Every once in a while, a game or series comes along that either changes perceptions about particular genres or redefines them altogether. The original Assassin's Creed on the XBOX 360 and PS3 accomplished such a feat when it came out in 2008. By taking the 3D platforming made popular by games such as Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and refining it in countless ways, the original installment in this now famous series opened eyes everywhere and gave hope to the future of 3D action platforming games. That being said, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is an installment of the game made specifically for the PSP and its handheld capabilities.
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is a game based upon the adventures of Altair, the original protagonists in the series. During this particular story, Altair is on a mission to obtain an artifact known as the "Apple of Eden" that hold mysterious powers that have the capacity to control the masses of the population. Throughout the duration of the story, Altair is fighting various Templars and their associates in an effort to not only gain possession of the artifact, but also keep it out of the hands of the scheming villains.
As far as the Assassin's Creed gameplay goes, this game continues the abundance of platforming, running, climbing and sword fighting action series veterans are accustomed to. The areas that the game separates itself from its console brothers are the boss fights and the size of the map. In order to accommodate the power of the PSP, the game map has been drastically reduced in size and completely eliminates the need for riding a horse from city to city. While some people may criticize this reduction, I must admit that I found it refreshing to not waste hour upon hour traveling from city to city and being able to concentrate on gameplay instead. Additionally, the game does an excellent job of showing the location of your next objective on the map. It will not always show you how to get to the objective (so you will have to use your platforming noggin a little), but it does mark your next goal rather well.
The boss fights in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines are also a bright spot for this game. In this manner it departs from the original console game by requiring players to skillfully endure a longer battle to defeat each boss rather than stabbing them once and calling the mission complete. Anyone who has played Devil May Cry or an old school beat-em-up where the boss has a meter will feel like they are in familiar territory in this respect. In most cases, as long as you can discern the boss' attack pattern and find a way around it, you can beat him (or her in one case). In all, the boss battles provide a landmark in the narrative and a challenge at the same time.
The critiques I have for this game are very few. The controller scheme can be a bit of a bother, but Ubisoft, I feel, did the best they could given the fact that the PSP does not have two analog sticks. Additionally, Altair's blocking ability requires an exactness and precision that may be too touchy for some players. I found myself either low on life or dying frequent deaths that I didn't receive during my playthrough of the original Assassin's Creed. Aside from that, the game offers a lot of positives with only some minor setbacks.
Overall, I give Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines an 7.0. While not as polished as its console predecessors, the platforming, sword fighting, storyline and boss battles are all enjoyable and provide a wealth of fun when given a chance. For a PSP game, it has outstanding graphics and is driven by a good story.