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Preamble: This isn't a review. It doesn't contain critical analysis, just the subjective opinions of one person. The intent is to remember the games I've come across in my life and share the nostalgia, nothing more. And some of those games I didn't play in great depth.
I really didn't enjoy this game, so I don't have a lot of detailed explanation about the game mechanics. I'd be interested to hear from someone who did enjoy it, as I know a lot of people did. For me, this game is a lesson about how important the start of a game is. Too many cut-scenes, too much back-story can make a game so un-enjoyable at the start that a player won't even give it a chance (as I did). It's up to game designers to make the backstory interactive. Cut-scenes are the death of gaming unless they're used well, and even then, I think 99% of the time they could be replaced with something that the player can actually interact with.
Assassin's Creed
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal, Gameloft, Griptonite Games
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2007
Stephen's Rating: 4/10
![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L3yel8yRffE/TsQ-B7u-9iI/AAAAAAAAAjc/9nDjYuMqtcw/s320/Assassin%2527s_Creed.jpg)
Assassin's Creed is a sci-fi third person assassination/stealth and action game.
Basic Plot
The game revolves around the idea of re-living ancestral memories. You play the role of Desmond Miles, a descendant of a long line of assassins. Using a device called the Animus he is forced to re-live his ancestral memories so that the Abstergo corporation can locate ancient artifacts.
A lot of the game involves playing in an ancestral memory as one of Desmond's ancestors.
![[image loading]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nTBn4yZz3CY/TsQ-GsGB1XI/AAAAAAAAAjk/Db9tbfjn_LQ/s320/assassins-creed-20070822012021815.jpg)
Scouting out a city from above.
Gameplay
The game involves Desmond living out actions as his ancestors following certain rules which keep "synchronization".
The game plays out in the third person and involves stealth and parkour. There are both active combat phases as well as stealth and non-combat areas.
Positives
I appreciate that the game tried to do something a bit different. The story and theme were pretty strongly portrayed and it wasn't another mindless first person shooter.
![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HgL-wdV7p5M/TsQ-OqEMKnI/AAAAAAAAAjs/sbWz5IQDlNc/s320/monk-camouflage-3.jpg)
Blending in with the crowd.
Negatives
The game was overtly complicated and difficult to approach. I've played a lot of games all my life, but I still found myself getting confused and frustrated as I tried to get into the game and understand how to play.
There were way to many cutscenes at the start. By the time they were over I was already bored.
Essentially I see this game as Hitman disguised as something new and special, only Hitman delivers a much better gameplay experience and easier to get in to.
The whole concept... of reliving ancestral memories to find ancient artifacts... it's far fetched and something I just don't buy into.
Memorable Moments
I'm not saying this game is terrible. I am saying, it was terrible for me. In the hours I spent trying to get in to the game I didn't have any fun, it was more of a chore having to learn a million different huds and key combinations and trying to figure out what the story was trying to do. And I enjoyed Hitman 2 a lot, so it's not just this style of game. I think perhaps they were just trying to be a bit too fancy and it didn't come off.
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Try some of the newer ones! I thought they improved a lot on the original. This one was ridiculously boring imho, eventually it felt like the same old cycle of killing someone and then running away with little story or interesting stuff.
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I love all your ratings and reviews. I too thought Assassins Creed was mediocre, or bad even. It was pretty, yes, and had a unique theme, but I never found it fun to play. I was always wondering, why isn't this just a movie? Combat was shit, the plot line was convoluted, and the haystacks were too obvious, the enemy AI too dumb. Personally I thought this was a shittier version of Prince of Persia, having never played Hitman.
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Personally I thought this was a shittier version of Prince of Persia, having never played Hitman.
Couldn't agree more! Hitman 2 was great in that every mission was carefully crafted. Maybe a mansion, or a casino, or a nuclear plant. The mission always involved assassinating one or more targets, and the less additional people that died the better your score. What made it extra awesome was that you built up a stock of weapons in your garden shed as you went through the game, and were able to select the weapons you brought with you into subsequent missions. There were always several ways to win each level. A good example is the very first map where you have to enter a mansion, kill a man, take his car keys and escape. Right from the start there is a guy wandering past with a delivery of flowers who you can take out and replace, or there's a guard taking a piss behind a bush who you can also take out and steal the clothes from. I think there was also a van delivering food for the kitchen and you could stash all your weapons in the food boxes, enter the mansion, and pick them up later from the kitchen. Looking forward to reviewing that game in the near future.
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I played this game for tens of hours before realizing how boring and repetitive it was. It was when I was hunting down all the templars and searching for all the flags that I realized "why am I doing this? This isn't fun." That's when I quit.
I particularly hated the settings. All of the scenery was pretty dank and dreary save for Damascus, I think if I remember correctly. The other cities were so depressing to look at and I hated being there.
The combat wasn't too bad, but it was just soo easy. Guards were so easy to kill and were never a problem for me. The throwing knives were funny because they flew straight ahead with no attention to gravity from where you threw them.
Maybe when Assassins creed 3 comes out, I'll buy assassins creed 2. Sometimes I'm a game behind on some series. Bioshock comes to mind (but both those games rocked).
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On August 14 2012 08:04 DRTnOOber wrote:Show nested quote +Personally I thought this was a shittier version of Prince of Persia, having never played Hitman. Couldn't agree more! Hitman 2 was great in that every mission was carefully crafted. Maybe a mansion, or a casino, or a nuclear plant. The mission always involved assassinating one or more targets, and the less additional people that died the better your score. What made it extra awesome was that you built up a stock of weapons in your garden shed as you went through the game, and were able to select the weapons you brought with you into subsequent missions. There were always several ways to win each level. A good example is the very first map where you have to enter a mansion, kill a man, take his car keys and escape. Right from the start there is a guy wandering past with a delivery of flowers who you can take out and replace, or there's a guard taking a piss behind a bush who you can also take out and steal the clothes from. I think there was also a van delivering food for the kitchen and you could stash all your weapons in the food boxes, enter the mansion, and pick them up later from the kitchen. Looking forward to reviewing that game in the near future.
By saying Hitman 2, I take it that means you don't like Blood Money? Blood Money was as good if not better than Hitman 2. Although Hitman 2 kicked ass.
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By saying Hitman 2, I take it that means you don't like Blood Money? Blood Money was as good if not better than Hitman 2. Although Hitman 2 kicked ass.
I really liked Hitman Contracts but didn't get into Blood Money as much, although to be fair I didn't give it much of a chance. One thing that bothers me is that in Hitman 2 the story revolves around him being a somewhat rehabilitated man who actually doesn't want anything to do with the assassination business... although he gets drawn into it. And then in all the sequels it's like that is completely forgotten/ignored. I think I like Hitman 2 the most because of the opposition between what he has to do (kill people to get the information he needs), and what his character is like (really just wants to be left alone). That's interesting to me.
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Hmm, after reading this I'm inclined to play Hitman 2. Hope I can afford the time to.
To the seas!
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EPT
