Ubisoft worked hard to make every single last detail perfect. When it all comes together, you have an epic game!
Assassin's Creed features a brilliant story designed in an intelligent way. You play Desmond, a bartender ex-assassin in the modern world captured by Abstergo, a company who need something locked away in your memories. It is here that you are placed in the Animus and relive the life of your ancestor. Instead of health, you receive a synchronization bar. This drops when you kill the innocent amongst becoming hurt and should you "die" (desynchronize) you load the last memory. This is a fantastic way to explain how you miraculously come back to life and why you randomly lost some health for killing the innocent when everything else is incredibly real.
You can scale the many buildings, small and tall, across the cities in the Holy Land and make no mistake, they are huge cities which, as the game progresses, you will receive more exploration rights within them. Free step from beams and rooftops while using the environment to your advantage to escape conflict. The guards climb up and try to stop you and even throw stones when you scale the highest of buildings.
When you finally reach the top of a viewpoint you will be overwhelmed with an amazing view like other. Try scaling the highest viewpoints for the real WOW factor. Yes, what you see is what you can actually explore!
You'll even hear the wind gusting by and the tweet of a nearby eagle before you leap off into the handily placed hay stack at the bottom. However, again, the haystack always looks like its meant to be there - not just some random thing placed for your needs. The buildings look realistic - not with random sticky out bits for you to climb. When in the busiest areas you will hear beggars that run up to you - and others - for money. Some even throw stones if you try to escape! You will hear merchants selling their goods and people preaching about one thing or another. As you 'Gentle Push' by people, you are not randomly flailing your arms in a set sequence, you will only use them as you approach someone and you will turn and squeeze by people too.
The game is a world that draws you in like never before.
Combat is also a pleasurable moment. Every single slash of the blade is executed in a perfect way. When countering you will move based on where the guard is and how he is attacking, then will slice and dice him to smithereens! There's nothing better than attacking one guard and then swiftly turning, dodging and slicing another guard in a well times counter. Again, every single detail counts here and it is those that make this game so pleasurable.
The story to Assassin's Creed is also amazing. However finding information on targets gets repetitive. It's the same old pickpocket him, interrogate someone else, eavesdrop on them. You need to complete all investigations to complete the entire 'Memory Block' but after 1 or 2 you can go to the 'Assassin's Bureau' and you will be permitted to complete your assassination. However, if you find all the information and study it well, taking considerable care to each target, you will be able to prepare your kill and escape route in advance knowing where the guards will be stationed, possible routes the target takes should he run, how the target likes to fight (Bowman, just runs ect.). Then you really do feel like you are in the game. Unfortunately this repetiveness is possibly the one and only thing that stops this game being perfect.
With this information you may be able to analyse if a stealth assassination, a distraction or a rooftop entry is in order. You have a 'Hidden Blade' which can use to kill people in a 'Stealth Assassination'. This is a great way to pick of guards on the rooftops. Furthermore, this technique can be used on the actual target. Alternatively, you could grab the guard and throw him off the rooftop. This causes a distraction where citizens and guards gather round the dead body leaving their post allowing an easy entry for you. You could scale the rooftops and drop in from above or free step on the beams usually above the guard post entering right above the guards' heads and they don't know it! Or be the 'Blade in the crowd' and blend with scholars to enter unnoticed.
Don't think the only thing you do is assassinate target however. This game has excellent explorational value. You can save citizens from harassing guards thus receiving either scholars (to blend with) or vigilantes who will grab guards (and main assassination targets) to allow you to escape (or kill them). It's certainly a wonderful experience when you see that cowardly man who ran for his life fighting his way out of a vigilante's grasp. Slowly approach (to make the micky) and give him what he deserves!
You become the game.