Mountain Surfing

Assassin's Creed is a video game available for the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3. The game comes from the creators who worked on the Prince of Persia games. No one can question the quality of games from Ubisoft due to the release of games such as Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, and Prince of Persia. Assassin's Creed is Ubisoft's next installment of a game that has been in development for close to four years. The storyline in the game transpires in 1191 during the time when the nefarious Third Crusade tormented innocent civilians in Jerusalem. Here is where the role of the assassin come into play.

The protagonist in the game is Altair, and he just happens to be a skillful assassin. It is revealed to gamers that Altair was unsuccessful in eradicating Robert de Sable (Master of the Templar Knights). As a result, Altair is on a mission to recover his acclaim that he earned before he failed to eliminate Robert de Sable. Fortunately, Sinan (the leader of the Assassin's) extends an olive branch to Altair and gives Altair an opportunity to make amends for his past blunders. Sinan tells Altair to exterminate the men responsible for the Third Crusade and end the tyranny caused by these men. Consequently, Altair complies with Sinan's request and prepares himself to annihilate the Third Crusade. This is where players will begin playing Assassin's Creed. The game is definitely has an engrossing plot from beginning to end.

Let me get straight to the point: this game is brilliant. There are endless possibilities in the game. For example, you can jump from rooftop to rooftop to avoid detection. Conversely, this game also offers a much more conspicuous method to killing adversaries. The amount of freedom in Assassin's Creed is truly exemplary. Damascus, Acre, and Jerusalem are where the three major gameplay will occur. The majority of the gameplay will take place in three phases: phase one is the approach, phase two is the assassination, and phase three is the escape. In order to be successful in the game, all of the three phases of gameplay are mandatory. The approach is how well you premeditate for the assassination. This entails knowing the terrain and assessing the location of foes. The assassination is the actual killing of the target. This can be done in a clandestine manner or a visible technique. Sometimes Altair is left with no alternative but to be discernible. Other times he will have an option to execute a target surreptitiously.

Last but certainly not least is the escape. This is how proficiently you manage to flee from the scene of the assassination. Altair can knock down people and obstacles to elude the onslaught of opponents chasing him. All of the three phases are enjoyable and provide a great deal of depth to the gameplay. The versatility in the game is another element that really shines. Altair can pilfer information from strangers, protect pedestrians from being mugged, and slaughter guards. Furthermore, there are optional side missions that are available. There are a grand total of nine core objectives in the game, and they all start in a similar fashion. Climbing to the very top of buildings to scan the area is pivotal. If anyone is pondering whether or not getting back down is a vexing process, then the answer to that question is no.

Once Altair reaches an incredible height atop a building, he can dive straight down into an enormous pile of hay to break his fall. Even with all of the intricate maneuvers that Altair has in his arsenal, the controls are immensely accessible. Instead of having a jump button, there are simple action buttons that enable Altair to circumvent the surroundings. This is particularly useful when Altair is outnumbered and needs to get somewhere with ease. The game gives Altair the ability to complete objectives in various ways. For instance, climbing a wall or rushing through the front gate. One of the most unique gameplay mechanic is how Altair can use the crowd to his advantage. He can mesh with the people around him to keep a low profile and get from point A to point B. Nonetheless, attempting to blend in with the crowd does have its consequences. If you do something out of the ordinary, then the people will react accordingly and attention will be drawn to you. The combat in the game is fairly challenging and entertaining. Do not expect to just pulverize enemies (ala God of War) because Altair attacks can be blocked.

The best course of action is from counterattacks. Precise timing is needed to perfect an instantaneous one hit counterattack kill. These counterattacks are not implausible, but they do require some skill to master. They work in a similar way the counterattack system in Heavenly Sword. The fight sequences are realistic, and Altair will be going up against formidable adversaries. With that said, they also act exactly in that same manner. Some guards will run away from Altair, and other guards will taunt Altair. It varies for each guard; they all have different personalities and mannerisms. There are four weapons Altair has at his disposal: a long sword, a short sword, throwing knives, and a hidden blade. A long sword is the primary weapon that does a fair amount of damage. The short sword gives Altair a chance to attack swiftly with little damage. Throwing knives are incorporated to dispose of enemies from afar. This is especially useful when Altair is on a rooftop. The hidden blade is utilized mostly for a one hit assassination. You can easily switch the weapons you have equipped because they are all mapped to the directional pad. In addition, Altair can use his fists for interrogating people.

The graphics in the game are stunning. All of the characters in the crowd have their own distinctions and look different. The architecture looks significantly well represented. The animations are remarkable: everything from falling down to jumping look spotless. There are even beggars who will implore you for some money. The audio in this game is absolutely spectacular. Sounds of swords clashing against each other is gratifying. The voice acting is superb. Every line of dialogue is extraordinarily delivered. Gamers will also hear the sound of people bantering with each other in the crowd and birds chirping in the distance. The only lingering flaw with the game is the artificial intelligence of the enemies. Sometimes they will act like blind squirrels trying to look for you. Overall, there is no doubt that this game is Ubisoft's best game. Ubisoft has a knack for creating amazing video games, and Assassin's Creed is no exception to that rule.

Final Verdict: 9.3 out of 10

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