Assassin's Creed is an epic fusion of old and new troubles, which scores on almost every level.
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed centers on Desmond, a bartender who is stripped of his freedom after his ancestor, Altair, becomes a subject of interest to the slightly-crazed scientist effectively keeping Desmond imprisoned in his futuristic lab, centuries after Altair's reign.
Clever, huh? Ubisoft smartly associates a tale of ancestral redemption set during the Crusades with a modern twist of sci-fi. The resulting story varies between the memories of Altair and the consciousness of Desmond, both inextricably linked through pure chance.
Anyway, the combat. Altair - who is stripped of the majority of his weapons early on in the game - is pretty vulnerable for the first portion and as such a focus on subtlety is necessary (e.g, no ruthless slaughtering of guards in the town centre without good reason). Of course, throughout the duration of the game Altair gradually progresses into an acrobatic, aerobic, blade-packing badass who has no qualms about ruining the beauty spots of townships with corpses and spilled guts. He also gains access to weapons such as the throwing knife, the only ranged weapon in the game, the hidden blade - for taking out people with a minimum of fuss - and a reliable sword which is useful for heavy hitters and evisceration. Altair also gradually claws back his moves; some of these are incredibly handy, such as the 'Counter' move which is indispensable when a guard attacks you - big mistake on his part. Blocking and attacking is also well implemented - and in general the combat has a certain flow which miraculously manages to scrape a meticulous, planned appearance, even if the player is not meticulous and planned in his/her approach, in which case you're going to find this game very difficult, especially with the ambitious but slightly-flawed climbing system, which I shall detail now.
The climbing system in Assassin's Creed is useful for quick getaways - but herein lies the problem. Sure, it allows the player to scale grand buildings and view beautiful vistas, but when you're trying to escape from the local cops the system can be infuriating. Sometimes you will find yourself pushing upwards for the next handhold, only to learn that you have to do some sort of small diversion from your course. Early on in the game, without the ability to grab and recover your grip, you will be stoned by pursuing guards, knocking you off your perch and returning you to their persecution. Perhaps I'm moaning. Given a clean record and a bit of patience, scaling assorted buildings can be an enjoyable tourist diversion when the player isn't, y'know, scalping a hapless Jerusalem guard.
The setting of Assassin's Creed varies depending on which city you visit. Some are lush with greenery and prospective wealth - some dusty and riddled by poverty in a charming, Fable-ish way. Some are menacing, grey - the residents poor in a way not charming at all, scrabbling around in dirt and being looked at suspiciously by the well-armed, bullying guards.
Oh yes - bullies posing as guards. This is one problem Altair must combat in the various side-quests which dot the world. Saving an innocent citizen from harassment and possible death by the hands of the guards is satisfying, and also the player receives bonuses, such as gangs of marauding vigilantes who will impede the progress of guards who may be chasing you down. With enough effort, the player can also double his health in the 'synchronization' bar, with a 20G Achievement for doing so. Other side-quests involve pickpocketing, contributing towards main missions, eavesdropping (same) and a particularly tedious flag-collecting game, timed.
If you choose to ignore the entirely voluntary side quests, the main storyline should satisfy your needs. In the beginning of the game, your creepy master gives you a list of targets you must assassinate in order to redeem yourself. This is literally it for the game - it sounds simple, but it is in fact satisfying to receive your rewards and celebrate by slaughtering the poor Masyaf guards. This mission structure is similar to Crackdown's, but in this case, Ubisoft manages to make it fun. Basically you are given a brief and a plain white feather from the oft-annoying dude in charge of the various Assassin's Bureaus in each city. The brief - usually information on the target - is useful for working out where is best to stage your assassination, and the feather is for tainting with blood as evidence of the death. After the assassination, the entire city is on alert for you and it can be INCREDIBLY difficult to lose the heat. However, more often than not these escapades provide hours of riotous fun, until the player eventually manages to escape the law and return, victorious, to the smug caretaker of that city's particular Assassin's Bureau to hand in your grisly proof. Then to Masyaf - where you will receive another weapon/move which the player will inevitably use on the exhausted guards of Masyaf. Well done - you earned it.
In conclusion, Assassin's Creed is a polished, neat tale of trouble within the confines of the Crusade, cleverly entwined with the modern day. Anyone who picked up the much-hyped ACII should return to the series' roots and pick up this forgotten, shunned gem of a game.