Assassin's Creed

Available on: Xbox 360, PS3, and PC
Played it on: Xbox 360
Approximate Playtime: 25 hours

RATING: 8/10

To be honest, it's hard to pin down a definite feeling on Assassin's Creed. I think the biggest attractive part of this game is its potential. As a game that's the foundation for a franchise, this is actually a much more important factor than many give it credit for, and while there were many aspects of this game that needed a ton of work, it's the vastly wide open possibilities that really make Assassin's Creed what it is.

The hero, Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, is a member of an organization known simply as the Assassins, who were a group of skilled warriors fighting the invasion of the Knights Templar into the Holy Land in the twelfth century. That in and of itself carries a lot of intrigue. However, also tie that with Altair's inner journey from an arrogant warrior to a calm master, and with the fact that all of Altair's journey is chronicled inside the head of the modern main character Desmond Miles, and that's a recipe for one groundbreaking tale. The story narrative switches between that of Desmond, who is held captive by the modern Templars, Abstergo Industries, and the memories of Altair that are unlocked from Desmond's DNA by a machine called the Animus. The player is never told what Abstergo wants from Desmond, only that it can be found inside his head, and as soon as it's found, Desmond will be disposed of. This writing creates a fascinating and dynamic parallel between Desmond and his Saracin ancestor, both of whom are being used as tools in a war they do not fully understand. This narrative style is both helped and hindered by the game itself.

The mechanics of the game are great on paper. Freely run around Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus with the central hub of Masyaf acting as a base of operations between contracts. Help citizens to gain allies, spy to gain information, and ultimately kill nine powerful men who are at the head of the Knight's Templar. But these elements aren't very well optimized into the actual playing experience. Walking around as an extremely intelligent spy who supposedly can disappear in a crowd and gain information unnoticed seems like it would be challenging and fun, but the running controls aren't terribly good when in a chase, blending in is impossible, and most of the game results in Altair running around on rooftops killing guards while occasionally dropping down for a mission or two when he's cleaned his dagger off. The nine story missions are very copy-pasted, aside from the actual assassinations themselves, which each offer a little bit of difference and challenge, ultimately culminating in a fight in which Altair will need all of his skills. Original? Not incredibly.

But what the game lacks in flow, it gains back in intrigue. Every one of the people Altair is hired to kill actually historically died as a probable result of murder, making this repetitive game a rather believable one. The plot and dialog with Altair and fellow assassins, and especially with the members of the Templar, start to make Altair question himself and his actions, and seek more definitive answers about his quest. Regardless of the repetitive nature of the missions themselves, the player is compelled to complete the game simply because of the writing. It's a fascinating storyline, and that's the bottom line.

And again, this game veritably drips with potential. The Animus could explore any time period, providing material for virtually infinite games to continue the series and improve their quality. Granted, Desmond can't have infinite ancestors, but he doesn't have to be the main modern character in all the games. The combat and blending systems could both use some significant work, but because of that previously mentioned availability for sequels, the mechanics have plenty of room to improve. More than anything else, Assassin's Creed is a springboard for a series with amazing amounts of potential.