Favorite Assassin's Creed Moments

[Smooth Groove]

TVC, please rank these games for me.  I need to prioritize my gaming time.

MR Gay, R&C (70% complete), Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4 (PC)

I haven't bought AC or Uncharted yet but I'll probably get either one soon.   

[TVC15]

I think Mr Gay is the best of those games, but it's also the easiest to get into and play at any time. 

Assassin's Creed, I think will be best enjoyed if played through in a pretty short period of time.  Since the controls are unorthodox, there's a learning curve (the controls are good mind you, it's just that if I took a month off, I would have to relearn them).

Uncharted seems pretty easy to play.  The gunplay is a mix of Gears and RE4, and we're all good at that by now.  Depending on how much you loved Gears and RE4, you might want to prioritize this.

COD4. . .I dunno.  I am kind of FPSed out, so I'm not the person to ask.

In AC, I LOVE rescuing a citizen, only to assassinate her directly afterwards.  So.  Awesome.

[Shuri]

I really like the controls, they feel so natural.

[Himu]

Himu, are you deaf or something?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_processing_disorder

[TVC15]

I really like the controls, they feel so natural.

Yeah, I am fine now.  I think it just takes me like 20 minutes to get into the controls.

[TVC15]

I'm liking this more the further I get into it.  I am guessing that the game is getting split reviews because it is the type of game that requires a bit of patience.  Moving slowly, creeping. . .for some gamers, it seems even hinting at moving at less than a breakneck pace will mean that a game has a short shelf life for them.  Me?  I played thief games, I like this sort of thing.

Speaking of Thief, this game reminds me a lot of Thief's failed attempt to do the GTA-style world in Thief 3.  That tried to do things with scripting, rather than good AI, and of course there weren't as many people on the streets to begin with.  I'm sure a lot of the complaints put against AC for being repetitive would go away if the assassination mission areas were as meaty as the actual levels in Thief (hint, hint for the sequel, Ubi), but having the areas incorporated into the wide open world is admirable, even if it means they have been skimpy so far.

I really hope Ubi isn't listening to the reviews.  They really did get this game mostly all right.  Fuck asshole console gamers that want spazzy action shit.  They can't appreciate a well-paced game in a realistic setting that's so ripe, yet so untouched in our hobby?  Let the meatheads have their Gears of War, and for what it's worth, I am going on assassination 5, and I still don't think the game is repetitive.  On the contrary, I'm kinda bummed that it's going to have to end.  And that Ubisoft is probably going to make the next game flashier to appease the dumbasses at 1UP.

Favorite moment so far?  Assassination number three (it might be the second for you folks, depending on which order you do the missions), the Knights Hospitaler duder.  Details within for those that wish to relive it:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

You get into the hospital, where you see the target, a sick fuck knight trying to treat the sick and wounded, and wounding some in the process to keep them on the inside where he can experiment on them, break the fucking legs of a patient that tried to escape.  I saw my older brother's leg get broken, and seeing knees bend backwards, even virtual knees, makes me squirm, and these virtual legs looked GREAT.  You sneak through the hospital by hiding in a group of scholars, and as you pass the mad medic doctor, you can stealth kill him, and then use the ensuing panic amongst scholars, doctors, guards, crazy people, and sick people to escape, right out into the city (no loading screen! Big open world) and escape onto the rooftops.  It's a fucking awesome game.  Makes me feel like a hitman.  The first time I tried to take out the doctor, he caught me trying to do the stealth kill, and he called the guards.  I still almost managed to take him out.  I love that there are multiple ways to do the assassinations.

[close]

Maybe this will be a GOTY contender.

I really hope Ubi does a sequel.  And that they don't dumb it down.  Gamers can't have anything good.  It's either the mags or the fanboys ruining shit for all of us

[Solo]

So far I think its a big pile of average.

Pros: Animation and artistic design are very nice, free-running is fun, control is pretty good, decent VA
Cons: It already feels incredibly shallow and repetitive (free-run, attack, investigate, lather, rinse, repeat), framerate drops/screen tearing abounds, graphics arent wowing me nearly as much as I thought they were supposed to

After my limited playtime, I think the 7/10's most places were handing out were right on the money. For a so-called medievel Splinter Cell, Id actually rather play Splinter Cell at this point. Hopefully it picks up.

[TVC15]

We differ on that point.  Splinter Cell is what I find boring.  I can't deal with the trial and error, instant game over stuff.  I know I can always salvage a mission in this.

[Solo]

I find Splinter Cell boring too, but it still for me does a better job of building tension, and although in reality its gameplay is just as limited as AC's, somehow it doesnt feel as limited.

Im still EXTREMELY early in the game (like, Im only about to kill my first target), so theres a ton of time for the game to grow on me, which I hope it does.

Also, shame on Ubi for making Kristen Bell look ugly and scary looking.

[TVC15]

Also, shame on Ubi for making Kristen Bell look ugly and scary looking.

HOLY SHIT!  That is her!  It does kind of look like her.

That's kinda cool!

[MrAngryFace]

Assassin's creed controls took like 30 minutes, come on! learning curve?!

[TVC15]

How many assassinations have you done so far, MAF?

[Solo]

Also, shame on Ubi for making Kristen Bell look ugly and scary looking.

HOLY SHIT!  That is her!  It does kind of look like her.

That's kinda cool!

Yup, its her! I assume its her doing the VA too, but strangely enough, I cant really tell one way or the other.

[Smooth Groove]

I think Mr Gay is the best of those games, but it's also the easiest to get into and play at any time. 

Assassin's Creed, I think will be best enjoyed if played through in a pretty short period of time.  Since the controls are unorthodox, there's a learning curve (the controls are good mind you, it's just that if I took a month off, I would have to relearn them).

Uncharted seems pretty easy to play.  The gunplay is a mix of Gears and RE4, and we're all good at that by now.  Depending on how much you loved Gears and RE4, you might want to prioritize this.

COD4. . .I dunno.  I am kind of FPSed out, so I'm not the person to ask.

In AC, I LOVE rescuing a citizen, only to assassinate her directly afterwards.  So.  Awesome.

I think I'm FPSed out too so COD4 probably goes to the bottom of the list.  I've beaten Bioshock, Halo 3 and Orange Box in the last 2 months, which is more than enough FPS action for awhile.  Also, people only seem to like COD4 for its MP and I don't play MP that much. 

I liked both GOW and RE4 very much.  I hated RE4 at first but enjoyed it after I got adjusted to the controls.  It was kinda the same way with GOW although the controls were less frustrating.  Still, a 3rd person shooter is not that much different from a 1st person shooter.  I think I'll pass on Uncharted for now since it's basically GOW in a jungle as I predicted. 

So I guess most of my time will be spend on Mr Gay and then AC.  I'm sure Mr Gay's game play is fun but damn, the game is fugly. 

[TVC15]

Uncharted, the first hour or so is really good.  The whole setup, and the stuff that happens before the demo is all interesting.  I hated the characters in the demo, but playing the actual beginning of the game got me into it.  THe really nailed the Indiana Jones vibe they were going for.

If you pick up Uncharted, I at least recommend doing the cool intro.  From the sound of it, that's like most of the platforming in the game right there :p

[Smooth Groove]

From your description, it sounds like the best option is to rent or borrow Uncharted and just play through the beginning.  I wonder if they decided to go the Gears route after making the 1st level because of pressure from Sony to make a GOW-like game.  It's a shame because I think both reviews and sales would have been better if Uncharted weren't just another shooting game. 

[TVC15]

Hey, for all I know, Uncharted gets super awesome after where I left off!  I'm not writing it off yet, there are just more compelling things to be playing.

[Van Cruncheon]

Assassin's creed controls took like 30 minutes, come on! learning curve?!

i dunno, i find them a bit cumbersome. i always forget to hold down the right trigger to go into "high profile" mode or the left trigger to target, especially in the heat of the moment. it's gonna take me a bit to get a hang of them.

[MrAngryFace]

I guess, didnt seem that hard tho.

If you want hard its those spinning basket head ninjas in Sam Warriors 2 Empires

[TVC15]

Luckily, Prole, the game is pretty forgiving with save points, and combat isn't that hard.

[MrAngryFace]

Only the templars are hard really. I spend a lot of time running the rooftops tho, the controls in reflex for mee now.

[BlueTsunami]

Fuck, I'm going to get this game today and I stopped by the Gamestop site and then saw MASS EFFECT 7/20/07 GET ME, BUY ME, FUCK MY FACE on the site. I KNOW that I'm going to buy both these games...RIDICULOUS!

[TVC15]

Holy shit. . .that last assassination, the second one in Acre was FUCK CUNT WHORE PIRATE MOUTH SLUTS COOL!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BlueTsunami]

^omfg



Ok, I'm out to buy this FUCK YOU GUYS AND YOUR HYPE

[TVC15]

I'VE BEEN PLAYIN FOR LIKE 11 HOURS

[Valcrist]

arghh I had finally decided in my mind to write this off so i could spend my limited time on Mass effect but now that you fuckers hyped it.... 
-60$

[TVC15]

I need a break.  I am down to the last 2 guys

[MrAngryFace]

Aww man, I almost had a perfect stealth kill on the second guy but some distinguished mentally-challenged fellow patient grabbed me and shoved me with distinguished mentally-challenged fellow strength into a guard

I'm not that far in cause I skip the free ride back to the boss and collect flags and hit up all the viewpoints. Finally got off my ass today to finish the first main acre quest.

[Smooth Groove]

Are there RPG elements like Crackdown? 

[Van Cruncheon]

penny arcade seems to love asassin's creed lotsa: http://www.penny-arcade.com/2007/11/14/#1195073220

qt3 is pretty pumped on it, too. even the dubious mister chick has high praise for it, although he hated the ending because (not really a spoiler, but just bein' safe):
 

spoiler (click to show/hide)

"he didn't know he signed on for a trilogy." dur, star wars fans didn't know they signed on for a trilogy with "a new hope" either, senor.

[close]

he's apparently giving it a high score in variety, and he thinks the major sites dinging it let their expectations get in the way of a proper evaluation.

[BlueTsunami]

I really diggin this game too. When I got my horse, I totally got fucken SotC vibes but with better graphics, game world filled with things other than lizards and giant rocks and god better animations. God this game is visually fantastic and everything blends nicely.

Speaking of animations...wow this game is like the holy fucking grail of good animation. Every game made henceforth better not have herky jerky at the disco doing the robot movement.

I'm ok with the controls, I feel that holding RT to pull off aggresive moves is pretty cool (instead of button combos for everything else). Fighting feels kind of clunky though. This game was obviously made for climbing shit and thats where it shines, I spent a good while climbing various buildings in the first area.

From what I've experienced already, I can't believe reviewers shat on this game. Sounds like the gaming community is going to give it right back to them, hope Assasin's Creed sells good.

[demi]

It is UbiSoft, I can't think of many games that are singular

BG&E  :'(

[Smooth Groove]

More than 1 game sounds like a good thing in this case.  Even a short attention spanned dude like TVC wants more AC. 

[y2kev]

Scaling the wall after stealthing Monteferrat. You hear the bells ring and then it's on. I broke just out of sight and thought I was safe until I made a poor jump and fell onto the city street where they found me....and then you get that intense crescendo and the awesome music kicks in again. Then I ran as fast as I could for the city wall.

[GilloD]

I'm really excited to play this game.I wish it'd shown up today, now I have to wait until, hopefully, Monday. Lousy Gamefly.

[Solo]

Ok, so I got a solid 4 hours of playing in last night, and the game really clicked with me all of a sudden, like big time. I dont know if its just that the opening section of the game sucks, or that I was anticipating something completely different than I got, or if all the bad reviews and word of mouth had twisted me against the game, but I really didnt enjoy my first session with the game, as I have already said.

Sinking my teeth into in for a longer amount of time last night, enjoying what the game is and not what I thought it should be, and completing the Damascus and Acre assassinations (my first two), has made me do a 180 on my initial impressions. This game is really something special. I do believe still that it is repetitive, but then so is every game, so I cant harp on that point too much. The bits that get repeated again and again are more than enough fun to make them enjoyable every time. Once you actually are taking on assassination contracts, the game gets twice as fun. Planning how to take out your targets is much more exciting that I thought it would be, and there are so many way to go about things.

The combat gets better and better as you get more used to the control, and have abilities and weapons returned to you. Counter attacks are great(especially when you get the gratuitous camera shots), the throwing knives are incredible (finally a weapon that looks cool as hell and makes you feel like a bad ass killer). Taking on legions of enemies is just fun (especially when you can get 20 or so after you, and you climb a tower, and proceed to throw them one by one off the tower to their death). The graphics are finally starting to win me over. The animation already had, but Im starting to notice the real subtleties and artistry the game has on display, and its might impressive. The cities look more and more incredible. I just reached Jerusalem, and wow. The game also feels appropriately massive and varied, and really feels like a somewhat authentic portrayel of the time period. Kudos to Ubisoft Montreal for their awesome work.

So yeah, my first impressions am cry. I was wrong about Assassin's Creed. Its a wonderful game.

[MrAngryFace]

I had made the comment to Drinky the other day that a person could EASILY nitpick the game, there ARE a lot of small issues that could be brought up in critical review, but I think anyone who spends most of their time picking at those little things is really missing something special.

[Van Cruncheon]

the lead dev addresses any nitpicks on qt3 -- just search for all posts by the poster "Charles" over there -- and gives a good savaging to several reviewers as well

[Himu]

link

[TVC15]

I had made the comment to Drinky the other day that a person could EASILY nitpick the game, there ARE a lot of small issues that could be brought up in critical review, but I think anyone who spends most of their time picking at those little things is really missing something special.

Oh yeah, if I didn't want to like this game, I could find a hundred reasons, but fuck, why?  It's unique, it's awesome, and for a first try at this sort of thing, it's actually remarkably polished.

[MrAngryFace]

Exactly, why nitpick something that is well intentioned and manages to pull the big picture off really well.

[Himu]

The only thing I'm truly disappointed with when it comes to Assassin's Creed are the lack of subtitles, and the fact Ubisoft apparently tip toed around the whole Crusades despite being taken placed there.

Tom Chick's impressions fit my own, regarding the plot. I still like like the story, but it could have been so much more.

The disclaimer before the game even begins is promising. I don’t recall the specific wording, but the subtext is "Hey, Muslims, don't be mad at us! Some of our best friends are Muslims! Signed, Ubisoft." Apparently, the impending subject matter will be provocative. Ooh, exciting! Granted, this is from a company in a nation brimming with active and vocal Muslims. Plus, France is only a short road trip from those people in Denmark who got angry about political cartoons. Piss them off, and they might pile into buses, right? But still, it's an intriguing pre-game disclaimer in a space is normally reserved for epileptics. So this is going to be meaty, right?

Unfortunately, no. There's some progressive anti-book burning hoo-ha near the end, but for the most part, Assassin's Creed carefully tiptoes around the religious issues of the Crusades in specific, and the Middle East in general. Jesus, Mohammed, and Jews are scarcely mentioned, with inoffensive historical factions like Templar and Saracen standing in for the real players, the one who might have had some contemporary relevance. It's worth noting that your assassin's disguise is clearly that of a monk, but you're called a "scholar". How very secular.

In fact, it's a bit odd that the main character espouses some strange progressive thinking early on in the game. Under the Temple of Solomon, an Ark is sighted. "The Ark of the Covenant?" one character asks. Our progressive assassin points out that there is no such thing, and that it's just a story.

And in the end, the big reveal is slightly less silly than The Da Vinci Code's "Jesus had kids! Oh noes!" reveal. From the cauldron of the Crusades and the Middle East, all Ubisoft can produce is a world-weary existentialism as bland and inoffensive as vanilla ice cream, with a quote from Ecclesiastes like a cherry on top.

Where are your balls, Ubisoft? Talk more about the Prophet, peace be upon Him. Put a Jewish character in the game and let him be reviled. Show the Crusaders as something other than the dudes playing the role of the cops from GTA. Because you know everyone's thinking about it when they see your game. It's a potentially powerful subject, and it's on all our minds, and your pussyfooting around the weak safe choices is a disappointment, particularly when you insist on wrapping your game in a modern-day shell. Assassin's Creed is as aware of today as it is of the 12th Century. Act like it, for God's sake. Because if your love of the setting were expressed in the writing with one tenth of the passion you show for your love of the architecture, Assassin's Creed could have been an experience as memorable as BioShock or Portal.

Well put Mr. Chick.

[MrAngryFace]

Powerful subjects may not ACTUALLY need to be in an entertaining videogame. I've said this before and i'll say it again, the devs made the game as realistic as it needed to be before making it too serious or too realistic. This is a stupid sci fi romp with a twist, pretending it is supposed to enlighten 12 year old xbox gamers that scream the 'n'word over xbox live is ludicrous

[Van Cruncheon]

oddly, tom chick, in the thread, LOVES the game and states that his article is tongue-in-cheek, himu.

[Himu]

It's not needed, but it's somethign I would have liked

It's a nitpick though. It doesn't ruin the game at all and I still like the story, but I think they could have more crusade stuff in there. After the warning at the beginning of the game I had certain expectation is all.

[MrAngryFace]

If you want more crusade stuff in an artistic medium that can actually accomodate serious consideration of the era of the crusades watch or re-watch Kingdom of Heaven Dir Cut and GTFO

[TVC15]

It's not needed, but it's somethign I would have liked

It's a nitpick though. It doesn't ruin the game at all and I still like the story, but I think they could have more crusade stuff in there. After the warning at the beginning of the game I had certain expectation is all.

It's a videogame, dude.  The reason they don't teach much about this shit in public (or even private) schools is because the shit that went down then is still rather tender and relevant today.  Out of sight, out of mind, and I'm sure we don't want humanity's impending apocalypse kicked off by a pretty decent videogame.

[Mupepe]

pretty much.  i'm glad the game stayed light.  it really helps get you into the atmosphere.  Such an immersive game.  this is the first open ended game where i felt compelled to do missions instead of kill civilians and cause havoc.



i really think it's my GOTY