Assassin's Creed Review

[tmeacham]

Review written by Rob Wright.

Ubisoft's ambitious title recreates the Crusades and 12th Century Middle East with gorgeous graphics and a rich story. But poor gameplay and frustrating repetition shatter the bold vision of Assassin's Creed.

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2007/12/06/assassins_creed_review/

 

[dmacfour]

Everyone here in the dorms is going crazy about how cool this game is. I haven't played it, but can tell from what I've see others playing that the gameplay would annoy the crap out of me. On another note this game reminds me a lot of Prince of Persia in a more realistic setting.

 

[RedPhoenix]

wow 5.5?
i have the game and understand that some repetition occurs but most games are like that and i did stop playing after few hours
but also when i started playing i could not stop!
and after a couple a days i play some more.
and it looks real nice in dream mode any way , when he is awake plz very bad enviroment.
gameplay and story is nice, and its cool to get new weapons and regain the trust in our "gang" of assasins lol
people out there , take it from Rafael
try this game , ok its a vey poor Oblivion or Thief , and i mean very poor but its also new and different and in no way 5.5 even if the ending is that bad is see later. its still fun to play and easy to find objectives because god dam i hate looking all over for hours to find what i need to do.

peace all gamers and ill rate this latter but for now 7.5
just my opinion but if all are getting tired of the same old thing with better grafics as me
at least lets try to promote attemps to make something new so the sequel is possible and maybe give us that extra the game needs!
But realy 5.5 wow... i can hardly write...

 

[jwclark]

"It became apparent that the third assassination mission was going to be almost exactly the same as the second one (and the first, for that matter)."
It kind of reminds me of MMO's, except instead of only a few repetitive missions, MMO's have days and days of game play filled with repetitive missions(the hunting quests in stranglethorn vale anyone? or was that Nagrand?). Maybe that's why the repetitive missions on assassins creed didn't really bother me. I thought the game was great.

 

[Adon]

"Muslim Assassin" ?!?? are you sure you didnt mean to say Suicide bomber..... geez man, the Hashashins were not Muslim, they were a mixed sect of various religions where obviously Islam played the most important role, but they werent Muslim

 

[justinmcg67]

I agree with the review. I'd compare this game to the Gran Theft Auto series. It's the same thing over and over and over; and while they have their moment, it's just to repetitive to be considered "fun" in my eyes.

The game is amazing though looking from a story line perspective. I LOVE the idea of an Assassin who takes on the Crusaders. Brilliant idea, and I think they did a good job at that. While I personally feel the sci-fi aspect of it is a bit far fetched, I won't say it's bad.

I think Ubisoft will take a lot from this game, all the pros and cons, put it all together, and create the sequel to it, and THAT is the one that will blow people's minds. Kind of like Splinter Cell. As I recall the first in the series was good, but could be improved upon, but Pandora Tomorrow was just a much better version (to me at least). I think Assassin's Creed is going to be similar to that series, in the terms of learning from your mistakes and than designing a sequel that will be fantastic.

 

[robwright]

"Muslim Assassin" ?!?? are you sure you didnt mean to say Suicide bomber..... geez man, the Hashashins were not Muslim, they were a mixed sect of various religions where obviously Islam played the most important role, but they werent Muslim

I'm quite sure I didn't mean suicide bomber, and I take issue with your insulting remark, sir. At no point in my review did I politicize the story or the religious themes of Assassin's Creed. In fact, I saluted Ubisoft for crafting a bold story with a main character who is Arabic, which could have been viewed by some as controversial. So I'm not really sure what your point is.

Altaiir is an assassin and he is Muslim (at least half Muslim, according Ubisoft). And as far as the Hashshashin are concerned, I can only go off the research I've done on the subject. Here's an excerpt of that research from Encyclopedia Brittanica:

Arabic Hashshash , plural Hashshashin in Middle Eastern and Asian history, any member of the Nizari Isma'ilites, a religiopolitical Islamic sect dating from the 11th to the 13th century and known, in its early years, for murdering its enemies as a religious duty.

 

[baba264]

The Hashashins are muslims though not of the main muslim sect. The are all part of the Isma'ili sect, which as a slightly different interpretation of the Coran (much as christians can be seperated in anglican, orthodox, catholics ect...).

If you are interested on more informations on that subject, please check this webpage :
http://ismaili.net/mirrors/26_alamut/alamut.htm

On a side note, if the subject of Hashashins really does interest you, I highly recommend the book Alamut by Vladmir Bartol, an historical novel that recounts the birth of the first Hashashins and of the old man on the mountain :
http://www.amazon.com/Alamut-Vladimir-Bartol/dp/1556436815/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197021890&sr=8-1

 

[Busto963]

LOL. Looking to "Kingdom of Heaven" to try and figure out what is going on is not going to give you much insight into what went on during the Crusades either. It was a good yarn, but the story line was totally ficticious (not to mention impossible).

Too bad Ubisoft did not see fit to at least put the story in context, although I would not be suprized if the series storyline ends with the Illuminati being responsible for the Crusades! :lol:

 

[dsavercool]

I was warned a few weeks after it was released that it was a rental, so I picked up a Gamefly subscription to give this game a shot. I couldn't read your entire review because it seemed to be a bit revealing of the story elements, as I'm only on the 5th assassination mission, but I am having a fun time playing it. The game is so gorgeous, the only qualm I have with the game is the way they are progressing this story. Right now I am at a point in the game where I don't know what's going on in the 2012 world still, and there is a lot of mystery there, where in the old world it is as you say a very repetitive mission after similar mission campaign that leaves me feeling like I'm in the middle of some conspiracy and that I'm being used; but frankly, I don't really care about it because there really isn't any context. So I find myself more curious about this future world story when the entire game is really in the old world.. This game could have been ingenious had they given me incentive to care about both characters. Repetitive gameplay can always be played through and enjoyed if it gets you to a nice chunk of the next part of a very intriguing story. I just don't find that as strongly here, hence why it is taking me several days to beat it.

Maybe it is because I play MMOs that I can handle and enjoy repetitive games. (WoW, UO.. etc..)

 

[rmse17]

Oh man, that feeling you talked about in the review, well I just got it from just reading the review. I was really looking forward to playing this game when it finally gets released for the PC (I don't do consoles). Dang, that really sucks. Maybe they will fix the glitches before it is released, but I am sure they aren't going to change major design aspects like mission variety and level redesign.

I guess I will have to stick to Crysis/SupCom/S.T.A.L.K.E.R./X3 for my gaming addictions

 

[NightbladeXX]

thanks for a real unbiased review of the game, too many magazines now-a-days seem like they're in the pockets of the developers

 

[llama_man]

Ditto. When I first heard about it, I was gutted it wasn't going to be on PC. Now I don't mind at all. Back to replaying Hitman and Thief...

PS Does anyone know if there are any plans to do a third NOLF game?

 

[Grub]

Rob,

Thank you for your honest appraisal of Assasin's Creed. I am a PC gamer exclusively. Howewver, I have been considering purchasing a console due to the media extender/blu ray incentives coupled with the fact that itr seems more and more games are being released only to consoles. However, being a father of 3, amrried, and a responsible adult, I have to carefully budget my gaming time and money. I don't have much time for gaming, so it is very important for me to spend as much of it as I can playing the best content. I rely on reviews to help me with my purchasing decisions, and there have been quite a few media outlets that have praised Assassin's Creeds virtues while offering no negative feedback whatsoever. In my view, this is poor journalism at best, and in the worst cases (as can be seen in the recent GamespotGate hubbub) selling out. Thank you for your honest opinion, however dissappointing it may have been. Honesty in reporting of this kind realy does benefit everyone in the long run. Publishers will begin to demand better products from the developer, the gaming community will recieve a better quality product, and you will get a big, fat raise for your integrity (well, maybe not that last part). Thanks again, and keep up the good work.

Edit: By way of making my point:

From Gamespot:"The voice acting of the supporting cast is similarly remarkable. Conversations are completely believable and delivered with the perfect amount of solemn dignity. "

This amount of gushing prose can also be found in the worst preteen lifestyle magazines...its like someone produced a mash-up of THe last High School Musical "Expose'" and Gamespot's review. Yikes!

From THG :"Another dreadful part of the game involves the audio and voice acting; when a citizen is in trouble and in need of rescue, they regurgitate the same dialogue again and again, as do the harassing guards. There's little to no variety in this regard."

How much further apart can those two points of view be? I recognize the fact that this is a subjective field, but it doesn't even sound like THG and GS are talking about the same game. This discrepancy and others (there are many) make me have serious reservations about the Game reviews I see online. I would rather be disappointed by a review than be dissappointed by the $50.00 game I just purchased.

 

[tdubbers]

It's been a while since I've seen a game like this polarize both critics and players alike. I love the game, haven't put it down since I got it. Poor Ubisoft Montreal, they can't catch a break. Price of Persia - critics loved it, nobody bought it...Ok we'll dumb it down...rockin' soundtrack and a badass hero - critics hate it, gamers - meh... Ok we'll combine what the critics loved about PoP and Splinter Cell, sprinkle in some violence and beautiful scenery - reviews 5.5, 6.4, 9, 7....wtf

They just need to figure out how to make a game with a historically based, yet completely over the top theme combined with grit and violence for the adults and magic and wimsey for the kids. Maybe it could be a stealthy..actiony..adventure FPS set in historic France..with aliens of course.... focusing around Joan of Arc's secret mission to rid France of the invading Fraggles and send them back to Fragglerock...all of this occurring from the viewpoint of a modern day comedian...like Dane Cook....yeah that sounds like gold to me.

 

[dostanio]

"Muslim Assassin" ?!?? are you sure you didnt mean to say Suicide bomber..... geez man, the Hashashins were not Muslim, they were a mixed sect of various religions where obviously Islam played the most important role, but they werent Muslim

What wrong with you?? if you want to be ignorant dont be proud of it!!!, islam is free from terrorism and those who bomb them self in the name of islam! simply they are not muslim!!!, a verse in the quran says him who kills an innocent person is if though he killed whole mankind!!, SO how the "£*&*&£" can u make that comment in public? sorry man go increase ur knowledge, and dont make insulting comments!, because you wouldnt like it( i hope) if some one made an insulting comment on you. peace

 

[TenBeers]

Wow, Rob, you sound like you are in a bad mood! First off, let me say that I really enjoy your reviews and videos and we seem to have similar likes and dislikes. I sold probably 10 copies of TF2 to people that like modern-day team combat games like BF2 and COD4 and were very skeptical, and they all love it. TF2 is the most fun I have had in a long time.

But were you that disappointed in Assassin's Creed, really? I would agree that some things did seem to be repetitive, and if I was rushing through the game (not saying you did, but many times reviewers do), or just wasn't in the mood for this style of game, this probably would have bothered me more. Yes, the crowd voices can get repetitive and annoying, but the unique interactive dialog, in my opinion, was very well done. But I hate the !@#$ beggars.

This game isn't for everyone, but I think most people that are inclined to purchase it will enjoy it more than the 5.5 you gave it if they take their time, break things up and try different things: do some flag collecting, find the Templars, etc.

I think this is a love-it or hate-it game. Technically it is quite an achievement and is visually stunning, so most people will like that part. The gameplay is one of those things that you have to find a way to like, which I think I did, and would give it at least an 8.5 myself (I played the PS3 version in HD). At least I have a few good games for my PS3 now.

 

[bleair]

I agree 100% with the review. Great write up, and such a disappointment. The game has so much potential...

 

[dsavercool]

Ugh, when I posted my little tidbit I was still on the third part of the 4th Assassination memory, I am now on the 6th assassination memory and the repetitiveness of this game has me taking two-three day breaks between each mission. Mainly because now instead of killing one person per level, I have to kill two and three, which essentially means I have to do the same thing three times to get through to the story elements rather than one.

Summary of Assassins Creed: (Ascetics Aside)
Climb tower, hope for a little blip on your map.
Then do 3 or so of the following to progress:

Pick Pocket someone
Sit on a bench to eavesdrop
Kill two or so people for a fellow brother
or collect flags

The controls while intuitive become frustrating when you are fighting and miss the timing by a split second to dodge or counter.

That's the game for me so far up to the 6th Level - I still only really care about what is going on in the 2012 world and it takes about an hour+ of the aforementioned to glimpse at about 1 minute worth of information out of the future story plot line.

 

[Busto963]

What wrong with you?? if you want to be ignorant dont be proud of it!!!, islam is free from terrorism and those who bomb them self in the name of islam! simply they are not muslim!!!, a verse in the quran says him who kills an innocent person is if though he killed whole mankind!!, SO how the "£*&*&£" can u make that comment in public? sorry man go increase ur knowledge, and dont make insulting comments!, because you wouldnt like it( i hope) if some one made an insulting comment on you. peace

Hmmm, how many innocent Muslims were killed or tortured by other Muslims today in Iraq or Afghanistan?

I appreciate your point, but the response of moderate Muslims to fundamentalism and terrorism around the world is pretty muted and often is qualified. And there is no doubt that radical fundamentalist groups (Taliban, Hezbollah, AQI, Chechins) enjoy substantial support in the Islamic world.

It is also hard to overlook the lack of tolerance for other religions in the Muslim world (e.g. if you openly wear a cross in Saudi Arabia you go to jail - period, allow a child to call a teddy bear Muhammed in Sudan, you go to jail ...).

 

[robwright]

Hmmm, how many innocent Muslims were killed or tortured by other Muslims today in Iraq or Afghanistan?

I appreciate your point, but the response of moderate Muslims to fundamentalism and terrorism around the world is pretty muted and often is qualified. And there is no doubt that radical fundamentalist groups (Taliban, Hezbollah, AQI, Chechins) enjoy substantial support in the Islamic world.

It is also hard to overlook the lack of tolerance for other religions in the Muslim world (e.g. if you openly wear a cross in Saudi Arabia you go to jail - period, allow a child to call a teddy bear Muhammed in Sudan, you go to jail ...).

See, this is why I gave Ubisoft a lot of credit for making Assassin's Creed. It's so very easy for political/cultural/religious discussions to get messy.

Let's keep this discussion civil and on point, please. What do you say, guys?

 

[llama_man]

We say; Death to the Infidels!

Sorry, couldn't resist. I think the note in the Civ4 manual sums it up nicely -"we're game developers, not theologians."

 

[dostanio]

Hmmm, how many innocent Muslims were killed or tortured by other Muslims today in Iraq or Afghanistan?

I appreciate your point, but the response of moderate Muslims to fundamentalism and terrorism around the world is pretty muted and often is qualified. And there is no doubt that radical fundamentalist groups (Taliban, Hezbollah, AQI, Chechins) enjoy substantial support in the Islamic world.

It is also hard to overlook the lack of tolerance for other religions in the Muslim world (e.g. if you openly wear a cross in Saudi Arabia you go to jail - period, allow a child to call a teddy bear Muhammed in Sudan, you go to jail ...).

fair points, as a sudanese my self, i have to say that was very harsh for the women in sudan. it should of not been delt with it that way, informing the lady about the fact would simply be enough!. islam has it self a very bad name now! i totally agree, but lets not blame islam it self. if you want to judge a religion you do so by the means provided, in islam its the quran and the way the prophet mohammed pbuh practised islam. these are your 2 means,, you dont judge islam by some lunatics(minority of muslims) or by bad people who so called practise islam, and the thing with saudia arabia the way the live in most cases is just the culture of saudia arabia. like the fact that women cant drive, nowhere in islam does it say that etc..
cheers

 

[thorlos1974]

After trying to get registered to this forum, I managed to lose my entire post. Let me summarize by saying that your score is neither objective nor fair. It's FAR out of scope with the reviews from other sites and you apparently let your own expectations exceed a reasonable level. 5.5 puts this into a category of games that are simply unplayable - and this is nowhere near that bad. It's actually quite good and enjoyable. Your review sounds like a jaded reviewer who is short on time and patience. You need to consider a new line of work.

My esteem for Tom's gaming reviews has never been lower Rob. It's time to to take a step back, and maybe a break from this line of work to see if perhaps you are no longer capable of giving a fair and unbiased review.

I'm appalled at the number of people who will not even buy/rent this game because of your review. You have done a great disservice to the gaming community, and gaming in general. There is certainly room for improvement, but your review is so jaded and off-putting - you leave little encouragement or incentive for a company to try and improve upon a game. If the sales are lacking, it won't have a successor - and we can all thank you for that. To take such a wonderful and unique story and put such a negative spin upon it is selfish and short-sighted. Until I hear that you have submitted a more thoughtful review of this game, I will never subject myself to another of your pithy, depressing, and utterly worthless reviews.

Luckily for you, I already caught your GamespotGate monologue which actually had one salient point in the whole conversation. READ OTHER SITES' REVIEWS!!!

 

[robwright]

After trying to get registered to this forum, I managed to lose my entire post. Let me summarize by saying that your score is neither objective nor fair. It's FAR out of scope with the reviews from other sites and you apparently let your own expectations exceed a reasonable level. 5.5 puts this into a category of games that are simply unplayable - and this is nowhere near that bad. It's actually quite good and enjoyable. Your review sounds like a jaded reviewer who is short on time and patience. You need to consider a new line of work.

First, thanks for taking the time to register and post your thoughts, Thorlos, and I mean that sincerely. But I have to say, your comments are puzzling. You claim I am neither objective or fair, yet you suggest that I should have tailored my review of Assassin's Creed to fit what "other sites" are scoring the game. Is that objective? Hardly.

Second, I know that other gaming sites and critics have given this game high scores, even 10s. I vehemently disagree with their opinions, but that's what critics do -- they offer opinions. I'm not going to piggyback what other reviewers have written about this game if I don't believe it. That would be dishonest and would be an incredible disservice to the readers, wouldn't you agree?

Third, I never wrote that this game was unplayable. And a 5.5 in Tom's Games may not mean the same thing as other sites' scores. A 5 or 5.5 on Tom's Games means the game is about average, because if you use a numerical 1 to 10 scale correctly, then a 5 would be in the middle. Again, I never wrote that the game was unplayable or not worth playing. I said it was a rental and buyer's need to be warned about the repetitive nature of the game. And in fact, if you read the review, I went to great lengths to commend Ubisoft for coming up with an original premise, compelling story and excellent design. I don't believe that makes me jaded, impatient or unfair.

My esteem for Tom's gaming reviews has never been lower Rob. It's time to to take a step back, and maybe a break from this line of work to see if perhaps you are no longer capable of giving a fair and unbiased review.

I'm sorry you feel that way, especially since we haven't been reviewing games for all that long at Tom's Games. I encourage you to re-read (or read) the Assassin's Creed review again, because I think perhaps you're focusing on the score and not the rest of the review.

I'm appalled at the number of people who will not even buy/rent this game because of your review. You have done a great disservice to the gaming community, and gaming in general. There is certainly room for improvement, but your review is so jaded and off-putting - you leave little encouragement or incentive for a company to try and improve upon a game.

I'm quite certain now that you jumped to page 3 of this review and read the score, but not much beyond that. And here's why:
1. I never wrote that Assassin's Creed shouldn't be rented or even bought. Direct quote: Assassin's Creed is a rental. The game is worth playing if you're eager to try something totally different, but buyers are warned.
2. I made a point of writing in the review that if Ubisoft can improve upon Assassin's Creed for the next installment and correct some of the big flaws, then I'd give it a try. Did you really read the entire review?

If the sales are lacking, it won't have a successor - and we can all thank you for that. To take such a wonderful and unique story and put such a negative spin upon it is selfish and short-sighted. Until I hear that you have submitted a more thoughtful review of this game, I will never subject myself to another of your pithy, depressing, and utterly worthless reviews.

Jeez, I'd like to think that my reviews were that widely read and influential, Thorlos. But you're getting a little carried away here. Was the review really that negative, pithy, depressing? Did I not praise the story and premise? Did I not commend Ubisoft for the positive aspects of Assassin's Creed?

Seriously, are we talking about the same review, Thorlos?

Again, I appreciate you registering on this forum to share your thought, but this review will not be changed because other well-known sites have given it 9s or 10s. It will not be changed because the Metacritic or GamesRankings averages are higher. My review, and my opinion of this game, stands as is. You're welcome to offer up an alternative take on this forum.