Who knew history could be such fun...
The Graphics really show off the power of the X Box 360, with some stunning visuals from seeing the entire city from a high building to the details in your own character's clothes. The people look very real and the cutscenes are outstanding and easily some of the best ever seen in a game. However there are some problems with the graphics like some visual glitches in the game and also too many of the characters have the same face but then again with thousands of AI walking around, I can understand that. This may have to do with the power of the 360 but sometimes objects in the distant can look a little ugly but creating entire cities is no easy task so these are only small issues.
The sound is simply stunning as the cities feel so alive and at times can make you forget you are playing a computer game. The sounds during combat have been given so much time, effort and detail, that hearing the clash of swords or a fallen enemy being slayed by your weapons are outstanding additions to this game. Also when your up high on a view point, hearing the wind or listening to the sound below which is so faint because of how high you are up, proves that small details can make a huge difference. The only draw backs in the sound department is having to listen to beggars shout off the same stuff over and over again in your face which can get really annoying.
Gameplay is fantastic from the combat, to the free running system and will keep you hooked on the game. Starting with the free running system, which for me is easily the best in any game to date as at times it was so fun to just scale large buildings and run around, leaping from roof to roof. The combat system is fun and simple, so it allows you to get into some major battles against plenty of enemies but it never feels like your out of your depth. The counter system during combat is wonderful and the ways you can take down enemies with your sword or short blade is a true joy to watch and experience. Also though you can use knifes which are very helpful to kick off a fight with or take out archers at distance but the best weapon is easily the arm blade which is used for a stealth kill and is one of the best weapons in any game. To be honest its very hard to come up with any negatives about the gameplay but I think the combat counter system can be a little easy at times but it does allow you to have bigger battles without a lot of frustration like some games so virtually the game has an almost perfect gameplay system.
The AI has the most flaws but I find that with most games but saying that they do provide good tests during combat especially in groups as they size you up and try to wait for an opening. I also love how sometimes seeing the deaths of there fellow comrades will make them run off screaming like a little girl. However there are some drawbacks like the AI sometimes can point you out as an Assassin too easy or in the case of the archer will take too long to try and attack you. The most annoying part of this game are two of the civilian classes, one being the beggar who will chase you and annoy you so much and the other is the drunken or mental people (not sure what they are to be honest) who will attack you and blow your cover at time.
The main plot of the game at times can be very interesting but overall gets a little confusing and the ending is pretty poor but since its part of a planned trilogy, I can overlook this matter for the 1st installment.
There is quite a bit of replay value in the game as there are plenty of side missions you can go back to after you have completed it but the real relay value will be trying to do your assassinations in different ways. However the replay value can be taken down somewhat by the inability to skip cutscenes.
Overall this game will be a classic for many years to come and hopefully the drawbacks can be fixed for the sequel and this franchise can rival other greats in the gaming world.