Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft)
Story: In "Assassin's Creed", the player assumes the role of Desmond, a bartender whose family tree is of assassins. He is taken to a facility where he uses the Animus, a machine that allows him to see the memories of his ancestors during the Third Crusade, in the year 1191.
Desmond assumes the role of Altaïr (Arabic for "The Flying One"), a member of the Hashshashin sect (the original "assassins"), whose objective is to slay the nine historical figures who are propagating the Crusades. As the player finds and kills these targets, their conspiracy is unveiled. The player is able to travel through three cities: Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus.
The interactive environments of the cities are populated by many people, and the way the player controls Altaïr affects how the bystanders around him react to his presence. For example, when going through a crowd, if the player lightly moves someone out of the way, it will not have a significant effect. However, if the player throws someone to the ground and hurts or kills them, the crowd may unite against him, which will also attract guards and he will then have to find a way out or hide.
Similarly, if the player shoves a person aside, they may shove him back. If he climbs walls, civilians will gather around, attracting unwanted attention from guards. The producers claim the environment is historically accurate. The locations in the game are distinctive models of the cities. All of Altaïr's targets are also historic figures who died or disappeared in the year 1191, although not necessarily by assassination.
Metacritic: Critics 85/100, Users 8.3/10 (<a href="http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/assassinscreed" target="_blank">more details</a>)
More Information: <a href="http://assassinscreed.us.ubi.com/index.php" target="_blank">Official Site</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin's_Creed" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>, <a href="http://ps3.ign.com/objects/812/812550.html" target="_blank">IGN</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/features/6182618/index.html" target="_blank">Gamespot</a>
Purchase: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/UBI-Soft-Assassins-Creed/dp/B000P46NMA/" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product_id=270010" target="_blank">EBGames</a>, <a href="http://www.estarland.com/product27165.html" target="_blank">EStarLand</a>, <a href="http://www.target.com/Assassins-Creed-for-PlayStation-3/dp/B000P46NMA" target="_blank">Target</a>
<strong>REVIEWS</strong>:
"It's hard to put the sheer size and brilliance of Assassin's Creed into words. It is an epic game that you have to experience for yourself. I will caution that the game is not for the impatient or the faint of heart." - GamePro "In Assassin's Creed, the greatest joy comes from the smallest details, and for every nerve-racking battle, there's a quiet moment that cuts to the game's heart and soul." - GameSpot "Its stunning visual style, high concept story, and wildly open level design are like nothing else, even if too much repetition begins to frustrate in the later hours. It's a game people will still be talking about five years from now." - Game Informer "Assassin's Creed is remarkable in every aspect it performs. From the sprawling city life to the dual-vision storyline, everything blends together to offer one of the most complete and satisfying experiences so far this year." - Gamer 2.0 "A must-buy title for gamers interested in following an excellent story. The wonderful visuals play a major role in the experience and easy controls and open level design will suck you right in. This is not a game for everyone and misses a perfect rating due to pacing issues." - Cheat Code Central "With its riveting story, beautiful visuals and surprisingly lifelike world, Assassin's Creed is an incredibly deep, enjoyable game that kept us addicted from beginning to bizarre end." - Games Radar "If you play Assassin's Creed for an hour, you will probably think it's a fantastic game. But as Assassin's progresses, its dual storylines and repetitive quests begin to grow tiresome. There are so many great individual elements, but they are lost among the myriad of poor decisions from Ubisoft Montreal." - IGN "Assassin's Creed is a solid enough game to overcome its awkward plot device. It doesn't much matter why you're in the situation you're in. What matters are those wonderful moments when you're sitting on a tower overlooking one of the most gorgeous cities you've ever seen in a game, and you know it's all yours to play in." - Yahoo Games.
