2008 Woodie Awards
Game review: 'Assassins Creed'
A.j Focht
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Entertainment
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First rule of the creed is never to kill an innocent person, but who is to decide who is innocent?
Eidos new game "Assassin's Creed" was released Nov. 14. The game was being promoted with much speculation and hype. Many gamers questioned the story line after some "glitches" were seen in the screen shots and videos.
At the very beginning of the game you learn that these glitches are due to the fact that your character is not Altair, the assassin, but Desmond, a modern day bartender. Desmond uses a machine called the Animus to access the memories of his ancestor Altair.
Throughout the game you travel through separate memories and relive key moments in Altair's life. At first, it feels as if these memories really divide game play and make the flow of the game very inconsistent. If you take advantage of the time between memories to learn about the modern life, it really adds a lot to the story line.
The game play is divided into three sets of controls: simple actions, hard actions and combat. The control schemes are consistent and easy to adapt to.
The combat system is well done, but does come with its kinks. The system works smoothly and consists of a variety of options that can be used to overcome enemies; including dodging and blocking attacks, combo attacks and attack counters.
The flaw within the combat system is that with good hand-eye coordination you can overcome everyone except the major targets using counter attacks. This does become more difficult the further you get into the game and the more people you are dealing with, but is still possible.
One of the best aspects of the game is the ability to scale walls and buildings. There are also certain high points you can reach in the game to scope out the map that become very useful for learning where mission objectives are located.
There are three major cities in the game, which are all clearly distinguishable from one another. Some cities have more archers on the rooftops, others have very low buildings, which make it easier for guards to reach the character.
The story line itself was by far my favorite part of the game - though it is clearly made with a sequel in mind - it gives a lot for the player to uncover if they follow the clues right. Little anomalies are dropped throughout the entire game and should not be taken for granted because everything was very specifically programmed.
All together, I give "Assassins Creed" an 8.5 out of 10. I think it is an excellent game and hopefully will only progress to be better as the series continues. Right now it seems that it has a fair chance at Game of the Year.
- A.J Focht is a sophomore English major and a Mirror staff writer.
Eidos new game "Assassin's Creed" was released Nov. 14. The game was being promoted with much speculation and hype. Many gamers questioned the story line after some "glitches" were seen in the screen shots and videos.
At the very beginning of the game you learn that these glitches are due to the fact that your character is not Altair, the assassin, but Desmond, a modern day bartender. Desmond uses a machine called the Animus to access the memories of his ancestor Altair.
Throughout the game you travel through separate memories and relive key moments in Altair's life. At first, it feels as if these memories really divide game play and make the flow of the game very inconsistent. If you take advantage of the time between memories to learn about the modern life, it really adds a lot to the story line.
The game play is divided into three sets of controls: simple actions, hard actions and combat. The control schemes are consistent and easy to adapt to.
The combat system is well done, but does come with its kinks. The system works smoothly and consists of a variety of options that can be used to overcome enemies; including dodging and blocking attacks, combo attacks and attack counters.
The flaw within the combat system is that with good hand-eye coordination you can overcome everyone except the major targets using counter attacks. This does become more difficult the further you get into the game and the more people you are dealing with, but is still possible.
One of the best aspects of the game is the ability to scale walls and buildings. There are also certain high points you can reach in the game to scope out the map that become very useful for learning where mission objectives are located.
There are three major cities in the game, which are all clearly distinguishable from one another. Some cities have more archers on the rooftops, others have very low buildings, which make it easier for guards to reach the character.
The story line itself was by far my favorite part of the game - though it is clearly made with a sequel in mind - it gives a lot for the player to uncover if they follow the clues right. Little anomalies are dropped throughout the entire game and should not be taken for granted because everything was very specifically programmed.
All together, I give "Assassins Creed" an 8.5 out of 10. I think it is an excellent game and hopefully will only progress to be better as the series continues. Right now it seems that it has a fair chance at Game of the Year.
- A.J Focht is a sophomore English major and a Mirror staff writer.
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