Assassins Creed PS Game Review

Unfortunately, while the graphics set the stage for a truly magical and visceral adventure, the sound doesn't exhibit the same level of outstanding quality. The voice acting is solid - even great, at times - but for whatever reason, the least impressive cast member is Altair...the main character should be a highlight, not a low point. The sound effects are excellent throughout; from the hawkers on the streets to the cries of frightened citizens to the shouts of guards. All of that sounds wonderful, but the balance is a bit off. For example, after saving a citizen from a group of unruly guards, you often won't be able to hear what he or she says in thanks, primarily because the surrounding din of dying soldiers and freaked-out citizens overrides the speech. Now, this may be realistic, but it's still frustrating. The soundtrack works well and is the most consistent aspect of this category, as the music captures Creed's feel nicely. Perhaps best of all, Ubisoft doesn't make the mistake of giving us an overbearing set of tracks; the music never shatters the tension or urgency of the moment, it only augments the atmosphere. It's just too bad the effects lack balance and fine-tuning.

Assassin's Creed:

As you might've expected, Assassin's Creed is one of the prettiest games out there. In looking at some early reviews, we've noticed complaints regarding pop-in and texture tearing, but in our experience, all of that is quite rare and almost never hinders the overall visual presentation one iota. You know you're looking at a vastly accomplished graphical display when you continually smile in amazement, regardless of your position in this vast and sweeping world. Whether you're on the city streets, working your way through the throng or perched high atop a View Point, the majesty of your surroundings rarely fails. Character and NPC animation is fluid and nigh-on flawless, although the cut-scenes aren't nearly as impressive as we would've liked. It's not perfect, and there are flaws here and there, but to focus on them is nitpicking and anybody who says otherwise needs to take the stick out of you-know-where. In the end, we find it quite difficult to locate better visual depictions in 2007, and in direct comparison, very few games top Assassin's Creed. We can't make it any simpler than that.
It's all about subtleness and intricacy. Running and scrambling around on buildings will draw attention; walking and climbing a ladder is "socially acceptable." But even bumping into any one of those many women carrying pots on their heads - inevitably causing them to drop it - will make the guards suspicious. Every soldier you encounter will either be "Unaware," "Suspicious," or "Informed," and there is a particular stance for each status (for instance, if they're walking around with a hand on their sword, they're "Suspicious"). If you want an all-encompassing view of some guards, you can use Eagle Vision to pinpoint their status, thereby giving you the edge. Provided you keep to yourself and don't cause a ruckus, nobody is likely to bother you, but sometimes, it's unavoidable. Saving a citizen is a noble yet very visible act; it's going to gain a lot of attention because you're out there on the streets killing soldiers. But a quick stealth kill on a lone guard won't be a problem, so long as nobody sees you or stumbles upon the body. The most appealing part centers on your relative freedom, as you can approach your objective in a variety of different ways.

Much like a stealth game, you have a meter that will dictate your visibility status. If it's blue, you're in the clear and you're not drawing any unwanted attention. If it's yellow, the guards are suspicious but if you stay away from that R1 button, you should be fine. If it's red, you've been spotted doing something unsavory and you're gonna get chased. Now, when you're being chased, you need to break the line of sight so you can hide; once the indicator flashes yellow, it means you've temporarily lost the pursuing soldiers and you can seek out a hiding place. Once you've got that, sit tight and you will soon go "invisible" again, and everything is back to normal. The control scheme may seem a little nutty, especially when things get fast-paced, but the system actually works extremely well. You just have to get used to it. As soon as you realize you should never be pressing X while scaling a wall - just use the directional control - you'll be fine. Although we never could figure out if the Leap of Faith required just the R1, just the X, or both at the same time... But whatever. It may not be standard, and the quirkiness can get annoying, but it's more than functional.
Assassin's Creed wants to be the best of the best. It strives for interactive nirvana and seeks to provide the player with one of those games that stands head-and-shoulders above anything else, and for quite a long time. But as hard as they tried and as much as we want to say it, they don't quite reach that uber-ambitious goal. It almost seems as if the humungous world they created and the idea that lies beneath the premise was too big to embrace; it was simply beyond current development possibilities. On the other hand, Ubisoft Montreal did come close, which means we end up with a great game. It's one of the best of this new generation and proves two things: 1. just how far the industry has come, and 2. just how far it can go. We continually catch glimpses of video game revolution in Creed, and sooner or later, we'll get more than just glimpses. For now, though, we'll take this. We'll take it because it's fun, beautiful, accomplished, challenging, original, atmospheric, detailed and even breathtaking. Those who can view this one in either 720p or 1080i high-definition are in for a real treat.Oh, and one last thing- anybody who awards this game less than an 8.5 needs surgery to remove the elitist "hey, I did that before and there's a pop-in; this game is only average now" mentality. Seriously, get over yourself.