Last Update: 1/4/08
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed is a third-person stealth game in which the player assumes the role of Desmond Miles, an average bartender who is the last descendant of a long family line of assassins. Desmond has been taken to a facility where he is forced to use the Animus, a machine that traces and recreates the memories of his ancestors during the Third Crusade. Through these memories, the player controls Altaïr (الطائر, Arabic, "The Flying One"), a member of the Hashshashin sect (the original "assassins"), whose objective is to slay the nine historical figures propagating the Crusades in the year 1191. Release Date: 09/2007
Publisher: Ubisoft
Features
One of the most talked about features of the game is the ability to get around the game world. Influenced by the Parkour phenomenon and its freedom of movement, the player will be able to grab onto and climb "any object that sticks out more than 2 inches", which means exploration of the cities, rooftops, etc. will be possible on a greater scale than in any previous game. The game will also be completely free-roaming, which has led to comparisons with Grand Theft Auto, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Shadow of the Colossus, and other games.
Another feature is the intuitive control scheme. Assassin's Creed will employ a new idea that can best be compared to playing marionette of puppeteers to Altair's actions. Developer Jade Raymond states, "What I really like about this concept was that once you understand the controls, you know how to play the game. You don't ever have to look at what the button combinations are. You can invent them as you go along." On the PS3 controller, the left analog stick will control movement, and the right will control the camera. However the actual buttons are quite different from normal. X will correspond to the feet, Square will dictate arm movement with weapons, Circle will use the character's arms without weapons, and Triangle uses his head. Also, one of the right triggers will act as a shift between violent and gentle intensities.
Combat in Assassin's Creed strives to be somewhat realistic. Unlike most games, Altair cannot take repeated sword blows and neither can his opponents. Rather, whenever Altair or another character would have been hit by a lethal blow, they will clumsily block it, be at a disadvantage, and lose stamina. After enough stamina has been lost, they will no longer be able to block the fatal blow and will be mortally wounded. During the X06 gameplay trailer, a producer from Ubisoft stated that combat would mostly rely on not becoming surrounded, being patient, and waiting for an opening to strike, rather than hacking away offensively.
Assassin's Creed aims to bring a new kind of gameplay to the next-gen console experience: that of "social stealth". Crowds, as previously mentioned, play a large part in the gameplay of Assassin's Creed. They can be either a help or a hindrance to Altair. In one segment, Altair blended in with a group of priests in order to get closer to his victim. This was possible because Altair looked very similar to the white-robed priests. After Altair's target was assassinated in full view of a busy town square, the crowd erupted into chaos. The developer from Ubisoft mentioned that running into a mob could get Altair knocked to the ground, thus allowing his pursuers to catch him.
Altair carries a number of highly specialized weapons for his role as an assassin - weapons noted from the trailers include a sword, a small crossbow, and throwing daggers strapped on his chest as well as his concealed mechanical dagger attached to his left arm, which emerges from under his wrist. This is made to retract so that the assassin remains inconspicuous. Altair is also missing his ring finger on his left hand to make room for the blade to emerge.
Another feature is the intuitive control scheme. Assassin's Creed will employ a new idea that can best be compared to playing marionette of puppeteers to Altair's actions. Developer Jade Raymond states, "What I really like about this concept was that once you understand the controls, you know how to play the game. You don't ever have to look at what the button combinations are. You can invent them as you go along." On the PS3 controller, the left analog stick will control movement, and the right will control the camera. However the actual buttons are quite different from normal. X will correspond to the feet, Square will dictate arm movement with weapons, Circle will use the character's arms without weapons, and Triangle uses his head. Also, one of the right triggers will act as a shift between violent and gentle intensities.
Combat in Assassin's Creed strives to be somewhat realistic. Unlike most games, Altair cannot take repeated sword blows and neither can his opponents. Rather, whenever Altair or another character would have been hit by a lethal blow, they will clumsily block it, be at a disadvantage, and lose stamina. After enough stamina has been lost, they will no longer be able to block the fatal blow and will be mortally wounded. During the X06 gameplay trailer, a producer from Ubisoft stated that combat would mostly rely on not becoming surrounded, being patient, and waiting for an opening to strike, rather than hacking away offensively.
Assassin's Creed aims to bring a new kind of gameplay to the next-gen console experience: that of "social stealth". Crowds, as previously mentioned, play a large part in the gameplay of Assassin's Creed. They can be either a help or a hindrance to Altair. In one segment, Altair blended in with a group of priests in order to get closer to his victim. This was possible because Altair looked very similar to the white-robed priests. After Altair's target was assassinated in full view of a busy town square, the crowd erupted into chaos. The developer from Ubisoft mentioned that running into a mob could get Altair knocked to the ground, thus allowing his pursuers to catch him.
Altair carries a number of highly specialized weapons for his role as an assassin - weapons noted from the trailers include a sword, a small crossbow, and throwing daggers strapped on his chest as well as his concealed mechanical dagger attached to his left arm, which emerges from under his wrist. This is made to retract so that the assassin remains inconspicuous. Altair is also missing his ring finger on his left hand to make room for the blade to emerge.
