Let's start out by saying that I was hugely hyped for this game, I couldnt wait for it. It was easily my most anticapated game of 2007 but from the first moment I played it, I knew it wasnt the game I expected. Sure, with all the hype you can say that no-ones expectations were going to be met and to a certain extent that is true. Yes, there is a decent game hidden somewhere but its flaws(of which it has many)outshadow that experience.
Okay, now lets look at what makes this game. Huge sprawling cities, assasinations and of course free running. And Assasins Creed delivers on each one. Each of the 3 cities is huge, the gameworld that connects the 3 cities is also huge, if a little too big. The assasinations are somewhat varied and exciting and the free running is probrably the best part of the game. Controlling Altair(the main character) takes some time to get used to but once your comfortable with the controls, you'll be free running around the city with great ease. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop is a great experience and feels very original despite Prince of Persia having a go at it previously. Together with assinations it forms the basis of the game. Unfortunately, after you get past the free running there really isnt much else to the game.
The graphical design is mostly great. Character models are good, textures are good and the overall design and feel of each individual city is also very good. However, this cause a problem. That problem being that the framerate is very inconsistant. You can be leaping around on the top of a building at a smooth and easily playable rate, but for some reason the game take huge drops every now and then. This is more evident in later levels as the game can sometimes slow to a crawl making it basically unplayable.
Now lets get on to the gameplay. Basically, you will trying to assinate various targets given to you by your leader. For the first few assinations, it feels good to slowly plan out your attack by gathering information. But as soon as you realise every single mission in this game is exactly the same, it becomes horribly tedious. And thats the story of the whole game. Its just tedious. After you have completed your first mission, you have seen the whole game. There is no varying misssions, no side quests barring collecting flags and absolutely nothing to do other than run around. Your basic assination works like this, you get your mission, find out information on your target by sitting through an un-skippable cutscense of you sitting on a bench listening to two guys talk to each other; or you follow a guy and beat him up. After this you actually get to assinate someone. Getting close to your target unseen is not easy as there are usually hundreds of guards patrolling the area. But once you do, its simple enough to kill him. After this you are treated to yet another tedious un-skippable cutscene.
That brings me to another thing. The AI. No joke, the AI in this game is quite possibly one of the worst ever seen in a video game. Basic NPC's have about 3 lines of dialogue and every single one of them will say the exact same thing over and over. The enemies are also beyond stupid. In combat they will wait and attack one at a time which makes the combat insanely easy as all you have to press only one button to kill them.
Without these flaws and with a few more months of development time to flesh out some of the missions, Assasins Creed could have been great. But, unfortunatly like so many other games it gives the feeling of being rushed. However it does do alot of things right and without certain flaws there is a good basis for a sequel. Heres hoping the next one will be better.
There are good video game protagonists, and there are bad video game protagonists.
I disagree that max is unlikable. Chloe is infinitely more unlikable in my opinion.
Abby was absolute trash protagonist in every way..
Tidus was so meh to me..
On villain side, the one i didn’t like wa Micah, because they wanted him to be that way and it was brilliant👍🏽
Both are horrible, granted Chloe is infinitely worse, it feels like Chloe is just fanservice for people who too over the edge and wasn't written to be a character that makes sense
Ye I was expecting her too. Guess they actually played the game. Unlike you and whoever agrees.
She's actually not bad. It's the writing itself that is bad overall, but she's fine overall. She's no worse than Miles Morales IMHO. Both thrust into a spotlight and receiving both praise and blame and dealing with it.
Forspoken is a bland game because it's 75% bland, boring, repetitive going through the motions and diversions that add nothing of the value with purposefully gated memory moments that don't feel organic or like you're discovering things but waiting for others to reveal things.
Exactly Chris. Even though I liked the game. I kno u played it. People who actually played it and went thru her dream saw she was a good likeable person who really just acted out due to being alone and unloved. I think your problem is it was open world, I think if it was more linear you may have liked it better.
Oh no she's bad. Very unlikable even before you add on the bad dialogue. The game could have been quite good with a good protagonist
For all the people like synner. Shes actually half white lol. Inferior complexity is a hell of a thing. You'll be ok.
Most of these aren't even that bad. Especially comparing to others like Squall "Whatever" Leonhart, Forspoken's Frey, and the guy from Atomic Heart.
Squall is one of the best developed main FF characters so...
People talk about his "whatever" thing thats at the start of the game, not the character he eventually becomes in the end.
No amount of "character development", (especially the ones that for me feels sudden and undeserved like Squall's), will justify him being a d**k to my girl Quistis. Even if he found the cure for cancer, from that moment on, I would never like him.
The article is about being unlikeable, and he was indeed unlikeable for at least half of the game.
the "watever" is only present in the english localisation.
so your argument doesnt rly ... stand imo.
Good for you that you could enjoy the japanese version. That's not the case for me and the majority of people here, though.
i had to stop reading after the "blatant misogyny" in the Dantes inferno section.
i actually liked Max haha.
the forspoken chick is missing tho
Unfortunately, the open worlds in games like Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, Halo Infinite, and the original Assassin's Creed do more harm than good.
I legitimately loved Halo's switch to open world. They made traversal of the map entertaining, and everything involved just tied into the (what I consider) awesome gunplay.
The entire time I really felt the slow takeover of the map, and all the little steps forward felt satisfying.
I don't know what more people really want there, considering the setting and story. A handful of soldiers hunkered down on enemy territory; slowly trying to win the battle.
I agree I liked the switch to the open world, it was large with beautiful land scapes. However, it did feel a bit empty, and wasn’t as action packed as I would have liked. A lot of the bases felt like fillers instead of something of wonder. Let’s see what 343 under new management does from here cause Halo needs some updating
I'm surprised they scrapped the Slipspace engine. I thought the graphics looked great, the sandbox physics were as good as ever, and the AI worked well. Clearly a lot of work went into it and it appears to have been optimized for the new generation of GPUs. The only issue I had with it was the lack of environments, would have been cool to have different biomes on the ring to explore. A bit more variety in missions would have been nice, maybe some timed events where you have to manuever a banshee through forerunner architecture or some mongoose speedruns would have spiced things up.
I think R* are the only ones who have made compelling open worlds. I can’t stomach most open world games and how boring they are with busy world. It’s like a flex to make this massive environment, but it’s extremely boring to traverse and play in. GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 blew me away with how incredible their worlds were. Elden Ring was the only other game to give me that sense of awe.
GTA V and unfortunately, Saints Row the original have had some of the most aggressive open world features where the world doesn’t feel so bland. To me what makes GTA V so special is the way the characters react to the world around them vs how the world reacts to them. For example, in GTA when you switch to Franklin and he walked past an attractive female he responded “ damn you fine” or in Saints row you can run up in the pawn shop flash a gun and watch them respond by raising their hands in the air, or they press the silent alarm making you have to run away from the cops. Halo infinite doesn’t have those kind of moments that make you feel apart of the world it just feels like it’s there.
Trevor talking to random vegan npc: "You suck c*ck, but you don't eat meat.... It don't make sense to me "
Classic. Such a shame we won't get that humour again now that R* have gone all in on virtue.
AC Odyssey with the next gen patch is pretty incredible, especially if you like a sea shantie. Lol.
I’m back on an open world kick after Horizon. I don’t know what clicked in me but exploring the map and seeing the detail work has me loving open worlds again. Playing AC Odyssey on hard and really enjoying it and the map. Reinstalling RDR2 tonight because damn, that map is just incredible for sightseeing.
Halo Infinite felt off. It's like the developers didn't know what they really wanted to do
Depends on which open world titles u play, most of em are shitty AF, but I honestly admire open world genre, sometimes to just take a break from fighting and missions you explore n see details you haven't noticed before cause you were too busy body at first, then boom finding some dope equipment or things to sale
Driven by profit, Ubisoft is doing what’s best for its margins instead of what’s best for players.
Ah man they finally announce a Japan setting title and they find themselves in this turmoil.
I liked Valhalla but it has some serious underlying issues and the series is in a creative slump.
i miss the actual stealth elements of the early games. its just turned in to an action rpg at this point. I want feel the chase and escape, the assassination that no one saw, and the thrill of obtaining a new gadget. not just swinging my weapon until the next cutscene.
this game wasnt all that they made it out to be. It couldve been a lot better.
Good review! :)
I really didn't have a lot of gripes with it. Really it just had the sandbox problem have having the same side missions to do over and over.