Assassin's Creed Thread

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Twelve days to go.

I'm excited and giddy like a schoolgirl and haven't been awaiting a game so impatiently since the mighty Metal Gear Solid 3.

US release: 13th November.

UK release: 16th November (PS3, though 360 release isn't listed as such in MCV) and early 2008 for PC.

Also a DS version is coming out which could be intruiging.

I'm not gonna hit people with all these plot spoiler - what's with the DEATH screen etc stuff. I just want to say this...

Explorable Holy Land.

Three massive cities including Jerusalem and Damascus.

Nine assassinations to make (a la Hitman - multiple routes in and out and ways to complete hits).

Your character as an assassin having his ring finger removed to make space for his deadly assassination blades.

In some Japanese magazine apparantly it received 37 out of 40 which is pretty good.

The totally climbable buildings look immense, the free roaming looks cool, leap of faith groovy.

The best stuff seems to be the much-hyped crowd interaction though - barge past people and push them over and the guards come a-chasing. Instead gently place hands on peoples' shoulders to ask them to move, make friends with groups and interact with them to be less suspicious (sit down with people, befriend monks so you can move around with them without being spotted). Also the intuition vision is very cool...AND IT'S GORGEOUS.

I think I'll have to go with the special edition and get the figure of Altair - I'm such a mark.

Anyway, quick lesson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin's_Creed

Or get lost watching the videos on youtube.

Edited November 3, 2007 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Oh, and it's part one of a trilogy.

I love Ubisoft.

For most of this year this was only a game i'd heard the name of but knew nothing of. I chanced upon some footage and it definately looks interesting. I won't be an early adopter though, I have something of a backlog of games I want to try for 360 but in the future this will probably be something I pick up.

Also, why didn't you just edit that last comment into your existing post? It'd only been a minute or two since you'd posted it and no one had replied yet. You're not setting a good example as a mod.

Why that's a very fine point thank you young Ellis. Nice of you to point out my shortcomings in that situation as a moderating example.

This post was in fact a place saver for a few screenshots so as not to overly clog up and lengthen the first post.

Cheers.

Also, your character can die realistically with one or two strikes to the body or head.

Edited November 4, 2007 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster

[King Ellis]

For most of this year this was only a game i'd heard the name of but knew nothing of. I chanced upon some footage and it definately looks interesting. I won't be an early adopter though, I have something of a backlog of games I want to try for 360 but in the future this will probably be something I pick up.

Also, why didn't you just edit that last comment into your existing post? It'd only been a minute or two since you'd posted it and no one had replied yet. You're not setting a good example as a mod.

Edited November 3, 2007 by TheEllisComplex

[VerbalPuke]

This game does look magnificent, and I will undoubtedly be purchasing not long after it's release. It's nice to see something of a unique concept, and a lot of ground to cover in the game itself. It could finally be the game that keeps me interested, much in the same way Elder Scrolls: Oblivion did when I first purchased it.

One question though, other than the nine assassinations, are there other side quests? Because while the game looks immense, only nine assassinations doesn't seem to entail a lot of hours of gaming.

Everything about it sounds great, I just hope that the control scheme isn't shitty.

Edited November 4, 2007 by VerbalPuke

[NobBe Nobbs]

Your character as an assassin having his ring finger removed to make space for his deadly assassination blades.

Edited November 4, 2007 by Starty Marty

[Thatz]

The game definitely looks great, but I'm not sure if it'll play as well as it looks. The control scheme has received some criticism already, as it's pretty unconventional. Hopefully it all works out though, because if it does, this could be the beginning of something great. I might rent it first to check out the controls, but the game should at least be good.

[EWRFan]

I was thinking of getting it, but my neighbor already pre-ordered it, so I will just borrow it when he is done playing it. It looks pretty sweet, I have seen every single video in gamespot and I just hope it is pretty long. I hate short games and I have refused to pick up other cool games like Connan and Heavenly Sword because they are too short.

[Clawson]

Hmmm, there is one thing I can think of that describes my anticipation for this game:

I have a boner.

Edited November 4, 2007 by Clawson

[CKN]

Yeah I preordered it along with rock band. When this was first announced I loved it eventually it started to look bad in the demos done by the amazingly hot jade raymond then she came to my house and convinced me to preorder

Anyways, I am hyped and if you preorder you get a bonus dvd which isn't all that great has some videos, wallpapers (which are nice), fan site tools, and a special program that shows you behind the scenese stuff. Also you get 4 (I think maybe 5 can't remember) lythographs (sp?) all that in a nice little case.

The limited edition comes with the following:

Collectible 3-inch Altaïr figure

Penny Arcade comics

Mini strategy guide

Bonus disc including:

Winners of Assassin's Creed short film contest (one winner is already on the internet. Video isn't bad either kind of cool in that cheaply made way)

Behind-the-scenes videos

Developer diaries

Trailers

Producer interviews

I am not sure but there might be a comic book in there too. It was also leaked though and spoiled much of a certain part of the story.

Also the japanese magazine you were talking about was famitss (probably the most reliable video game review magazine). Apparently it lost points because of one button combat, camera control and map layout... but still 37 out of 40 is amazing.

The missing finger is a sacrafice to the group he is in and not just to make room for the badass blade.

Also, Kristen Bell voices a charaacter.

Oh and to the person who said it might be too short because of 9 assassinations it is done 3 in each city each one consists of investigation, assassination and escape. Plus there are numerous sidequests to be completed in the game, including collecting 420 flags scattered around the cities (these flags replenish your health and save the game, I think they are marked on the map. On xbox live they are achievements) and hunting down 60 Templars.

I am excited for this game.

[CKN]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/25539.html

That video is badass. Look at the reflection of the cup when the guy says "how do we restrain this angel of yours?"

[oldskool]

It sounds badass, it looks badass, but why do I get the feeling this is going to be Bioshock all over again, where it plays great & looks great for the whole....ten hours of playtime <_

[CKN]

It sounds badass, it looks badass, but why do I get the feeling this is going to be Bioshock all over again, where it plays great & looks great for the whole....ten hours of playtime

Edited November 4, 2007 by CKN

[abundant]

From impressions from those who’ve already played it, this is going to be a beefy game. There are nine main assassins to make, but before that, you have to get information on them through pick pocketing, eavesdropping and interrogation. You can do the bare minimum and do the assassin, or do them all and plan your assassin and escape out. Through the research, you’ll find out things like certain alleyways to escape, key guard positions so you can take them out beforehand, and the location of the target. On top of that, you can also help people and in doing so, they’ll help you during your escape.

There are five locations you visit, four huge, detailed cities, and the assassin HQ. Much like crackdown, whatever you see, you can get to. Couple that with the flags, which are just like the green orbs on Crackdown, the exploration aspect is huge.

As for the controls, everyone except EGM have said the same thing; They take getting use to, but once you do get use to them, they are great. Here is a description of the controls from someone who has the retail copy:

The controls are intimidating at first. But if you are not a novice player, you will understand pretty quickly how awesome they are and how much freedom they give the character. Basically you have a 'normal' mode of play and an 'extreme' mode of play. When you press the right trigger you enter the 'extreme' mode of play and everything you do, like walking, pushing are the more aggressive variant. So a normal walk becomes a run and a slow 'thinking trot' becomes sprinting plus jumping and a slight push to pass becomes a full grab to toss people out of the way or to push through crowds at high speed and tackle opponents. (riding on horse works similarly, easy trot and full gallop, etc. amazing animations on the horse, btw)

That's basically the entire premise. Use the 'normal' mode if you want to go undetected, strolling around the amazingly detailed, crowded HUGE SCALE cities and use extreme mode when you are on the run, scaling buildings, killing people from mid-air and hanging from rooftops, etc. It's crazy.

[Kaney]

I was going to pre-order it, but when I heard the worries about controls, and what with SD being out a week earlier, I'm just going to wait till I get paid the following week, when people have had time to figure everything out and provide a better opinion on it. I also loved the Hitman games, so it sounds really fantastic to me. Isn't Mass Effect out on the same day?

[abundant]

No, ME is released the following week. And again, everyone, except EGM, who has played the game loves the control scheme. It just take a little bit of time to get use to it, mainly because you don’t manually jump. Instead, you hold down the RT and the A button, then when you come to a gap you can jump, it’ll perform it for you. This is done because of the animation. You can’t have animation like in AC with manual jump, it’d look too clunky for most people playing.

Edited November 4, 2007 by abundant

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Apparantly it's to help with the "freedom" feel of moving up and down and jumping to and from buildings. It also makes the cool jump from pillar to pillar thing actually possible.

I also heard from a mate that there's a button to control each part of your body though I dunno if that's the case.

[abundant]

Your friend is correct. Pressing Y sends you into eagle vision (head), which helps you find your target. X controls your weapon hand, B controls your free hand, so you use it to push/grab people, and A either makes you go into freerun mode (when RT is held down) or it can make you bow your head in prayer and walk slowly.

Edited November 4, 2007 by abundant

[Captain Eo]

Next week should be excellent for gamers.

Off the top of my head SDvsRaw, Kane & Lynch, and AC.

But with Mass Effect coming out just a week later my schedule is going to be too crowded to get around to all of them, especially after picking up COD4 tonight.

But on topic it looks like a brilliantly fun game, but if the control system is really flawed it will just ruin the experience.

[zero]

I have a feeling this is going to be Lair all over again, tons of hype and a huge letdown. It would be a complete shame if that's the case, it's always saddening to see new IPs flop. But yeah, the gameplay sounds dreadful... hope I'm wrong though.

I don't get all the ragging on short games though. Maybe it's just me, but I don't have time for the 80 hour level-up fests of the RPG days.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

See, the controls sound interesting to me. One set of controls for "passive/normal" movement, then hold down shoulder and the same buttons do more aggressive variations.

Also, if you're clambering around or jumping it makes you more billy-bad-arse if you're choosing the route and planning the approach, and not having to PERFECT every single jump and clamber.

Still, I'll reserve judgement until I get my hands on it of course.