“Elegantly presented, the best I've seen so far”

In the month before Christmas we find ourselves rushing around frantically, trying to fulfil our loved ones wishes of presenting them with the perfect gift. It is also during this time that we see the release of many gaming platforms and in the year of 2007 Ubisoft Montreal delivered to the world Assassin's Creed (released 16th November 2007), a stealth-action epic set to take the gaming world by storm.

Set during the Third Crusade, Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360, PS3, DS) relays the tale of an elite group of assassin's ever known to set foot on the Holy Land. In having bathed in all its glory, the Creed experience is said to be like no other you've ever experienced and graphically takes ones breath away. With the anticipation of Ubisoft’s medievalist creation well and truly over with, we look into whether the game has in fact lived up to its media hype and whether its gameplay is still as compelling as when it was first released.

Graphics and Presentation  

When I first laid eyes on the games intro it was hard to put into words just what it was I was seeing. Not only was I hypnotised by its riveting colour scheme depicting 1191 AD but also by the sheer ingenious one must possess in successfully executing such complex scenery and inter-woven narrative such as that found in Assassin's Creed.

With the introduction setting the scene, you eagerly await for the game to begin, so it's quite surprising that when the game finally does commence; it's hazy, out of focus and somewhat puzzling. As instructions appear on the screen advising you of the control set-up and faint voices gradually get louder, your screen becomes even more hazed.

Finally the screen goes through what can only be described as a kind of time warp, bringing you into the present day of 2012. Here you learn of your assassin ancestors and of the scientists wanting the genetic gene carrying the memories of which your ancestors have passed down and its genetic instructions. What I also found to be great are the graphical glitch effects, which at first glance make you think there's something wrong with your own TV.

Sound

Sound play throughout the game effectively matches up with the medieval scenery that has so vividly been presented. Its sounds and images work so well together that you actually feel at times as though you're witnessing history in the making. From selective sound effects to overly voiced characters, its beauty artistically fits the mould and sets new standards to gaming sound play.

Gameplay

The historical tale begins with you playing the role of Altair (an assassin of the Creed), who after failing to dispose of the Templar leader and recovering the Templar treasure is himself disposed off for going against the Creed. To our dismay, Altair awakens with the chance of redeeming his wrong doings and putting things right. Sinan (leader of the assassins) strips Altair of his rankings, so that he may prove himself worthy and orders the swift elimination of all who seek to gain from the disruption created by the Third Crusade. From here the plot thickens, the pieces slowly gather and the action is few and far between.

Now, if you’re expecting Assassin's Creed to be a fast-paced shoot-em-up kind of game then you'd be wrong, however its impressive gameplay does allows for fluid mobility in both the controls and characters, as the control mechanics are truly amazing and the button configuration fully explained. With Altair being able to climb and jump on just about everything and anything, your wide scope of interaction with this surprisingly lifelike world is limitless and if you choose to free run across the many rooftops, you will find it to be very entertaining to say the least.

You do find however, as you delve deeper and deeper behind the games compelling story, two significant elements stand out the most, the stunning graphics and the formidable fluentness of the controls. As you go from mission to mission, these intertwined components only seem to get stronger and more favourable as you go along, making these the core ingredients that seem hold everything about this game in place.

There are minor quibbles to be had with the game understandably as no matter how strong or deep the storyline is, the game staggeringly unravels at a rather slow pace. The majority of the missions also make you feel as though you’ve been there and done that all before but if we’re honest this can be said about most of the games we encounter. What I find to be slightly annoying in the gameplay personally is having to go back and report to Sinan (Creed Leader) before you can move on to the next stage.

Now, as silly as this may be, it can become rather quite tedious in having to repeatedly ride your horse back and forth all the time. I myself prefer to play a game that’s not so easily in the habit of altering my flow of adrenaline, although mastering the art of stealth did however help to make up for it. Every inch of this game oozes character, from the fillers in the background to the unique individuals in which you come into contact with has all been thoroughly thought out.

The scope of the game and the world in which it resides can be somewhat monumental to some but as you gradually come to grips with things, it really isn’t all that bewildering as one might have first thought. From my standpoint, Assassin’s Creed is truly a spectacular piece of artwork, one that ultimately deserves our respect and praise but as with most pieces of art, the work is never really done and can always, in some way or another, be refined.

Closing Comments

At the beginning of this review I asked the question as to whether Assassin’s Creed measured up to its Media hype and whether its gameplay is still as compelling as when it was first released. Although I hate to admit it, the game respectfully did live up to its fame and there is room for improvement when concerning missions and the overall game play. In regards to it being as coercive as when you first played the game, my answer would have to be yes.

My best advice however would be to allow some lengthy gaps in between Mission structure and various gameplay elements in order to sustain a sense of newness throughout the game. For those of you who still don’t have this game in your collection I would recommend you go out and buy Assassin’s Creed preferably sometime before 20th November 2009 (the release of Assassin’s Creed II) and experience the power of the Assassin for yourself, for the Creed doesn’t always play by its rules.

Stephanie Grant