive, shoving people and moving at a fast sprint. This is where the game truly shines.

While in a high-profile stance players can hold down the A button on the controller and begin free-running. Altair will run up walls, along wooden beams, and along whatever obstacle is in his way. The entire city of Jerusalem becomes a playground where there is almost no place that cannot be reached. When fleeing guards this is especially useful as they implement a dynamic chase AI. Though they cannot free run, they will work to find different ways to intercept and cut off escape routes.

The overwhelming freedom is also the game's biggest flaw at the moment. There are so many places to go and interact with that at times it was hard to complete a desired action. There were times when I wanted to run across the ledge of a building and instead I ended up scaling the wall and found myself stuck.

All in all, Assassin's Creed is one of those games where watching a trailer or live demonstration just doesn't do it justice. You really have to get in there and experience the magic to truly appreciate the potential of Assassin's Creed.


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