Assassin's Creed hit the mark. It's a fantastically fun game with excellent controls. Intelligent storytelling as well.
"Assassin's Creed hits the mark"
Fantastic experience. The story is greatly engrossing, and telling us upfront from the very beginning what is really going on is intelligent storytelling. Instead of trying to pull a cheap, run of the mill, twist in the end- they tell us from the start and it allows for a very unique style to tell a story in a videogame. Much like Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, this game manages to break the fourth wall, and that makes it stand out as far as storytelling is concerned. If your not into it, that's one thing, but it's unique style and originality in approaching a story like this must be marveled at.
The sound is fantastic as well, with accents done well enough to never sound wrong. Altair's voice is nicely done, although not as organic as the rest, but it gets across the classic "dark, loner, badass" voice you'd expect. The music is top notch, and sound effects add to the atmosphere as well.
Control wise, Assassin's Creed couldn't be better. At first, it may seem strange. That's because of how intuitve they are. The tutorials and progression of the game allows you to get used to them, and master them if you try, by never trying to jam everything in your face at once. Altair moves around like Zorro, bouncing off of everything, climbing up anything. This is the most realistically agile, and acrobatic character to ever be animated in a game. He moves like a ninja, and it never looks "off" because he's doing so in realistic manner's, needing to grab hold of ledges and pull himself up. The best way to describe it is Prince Of Persia's puzzles, only all the time and with all your enviroment being interactive and a tool at your disposal.
Graphically, the game is better than average. There are some hick-ups at times, but not much really. Other than that though, its a very beautiful game.
The game does an incredible job of mixing platforming, stealth, action, detective work with smart, intelligent storytelling. The enviroments are so detailed, you won't belive your eyes. The level designs are so fantastically constructed, like a playground to play in just for you. The game is also the best Zorro game, and it's isn't even a Zorro game. You'll find yourself climbing, jumping and transversing through city landscapes and being chased by dozens of guards who are no pushover's either. Trus me, they are good challenges and make the chases through the city fun like you've seen in countless movies. You'll find yourself outnumbered 10 to 1, and still manage to defeat them like the classic swashbucking heroes of film as well. You'll, for all intensive purposes, feel like a superhero in the times of the crusade with the character design and situations you'll find yourself in. It's pure genuis, in my honest opinion.
The game got tons of hype, and in the end people will hold that hype against this game. Go in with an open mind, and don't be over critical expecting the game to be the END ALL BE ALL, because no game can be that. This game is fantastic, it sets the bar of videogaming to a whole 'nother level, and is very enjoyable. It's a stealth based, action adventure game. If your not expecting an FPS shooter or somthing, then you're on the right track. I couldn't be happier with the game, and it gets a 10 out of 10 from me.