Game review

Ubisoft presented Assassin’s Creed in 2007. Though mediocre, the game’s strong sequels made Assassin’s Creed a formidable franchise, selling nearly 31 million copies till date and garnering critical acclaim for its revolutionary gameplay and story.

Story

***1/2

The story is about aging master assassin Ezio Auditore de la Firenze and Altair Ibn la-Ahad, and their quest to decode the legacy of their predecessors. The Ezio and Altair story arcs are apparently completed in the game. It picks up where the last game left off, and if you’ve played Brotherhood before, you’ll be waiting with baited breath for this game just so that you can find out what happens ahead.

The story doesn’t have the personal touch that the previous games had, but the end is satisfying and it leaves us begging for more. So many characters are left undeveloped, which gives you a feeling that something is amiss. The story does have some “Holy shit!” moments to keep us on the edge of our seats.

Gameplay

***1/2

The gameplay has been tweaked and updated just enough to feel the difference from older games. The introduction of the hook blade is the game changer here. With it, the parkour aspect of the game, which was already awesome, feels even more awesome.

Combat is mostly the same; you can call on other assassins to aid you in fights, though it’s mostly unneeded since the combat is so easy. Bombs have been introduced, which provides for a nice addition, but it really wasn’t required. Den defence is unnecessary; it should’ve been avoided altogether.

Visuals

****

The visual part of the game is very similar to the older games, which makes this game seem nothing more than an expansion. Assassin’s Creed’s visuals have always been stunning. Constantinople is beautifully crafted and rich in detail.  Ezio moves fluidly, even in crowds, and each motion seems real and discernible.

Nonetheless, we have seen similar visuals in older games; Ubisoft should consider overhauling the graphics. Maybe they should focus on quality instead of speed of release.

Overall

***1/2

Great visuals, great gameplay and an addictive story, and even though there’s almost nothing wrong with the game it feels like the Assassin’s Creed franchise has reached a stagnation point in all these aspects. Players need newer experiences and the game has very few of them. With the games coming up in 2012, Assassin’s Creed will have to put forth an amazing sequel to stay in the race.