Assassin's Creed is a sandbox game that fails to deliver on what it had the potential to. But has its shining moments.
*The Story*
You start the game as a guy (Desmond) in a science lab held against his will for some genetic experience BUT wait that's not the story you double as an ancient assassin (Altair) who well assassinates people.
How is this all possible you ask well somehow or other you can live genetic memories from your ancestors. Throughout the whole thing the game is trying to juggle the two story lines like a one armed man standing on blazing hot coals.
But the real thick of the story is in the past where you are part of a secret society that plots the killing of people because they think they should die and occasionally you get pulled to the future. And it is just plain annoying when you have to be sucked out of the past to be brought back to the future. The reason is less interesting because all you can do is talk to uninteresting characters and move slower then someone with a walker!
*The Gameplay*
Assassins Creed is an open world game where you can climb about 90% of everything and the really interesting thing about it is the level designers made it look like you can't even climb on these objects. Also climbing and running around on roof tops is a core part of gameplay and by core I do mean that's about all you will do for all of your missions and if you want to do reach any location. The reason you will be doing this is to avoid the guards and avoid drawing attention to yourself. At least that's what the developers would like you to think.
The real reason you will be doing it is to avoid the interacting with the crowds. You want to avoid the crowds because they get in your way when running they yell at you for anything and there are these drunks and lepers that push with the might of a gorilla if you get within reach. It is the most annoying thing in the world to be pushed by a retard your first reaction should be "Put blade in that guy's head" and when the crowd seems to hate you for it like you are a bad guy.
Of course another part of gameplay is assassinations but you will be doing this a small amount of the time. After you go through the long and drawn out process of getting your mission, going to the city, talking to some unimportant character, doing the same 3 types of missions over and over again, going back to previous said character, and finally Altair decides he has somehow gathered enough info to kill someone.
Really I would think that it would take months or at least days to plan an assassination. But no apparently a few letter/maps, some words from a colleague and you're set to go within a few minutes. When you finally put your blade in someone's throat Altair and the victim decide to have a conversations even though the guy is bleeding from the throat and should probably be choking on his own blood.
Sword Fighting…………… know this counter attack and grab, and smash X are all the things that you need to learn to be successful and until you learn the first two things you will be made in to the guards b*tch because they know how to grab you and toss you like a rag doll.
*AI*
AI in assassin's creed is above super human. After you kill someone and so much as blink near a guard they instantly know it was you, if you jog they know it is you, and in the countryside if you gallop you horse they'll kill you because they have something about horses and galloping (I think it is perfectly reasonable to want to gallop your horse instead of walking it. The crowd just walks from point A to B but you will hardly know because you will be running from guards to often to take notice.
*Ending Thoughts*
Assassin's Creed is a decent game with impressive open world play but lacking in the story realm especially at the end where it cuts off in the middle of a scene with a horrible ending line. But the gameplay should keep you entertained at least till the grinding motion sets in due to the fact that you will do the same things in every city. In the end it depends on what type of games you are into although this is kind of in a class of its own that sticks out in the crowd.
So my advice is at least experiment with it and if you don't like then go play Frisbee with the disk.