11/13 - Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360, PS3)

[Morfiend]

I have a preorder. I will be a sucker and get it tomorrow.

SPOILER thread in progress HERE.

[MrHat]

I'm interested to hear everyone's non-story spoiler thoughts.

IE. Gameplay. I have it on a short xmas list from family.

[schild]

Grand Theft Assassin.

More fun than beating up a hooker.

[NiX]

It's supposedly released tomorrow up here. HERE'S HOPING!

[Strazos]

My buddy got it yesterday, while i didn't feel like going over the Gamestop.

He knows I play rogues in every game possible. He thinks this game was made for me. I'll have more later, as I'm about to pop it in.

PS; My Altair figure is about to gank the shit out of my poor Tenma-chan figure.

[Morfiend]

Most of the reviews I read are spot on for this game. Its fun, and looks very good, but there just isnt that much gameplay so far. Its the same small pieces of repetition over and over again. A lot less like GTA and more like Crackdown. I'm not that far yet, but so far I would give it a solid 7, with the majority of the score coming from the graphics and the climbing/running.

[schild]

The climbing/running is mostly the game though. And it's very obviously the next step down the Shadow of the Colossus Path. It's fucking glorious.

Also, I like some of the combat thoughts, but not the implementation.

Still didn't stop me from completely Every Single Objective in the first real mission area.

[Morfiend]

The climbing/running is mostly the game though. And it's very obviously the next step down the Shadow of the Colossus Path. It's fucking glorious.

Also, I like some of the combat thoughts, but not the implementation.

Still didn't stop me from completely Every Single Objective in the first real mission area.

Yeah, I did also, it was once I got to the second city that it really started to feel like "hey, I have to sit on this same bench, with these same two people, watching 2 people who look just like the last two people talk". Now I'm not saying the game isnt fun, it is, its very cool, but it really could have been so much more (At least the part I have played so far).

[murdoc]

I've just waded through the tutorial part of the game and got my first mission. I really like the way this game is heading, but there were too many times in the tutorial when I was just watching the game, and not actually playing. I'm pretty confident that's going to change. Going to take a little bit of getting used to the combat, since I seem to constantly have my timing off.

Whoever they had to voice Altair is brutal. Not a good sign when ALL of the other characters have better voice acting than the guy you have to play, and listen to, all game.

[NiX]

Whoever they had to voice Altair is brutal. Not a good sign when ALL of the other characters have better voice acting than the guy you have to play, and listen to, all game.

His voice isn't THAT bad. I think they're trying to discern him from the others and explain why he thinks so differently. Could just be me.

[Strazos]

I can live with the VO work. The game is awesome. I especially like traversing a city from the rooftops, with the plebs running around beneath my feet.

[Moaner]

I keep stabbing crazies and beggers in the neck.  I just can't stop, nor do I want to.  It does make finishing mission hard though.

I'm liking it a lot so far.  My only gripe is the framerate.  It feels like it's in the mid 20s the majority of the time.

[Morfiend]

I hate those damn begger chicks. Ugh. I use the Grab and Throw on them. I only lose 1 health instead of the 2 (or was it 3) for killing them.

[voodoolily]

Just picked it up for the hubz today. Gah, why does xmas come earlier and earlier every year? We'll be plugging it in after the Bears game (or if he can pry Uncharted out of my hands).

[MrHat]

Just picked it up for the hubz today. Gah, why does xmas come earlier and earlier every year? We'll be plugging it in after the Bears game (or if he can pry Uncharted out of my hands).

I couldn't watch it, apart from the special teams, did the Broncos at least play ok?

[Morfiend]

Just finished it. If your confused about the ending check the spoiler thread in the pc/console gaming forums.

[voodoolily]

Just picked it up for the hubz today. Gah, why does xmas come earlier and earlier every year? We'll be plugging it in after the Bears game (or if he can pry Uncharted out of my hands).

I couldn't watch it, apart from the special teams, did the Broncos at least play ok?

Fuck Denver. Chicago pulled through at the last moment, as they are wont to do these days.

[Khaldun]

I kind of agree with the point that it's repetitive, but I guess I feel it more because there's so much potential. I just wanted to have some of the assassinations go down in really fundamentally different kinds of ways, I guess, to have more of a progression/story aspect at times. Still, I think the next one might get that part right.

[stray]

This game reminds a lot of Pirates in a strange way.

[Mrbloodworth]

Something i do want to say, there is a lot of room for more content, and "Toys and ability's" to be patched in.

[SnakeCharmer]

Just finished it. If your confused about the ending check the spoiler thread in the pc/console gaming forums.

So I've been playing Ass C. 

Graphically?  Beautiful. 
Combat?  Repeatitive and easy.  Time your counter attack right and it's on easy mode.
Story?  Beyond the whole 'playing a Muslim killing Christians' thing, kinda weak.  If it wasn't for the massive amounts of cutscenes, 5-10 second graphical delays when you obtain something like a flag, I probably would have finished it already.

I'm on about the 3rd assassination mission.  Is there anything beyond going from city to city for these targets with the side quests of pickpocketing, interrogations, citizen saving, flag collecting, and view point hopping? 

[Morfiend]

I'm on about the 3rd assassination mission.  Is there anything beyond going from city to city for these targets with the side quests of pickpocketing, interrogations, citizen saving, flag collecting, and view point hopping? 

Thats about it up until the 9th assassination. But the game does get more fun as the difficulty ramps up. I noticed this starting around the 4th or 5th assassination. Also, you start to get more abilities that make dealing with the difficulty more easy.

I felt about the same way you do up until that point, after that it started getting more and more fun and the challenges got harder.

[Sauced]

I'm in love with this game, which considering it's flaws, both design and PS3-port wise, is kinda saying something. 

Two things to point out - the game does seem to start mixing it up a bit during the 4th mission, adding timers and more aware guards.  Also, the fighting gets a little more interesting when they start feinting to get you to expose yourself with a missed counter.

I wish that the view points had a little more personality, so that you don't necessarily know how to scale it when you get there.  That would add a bit of depth, but might make their crafted world more "game-y" than they intended.  Also, having Voodoo say "be more assassin-y!" is probably a criticism worth noting.  The "save a citizen" side missions don't seem to reward gameplay other than "charge!!"

edit - lol, poing

[stray]

I pulled off one Save a Citizen that was assassin like... Dived in with knife, then almost instantly short blade/countered the leftover 3. Wish it always looked like that.

"PS3 port wise" -- I was under the impression this was the one of the few cases where the PS3 was better (it was originally PS3 only, I believe). Mainly with framerate. I don't get those "flag delays" SnakeCharmer is talking about either.

[Sauced]

Honestly, I'm just making an assumption that some of the graphics glitches I've been experiencing don't happen on the 360.

I walked past a crazy guy on the way back from lunch today, and I half expected him to reach out and shove me.  Guess I've been playing too much.

[lesion]

I think they definitely should have made viewpoints more puzzle-esque. There were only a few instances where I felt like it was an accomplishment to make it to the top.

They introduce all these things with really neat sequences (like the first leap of faith and the log-drop, the first scholar camo, etc.) and then assign the Ubisoft Encounter Monkey to finish every other implementation. Swooping camera views evoke a sense of wonder you say? Let's do the same one every single time! Do you folks like...hay?!

I really enjoyed playing the game because it all flowed together incredibly well for the most part. It's like getting a running/flying sequence going in Super Mario 3 only you can stab people in the neck.

[Morfiend]

Besides all the things previously mentioned I really wish they had added a little more stealth to the game. Hiding was downright impossible. A little bit of the splinter cell hide in shadows would have been great for a few of the assassinations.

[stray]

Oh, when I say "Pirates!", the repetitiveness has a lot to do with it. Pirates had basically the same goal (kill a set number of Pirate Captains/kill a set number of Crusaders, in a very open ended way), pretty limited gameplay/combat mechanics, in a big world with not a whole lot to do in. And yet, like Pirates, for some reason I don't mind just wandering around in this world and doing a lot of nothing (mainly collecting shit..just like in Pirates). Like Pirates, I wish there was more, but I'm not really complaining either.

I don't know.. Maybe I'm crazy. Everyone adores Pirates, so they might take issue with what I'm saying here. But I'm just getting the same vibe, despite them being in a complete different genres.


I don't wtf the story is yet, but I'm guessing it has something to do with those scientists wanting to finding the Ark of the Covenant. Meh. So far, I'm finding all of the stuff where the main character is out of the Animus device, and talking to the scientists, to be a waste of time. This game would have been better served with just a historical premise. I'd still add it to a collection of good Crusades based games though. It's gorgeous. And Altair may be the coolest Muslim video game protagonist ever -- or possibly, the only one.

[EDIT] You know what? I just had a brilliant idea. Someone should take this Pirates/Assassin's Creed formula, and make a game based upon.... Casanova. That would be the shit.

[Khaldun]

I think that is what bugged me as well. I wanted way more hidey/stealth stuff. I wanted to disguise myself as a Tartar whore and drop poison into some guy's drink. I wanted to have missions where I had no chance but to stealth in and kill the fucker in bed. I wanted to send a letter to my target telling him we had to have a secret mission. I wanted to bribe one of my target's trusted lieutenants. I wanted to make my target paranoid and provoke him into making a terrible mistake.

I wanted the open world hype to be for real. But you know, even the GTA games had way, way more variety in the missions than this.  Great idea, marvelous world, terrible execution.

[voodoolily]

Also, having Voodoo say "be more assassin-y!" is probably a criticism worth noting. 

If you silly boys didn't feel the need to sprint everywhere and jump across buildings, knocking civilians over left and right, you wouldn't miss your opportunities to stealth. Sauced lost one of his informer investigations because he literally leaped off the building on top of the guards as they were in the middle of examining the body he had just assassinated, instead of just laying low and taking the fucking ladder. Gee, I wonder why he drew aggro? 

[stray]

I don't know... I like the idea of some assassin just popping out of nowhere, killing every target in plain sight, and disappearing right before everyone's eyes. Umm...Like the intro/cut scene. It's a little too easy though. I don't remember if I chose a difficulty level, but it should be harder.

[Mrbloodworth]

I think that is what bugged me as well. I wanted way more hidey/stealth stuff. I wanted to disguise myself as a Tartar whore and drop poison into some guy's drink. I wanted to have missions where I had no chance but to stealth in and kill the fucker in bed. I wanted to send a letter to my target telling him we had to have a secret mission. I wanted to bribe one of my target's trusted lieutenants. I wanted to make my target paranoid and provoke him into making a terrible mistake.

I wanted the open world hype to be for real. But you know, even the GTA games had way, way more variety in the missions than this.  Great idea, marvelous world, terrible execution.

Right there with you. With the "I want more variety" anyway..

[Velorath]

Zero Punctuation review.

[Morfiend]

Zero Punctuation review.

He was spot on. He usually is though.

[SnakeCharmer]

I don't get those "flag delays" SnakeCharmer is talking about either.

I probably didn't describe what I meant well enough. 

When you get a flag, it does this whitewash thing that obscures the screen for about 4-6 seconds.  Annoying as hell, same as the 'rotate around the world' thing when you get a synch at a new viewpoint.  After collecting over 200 of the damn things, enough is enough.  Wish there as an option to turn it off.

Just annoying time sink/killers.