Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360)

Ubisoft's stealth stunner is flawed, but ultimately unforgettable.
1/31/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 3 of 4

Much like the way movement works, combat in Assassin's Creed is all about exciting returns for simple inputs. The system is primarily counter-based; you hold down the button that puts you in "high profile" and wait for the sabers to come forth. Correct timing with the "counter" button means you'll parry and eviscerate, cue a brutal animation, rinse and repeat. As you progress through the game, you learn fancier moves like combos, guard breaks and dodges, but they never prove as practical as the good old counter. It is indeed always a better idea to dispatch an enemy in a manner more befitting the creed, but in most cases, a knife in the crowd (especially one stuck in the back of a big-timer) is ultimately met by a stampede of vengeful Crusaders or Saracens. Assassin or not, you should be thankful that Altaïr is also a master of open swordplay.

You can expect the same sort of simplicity in the game's structure. Before getting a definitive bead on each of your eight targets, you have to jump through a few hoops. You start off each mission by checking into the Assassins' Bureau located in the city where it's set. From there, you can either get lucky and stumble upon your sources of information or climb some tall structures and have their locations appear on your map. Though these activities provide a good context for interacting with the cities and all the fascinating systems built into them, they're pretty formulaic as a rule. One variant has you picking the pockets of a person with vital scraps of information; another has you beating the daylights out of a crier in league with whatever despot you're stalking; the most interesting (and simultaneously ludicrous) variant puts you in contact with a fellow assassin who's willing to share some key intel...but only after you whack a couple of dudes for him.

The problem with these tasks is that they don't serve any real function in the game. They're just items that you have to check off an arbitrary list before you get to the content that the designers actually put some thought into. The information garnered never really helps you, and there isn't any incentive to complete all but the very minimum number needed to expose the target. It's easy to assume their designs were scaled back in order to meet some schedule, but we're not dealing with the theoretical, here. The sad fact is that the investigations could have been crucial to the game experience, but they ultimately equate to treading water.

This is, unfortunately, very much in contrast with the superb set-pieces that the assassinations turned out to be. They start off with pitched, evocative cut scenes, and once they get going, they're stirring, hectic, harrowing. Once an assassination sequence is in motion, the slightest false move can often draw unwanted attention -- which can mean the difference between taking out your target with ruthless, efficient grace or enduring a protracted war of attrition with his men-at-arms. After playing through Assassin's Creed, it's these sequences that you'll remember and crave to experience again and again as you pine for the inevitable sequel.

Truth be told, half the reason I'm excited to play the sequel is to see where the story goes. Yes, it's strange to say so, given all the flack I gave it, but when you strip the narrative of all its 'Da Vinci Code' mumbo jumbo, Assassin's Creed is a game in which you control a militant Shia whose job it is to kill powerful Sunnis and Christians who are making a mess of the Holy Land. And while he's in perpetual doubt about the motives of his superiors, Altaïr ultimately does his job with unflinching disregard for his own safety. When it comes to games, this is about a bold of a social commentary as you're going to get.