Overwritten.net

Games => General Gaming => Topic started by: Pugnate on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 05:55:39 PM

Title: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 05:55:39 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_creed

I had no idea Ubisoft Montreal are developing, which is awesome. Can't wait for this to hit the PC -- which is supposed to be part of the simultaneous launch. Initially was supposed to be a PS3 exclusive, but Sony lost the battle hehe. 

edit:

According to gamespot, it will come to PC after the PS3/360 simultaneous launch. So it is still coming, but a bit later. That's fine. At least this way Ubi won't have any excuses.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 06:39:55 PM
Yeah, I'm looking forward to this one.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 07:26:43 PM
It seems like a console game to me, so I'll probably pick it up for 360.  Either way, it looks really interesting.  I'm curious to see where they're going with it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 08:54:30 PM
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6156813.html

Quote

Lance Bass had one. Milli Vanilli had one. Ubisoft had one. It took some time, but eventually all their poorly kept secrets came out, and in the gaming world, it means Xbox 360 owners will be very happy.

Ubisoft today finally revealed that its anticipated game Assassin's Creed will be coming to the Xbox 360, as many had suspected. The announcement comes a day after the publisher admitted the game would be headed for the PC.

The news settles one of the hottest topics in the gaming world this year, as debate over whether or not the game was sneaking onto the Xbox 360 in addition to the PlayStation 3 raged. Though initially announced at Microsoft's X05 event as Project Assassins in 2005, the game was first shown off as Assassin's Creed and revealed as a PlayStation 3 game at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006--an Xbox 360 and PC version was not mentioned.

Eyebrows were raised at other systems' exclusion, especially since it was originally revealed as an Xbox 360 title. Rumors ran amok all year, as a few believed the E3 demo was being shown on Xbox 360 dev kits, some sites said a loose-lipped Ubi rep confirmed a 360 version at France's Interactive Digital Entertainment Festival, and another Web site posted a preview of the Xbox 360 version.

For more on the game, peruse GameSpot's previous coverage or read GameSpot's new Q&A with producer Jade Raymond.

The opening sentence reinforces the fact that gamespot should stop trying to be funny.

http://pc.ign.com/articles/728/728932p1.html

Quote
UK,  August 29, 2006 - Sharpen your jagged-edge dagger and pull up your face veil because Assassin's Creed will be announced for PC this week - meaning it won't just be PlayStation 3 early adopters who get to feast on the game's throat-slitting glory at the beginning of next year.

News of Assassin's Creed's PC arrival appears in early copies of UK magazine PC Gamer, which subscribers received over the weekend. When pressed, a Ubisoft spokesman couldn't officially confirm the game's stealthy arrival on PC. However, it's likely an announcement will be made to coincide with the magazine hitting newsstands at the end of this week.

(http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/738/738763/assassins-creed-20061012034915564.jpg)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, May 25, 2007, 01:47:59 AM
Check out the game:



Really worth a look! I love the crowd interaction. It reminds me a bit of Splinter Cell without the linearity. This gives me confidence for the new Splinter Cell, because it is being put together by Ubi Montreal and follows a similar concept.

It is introduced by Jade Raymond, the producer of the game, and part of Ubi Montreal. She is cute for a gaming chick heh.

(http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/8271/jaderaymond3mp.jpg)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: angrykeebler on Friday, May 25, 2007, 10:43:29 AM
wow...

I'd hit it.. oh yeah. I would wreck that chick.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, May 25, 2007, 11:02:19 AM
A chick like that making a game like that? Sexy++
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Friday, May 25, 2007, 11:59:39 AM
Jade is pretty frickin' hot. I gotta respect her all the way.

Anyway, I've been looking forward to Assassin's Creed for ages! We used to hear the tales of the assassins and the Old Man of the Mountain* when we were children.

*Old Man of The Mountain was the wise man who had a castle on a mountain between Lebanon and Syria, and he created the assassins' guild. Awesome story.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, May 25, 2007, 12:26:04 PM
haha she is definitely a nerd's dream. She has a sexy voice too.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, May 25, 2007, 06:47:56 PM
Yeah, she's been around.  I saw her a while ago.  I don't really find it that mind blowing that there's a good looking women in the games industry, though.  I'm sure there are plenty of others, too.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: angrykeebler on Friday, May 25, 2007, 08:06:50 PM
Yeah, she's been around.

Did you just call my girlfriend a whore? How dare you sir! Pistols at dawn.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, May 25, 2007, 09:01:13 PM
Yeah, she's been around.  I saw her a while ago.  I don't really find it that mind blowing that there's a good looking women in the games industry, though.  I'm sure there are plenty of others, too.
Yeah...but those girls arent making Assassins Creed...which looks AWESOME.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Friday, May 25, 2007, 09:05:50 PM
The direction of this thread proves one thing to me. Ubisoft should put her face on the box with the tagline: "Made by this chick." Don't even bother with the name. They'll sell tons more copies.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Friday, May 25, 2007, 09:40:28 PM
I'd buy two copies.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, May 25, 2007, 09:54:17 PM
Regarding Jade -- Pretty girl, pretty voice, pretty intelligent chick.

Regarding the game -- Pretty graphics, pretty sweet looking game, pretty sweet open-ended type of gameplay.

I've been looking forward to Assassins' Creed for a while.

After seeing that 5 min gameplay video, that just reassured my thoughts on this thing.

What Jade said and showed on the IGN video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OzQrt0OZ1Q) is definitely worth a look at the game, too.

The control scheme sounds interesting. I am thinking if there is a PC version, the control pad might make the most sense. Just sounds that way, given that the buttons will be mapped like a person's body -- one key for head, one key for left arm, one key for right arm, one key for right leg, one key for left leg. I dunno if I see that style working on a KB/mouse at all, myself.

Oh, and Jade says that they already got some stuff in mind for sequels even, too!!

When is this coming to the PC and consoles in 2007???
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, May 31, 2007, 12:29:49 AM
The twist to the game was revealed a while ago.  Well, I don't know if it's a twist or something you learn really early, but a lot of people seemed pissed.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, May 31, 2007, 12:47:13 AM
Are you talking about going back in time? From what I read Ubi denied that that was the case... hmmmm..
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Thursday, May 31, 2007, 12:53:31 AM
Wha?!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, May 31, 2007, 01:02:25 AM
Are you talking about going back in time? From what I read Ubi denied that that was the case... hmmmm..

Yeah, pretty much.  Didn't know that they denied it though.  Either way, it doesn't reall matter - the game looks awesome.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, May 31, 2007, 03:16:30 AM
I'll try to find the link, but yea if it is true, it is shitty. I want a realistic type of game, not the Arab T-1000
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, June 07, 2007, 01:51:51 PM
One word:
NOVEMBER. (http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=15854)

Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Friday, June 08, 2007, 10:37:55 AM
Hmm, I thought I posted in this thread already but apparently not.  Yea, I'm really excited about this game and can't wait for it to come out.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, September 22, 2007, 01:36:09 PM
PC VERSION = Delayed til 2008.
Console versions (X360 and PS3) are still on track for Nov. 2007 release. (http://bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewthread&threadid=81208)

Quote
   
PC Assassin's Creed Delayed [September 22, 2007, 1:39 pm ET] - Viewing Comments

Ubisoft sends along an updated release schedule, including a new early 2008 release date for the PC edition of Assassin's Creed, which was announced with a 2007 release date (story). Though no reasons are offers, word is the console editions will not suffer this delay: "One of the most anticipated video games of the year comes to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system in November, and to PC in early 2008."
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, September 22, 2007, 01:54:37 PM
That's more than acceptable after the last few rushed pieces of crap PC ports from Ubi.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, September 22, 2007, 01:58:37 PM
That's more than acceptable after the last few rushed pieces of crap PC ports from Ubi.

Agreed...

...as long as when it comes out in 2008 for the PC, it still ain't Beta-in-a-box. :P
I mean, this is UbiSoft we are talking about here....
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Saturday, September 22, 2007, 04:49:35 PM
This thread takes so long to read because you gotta stop half wayand masterbate.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, September 22, 2007, 11:30:31 PM
..................hahahaha.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Saturday, September 22, 2007, 11:44:32 PM
hahahaha quality ;D
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, September 22, 2007, 11:59:41 PM
No wonder this is GPW's most frequently visited thread. That was hilarious though. :)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, September 23, 2007, 07:27:57 AM
No wonder this is GPW's most frequently visited thread. That was hilarious though. :)

ROFL!

I think he's in love w/ Jade Raymond, heh!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, September 28, 2007, 02:29:19 PM
Interview w/ Jade Raymond on this game (http://www.destructoid.com/ubisoft-s-jade-raymond-on-assassin-s-creed-46060.phtml)

Quote
ON ... NOT LISTENING TO THE MAN AND CHOOSING YOUR OWN PATH
"It's a seamless world, and you can go wherever you like. At some points, you'll have targets in every city open. So sometimes, you're given a list of all the guys to kill, sometimes you'll have one guy at a time, [like] at the beginning of the game. Sometimes there will be multiple guys, and you can even, for example -- if you get all of your investigations out of the way -- you can go to all three cities, investigate one target, investigate another, investigate another, go back to one city, kill this guy, do some free missions, [and then] go back to that city and kill the other guys. So really, it's up to you to play based on how you want to play, and what you're in the mood to do."
Sounds pretty cool to me.

Quote
ON ... HOW LONG YOU'RE GOING TO IGNORE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHILE PLAYING ASSASSIN'S CREED
"In each [of the three cities] there's three main guys to assassinate, plus about 30 investigation missions and several more side missions. There's also the asssassin's stronghold ... and a huge huge countryside that connects all of this."

"The game, if you're just playing the minimum -- like let's say out of the six investigations, you only do the minimum two, you don't do any free missions you really just do a straight path -- it's around 18 hours. If you do all of that stuff, it's probably about 40 hours."
Sounds of a decent length, to me -- for the straight path and if you possibly do everything.
I'm looking forward to the PC version of this. They better not botch the port.

Jade pics:
(http://www.destructoid.com/elephant//ul/16973-noscale-jade01.jpg)

(http://www.destructoid.com/elephant//ul/16974-noscale-jade02.jpg)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Saturday, October 13, 2007, 07:01:12 PM
Too big for DVD? (http://www.comnetslash.com/2007/10/12/assassins-creed-ps3-and-x360-having-problems-wont-fit-on-360-dvd-and-ps3-causing-memory-issues/)

I fail to really understand how it could be too big for a dual layer DVD.  Tons of cutscenes? I mean, textures must be bigger for this generation, but apart from that shouldn't the code not really take up much more room?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, October 13, 2007, 07:29:31 PM
Could be voice work, though I didn't get the impression this game had that much.  But that stuff will eat away space in no time.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Saturday, October 13, 2007, 07:52:48 PM
Yeah, the article said they have 5 languanges on one DVD, so that's probably it. 
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, October 13, 2007, 09:06:03 PM
Yeah, the article said they have 5 languanges on one DVD, so that's probably it. 

Holy crap!

I hope on the PC version, upon install, if they put all of those on the DVD, we can select what audio-language we want to install and all, if we don't want to murder our hard drive and all...
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Sunday, October 14, 2007, 12:10:10 AM
Holy crap!

I hope on the PC version, upon install, if they put all of those on the DVD, we can select what audio-language we want to install and all, if we don't want to murder our hard drive and all...

Yeah, that's usually the case with most installations; choose the language and it's the only one installed.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Sunday, October 14, 2007, 12:56:16 AM
Holy crap!

I hope on the PC version, upon install, if they put all of those on the DVD, we can select what audio-language we want to install and all, if we don't want to murder our hard drive and all...


Yes I am sure the thought crossed their minds. :P
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Sunday, October 14, 2007, 01:43:31 AM
5 languages onto a single disc would likely be the problem.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Tuesday, October 16, 2007, 04:16:32 PM
This makes a hell of a lot of sense, given Kyd's past scores -- such as the Hitman games.

Jesper Kyd is going to score this game.

Oh hell yea!!! (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/49474)

Quote
Assassin's Creed Gets Kyd Score
by Carlos Bergfeld Oct 16, 2007 5:33pm CST

Famed Hitman series composer and British Academy Award winner Jesper Kyd will compose the score for Ubisoft Montreal's upcoming historical hitman action title Assassin's Creed (PC, PS3, X360), Ubisoft announced today. Kyd is known for his work on Io Interactive's Hitman series of games as well as another of the studio's properties, Freedom Fighters (PC, PS2, GCN, Xbox).

Kyd worked with Io again on the studio's upcoming heist shooter Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (PS3, X360), and his other projects include scoring Epic's forthcoming Unreal Tournament 3 (PC, PS3, X360) and Bizarre Creations' upcoming third-person shooter The Club (PC, PS3, X360).

Assassin's Creed is expected to retail for the consoles sometime in November, while the PC version was recently delayed until early 2008. For more on the much-hyped title, check out the Shack's own preview.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, October 26, 2007, 04:10:50 PM
Jade Raymond's Assassin's Creed went GOLD for the consoles -- X360 and PS3. (http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/35048/Ass-Creed-Gone-Gold)

Quote
Ass. Creed Gone Gold
Oct 25, 2007 at 9:00 AM - Andrew Burnes - 37 Comments
Available November 13th for those console thingies:

    Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced its highly anticipated Assassin's Creed video game has gone "gold” and is set to launch in North America on November 13, 2007. The title is one of the most anticipated games for the holiday season, arriving on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft at the MSRP of $59.99 with the Limited Edition priced at $69.99 – rated "M” for Mature by the ESRB. In addition, those who pre-order Assassin's Creed at GameStop will receive an exclusive Assassin's Creed art book bonus when they pick up their game.

    "We've been working very hard for nearly four years to make Assassin's Creed a reality and now there is a confirmed date when players will get to experience the results of our efforts,” shared Jade Raymond, producer of Assassin's Creed. "This is a huge event for the team. Our biggest reward will be everyone having a lot of good solid fun.”

Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, October 26, 2007, 05:32:35 PM
TOO MANY FUCKING GAMES.  I AM GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK.

That is all.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, October 26, 2007, 05:47:16 PM
TOO MANY FUCKING GAMES.  I AM GOING TO HAVE A HEART ATTACK.

That is all.

Poor Que.

Well, the PC version's planned for Early 2008, if you wanted a reason to miss the console versions of Jade's Assassin's Creed.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, October 26, 2007, 10:01:14 PM
Jade's?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, October 26, 2007, 11:00:55 PM
Jade's?

Jade Raymond is the Lead Producer on Assassin's Creed.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, October 27, 2007, 01:55:03 AM
You need to start picking up on jokes and stuff. :P
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Saturday, October 27, 2007, 02:42:12 PM
oooooh somone loves Jade!  :-*
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Saturday, October 27, 2007, 03:06:51 PM
Hands off my woman!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, October 27, 2007, 09:25:43 PM
Hands off my woman!

Go jump through a portal!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Monday, November 12, 2007, 09:51:07 PM
Looks like anyone wanting this game for the consoles in Australia and New Zealand, you'll have to wait a little longer -- Wed, Nov. 21st.

US release still on track for this week, though -- Tues, Nov. 13th (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182760.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;1)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Monday, November 12, 2007, 10:27:56 PM
PC release next year right?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, November 12, 2007, 11:02:40 PM
Idol jumps through a portal and lands on Jade.

Anyway PC release is supposed to be early next year. I thought I'd never buy another Ubi game, but their Montreal studio is still good.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Monday, November 12, 2007, 11:03:35 PM
PC release next year right?
Yep. I think it's scheduled for Autumn Early 2008. Pug is correct, I had misread the announcement date.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 12:46:09 AM
Looks like anyone wanting this game for the consoles in Australia and New Zealand, you'll have to wait a little longer -- Wed, Nov. 21st.

US release still on track for this week, though -- Tues, Nov. 13th (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182760.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;1)


BOOOOOOO!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 01:13:06 AM
Man, I must have resolve. I must be patient. I am so anxious to play this! To play the role of Altaïr! By the way his name means "The Flying One" or "The Flyer" in Arabic.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 03:02:27 PM
GameSpot
9.0 from GameSpot for X360 and PS3 (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/assassinscreed/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review)

GameSpy
3½ stars for the X360 and PS3 (http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/assassins-creed/834669p1.html)

1Up
7.0 from 1Up on the PS3 Version (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3164320)

Eurogamer
7.0 from Eurogamer for X360 version (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=87432)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 07:58:25 PM
IGN gives it a 7.7, but the review makes it sound more like a 6.  I watched their video review (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/834/834724/vid_2198713.html) mostly because their high-res FLVs are so pretty and so easy to download.  That made the reviewer sound out of place, because the visuals in full motion make this look like an amazing game.  He's going on about how it's one of the 5 most disappointing games of the year, and all I want to do is grab my controller and take control over what I'm seeing.  I hope there's a 360 demo.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 08:22:16 PM
Now that's not a spread of scores that I expected. It's almost as surprising as the over glowing reviews for Crysis. Huh. We'll have to see how this works out.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 10:02:36 PM
My guess is it's a bunch of bullshit.  I don't trust the gaming media at all anymore.  I know I've said this about a hundred thousand times in the last few months, but it seemed like a good time to reiterate it.  Nothing makes sense in this realm anymore.  Good games get driven into the ground for trivial pet peeves, great games are lauded for tightly-developed but still utterly mediocre game mechanics, and all the while you've got games where no fucking consensus can be reached at all because vast rifts in opinion have emerged more than ever over the years, and the journalists who are just getting into the field are beginning to show this quite vividly in their profession.

I don't get it at all.  I've more or less just stopped reading game sites and resorted to reading forums and looking at the sweeping generalities of sites like MetaCritic.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 12:25:13 AM
Anyway I am reading 1up's review who gave it a 7.5 and not a 7.0. This review seems far better organized than the Crysis review:

Quote
Kill nine dudes. Yep, that's it. But before you can start the slaying, you must perform various investigations in order to gather the adequate information for each hit. You gather information in several different ways: picking pockets, eavesdropping on conversations, performing tasks for fellow assassins, and interrogating informants. In order to find out where you need to go in order to accomplish these tasks, you must climb up to various viewpoints throughout each city. (Though how you learn where to eavesdrop by simply climbing up a building is beyond me.) Regardless, turning Altaïr into a medieval Spider-Man in order to reach high points is one of the best parts about the game.

Or at least until you get sick of it -- which will likely happen very quickly. The fault of Creed's game structure isn't what you do -- gathering intel and conducting hits is actually pretty sweet. The repetition of these actions, however, is severely bitter. I kept waiting for a changeup of the objectives, and, well, that never happened. From the first hit to the last, you go through the same motions over and over and over...find the viewpoints, do the investigation missions, and take out the final target. It got to the point where I only did the minimum amount of investigation tasks needed to perform each kill. To make things worse, despite Ubisoft's faithfulness to history, the three cities of Acre, Damascus, and Jerusalem are practically the same. Do they have different people populating them? Yes. Do they have different buildings? Yep. Do they have different color tints to remind you that you're actually in a different environment? Uh-huh. But do they actually play any differently?

See I've reed three of their reviews on the trot now, and just seems to me sometimes that they are less frustrated by the game as they are by the limitations of the medium.

The complaints about the cities just sounds so absurd. What the hell does he want? Idiot.

Quote
Well, judging by the (disappointing) ending of the game, we don't have to worry about that -- they are definitely setting up a sequel. And that's Assassin's Creed's biggest problem: It's a game what was clearly created with a sequel mindset. Instead of making a complete experience, we're getting a game that's obviously holding stuff back for the inevitable follow-up. For instance, I felt as if the historical assassination portion of the game could have been half of the overall experience, with the other half focusing on the present-day stuff. But no -- we have to wait for that. It sucks, yes, but I'm definitely willing to wait (albeit impatiently) until the next game eventually comes out. And it better -- I hate killing time in between games.

That doesn't sound good.

Anyway here is IGN's 7.7:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/834/834676p1.html

Quote
Assassin's Creed could easily have been one of the best games of 2007. It is, without question, impressive on several fronts. But developer Ubisoft Montreal took some missteps along the way and squandered the immense potential of its pseudo-stealth action title. A bad story, repetitive gameplay elements, and poor AI lead to the downfall of one of the more promising games in recent memory. Assassin's Creed could have been one of the great games of this generation. Instead, it turned into just another action title.

Ouch.

Quote
Each of the three main cities was well-researched and beautifully recreated.

Sounds like what everyone is saying.

Quote
Though Assassin's Creed is an action game, the story plays a considerable role from start to finish. This is a story-heavy title, which proves a detriment in the long run. There is a major twist in the Assassin's story, the kind that (if it hasn't already been spoiled for you on the Internet) would likely blow the lid covering your brain. That is if this big twist were revealed towards the end of the story and not in the first five minutes. Ubisoft's decision to introduce the only major surprise just a few minutes into Assassin's Creed proves costly. Imagine if you were watching the Sixth Sense and ten minutes in the movie told you
(click to show/hide)
. It would deaden the remainder of the story. This is exactly what happens with Assassin's. The moments with Altair are well-told and interesting (though perhaps a bit too drawn out), but every time the "twist" elements come into play, the entire game grinds to a halt. Over a 10- or 12-hour gaming experience, that becomes grating. So much so that all of the clever story elements begin to play against Assassin's Creed rather than elevating it to high art as seems to have been the intention.

Ouch again.

Quote
It doesn't help that the voice acting for Altair is abysmal. The 12th-century assassin speaks with an American accent and sounds as if he is auditioning for community theatre. He stands out against the rest of the cast, the rest of who offer fine performances. But when your star (who is forced to chatter almost as much as he kills) sounds like a B-movie reject, it takes away from the story. Sound in general is not impressive in Assassin's Creed. You'll hear the same handful of comments when running through cities repeated again and again. And the music is fairly absent in most instances to allow the atmosphere to be king. But there is little aural atmosphere.

OK that freakin' sucks. This is starting to sound like a Hitman game.

Quote
The good news for those who hate being stealthy is that the AI is pretty terrible. If you stick to the rooftops, you can get away with quite a lot. The guards on the roofs are plentiful, but dumb as bricks

Wow... I remember watching that E3 video a year ago and we all thought the AI looked horrible. Then most of us thought that it would be ironed out by release time.

Quote
If Assassin's Creed focused more on its open world and less on the minutiae; if it was a bit more clever and a little less pedantic, it could have turned out to be an incredible game. But this is a title that delivers on too little of its potential. There are some baffling design decisions. Though you play as an assassin, the final hour of gameplay devolves into a series of combat exercises. There is no way to be stealthy and no opportunity to run along the rooftops in these final missions. You fight and fight and fight until you reach the end boss at which time the game becomes Prince of Persia. Many won't make it that far. Assassin's Creed is too slow and too repetitive. It's a shame, because there are many great things in Assassin's Creed. There just happens to be an equal number of bad things. There are so many great individual elements, but they are lost among the myriad of poor decisions from Ubisoft Montreal. Wasting the big twist on the first five minutes of gameplay is a tremendous mistake, but not nearly as damaging as the ill-conceived assassination investigation quests, which get old fast. The exploration aspects of Assassin's Creed and the combat are both plusses in my book. But those two elements are only part of the whole.



Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 12:34:04 AM
http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/assassinscreed/review.html?sid=6182793

I jam reading the gamespot review... totally different from IGN's review and 1ups. Then again 1Up didn't write a review, just random thoughts.

Quote
Assassin's Creed will stay with you long after you finish it. Here is one of the most unique gameworlds ever created: beautiful, memorable, and alive. Every crack and crevasse is filled with gorgeous, subtle details, from astounding visual flourishes to overheard cries for help. But it's more than just a world--it's a fun and exciting action game with a ton of stuff to do and places to explore, rounded out with silky-smooth controls and a complex story that will slowly grab you the more you play. Make no mistake: Assassin's Creed is one of the best efforts of the year and a must-own game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners.

Wow... guess they really liked it.

Anyway I am not going to bother quoting, the whole review is like that. Basically it seems that the gameplay is fun, but repetitive and not at all deep. The visuals and atmosphere are where the game really shines, and how impressed you are by the production values will determine how well you like the game.

To me, it just seems that IGN and 1up may be a little too harsh, but we'll see.

But it does sound like a bit of a one trick pony.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 11:32:58 AM
Quote from: Pug
See I've reed three of their reviews on the trot now, and just seems to me sometimes that they are less frustrated by the game as they are by the limitations of the medium.

The complaints about the cities just sounds so absurd. What the hell does he want? Idiot.

That was my impression to a tee, when I was watching the IGN video review.  Are people beyond spoiled these days or what.  I could hardly believe what was unfolding on the screen, in extreme detail, on a console, and the incongruous voiceover was this bitter guy bitching about how it isn't the Second Coming of gaming, repetitive, not deep enough, blah blah.  Is total freedom in a realistic, massively populated world no longer entertainment in and of itself?
I wonder if anyone will complain about the Sixth Sense spoiler.  :)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 11:43:32 AM
Thanks for reminding me. I meant to put tags on that quote.

I agree with you man. I thought it was just me. As a reviewer they need to look beyond the hype, and that works both ways. On one end, you don't let yourself buy in and overrate the game, yet you don't underrate it either because it didn't meet your expectations. I mean the score doesn't reflect this, but IGN's written review makes it sound like the game is horrible.

And 1up's complaints are beyond ridiculous.

Fact is that I haven't played Crysis or Ass Ass In's creed yet, so I can't make a judgment. However the complaints seem to be petty.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 03:11:16 PM
Destructoid is attacking IGN for changing some of their PS3 review of the Assassin's Creed (http://www.destructoid.com/ign-modifies-assassin-s-creed-review-after-destructoid-s-report-54072.phtml)

Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 03:29:38 PM
Jeebus.


I doubt IGN made the changes because of Sony. I am quite certain they just got a bad copy of the game etc. What they did was wrong, but James Sterling is acting like the typical paranoid gamer that seems to be plaguing the industry today.

He really does come off as an ass. He seems so full of it, and I am amazed how often he tries to sneak his own name into his 'report'.

Quote
I'm not sure why IGN felt the need to do this -- pressure from Sony and/or Ubisoft, a need to impress PS3 fans and keep them reading, or maybe they just didn't want Destructoid on the case. Either way, this kind of activity makes sites like us, who don't have the luxury of IGN's cash and traffic, who have worked hard for our credibility, look bad. It's not professional behavior, and not behavior I condone.

Way to add fuel to the fire. How good of him to speculate. With all the talk about reviewers being influenced by big companies etc., it is brilliant how he says IGN did the industry a disservice, and then goes on to speculate unintelligently. I think he is doing a far bigger disservice by accusing Sony of stooping to something so ridiculous.

Quote
Maybe they didn't want Destructoid to look bad?

Give me a break.

Quote
Even if I make a mistake on Destructoid, I keep it here, as my Elder Scrolls/MMO snafu proves.

What an egotistical fool.

Quote
Well, I do care in a fashion that IGN modified the review, but I don't care about IGN's running half as much as I care about Dtoid's own credibility. I'm just personally glad I never got that full-time job there if this is how it's run.

Get over yourself and your substandard website.

I am one of the last people to defend IGN. I find their writing to be of a pretty poor standard, and quite amateur. And there is no defending their actions here, but in all probability they got a bad copy of the game. To say that  Sony paid them off is just beyond retarded.

I'll end this post with a quote from Chris Rock,"The shit may be big, but don't make it bigger than it is."
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 03:30:55 PM
Seems to be a lot of that lately.  Maybe there's a "stupid fuckwit with job in games journalism" virus going around.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 03:49:36 PM
The time is ripe for Overwritten to unite.

EARTH! WIND! FIRE! WATER! HEART!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 05:40:32 PM
The time is ripe for Overwritten to unite.

EARTH! WIND! FIRE! WATER! HEART!

HEART ruins everything! :P
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 05:45:48 PM
HEART LIFESTEAK
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 06:02:11 PM
The problem is that 'the blogging revolution" basically enabled those with a ton of excess free time yet little talent to become 'games journalists'.  Pump out four or five shitty articles a day, embed a 'digg this' button on the bottom of your page, get your internet clique to digg it, and BOOM next thing you know you're getting paid(?) to post on a 'reputable' underground site like shitty destructoid.  The guy sucks at what he does, but there's this aura around the industry that he's in kind of like a massive credit bubble.  His influence is in no way related to his ability or intelligence and people don't really catch that because he's been dugg or whatever.

If you think about it, the whole 'games journalism' thing is a joke. Not much happens in the games industry over a day, and yet dozens of major sites all make dozens of posts about the same news, usually linking to one another in some fucked up circle of life.  I mean look at this guy's 'stories', they're all links to other stories with his uninteresting and unintelligent commentary.  The only reason anyone reads it is because some other blog linked to it. And he posts like four worthless stories a day.  Somewhere in the last couple of years, the gaming population totally forgot that there is a difference between an article and a shitty blog.  Hopefully, that will be fixed one of these days.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: TheOtherBelmont on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 03:28:03 AM
For anyone curious, Gabe from PA made a pretty interesting news post about Assassin's Creed, reviews and gaming news sites, and how advertising plays into the reviews.  It's on the front page of Penny Arcade and he touches on several subjects and gives his own review of the game.  He brings up an interesting point about how reviews might be affected because reviewers rush through the games because of deadlines.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 03:58:31 AM
http://www.penny-arcade.com/

I just read his blog.

I have to say straight up, that I don't enjoy Penny Arcade. I find almost all their comics humorless, and am just amazed at their following. However that blog was excellent, and I can relate from the time I used to review games for AOG. I didn't get my games free either, so it was doubly frustrating.

The one game I remember was Jedi Outcast. I had paid $60 for the CE, and was trying to enjoy myself even though there was a deadline. When I went past the deadline, I got regular e-mail from Duckfat (my editor). It was a really hot title, so people were interested in a review. At the same time, I did not want to rush through.

Quote
Now I'm going to tell you how advertising on PA works. Every other game site out there takes ads for whatever game they can get. It doesn't matter if it's a pile of crap, if the publisher pays for the spot IGN or Gamespot or whoever will run the ad. That's fine but that's not how we do it and the news posts you just read are part of the reason why.

The difference is that his site is operated by two guys who handle everything including advertising. IGN, Gamespot etc are operated by companies. Their advertising is handled by a totally different department than what handles the writing. So it is a different scenario.

However this I found interesting:

Quote
We were huge fans of the first Prince of Persia game so when Ubi came to us and wanted to run ads for the second we said yes. We had no idea they were going to completely fuck it over. So from then on we started demanding playable copies of games before we'd agree to advertising. No matter how early the build we tell the publishers that unless we can see it played in front of us or play it ourselves we won't run ads for it. Obviously a lot can still go wrong during development but we make the best decisions we can. We do not think of the ads you see on our page as ads. They are recommendations and we try extremely hard to insure that anything we put over there is worth your time. When Prince of Persia 2 came out and we saw that it was crap we said as much on the site. Ads for the game appeared right next to those news posts slamming it. Needless to say Ubi wasn't very happy and Robert got some angry phone calls but our loyalty is to our readers not the people paying the bills. We explained to Ubi that the reason our ads perform better than any other site out there is because our readers trust us and that means we have to admit when something we advertise doesn't turn out as good as we hoped. Obviously they understood because we're still advertising their games but like I said this isn't the way other sites operate. I actually give Ubi a lot of credit for not just telling us to fuck off and buying more ads on IGN and Gamespy with the extra money.

Now that's pretty shocking. I have no respect for the greedy pigs that work at Ubisoft, having wasted money on so many of their unfinished games, that they left to rot in beta state. Games like Might & Magic, R6:Vegas, Double Agent, Silent Hunter were all released in awful states, and some took nearly a year to be patched.

But for Ubisoft to call the boys at Penny Arcade for a bad review is certainly nothing short of astonishing. Again that would happen at a bigger company because writers are separate from the people who handle advertising, but still... come on.

Quote
I think the biggest complaint I saw was that the missions become repetitive and boring. I actually didn't understand this complaint at all until just the other day. I had gotten an early copy of the game just like everyone else in the media but I was just playing it for fun. I'd cracked into it over the weekend and when I got into the office on Monday I started seeing these negative reviews. When I saw the low scores I was actually really upset and I wanted to talk about the game here on the site. I wanted to tell everyone that these guys were full of shit. However, since so many of the complaints were based on the ending I wanted to beat it first so I was sure I wasn't missing anything. I attacked the game again but this time with the goal of beating it as fast as I could. I was determined to get a post up on Tuesday and I was pushing through the game as fast as I could. I went from finding every high perch in a district to only getting the ones I needed to advance the story. I stopped saving every citizen and avoided any unnecessary confrontations. The informer missions that I had really enjoyed before, I now avoided because I knew they took too long to complete. I did the bare minimum of missions to progress the story and anything that "hindered" my progress was frustrating. Monday night after skipping over another combat (something I used to really enjoy) I stopped myself. What the fuck was I doing? I wasn't playing the game because I wanted to I was playing it because I had a deadline and I needed to beat it. I stopped immediately and decided I'd write about the game whenever I got around to beating it. I spent another day and a half with it and during that time I hunted for hidden flags and explored the cities again. I came in this morning and finally did beat it but I did it at my own pace and I enjoyed every part of it.

Imagine what an open ended sandbox title must look like to a reviewer especially right now. How many games do they have piling up on their desks? A game like Assassins creed isn't meant to be played under a deadline. You shouldn't be trying to beat it as fast as you can so you can move on to Mass Effect or Mario Galaxy. As soon as I gave myself a deadline all of a sudden I understood all their complaints. It was like a fucking Escher painting. I had put myself in their shoes and suddenly  the landscape flipped and I could see games from their perspective. In the end I wasn't angry at them for their bad reviews. I actually just felt bad for them.

-Gabe out

I can relate to that completely. I think it is one of the main reasons why Sirean stopped reviewing.

Anyway that was a very good read. I might at least follow their blogs now heh.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 04:20:28 AM
Ok, I haven't played the game myself but I just realized where all the "time travel" plot confusion came from.

It's not really a spoiler since it's right at the start of the game, but better safe than sorry:
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 04:42:42 AM
Seriously? That sounds really bad.

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 05:05:39 AM
Seriously? That sounds really bad.

(click to show/hide)
Well, think of it as active retroactive continuity :P
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 09:01:04 AM
That PA article was a good read and I think it's very true.  It would definitely explain why the game is getting some poor reviews.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 10:35:29 AM
Quote from: Gabe @PA
Imagine what an open ended sandbox title must look like to a reviewer especially right now. How many games do they have piling up on their desks? A game like Assassins creed isn't meant to be played under a deadline. You shouldn't be trying to beat it as fast as you can so you can move on to Mass Effect or Mario Galaxy. As soon as I gave myself a deadline all of a sudden I understood all their complaints. It was like a fucking Escher painting. I had put myself in their shoes and suddenly  the landscape flipped and I could see games from their perspective. In the end I wasn't angry at them for their bad reviews. I actually just felt bad for them.

That makes so much sense that I conclude it's exactly right.  I'm going to get this game.  I just know it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 10:43:55 AM
Well on second thought, I guess he also has to accept the fact that not everyone liked the game, and it is pointless to speculate why. Maybe he genuinely didn't like it?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 10:56:58 AM
You totally confused me there.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 11:13:52 AM
He says that IGN gave it a low score because they were rushing through it etc. While that may be true, it is entirely possible that the reviewer for IGN, Hillary, just didn't like it for purely gaming reasons. I mean it is one thing to disagree with a reviews content and the reasons a reviewer gives, and another to attack the reviewers motives or whatever. It is just a little immature I think. 
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 11:30:22 AM
Well, Hillary *is* an idiot...
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 11:41:12 AM
He says that IGN gave it a low score because they were rushing through it etc. While that may be true, it is entirely possible that the reviewer for IGN, Hillary, just didn't like it for purely gaming reasons. I mean it is one thing to disagree with a reviews content and the reasons a reviewer gives, and another to attack the reviewers motives or whatever. It is just a little immature I think. 

Why immature?  He expressed his thoughts clearly and he backs them up with personal experience.

I don't know who's right and who's wrong.  That's the bitch of it.  All I can say is that this game looks like something I'd really enjoy, and those who like it do so for the same reasons I would like it.  It's not going to be a no-brainer like Mario Galaxy.  I'm going to have to take a chance.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 12:52:11 PM
IGN is so contradictory nowadays.

They have UK and AU reviews as well.

IGN UK gives it 6.5
IGN gives it 7.7
IGN AU gives it 8.7

What the fuck are they doing?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 02:04:55 PM
hahaha..

Why have so many IGNs? It is ridiculous. It is a website, not a magazine.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, November 15, 2007, 09:22:02 PM
I'm fairly certain it's been like that way for years now, or at least the last year or so.  It kind of makes sense, since all three regions have different release dates and often get slightly different versions of games because of that.  Beyond that, keep in mind that review scores are basically just trying to give something completely based on opinion some sort of tangible rating.  I have no problem with scores all over the place as long as they're explained well.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Friday, November 16, 2007, 12:23:09 AM
Well I picked up the game and so far I'm having a blast.  Absolutely beautiful visuals and really fun gameplay.  The scale of the game is pretty amazing as well.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, November 16, 2007, 02:56:49 PM
hahaha..

Why have so many IGNs? It is ridiculous. It is a website, not a magazine.

When did anything IGN made really make much sense...?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, November 19, 2007, 12:59:24 PM
This game is freaking awesome.  That's my impression after about 90 minutes of play time.  It features: (1) a fully realized world, with gorgeous visuals for both the world and the characters within it; (2) terrific smart control, where your actions are context-sensitive in a generally intuitive way, (3) strong story elements, with good voice acting, and cutscenes which not only are engine-generated, but even allow you some control within them (you can walk within a limited area, and can pan the camera to a limited extent).  After getting a bit of practice, and "finding your legs", you'll be doing all sorts of acrobatics, running around, merging with the crowds, riding a horse (Zelda, move over), and of course killing whoever you want.  People in the world react in scarily realistic ways to your actions.  The modern-day part of the tale I could take or leave so far, but I can see how that premise makes the rest of it easier to present and develop.

So I guess according to some reviewers, I'll be in gaming heaven for about the first half of the game, then I'll get bored with the repetition.  We shall see.  If the first half is at least 5 hours, though, the enjoyment will be on a par with so many recent short games, at the very least.  I don't believe I'm going to stop liking the game halfway through, though.  I just don't see how that's possible.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: JacksRag(e) on Monday, November 19, 2007, 01:08:33 PM
This game affords me so many chances to look accidentally cool.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Monday, November 19, 2007, 02:09:31 PM
This game is amazing.  Definitely worth playing, and I am having an absolute blast just freely roaming around the cities.  The kingdom is vast and the cities are large.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, November 19, 2007, 08:03:38 PM
Stop tempting me, damn it.  I'm not made of money.  In fact, I'm made of a lack of money, which is far less useful.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, November 26, 2007, 12:23:31 AM
I've played a bit over a third of the main storyline now.  Tonight, I started trying to quit the game at about 11.  At around 1:30 AM, I succeeded.  I'm a sucker for owning an expansive world like this.  I've gotten much better at the mechanics.  After 15-20 hours of running and jumping all over rooftops, walls and alleys, it's finally getting easy.  This game rewards practice, and that also includes combat.

There are so many actions that are possible.  There are 3 speed ranges for moving on foot, and another 3 for a horse.  That is, the stick is analog, so you get a variable speed range that way.  Then you can hold down the high-profile trigger and go into a jog or trot range, and the A button changes meaning from blend to sprint or gallop range under high profile.  All actions happen faster in high-profile mode, and you attract more attention.  When in a sword fight, this trigger then enables a defensive mode, and you can perform several different moves in response to an attack, like block, break a hold, and counter-attack.  The face buttons correspond to different parts of the body.  X and B are the hands, with X being the weapon hand and B being the free hand.  A is legs/feet, and Y is head.  Which action these body parts take depends on whether you're fighting or not, and on whether you're in low-profile or high-profile mode.  There are special attacks you can make with the sword, depending on how long you hold the X button, and whether you time a 2nd tap on X at the right time, when the sword hits the enemy.

In short, there's a lot of depth in the gameplay.  I didn't even touch on all the acrobatics finesse.  They did a fantastic job of giving you a lot of control, but it does take practice to get good at it.  Frantic button mashing won't do.

The environments are fabulous.  The cities are functional works of art, and they are huge.  Figuring out how to navigate it all is entertainment enough by itself.  Add all the populace, the decent AI, the long dual story, the professional voice acting, and the good atmospheric music which changes with locale and the urgency of your situation, and the result is magic.  Repetition?  Well, yeah.  Hey, just stop saving citizens and doing more than 2 investigations per assassination if it bothers you.  Don't collect flags.  Don't scale every eagle-marked viewpoint.  These things are mostly optional, although they will increase your lifeline, and fill in the map.  (Think leveling up in RPGs.)  The flags give you nothing other than achievements.  Personally, I love doing it all.  I'm in no rush.  This is a game to fill weeks of your time, not a couple of days.  There's too much here to plow a straight line to the end.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, November 26, 2007, 12:27:36 AM
My God.  Cobra, you just sold me on this completely.  You know what my favorite part about Crackdown was?  Jumping around buildings, climbing stuff, and finding all those little hidden orbs.  I love stuff like that.  Repetition?  Who cares!  I just want to run around and explore and have fun doing crazy acrobatics.  What you say here sounds absolutely blissful to me, especially since I know it isn't a quick fix that ends too quickly.  I need this.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Monday, November 26, 2007, 12:29:34 AM
Yea the game has a lot of stuff to do and it's just a complete blast to do them.  I'm nearing the end of the storyline.. I believe I'm on the 7th assassination now, but have been completing all the objectives.

The only thing I haven't done really is gone looking for flags.  The world is massive, and looking for 100 flags per city does not seem like that much fun, but when I do see them I do go and pick them up, even if I have to kill 20 guards to do it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, November 26, 2007, 12:35:16 AM
Cobra your thoughts solidify the position of that PA blog. This doesn't seem like the sort of game you want to rush through.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Monday, November 26, 2007, 12:39:19 AM
Cobra speaks the truth... it has a lot of polish, the visuals are great, and nothing beats killing a man with your hidden blade in the middle of the road and just walking away....  :-[
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, November 26, 2007, 12:42:23 AM
Quote
and nothing beats killing a man with your hidden blade in the middle of the road and just walking away....

You've had experience outside of the game, haven't you? :-[
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, November 26, 2007, 12:45:09 AM
Cobra your thoughts solidify the position of that PA blog. This doesn't seem like the sort of game you want to rush through.

Definitely.  And the thing is that I rushed through making my post about it, because it's late, and  I feel lazy.  I could fill another page with what I didn't post.  Moving about is an art.  There are impressive smarts built in, but you are in control.  The game very seldom frustrates by making your alter ego perform something you didn't ask for.  If you decide to jump to your death, you will.  The smarts only kick in over a narrow range.  The stealth angle is a lot of fun.  Nothing beats sneaking up on a guard, then putting his lights out with a hidden dagger in an eyeblink.  You move around town slowly in crowds until all hell breaks loose, then you're sprinting down alleys with a loud posse at your heels.  You grab a ledge and up to the rooftops you go, followed by the more determined enemies.  Out come the blades, somebody gets thrown off, and you find a hiding place to dive into until all calms down.

I mean, really, what do people want out of this medium?  Is it another case of too much hype that got it in hot water with some critics?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Monday, November 26, 2007, 02:25:34 AM
I need this.  From your perspective, how would the control scheme adapt to a pc?  Do you think the gamepad would actually be more ideal? 
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Monday, November 26, 2007, 08:46:31 AM
The controls work brilliantly on the Xbox360 controller.

Generally speaking, every button controls a certain part of your body.  You have X, which controls your armed hand such as your sword, throwing knives, and your hidden blade; B, which controls your unarmed hand to push people aside or tackle them; A, which controls your feet, such as sprinting and jumping; and Y which brings the camera up and opens up the first person view mode.  If you have a full 'health' bar, it opens up 'eagle view' which shows you who's friendly, who's not, and who's your objective.

I'd say that on a keyboard it's doable, but it may take some getting used to at the start.  The gamepad is probably more ideal for this game.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, November 26, 2007, 08:55:06 AM
Quote
You have X, which controls your armed hand such as your sword, throwing knives, and your hidden blade; B, which controls your unarmed hand to push people aside or tackle them

You just sold me this game. One button for each hand is just very cool.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, November 26, 2007, 11:57:26 AM
I need this.  From your perspective, how would the control scheme adapt to a pc?  Do you think the gamepad would actually be more ideal? 

Yes, iPPi answered that well.  Plus dual-analog works well in this kind of game, with left stick for motion and right stick for unencumbered look.  The only thing I wish for is a blend toggle.  You have to hold 'A' to be least conspicuous, and that makes looking around at the same time awkward.  If you think about it, the face buttons are laid out like a human stick figure: hands (X, B), head (Y) and feet (A).  The D-pad selects one of the weapons or fists directly.  (No rotating through menus.  Once you know the layout, just push.)  The right trigger is the high-profile "shift" key.  The left trigger locks on targets.  The left shoulder button toggles chase cam when you're being chased.  (It shows you more or less from the perspective of the attackers.)  'Start' pauses.  'Back' brings up the map.  RB isn't used that I know of.

Oh, and one of the stick buttons whips the camera right behind you.  I think it's the right one.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Monday, November 26, 2007, 05:16:07 PM
Interesting. That's good to know, but I wonder how my original (s-type) gamepad will fair.  I mean, everything is pretty much the same except for the black and white buttons being on the face instead of as triggers.  That could kill it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Monday, November 26, 2007, 05:26:51 PM
The controls work brilliantly on the Xbox360 controller.

Generally speaking, every button controls a certain part of your body.  You have X, which controls your armed hand such as your sword, throwing knives, and your hidden blade; B, which controls your unarmed hand to push people aside or tackle them; A, which controls your feet, such as sprinting and jumping; and Y which brings the camera up and opens up the first person view mode.  If you have a full 'health' bar, it opens up 'eagle view' which shows you who's friendly, who's not, and who's your objective.

I'd say that on a keyboard it's doable, but it may take some getting used to at the start.  The gamepad is probably more ideal for this game.

Is there lots of platforming???

Is there lots of the rooftop jumping???
Or lots of jumping in general??
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, November 26, 2007, 08:10:32 PM
D, watch IGN's video review (http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/834/834724/vid_2198713.html), but ignore the whiny reviewer.  Just mute it, and get the picture.

I think the Xbox controller would work OK, if only the PC version were out.  Didn't that get delayed into next year?  You have 2 shoulder triggers, which is all you need.  The left shoulder button on the 360 controller is used to toggle the chase camera.  You don't need to hold it, so it's OK if it maps to the Black or White face button.  I seldom use this function myself.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Monday, November 26, 2007, 08:16:43 PM
If the PC controls ain't so hot, I'm sure X360 Controller for Windows -- as long as it supports it -- would and should be fine.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, 09:41:19 PM
Well Cobra, I have joined your little group.  Thanks for making me buy things on credit that I shouldn't be buying.

I'll post impressions as soon as I have some to post!   :-[

EDIT - I am relieved on multiple levels.  Firstly, the game is awesome.  I suspected it would be, but you never know these days.  Secondly, the game isn't so good that my mind will be completely removed from The Witcher with no hope of returning.  In other words, to a degree I can see where the IGN reviewer was coming from.  I don't think I really agree after putting in several hours, but at the same time, the game does fool you initially into thinking it may be more next-gen than it actually is.

Still, it's a total blast, and that initial blow-you-away factor is huge.  I consider the first 45 minutes I spent with the game to be practically life-changing.  I love the "plot twist", which isn't a plot twist but rather an unadvertised facet of the story, and I think the little interlude segments so far (well, I've had one, but it's neat that you can "get out" from the game and get into the "other" part at any time) are brilliant.  This is a piece of living art, no question.  The cities look absolutely jaw-dropping, and moving around them is a joy.  I could have hoped for a few more control ideas instead of making everything quite as automatic as it is, but there'd be no way to achieve the sense of speed otherwise, and it makes you feel really badass and fast almost effortlessly (until you do something totally stupid like run off a high all with nothing below you  or plow into a group of passersby completely by accident).

So yeah, I'm feeling good about the purchase.  I know this is a game I'm going to want to take my time with an explore thoroughly, even if just to marvel at what is truly some astounding scenery (fuck I wish this thing didn't auto-letterbox on my SD display), but at the same time, I know I won't have trouble putting it down for a while to pick it back up again, which is good considering my current addiction to The Witcher and my sincere need to finish that.  I really should have just waited, but curiosity about AC was just too hard to quash, plus the freedom will be a nice change of pace when I need it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 08:56:26 AM
This is one of the advantages of not owning a 360. You don't want to buy games for something you don't have.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 12:13:53 PM
Quote from: Pug
You don't want to buy games for something you don't have.

Then Mario Galaxy came out.  *Sigh*
[/ot]

At first, I thought the modern-day storyline was unnecessary, but as the game has progressed, it's drawn me in too.  Make sure to look for conversation and investigation opportunities there whenever something new happens.

I played till the wee hours again, unable to stop until I was really tired out.  While some things do repeat quite a bit, and the beggars are a sad mistake, the main plot line has stayed fresh and exciting for me.  Each assassination has been a gripping, different experience.  Each major step along the way puts you into a new section of the world, where navigation is not simply a matter of repeating what you already did.  The world does not feel like cookie cutouts of the same few molds.  There's always something new to figure out how to climb or circumvent, or leap across to keep things interesting.  The AI has kicked into a higher gear now too, and while I'm much stronger and much better at fighting and running away, I continue to have close calls.  It's getting harder to get out of sight and into a hiding spot.  When I manage it, it's seconds before 6 guys come pouring over the walls and run by.

I'm glad you like it.  I'd feel terrible if I steered you wrong.

Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 02:48:56 PM
This is one of the advantages of not owning a 360. You don't want to buy games for something you don't have.

Exactly.

I'm waiting the PC version of Assassin's Creed, which is due in 2008.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, November 28, 2007, 10:11:59 PM
This game feels very console-happy to me.  I don't mean just in terms of control, but just design.  It's got a huge world to explore, it's very platformy in some ways, and there's tons of little things to collect.  Those kinds of games fit better to me on a console because I don't necessarily always want them installed, but I like to break them out now and again just to run around and blow off steam.  This game is going to do nicely in that regard it seems, and it's got a cool story and such to boot!

Going to play more tonight since I most likely won't give more time to The Witcher until the weekend when I can devote more time and obsession.

EDIT - I am beyond impressed.  This is truly what a free roaming world should be.  The details at times are absolutely astounding.

Also, those interested in the music should check out this thread (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159693) over at CheapAssGamer.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, November 29, 2007, 01:45:25 AM
Thanks for that link to the soundtrack.  The track numbers seem to indicate that some of them are missing.  This is very cool, though.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, November 29, 2007, 08:17:57 AM
Yeah, it isn't complete.  There's also another track if you follow the thread a bit further, something IGN was hosting.  It turns out to be a decent amount of music in the end, even if it isn't complete.  I suppose they'll be releasing an official disk to buy or something on iTunes or whatever.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, November 29, 2007, 03:03:15 PM
Yes, I found Jerusalem Horse Ride a couple of days ago at IGN.  I posted a link on the 5-top-soundtracks thread.  Then I found both Jerusalem tracks at Jesper Kyd's site.  They're 320kbps MP3s.  I want the music that plays when I get in a huge fight and I'm taking damage.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Thursday, November 29, 2007, 05:14:03 PM
I'm nearing the end of the game... at the 9th and final assassination.  The story outside of Altair's world is getting quite interesting as well. 
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, November 30, 2007, 11:59:00 PM
This game totally blows my mind.  The amount of artistic ingenuity is jawdropping.  While I can understand that eventually doing some of the mission types might become repetitive, this game has changed the way I view games.  Seriously.  Even if there was no fucking game here at all, it would be impossible not to be amazed and stunned at much of what's been done here.

I have to agree with Kevin VanOrd for once: this is a game that you'll talk to people about, even people who don't play games.  I talked about it at length with my mom today and told her that I had to show it to her the next time she happened to drop by.  Anyone that's ever been interested in the holy land, in that period of history, or in that culture absolutely must see this.  Even if the game part doesn't interest you, and even if you acknowledge that a lot of it really boils down to window dressing, it's so good that such points are totally irrelevant in the face of what's been accomplished.  It has to be seen to be believed, and not only that, but played.  Videos did absolutely nothing to convey to me what I'm seeing on my screen as I go on.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 12:00:59 AM
No you mean to say the game sucks, and I shouldn't want to buy a 360 for it! That's what you mean... right?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 12:17:59 AM
Heh, you can wait for it on PC without fear, Pug.  It will be just as awe-inspiring in a few months as it is now, trust me.  This isn't a flash in the pan.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 01:28:21 AM
Finished it up yesterday.  Brilliant game that I had a blast playing over the last 2-3 weeks.  Yes some of the investigation missions were repetitive, but the open world environment, and the compelling storyline makes this game pretty damn good.

I'll definitely be playing this again looking for templars and the flags.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 07:23:09 AM
Heh, you can wait for it on PC without fear, Pug.  It will be just as awe-inspiring in a few months as it is now, trust me.  This isn't a flash in the pan.

Despite reviews that been all over the place, I am highly looking forward still to the upcoming PC version of Jade Raymond's baby!!!

Can't wait for 2008, when it drops!!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 12:29:20 PM
Finished it up yesterday.  Brilliant game that I had a blast playing over the last 2-3 weeks.  Yes some of the investigation missions were repetitive, but the open world environment, and the compelling storyline makes this game pretty damn good.

I'll definitely be playing this again looking for templars and the flags.

I noticed last night that you had finished.  You got all the harder accomplishments too, except the flags.

I'm poised to take on the 6th assassination next, in Acre.  The rich section of this city has the most fun, er, vertical challenges yet.

Que, you know I agree with everything you said.  The reason I'm only this far after playing the game so much for 2 weeks is that I've spent so long just exploring and watching what is happening.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 01:54:42 PM
Yeah.  I told idol the other night on IRC that after a number of hours I really hadn't even done anything.  It was like "Cool action sequences?  Yay!  But I don't have time for that now.  MUST CLIMB TALL BUILDINGS.  MUST FIND FLAGS.  WHERE IS MY HORSE?"  I love how some of them aren't hidden by sort of require little jumping puzzles to get to, and I love how nothing feels like it was specifically built to be climbed.  Well, maybe some of it does, but mostly it just feels like the climbing stuff is incidental, like the architecture was simply built the way it was and you just so happen to be able to climb it.

All I've done so far are the poor districts of Acre and Damascus.  Haven't been to Jerusalem yet.  I've finished pretty much everything in those districts, though, barring flags (which seem to be getting harder to find, and I'm wondering how impossible it will be to find them all if you just run through haphazardly without a very systematic approach... since that will effectively kill your chances of successfully using a systematic approach later on).  All I've done so far is the first assassination.  Working on doing a second one in Acre now.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 02:20:27 PM
Flags are a bitch.  I found the 20 at Masyaf, but I have not been able to complete any others.  I have 89 kingdom flags, and I haven't seen one now in days.  I refuse to resort to maps.  I remember in Crackdown I got all 500 agility orbs, but I never did find all the hidden ones.  I imagine that will be the same here too.  I'm not an achievement whore.  If I don't get it honestly, I didn't achieve anything.

My city pace now is to thoroughly explore each district.  I save all the citizens, but what I like best by far is finding and figuring out how to climb the viewpoints.  Those continue to offer variety and excitement.  Let's see if the last 3 districts keep that up.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 04:30:03 PM
I hope so.  I enjoy that too, though I do occasionally wish things were a little more puzzle-like.  There have been a few that were, and those were far and away the best ones.  Scaling the ones out in the Kingdom are a bit inane now that I only have 3 to go... because they're all the same.

Still, I'm early on.  Only making it to Jerusalem now, and still not there because I got distracted by some ruins with guards in them and a bunch of flags.  At 56 Kingdom flags now.  Did my 2nd assassination, which was cool.

The only thing that bums me out is that you sort of can't stop an assassination once you start.  I ran in to get my target, but there was one of those annoying mental cases that bothers you, and I'd dealt with several already and just got fed up.  So I took a swing at him, and of course all hell broke loose.  I escaped and was running from the guards, thinking that I'd just go hide and come back to try again, but that didn't work.  No matter where I went I couldn't escape the guards, and the only way it eventually reset was when I essentially "died" and had to restart because the target "got away" (and I was nowhere near him, I'd run clear across the city by that point).  So that's sort of lame.  But the way I killed him the 2nd time was great.  Super clean and quick with barely a whisper, and I made it to the exit before I was spotted (I rarely try to be that sneaky anyway, running from guards is more fun!).  It would have been perfect had I not accidentally missed a jump and fallen into an alleyway with a templar.  Damn.  Those guys are hard enough alone, let alone with 5 guard buddies helping them out.  I died rather quickly.

Also, how the fuck do you break from combat?  There have been a couple occasions when a fight just wasn't going my way and I wanted to split, and the stupid little tutorial messages always said to just do your normal sprint and whatever, but I can never get it to break combat to let me do that.  Even if I put my sword away and stop targeting everyone I just seem to be locked in to that control method.  What am I doing wrong?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 05:56:48 PM
If you want to get out of combat, press the Left Trigger and you will no longer lock on to a target, and can start moving freely again.  Then you can go to high profile mode and sprint away.

Anyway, for those that have finished the game and want to understand the ending a little more, read this:  (SPOILERS on this LINK) http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=175552&site=xbw
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: wizall on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 06:17:20 PM
Tried to pick it up tonight, but it wasn't at either of the two places I checked.  Dammit.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 09:31:00 PM
Yea I did a bit of exploration in this game, but nowhere near the exploration that que and cobra seems to have done.  This is indicative of the fact of how many of the kingdom flags you guys have.

I'm going through now exploring the world for flags and templars now, as well as visiting places that I skipped during my playthrough, such as the many villages scattered across the kingdom.

I'm at 20/20 Masyaf flags, 49/100 kingdom flags, 30-40/100 for each of the cities, and 32/60 templars killed.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 10:03:58 PM
When do all the Masyaf flags become available?  Because I got the little garden area open or whatever, but I'm still missing like 2 or 3, and I did a *really* thorough search.

And yeah, I've stopped at every single village and just gone running around like an idiot.  Just running around like an idiot is my favorite part of the game, really.  But the plot is honestly showing signs of being really interesting.  I definitely see a cool buildup of intrigue, and I do want to know what's going to happen.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 10:39:26 PM
I had the same experience during the last assassination.  I got discovered, and I tried to run and hide, but the game wouldn't let me.  I didn't like that.  Eventually, though, the game gave up, and reinitialized.  I wasn't hidden, but I was up high, and none of the pursuers could get through the climb right.  I just stood there watching them bounce around.  So I guess there's a timeout.

Breaking out of combat can be tough, and I'm still not sure how to choose my target when I'm in a fight with several guards.  Many times I'll knock a guy down, but when I try to go for the kill, I end up swinging at the guard behind me.  It's tough to be deliberate under these conditions, so I don't get a chance to learn more finesse.

I've been playing other stuff last couple of days.  I'm going to put in some time now, but it won't be very long, or at least it shouldn't be.  It's late already.

Edit:  Once that "garden area" opens, you should be able to collect all flags in Masyaf.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, December 01, 2007, 11:00:50 PM
Damn.  I wonder what flags I'm missing.  I tried to climb all around in there and got nowhere.  If there are good climbs there, they're totally hidden.

As for choosing a target in a fight, it's just with the left stick.  Basically you just point.  I've gotten very good at it now after some practice, so I'm doing a lot of hitting one guy, blocking another guy, grabbing another guy and throwing him into a shop stall (those things don't seem to be made of heavy timber, but I'll be damned if you can't knock 3 guys out cold if you use them right), and all that stuff.  For some reason it just doesn't seem to want to let me go just because I use the left trigger to take my target lock off, so I still have trouble running away.  I'm going to try it again shortly and see what happens, but I had no luck with that the first few times I tried.  Might have been some other button I was pressing at the time that screwed it up somehow, I don't know.

Also, I have to say that nothing in the universe is more fun than taking these chumps and throwing them off of buildings.  God I love that.  I'll piss off a group of guards and climb something really tall just for the joy of throwing them back down to the ground.  Is there something wrong with me?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 01:52:45 AM
You've gotten better than me at grabbing and throwing.  I just had a hellacious fight over the last citizen to save in Damascus, that ended with 12 dead guards and one dead templar.  (I counted the bodies from a nearby roof.)  But I could not make very good use of my free hand.  I tried a few times, resulting in some of my blood spraying.  I guess I should go practice in that courtyard, just to increase my fighting agility.  I do fine with the sword, both offensively and defensively.  I also found that you can use a throwing knife as a short close-combat blade.  If you use it right, you make mincemeat out of several targets in a hurry.  But if things go sour, you take some more damage.  It's a nice angle that I was not aware of until a few nights ago.

It can be tricky if you're surrounded, but I don't have too much trouble breaking away from combat and sprinting away.  Press LT to unlock, hold RT to run, then A to put away the blade and sprint.  I think that's the progression.  It's all so intense, though, that I'm not completely sure this is what's working for me.  I'll often receive a few whacks while I try to make my hasty exit.

About the Masyaf flags, did you get the ones during . . .
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 02:10:15 AM
The short blade is a very deadly weapon, and has more violent kills.  It's faster as well.  I use it quite often nowadays over the sword.

As for grabbing and throwing, I can generally finish up all the guards without needing to do it, though with templars I use it if necessary, since templars are quite tough using brute force.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 02:45:09 AM
Templars are rough, though, and can very easily break your attempts to hold.  I've gotten myself killed numerous times attempting to manipulate them that way.  They die best using counterattacks since those are one-hit kills (though they can be hard to pull off against them too).  And I guess I shouldn't say that, because killing them outright via stealth is obviously the best option, heh.  I've managed to get a lot of them that way, actually.  Even just running in with the hidden blade and doing a high profile strike leap has worked a couple times.

Counterattacks are definitely my favorite option when I'm really under the gun, though.  I almost always manage to pull off a few before making a mistake and getting whacked by someone, so that nearly always drops the number of baddies down to a more manageable level thus far when there's a really huge group.  Too, throwing isn't necessarily all that important against standard guys, but it's a very good way to put one out of commission for a second since nobody else seems to hit you when you're in the middle of a throw, and they usually stay down long enough for you to dispatch one of their buddies.  Not to mention chucking guys off rooftops, which is invaluable (as even if they don't die from the fall, like if they hit a ledge or something, it nearly always takes them a good while to get back up to you), and of course throwing them into merchant stalls which counts as an instant kill and can take out more than one guy at once if there are several close enough.

I'm not yet very adept at weapon switching, so you guys have me beat there.  I rarely seem able to swap weapons quickly without losing track of what I'm doing and taking a hit or two.  I generally just stick to one sword or the other at this point.  Also Cobra, you don't use the throwing knives as the secondary sword, it's actually another sword.  I was confused at first because I got a sword from Al Mualim in one of the cutscenes, but I was like... hey, I already have a sword.  I didn't realize there were two, and I was confused as to why I didn't seem to yet have throwing knives even though I thought that's what the fourth weapon was supposed to be.  Turns out there's five: fists, hidden blade, long blade, short blade, and throwing knives.  It's a completely useless bit of information since you know the mechanics of it already, but I just thought I'd clarify just for flavor since it confused me at first, heh.

And thanks for the reminder about the missing flags.  I think I got the flags that were down there, but I should check again to be sure.  It would be a good place to eliminate first, anyway.

Lastly, because I'm thinking of it... does anybody else find it slightly infuriating that (not really a spoiler, but...)
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 11:29:34 AM
There are unclimbable (is that a word?) walls in the cities too.  I've tried to get up the tall enclosing walls several times, with no success.

Switching weapons:  Down is fist, up is hidden blade, right is sword, left are knives.  I got that pretty well memorized.  So if you select knives and come in close, you automatically use the short blade?  I've seen it on his back (and I'd like to know how he keeps it in that sheath upside down like that).  I was wondering about that.  I didn't think it through, though, obviously.  I'm pretty sure you'll throw a knife when battling with the short blade if the target isn't close.  This is partly why I thought they were the same thing.

I'm not afraid of templars anymore.  I always try to sneak up on them, but even when they surprise me, they don't whittle my life line down like before.  (It's much longer now, for one thing.)  I like climbing up on something, then whacking them as they try to climb after me.  As soon as they start to pull up on the ledge, whack!  Down they go.  Last night, I had the funniest thing happen yet with one of these guys.  A templar saw me walk by, and he started yelling in German (I think).  I quickly hop up to the nearest roof, and leap across to another roof.  He tries to come after me, and he falls to his death.  I get the little jingle and credit for one more templar kill.  Haha!  Never touched the guy.  Nope, sorry, wasn't me!  Just passing by . . .
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 01:02:44 PM
Yea Templars are tough at the start when you lack a lot of combat skills, but once you've gotten more skills, Templars pretty much cake.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 01:10:43 PM
Yeah, I've had a few funny moments like that too with regular guards.  The AI is surprisingly good for the most part, though.  I've been very impressed with how it handles itself in general.

As for the templars, I had thought what they'd been shouting at me was French, but I could be wrong.  To my knowledge the organization was sort of a European coalition that got members from and had offices in a variety of places, but it's been a long, long time since I've studied the Crusades at all, and I've never studied them as much as I'd like.  Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar) seems to have a very interesting page on them which probably reveals more.

I've found it really interesting how accurate the game tries to be in terms of its backdrop.  It's all fiction, but the historical accuracy is there as a foundation and I think it works pretty brilliantly.  The story is getting very interesting, too.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: JacksRag(e) on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 01:18:12 PM
One of my favourite things is grabbing guards and throwing them over the sides of buildings.  Once, I had about 10 or 12 guards following me, and I just dispatched them over the roof.  I looked down and there was this huge pile of dead bodies littering the ground.  Immensely satisfying.
Throwing them into the water is fun, too.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 01:22:38 PM
I actually had several drown themselves when I was trying to get some flags out on a boat/dock area.  It was great.  I did the whole little jumping puzzle thing without pissing anyone off, but as I was exiting I made a mistake and they got mad.  But one of them got stuck on the boat due to a bug, one fell off into the water on his own, and then the others I fought just sort of seemed to end up in there during the course of the fighting whether I meant to knock them off or not, except for one guy who was in a less precarious position.  It was pretty funny, but even more amusing because I left the bugged-out guy just sitting there at the helm, crouching down like he was afraid to move, heh.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 02:54:21 PM
As for the templars, I had thought what they'd been shouting at me was French, but I could be wrong.  To my knowledge the organization was sort of a European coalition that got members from and had offices in a variety of places, but it's been a long, long time since I've studied the Crusades at all, and I've never studied them as much as I'd like.  Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Templar) seems to have a very interesting page on them which probably reveals more.

I've found it really interesting how accurate the game tries to be in terms of its backdrop.  It's all fiction, but the historical accuracy is there as a foundation and I think it works pretty brilliantly.  The story is getting very interesting, too.

Quote
Depictions in Media

A reasonably accurate depiction of the castle as it would have appeared in the year 1191 features in the video game Assassin's Creed.
Wiki: Masyaf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masyaf)

Shortly after first experiencing the game, I ran across that.  It made me pay more attention, and I ended up reading through several related Wiki pages, including the one on the Templars.  I know we have to take Wiki with a grain of salt, but still.  I think one bit of realism which has been sacrificed in the game to limits of the medium is gradual elevation changes, particularly in cities.  It's all depicted as perfect plateaus, joined by ramps or stairs; and seen from a distance, each city is very level.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 02:59:39 PM
I really don't know much about that.  I'd heard that if compared to the actual cities of the time, they were supposed to stack up very well in the visual sense, but I don't even remember where I read that.  And while they do tend to have a decent sense of variety elevation-wise when you're on street level, you're right, from up high it rather loses that, and even on the street there isn't really anything in the way of gradual slopes and such.  I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it now.

EDIT - This is extremely interesting as well (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashshashin), which I came across from a link in regards to who inhabited the Masyaf fortress.  Particularly interesting is the note about initiation - which seems to make the back courtyard of the fortress seem a lot more relevant.  I had wondered about it, and I suddenly feel like I know why it's there now.  Really interesting.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 03:10:06 PM
It's a minor point.  There's no question that they've done a freaking fabulous job, better by far than anything else I've ever seen in a game.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Jerusalem_from_mt_olives.jpg/800px-Jerusalem_from_mt_olives.jpg)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Damascus_Gate.jpg/800px-Damascus_Gate.jpg)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/35/TempmtS.jpg/450px-TempmtS.jpg)

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/SukAlKatanin.JPG/448px-SukAlKatanin.JPG)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 03:14:55 PM
You guys w/ your AC thread are not helping me be patient here...
PC PORT NOW!!!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 03:24:40 PM
Wow, that third one of that mosque... they basically put that in verbatim.  I mean that's amazing.  I saw it and was like "Hey, I climbed to the top of that!"

And yeah, MyD, idol feels your pain as well.  I've been more or less taunting him with this over the last few days, haha.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 03:27:17 PM
Wow, that third one of that mosque... they basically put that in verbatim.  I mean that's amazing.  I saw it and was like "Hey, I climbed to the top of that!"
Wow....that's pretty damn sweet, to say the least! :)

Quote
And yeah, MyD, idol feels your pain as well.  I've been more or less taunting him with this over the last few days, haha.
I was bummed when I first knew the PC version would be delayed out in 2008, but that's not TOO far away.
Already is Dec 2007!! Woohoo!!! :)
But, fuck -- that's still not 2008! :(
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: JacksRag(e) on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 04:28:29 PM
In the time it took MyD to make his posts, I've climbed a mosque that looks exactly like it eighteen times.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 07:10:00 PM
In the time it took MyD to make his posts, I've climbed a mosque that looks exactly like it eighteen times.

You son of an Alyx Vance!!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Sunday, December 02, 2007, 11:05:57 PM
In the time it took MyD to make his posts, I've climbed a mosque that looks exactly like it eighteen times.

At least the climb was more meaningful.

haha just kidding. :P
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Monday, December 03, 2007, 12:29:23 AM
At least the climb was more meaningful.

haha just kidding. :P

Zing!!  ;D
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, December 03, 2007, 09:44:45 PM
Didn't get the Limited Edition but still want the little hardcover art book?  Somebody's ebaying them for 3 bucks a pop (http://cgi.ebay.com/Assassins-Creed-Limited-Edition-Hardcover-Art-Book_W0QQitemZ230197038290QQihZ013QQcategoryZ62053QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem).  I'm tempted, but I'm also tempted to just buy the actual LE and sell my other copy to somebody.

Anybody here interested?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, December 03, 2007, 10:50:26 PM
Can you still find the LE now?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Monday, December 03, 2007, 11:02:00 PM
Can you still find the LE now?

Yep I saw some at the store today; I didn't get the LE myself though when I bought it 3 weeks ago.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, December 03, 2007, 11:15:06 PM
How much is it going for these days?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, December 03, 2007, 11:56:40 PM
Probably $69.99.  An extra ten bucks seems to be about the norm these days.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 02:55:22 AM
Shit. I want it so badly. To me that is easily worth the extra $20 or whatever.

If anyone is willing to ship to me, I'll pay via paypal for the CE of the game as well as registered express USPS mail.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 07:28:01 AM
You can't get it over there Pug?

Also, it looks like to get everything related to this game you have to spend a shitload of money.  There's the EB preorder art book thingy, which is the small hardback one I linked to, there's the LE itself, and then there's the Limited Edition Guide from Prima which has the guide and a big hardcover artbook, though I believe you can buy the art book separately if you don't want the guide.  And even after all that you still don't have the comic book they gave out to EB manages at some point (and that's probably okay, because I bet it's really lame).
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 08:05:33 AM
No only the regular edition. Waaah.

While I haven't seen it first hand, I find it be one of the best LEs to come out.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 08:11:36 AM
It seems about standard to me, but I want it because I love the game so much.  I don't know about the quality of the videos, though, which could make it better or worse.  I'd heard a rumor that the History Channel's acclaimed Crusades special was going to be included, but apparently that turned out to be false.  Sad.

So somebody wants to buy my regular copy at a slight discount.  Right?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 08:15:03 AM
Quote
It seems about standard to me, but I want it because I love the game so much.

Just comparing to the Crysis sp ed., the Unreal tourney sp ed, the Hellgate London sp ed and the Quake Wars special ed... I find this to be the best of the bunch. The box is huge, and you've got a special metal case for the game and of course Mr.Bubbles:

(http://www.2kgames.com/cultofrapture/features/finalbdfigure/front.jpg)

Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 09:42:29 AM
It would be something to track this version down.

(http://kotaku.com/assets/resources/2007/10/detail.jpg)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 10:01:28 AM
*cries*
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 03:46:42 PM
I wonder if the PC version will get a Collector's Ed...
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 11:30:25 PM
Most probably.

Damn I am going to pay money to Ubisoft again, aren't I?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 11:53:21 PM
I'm confused, Pug.  It's like you were talking about AC then suddenly started talking about Bioshock?

Hard to say if the PC will get a special edition, though.  Seems lately a lot of these have been sort of spotty.  Some countries get them, some don't, some only get them for certain platforms and not others, and some stores get the exclusive rights to sell them.  It's honestly getting to be a bit of a headache.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 11:55:21 PM
Shouldn't every topic really be about Bioshock?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, December 04, 2007, 11:59:06 PM
I've really been wanting to go back and play it again lately, but... ugh.  I wanted to wait until I got a new video card.  But it looks like that's pretty much a pipe dream now, so I may just go ahead and reinstall it now that my 300GB HDD is back and the new patch is coming out.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 12:16:21 AM
I'm confused, Pug.  It's like you were talking about AC then suddenly started talking about Bioshock?

Hard to say if the PC will get a special edition, though.  Seems lately a lot of these have been sort of spotty.  Some countries get them, some don't, some only get them for certain platforms and not others, and some stores get the exclusive rights to sell them.  It's honestly getting to be a bit of a headache.

 ;D ;D ;D

hahah...What the hell? Stupid brain tumor/

Let me explain...

Quote
Didn't get the Limited Edition but still want the little hardcover art book?  Somebody's ebaying them for 3 bucks a pop.  I'm tempted, but I'm also tempted to just buy the actual LE and sell my other copy to somebody.

Anybody here interested?

This is where I -- for some fucking reason -- thought your comment was regarding the art book for Bioshock. It could be because I had been obsessively been searching for Bioshock's LE online. It could also be that I was in that Bioshock thread as well, and got a weeeeee bit confused.

When I clicked your link, I still didn't get it. I thought maybe the guy was selling art books for many games, and you had linked the one to Assassin's creed by accident.

Quote
Can you still find the LE now?

By this, I was asking if you can still somehow find the LE for Bioshock in stores.

Quote
Yep I saw some at the store today; I didn't get the LE myself though when I bought it 3 weeks ago.

iPPi's answer surprised me.

Quote
How much is it going for these days?

Obviously I am talking about Bioshock.

Quote
Probably $69.99.  An extra ten bucks seems to be about the norm these days.

Yea here I thought you were talking Bioshock.

Quote
Shit. I want it so badly. To me that is easily worth the extra $20 or whatever.

If anyone is willing to ship to me, I'll pay via paypal for the CE of the game as well as registered express USPS mail.

Again since I don't have a 360, it wouldn't make sense for me to want it at all.

Quote
Just comparing to the Crysis sp ed., the Unreal tourney sp ed, the Hellgate London sp ed and the Quake Wars special ed... I find this to be the best of the bunch. The box is huge, and you've got a special metal case for the game and of course Mr.Bubbles:

This is in response to Que's comment that the Assassin's Creed LE doesn't look as good as I was making it out to be. Again I was talking about the Bioshock LE. :(

Quote
*cries*

Those were tears of joy when Cobra posted a pic of the Assassin's Creed LE. I still didn't realize we weren't talking about Bioshock's LE, and thought maybe Cobra was sharing what the Assassin's Creed LE would look like.

...Anyway... ahem....

I have a feeling that Assassin's Creed will get the LE for the PC, but we'll see. Anything is possible. Like my brain becoming worthless.






Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 12:21:19 AM
Beware that the "normal" LE has a 3" figurine.  The big 10-12" figurine in what I posted is allegedly part of some Asian release that is *supposed* to be region free.  Someone was selling one of those figures on eBay.  The bid or price was near $50, and I think that was just for the figure.  I really don't know what all is happening with these different versions.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 12:49:52 AM
I hate that.  They did so many versions of The Witcher, that got aggravating.  Still, I don't care about the figure that much.  Honestly, I don't care about any of it that much.  I just like the game so much it seems stupid to have the regular edition.  I may just content myself with that and the Prima art book, though.

Damn it, and that reminds me that I have to buy the Okami art book they released in English not so long ago.

Shit.  So poor...
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: JacksRag(e) on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 02:31:38 AM
I know.  This game was the last big purchase I made.  It was a complete whim too.  Now I'm just running through the game.  I just climb and kill people.  I'm not even progressing the story line anymore.  I just pick fights now.  And climb on climb on.

Damnit...so poor.  And I just bought the Zim box set too!  Curses.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 03:39:00 PM
Zero Punctuation takes on Assassin's Creed!!! (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/2694-Zero-Punctuation-Assassin-s-Creed)

Hilarious.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 08:57:47 PM
I agree with the traveling between towns, that's really not fun if you really screw it up you'll have half the countryside chasing you into town!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 10:07:38 PM
I agree with the traveling between towns, that's really not fun if you really screw it up you'll have half the countryside chasing you into town!

I don't mind... makes it fun to run and if you get knocked off to engage in combat with 2974145781924 guards.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 10:14:15 PM
Nice.  Very funny.  I disagree with him on several points, actually, primarily the combat.  I love the combat and think it's just swell.  It's one of my favorite parts of the game, even.  It isn't too perplexing or demanding on the whole, but I still fuck up enough to make it a challenge if I start to get lazy.  I don't mind the travel either.  It's a nice break.  I also disagree that it's really all that innovative.  It's a masterpiece in many regards, but for the most part it just does a lot of the same shit games like this have done for years.  What makes it so different is the way it's presented and how firmly it sticks to its convictions.  Well, and that makes it sound like I don't think it's innovative.  It is to a degree in certain specific ways, but on the whole I don't think that changes the overall formula all that much.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 11:08:10 PM
Traveling sucks!  >:( But it's my only hate about this game and even then to say it sucks is overstated!
The combat is pretty dam cool if done right you can lay waste to a dozen guards easy... what's not cool about that. And while I don't find the game repetitive I can see why some people would see it that way, the investigations are limited in their variety, but in context I don’t find it repetitive I don’t find it a problem.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, December 05, 2007, 11:12:06 PM
I agree.  For me, I'm not concentrating on the action, I'm concentrating on what's being said.  It's very easy to not realize what's being talked about if you don't pay attention.

Also, I only just the other day realized you can open up the menu and actually see the maps you steal from people and read some extended info.  I had no idea.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, December 06, 2007, 01:45:41 AM
Relax about the travel.  As in other good exploration games, after you've done it all once in "the kingdom", you'll have the option to go straight to the towns whenever you exit one.  If you have a horse, they'll never catch you anyway.  Just stay away from their swords as you gallop by.  I kept a whole crowd going after me in a circle recently.  It was hilarious.

I laughed my butt off watching the ZP review.  I agree with most of it.  I take a lot of perverse pleasure in using my hidden blade on the damn assault beggars.  The crazy people and drunks are much less annoying.  They're easily avoidable most of the time.

The combat mechanic is OK.  My only big problem with it is moving while in combat mode.  If I push the stick in one direction, that means I want to move that way, and if I'm bending the damn stick with all my might, it means I want to move that way fast.  It's fine to have me auto-face the target, as long as I fucking move.  They need to get a clue from the 3D Zelda games.  Also breaking from combat should be a simple move, not a frustrating challenge.  Some of the groups you face later on get a lot tougher, and that's when these flaws will bother you more.

I'm poised now to go into the 8th assassination.  Each scenario has been unique in some way.  Any repetition complaints don't hold water in the main plotline, I don't think.  I didn't catch on about the extra maps and info until recently myself.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Thursday, December 06, 2007, 03:43:31 AM
I agree.  For me, I'm not concentrating on the action, I'm concentrating on what's being said.  It's very easy to not realize what's being talked about if you don't pay attention.

Also, I only just the other day realized you can open up the menu and actually see the maps you steal from people and read some extended info.  I had no idea.

Oh man I only found this out myself a few days ago... but I didn't find them too useful in my most recent mission in Acre (which was my last one to do in the city). But I felt a little stupid finding them a few days ago but really how should have I known?  :o
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Thursday, December 06, 2007, 08:23:29 AM
I was not aware you can look at the maps you steal.  Heh, in the end though it probably doesn't provide too much assistance, since I was able to do most of the game using stealth kills without the maps.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, December 07, 2007, 04:10:46 AM
Well, hell.  I thought the game was awesome all the way to the end, including the end.  I figured they were setting up a sequel from everything that has been said.  Maybe it would have bothered me some had I not known.  There's no way I would have thought it made no sense, though.  If you pay close attention to the whole dual storyline, it makes perfect sense.  You need to be involved in the present as well as the past, even if the time spent in the present is much more brief.  You are not led by the hand in the present.  There are things you need to figure out.

There's a lot of heavy battling to get through as the game draws to a close, and I must admit I'm not good enough with the reflexes anymore.  I had to rely on a lot of sprinting in a circle to keep from getting killed.  I did it, though.  I got through the entire, er, plot past the known missions without dying once.  That made me feel better after dying like 5 times in a row during the 9th mission.  The continue point had me pop up with the short blade in the middle of a throng of heavy knights, with arrows flying past my ear.  Changing blades in the middle of combat is not easy.  (It should be.)

I think it's got to be the best experience I've had with a game in a long time.  It's definitely up there with Bioshock.  I thought I could wrap it up by a more decent hour, but there was a lot more to do than I thought.  Nobody give up on this.  See it all the way through.  Now, excuse me.  I think I'm going to go fall lifeless in bed.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, December 07, 2007, 08:18:41 AM
Inspiring post, Cobra.  My issue now is that Aquaria releases today, and I've been wanting that really, really bad for about a year or so.  In any case, this weekend is going to be spent doing nothing but playing stuff in one capacity or another.  At least provided I don't decide to reformat my system......
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, December 07, 2007, 01:06:52 PM
I should add that if this story is meant to be episodic, then at least the first episode is nicely self-contained.  The plot is nicely wrapped up, but as a result, new elements are revealed to you which must be tackled.  It doesn't end abruptly or unfairly.  There's no shortchanging on play time either, even without chasing the optional content.  There is no downside here.  I can't see owning a 360 and not having this game.  The detractors who can't think past some simpler game-design mold are doing their readers and the creators of this fabulous work a disservice.  Flaws are there, and some have frustrated the hell out of me on occasion.  It's a matter of weighing the good against the bad, and the enormous heaping of goodness trumps all else.  Just consider the achievement of realizing an ancient world in such detail, and then allowing you to own every corner of it.  That by itself beats the hell out of half the games I've played in my life.

I need to talk about those new elements I mentioned, but I can't do that without huge spoilers.  I don't recommend reading this until the game is put to bed.  And if you don't get the conversationalist achievement near the very end, then you missed something.  I don't know how much that matters, or how much you actually missed, though.

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Friday, December 07, 2007, 01:32:22 PM
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, December 07, 2007, 01:37:35 PM
(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, December 07, 2007, 02:56:09 PM
Dammit, I see "spoiler" tags and this game ain't even on the PC, so I gotta' skip them... :(
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, December 07, 2007, 03:14:11 PM
The game's ending is enigmatic.  iPPi linked an article that deciphers most of it.  I figured out most of it on my own.  (It's not rocket science.)  The specifics, including a head-slapping misstep of mine, are being discussed.  That's all you're missing.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Saturday, December 08, 2007, 05:55:22 AM
I am finishing this game this weekend gods damit, I've only got 2 targets to go.... and lots and lots of over time to do, but I'm finishing this game!

And at the same time I don't want to finish game  ???
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Saturday, December 08, 2007, 09:35:32 AM
So frustrated... I have both this and the Witcher to finish, and Aquaria is stealing me from both of them!  I really hope I don't get any PC games for Christmas (fortunately I almost never do) because these are three games I sincerely want to finish.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Saturday, December 08, 2007, 08:31:12 PM
94/100 Kingdom flags... don't know if I'll be able to find the last 6 without resorting to a guide or a map of some kind.  I've got about 45/60 templars as well.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, December 08, 2007, 08:44:58 PM
So frustrated... I have both this and the Witcher to finish, and Aquaria is stealing me from both of them!  I really hope I don't get any PC games for Christmas (fortunately I almost never do) because these are three games I sincerely want to finish.

Go finish Witcher and Assassin's now! :P
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: sirean_syan on Saturday, December 08, 2007, 09:54:30 PM
You're hardly one to talk, D.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Saturday, December 08, 2007, 11:50:40 PM
94/100 Kingdom flags... don't know if I'll be able to find the last 6 without resorting to a guide or a map of some kind.  I've got about 45/60 templars as well.

I'm at 96/100 kingdom flags, and I've pretty much given up.  It's going to take forever to find them honestly, then it will take forever to finish each of the cities the same way.  They need some sort of clue mechanism, like maybe have your Eagle vision see a special color glow after you're fully synched (20 life-line segments) even through walls.  I'm at 45 Templars myself.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Sunday, December 09, 2007, 12:16:38 AM
You're hardly one to talk, D.

Yeah shut your trap D.  ;D
Umm I take it when you 'finish' the game that there's no sandbox-ing after that which would mean I wouldn't be able to do everything.... dang.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Sunday, December 09, 2007, 01:08:53 AM
But his comment was so tongue in cheek. :P
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Sunday, December 09, 2007, 01:25:30 AM
Yeah shut your trap D.  ;D
Umm I take it when you 'finish' the game that there's no sandbox-ing after that which would mean I wouldn't be able to do everything.... dang.

You can still enter the world once you finish the game.  Don't worry.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, December 09, 2007, 05:24:17 AM
You're hardly one to talk, D.

Ironic, eh? ;)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, December 13, 2007, 01:57:32 PM
2.5 mill sold worldwide so far from Assassin's Creed, UbiSoft says.... (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/13/assassins-creed-kills-with-2-5-million-sold-ubi-ups-fiscal-for/)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, December 13, 2007, 02:37:33 PM
Damn you. (http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/assassins-creed-passes-25-million-sold-ubisoft-raises-guidance/18847/?biz=)  Just 4 weeks to get to 2.5 million sold.

I'm so glad.  I think it's greatly deserved success.  I hope it snowballs from here, and we get great sequels.

Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, December 14, 2007, 01:07:23 AM
Woah!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, December 16, 2007, 10:53:21 AM
Woah!

You sound like Keanu Reeves/Neo there...
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Monday, December 17, 2007, 01:39:02 PM
97/100 kingdom flags.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, December 17, 2007, 01:52:52 PM
What happens when you earn a 100?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, December 17, 2007, 02:05:02 PM
Nothing, really.  It's just an achievement.  Whenever I revisit the game, I try to find a few more flags, but I'm done looking for them in earnest.  They should have made some additions so that it didn't become such a meaningless and tedious chore.  Here's one idea.  After fully synching up (max lifeline), and collecting, say, 75% of the flags on your own, your eagle vision should see faint spots of a special color in the general direction of the remaining flags.  When they are all over, it's entertaining to chase them.  But when you have 3 missing ones hidden over hundreds of square miles, it gets beyond ridiculous.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Monday, December 17, 2007, 07:44:52 PM
I concur.  Also, the fact that nothing unlocks when you get them all is stupid.  I originally thought there'd be some kind of bonus, but seeing that there wasn't one eventually made me stop caring.  It's fun finding them, but like you said, no real reason to complete it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 12:17:05 PM
The positive impact of the game continues. (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/18/assassins-creed-could-save-ubisoft-from-eas-maw/)  This alone makes me happy I bought it, if it keeps EA from devouring another victim.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, 07:29:11 PM
It makes me want to buy another 30.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: iPPi on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 01:10:27 PM
This is great news.  I think it's great that Ubisoft is not afraid to do something different for their games and take risks.  In this case, it is clearly paying off.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, 01:15:15 PM
Yes while I hate Ubisoft, they aren't as evil as EA... though as developers they are quite up there.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 08:46:12 PM
RUMOR for PC Version.

Rumor of what the PC Requirements might be.
These rumored specs are high.
As in CRYSIS-high.

Please tell me this won't be yet ain't another Ubi rushed-port job.... (http://www.actiontrip.com/rei/comments_news.phtml?id=011608_10)

Quote
Assassin's Creed (PC) Specs Revealed?
[Ure "Vader" Paul]
12:55 pm EST @ January 16th, 2008
Okay, let's just skip right to the juicy details. Here are the, so far rumored, system requirements for the PC version of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed (thanks VE3D for the heads up):

    Minimum System Requirements:

    - Windows XP or Vista
    - 2 GB RAM
    - Dual core processor (Intel Pentium D or better)
    - 256MB Direct3D 10 compatible video card, or Direct3D 9 card compatible with Shader Model 3.0 or higher

    - DirectX compatible driver
    - DVD-ROM dual-layer drive
    - 16 GB free hard disk space
    - DirectX libraries (included)
    - Vista compatible sound card
    - Keyboard, Mouse
    - Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller (optional)

    Recommended System Requirements:

    - Intel Pentium Core 2 Duo, or better processor
    - 3 GB System RAM
    - ATI HD2900 series, Nvidia GeForce 8800 series, or better video card
    - 5.1 sound card
    - Microsoft Xbox 360 controller
    - Supported Video Cards at Time of Release
    - DirectX10 compatible cards, recommended ATI HD2900 series, Nvidia GeForce 8800 series
    - Direct3D 9 card compatible with Shader Model 3.0 or higher

16 GB of free hard disk space? Make room for Altair! If true, aren't they overdoing it just a tad? Crysis, for instance, required 12 GB and that seemed like way too much.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 10:45:28 PM
.....3.....GB....RAM....?

Fine, Scottws wins.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 10:56:25 PM
Ludicrous.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 11:10:18 PM
Both consoles have 512MB RAM. This is a bit silly.

Still, I am kinda glad they did this. I'd rather they be honest than release games with absolutely shitty performances.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 11:13:51 PM
Both consoles have 512MB RAM. This is a bit silly.

Still, I am kinda glad they did this. I'd rather they be honest than release games with absolutely shitty performances.
True, but still dang! I hope the recommended are just for the "Ultra High" setting or something.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 11:24:48 PM
Well I look at it this way. The game will perform like garbage, but for once Ubi are being straight about it.

It'd be interesting if Corsair start a new RAM package bundled with the game heh.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 12:04:16 AM
Everyone bitches like crazy about piracy killing PC gaming.  I wonder how much market is actually being lost to ridiculous system requirements and games which perform like ass even if they barely meet them.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 12:06:22 AM
Everyone bitches like crazy about piracy killing PC gaming.  I wonder how much market is actually being lost to ridiculous system requirements and games which perform like ass even if they barely meet them.


I think it's foolish to deny both have a pretty major impact.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 12:07:54 AM
Everyone bitches like crazy about piracy killing PC gaming.  I wonder how much market is actually being lost to ridiculous system requirements and games which perform like ass even if they barely meet them.
Good point. That's probably a bigger factor.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 12:10:29 AM
This business of needing a killer rig plus a dedicated power line is new.  Games used to cater to a wider audience, even if the highest res and best look were only for the elite.

Quote
I think it's foolish to deny both have a pretty major impact.

I'm not denying that piracy is a big problem also.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 12:14:35 AM
I don't know how much of that is true really.  I mean, games used to scale better when compared to modern games like Crysis, but I think the dominance of consoles has changed the market for PC games.  Now everyone is competing for the elite dollars, and the way to do that is with eye candy.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's bullshit as well, and I think it leads to sloppy programing because they assume people with the absolute latest card will buy it so they can get away without optimizing it for the previous generation.  When those people try the game and get fucked they'll go out and buy a new card because all of a sudden their old one is obsolete.  But really, how much more taxing could this be then GoW or UT3?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 12:22:49 AM
I still think we need to define what the fuck "minimum" means for minimum spec. There needs to be a baseline where people can judge. What can we expect to see AT minimum spec?

Something like...minimum spec means:

1024x768
All adjustable settings at lowest setting
30fps average

There. Now you can look at hardware that meets those requirements, and that is your minimum spec. So when someone pics up a game and looks at minimum spec, they know what they are going to get if their system just meets them. As it is you don't really know what minimum means. A lot of times its just "Yeah, it runs, but its practically unplayable even on lowest settings and res."

Do the same for Recommended Spec, just boosted accordingly.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 12:25:10 AM
I think there is some overreaction for Assassin's Creed. The game isn't a specialty PC game, but rather a console port. Even on a console it chugs, so I can imagine it takes them a really powerful rig to run the game properly. I'd rather they admit the problem than lie on the requirements info.

What I am saying here is that it isn't like they have a choice.

Quote
Now everyone is competing for the elite dollars, and the way to do that is with eye candy.

If they are approaching PC gaming like that, then they've got it wrong. The best selling PC games are the ones that can run on any system. Games like WoW, The Sims, Civilization etc. are games that most users can run, and sales reflect this.

edit:

Good point Idol.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 12:32:48 AM
If the PC developers only care about elite dollars now, then they have shrunk their market in a harmful way, to themselves.  Even if piracy were eliminated entirely, they're not going to have the money base they need.  If I'm in any way a representative sample, I know they'll be driving more people away from their scene and over to the consoles.  I've even started to ignore any buzz or press about new hardcore PC games.  It doesn't apply to me, and it's depressing.  So why even bother?  On the other hand, I know any competently programmed 360 game will run beautifully.  I may have to do settle for an analog controller and optical-disc streaming, but it's going to work right.

An analog controller would be the controller of choice for Assassin's Creed on the PC anyway.

Quote
I think there is some overreaction for Assassin's Creed. The game isn't a specialty PC game, but rather a console port. Even on a console it chugs, so I can imagine it takes them a really powerful rig to run the game properly. I'd rather they admit the problem than lie on the requirements info.

It doesn't chug.  It maintains 30 fps pretty consistently.  60 would be so much nicer (perfectly smooth) but 30 is fine.  When you consider that each fully populated ancient city is free to roam and climb in real time, this is no mean feat for any system.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 12:55:31 AM
That's totally true, but that's also the hardest market to break in to.  How many Sims clones are out there?  The MMORPG market is over saturated for the most part, making it a risky venture, and games like Civilization can't be cheap to make.  Sure, a ton of clones of these games get released, but very very rarely with any money behind them and they are almost never successful. Because in order to compete with The Sims you have to be as good as the Sims.  Not only that, but you have to offer everything it offers, more, and make enough of a name for yourself in order to make someone stop playing something they were compulsively enjoying and give your game a try.

So, if you're a game company and you want to pump some money into a PC game, you probably want to take as little risk on it as possible and hope for a high return.  How do you do that?  You appeal to the type of person who buys 2-3 games a month, the type of person with quite a bit of disposable income, and the type of person who's prone to playing PC games.
 Generally, this is the type of person who has a somewhat new system because they just bought it or they're upgrading every 12-18 months.  What does this type of person like to play?  FPS, action games, and RTS games.  How do you compete with the other ones out there?  Well, it's a pretty generic formula for the most part, but what has always worked in the past was to make the game look good and people will buy it.  So you either develop your own engine or lease one that's already out there, push it a little past it's limit or just sloppily code it, throw in a sewer level, an escort level, some light squad-based gameplay, some lighting effects, a rechargeable flashlight, some middleware.  You go down to the movie store and look at old 80's action movies.  Find an obscure one with a title you like and call it that. 

Then when you're done and you realize your game is pretty generic and kind of runs like ass, you go back, throw some bigger textures in there, pump up the triangles, and add some pointless and inefficient post processing effects.  You go into an interview and claim that the game is made for the next generation of video cards, and that the ones from a year and a half ago won't even really run it at any really playable level, and just watch the hype build.

Next thing you know they're using it for benchmarking, and every answer to a "why does this run so slow on my current card?" topic on forums is answered with "SLI NOOB!  100% more money for ~20% more performance is where it's at!".  So you can sit back as Ram prices go down and people buy new cards and think to yourself how even though you didn't make any sales records with the last one, you at least broke even.  And now you know a bit more, you're a little more experienced and this time when you release your requirements before the demo is out you'll be sure you're the first on the block to have 3-way sli and 3 GB ram in the recommended section. 

No, it's not the easiest way to make the next big phenomenon, but it's the most market tested way to make a return on an investment.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 01:08:45 AM
My point isn't the concept of these games, but rather the fact that they run on most systems.

The other thing is fucking Intel needs to equip its on board video with more power. One of the guys at Epic talked about how Intel just needed to invest another $5 in its on board video solutions to have them meet the min. requirements for most game.

But there seems to be a misconception regarding PC prices, and most it stems from assholes who write for these small sites that have reached popularity. Every comment from them seems to end with... that PC Game is good, but I don't have $5000 to run it.

That just creates the apprehension among those who don't game on the PC.

Here check it:

http://kotaku.com/345278/crytek-specs-out-an-affordable-crysis-pc

Also GPW tts a fair point regarding the PC development formula, and something I've been thinking about. How many true innovative games do we see on he PC? These days they are just following the same gameplay formula, with visual upgrades.

Quote
Next thing you know they're using it for benchmarking, and every answer to a "why does this run so slow on my current card?" topic on forums is answered with "SLI NOOB!  100% more money for ~20% more performance is where it's at!".

You are giving forum gurus far less credit than they deserve. Go to the forums of anandtech or THW and most of the advise is sensible both in terms of price and performance.

The only places that give idiotic advise like BUY A $5000 PC, are the fucking console loving PC hating jackasses.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 01:24:40 AM
My point isn't the concept of these games, but rather the fact that they run on most systems.

Oh, I get that, but my point is that for every one of those solid games that runs on every system, there are a thousand or more shitty ones released a year that don't make jack shit. I imagine the risk assessment these people run when trying to figure out where to allocate funding generally tells them that a high end FPS is a safer bet when compared to throwing money into a low end game in order to try to steal people away from CS1.6 or The Sims.  Fuck, even CS:S couldn't dethrone CS, and it isn't because of the specs.  Why bother going after the people playing Counterstrike when you can go after those prone to buying and getting bored of a lot of different games?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 01:29:09 AM
Yea that's a good point.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, January 17, 2008, 01:45:20 AM
So, if you're a game company and you want to pump some money into a PC game, you probably want to take as little risk on it as possible and hope for a high return.  How do you do that?  You appeal to the type of person who buys 2-3 games a month, the type of person with quite a bit of disposable income, and the type of person who's prone to playing PC games.
 Generally, this is the type of person who has a somewhat new system because they just bought it or they're upgrading every 12-18 months.  What does this type of person like to play?  FPS, action games, and RTS games.  How do you compete with the other ones out there?  Well, it's a pretty generic formula for the most part, but what has always worked in the past was to make the game look good and people will buy it.  So you either develop your own engine or lease one that's already out there, push it a little past it's limit or just sloppily code it, throw in a sewer level, an escort level, some light squad-based gameplay, some lighting effects, a rechargeable flashlight, some middleware.  You go down to the movie store and look at old 80's action movies.  Find an obscure one with a title you like and call it that. 

Then when you're done and you realize your game is pretty generic and kind of runs like ass, you go back, throw some bigger textures in there, pump up the triangles, and add some pointless and inefficient post processing effects.  You go into an interview and claim that the game is made for the next generation of video cards, and that the ones from a year and a half ago won't even really run it at any really playable level, and just watch the hype build.

Next thing you know they're using it for benchmarking, and every answer to a "why does this run so slow on my current card?" topic on forums is answered with "SLI NOOB!  100% more money for ~20% more performance is where it's at!".  So you can sit back as Ram prices go down and people buy new cards and think to yourself how even though you didn't make any sales records with the last one, you at least broke even.  And now you know a bit more, you're a little more experienced and this time when you release your requirements before the demo is out you'll be sure you're the first on the block to have 3-way sli and 3 GB ram in the recommended section. 

Ahahaha!  Cynical, and probably true.  We think alike here, although I had not thought all that through like you just did.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Jedi on Friday, January 18, 2008, 02:45:19 AM
Hehehe

(http://www.vgcats.com/comics/images/080114.jpg)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Friday, January 18, 2008, 07:45:03 PM
Oh nice, they made a new comic, and it wasn't even a shitty flash video of a face singing someone else's song. 
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Tuesday, January 22, 2008, 07:11:39 PM
Looks like the leaked min. requirements were pretty close to bang on (http://www.yougamers.com/news/17001_ubisoft_unveil_the_pc_specs_for_assassins_creed/)

Sad.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, January 27, 2008, 10:42:26 AM
Looks like the leaked min. requirements were pretty close to bang on (http://www.yougamers.com/news/17001_ubisoft_unveil_the_pc_specs_for_assassins_creed/)

Sad.

Looks like I'll be waiting to get AC, when I likely buy a new PC.
And likely, when AC costs around...oh, say around $20 or less.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Sunday, January 27, 2008, 11:18:00 AM
Wow, that's ridiculous.  I hadn't paid any attention to this until now, but man... that's just idiotic.  They must have some people there who seriously don't know what the fuck they're doing.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Sunday, January 27, 2008, 11:37:37 AM
I was pretty startled when I read the confirmation.

3GB of RAM is just absolutely insane. Aren't they isolating anyone who has a 32bit OS?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, January 27, 2008, 01:54:32 PM
I was pretty startled when I read the confirmation.

3GB of RAM is just absolutely insane. Aren't they isolating anyone who has a 32bit OS?
Wait...
I thought 32 bit OS's go up to a max of 4 GB????

Keep in mind, the 3GB is recommended, while the 2GB is required.

Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Sunday, January 27, 2008, 11:36:52 PM
Oh yea? I was listening to the PCG podcast, and they were talking about how 32bit OSs couldn't go to 4GB? I think Scottws can clarify.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Monday, January 28, 2008, 05:48:20 AM
They can definitely go to 3 GB though.  The problem is that max addressable memory with 32 bits is 4 GB (2^32).  There is address space needed by the system itself which can't have user RAM mapped to it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, March 27, 2008, 04:36:49 PM
Is Jade going to work on AC2?

Who knows, but she is working on something... (http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=20191)

Quote
Jade Raymond Not Working On Assassin's Creed Sequel?

In a new Q&A on Game Daily, UbiSoft CEO Yves Guillemot was asked if Jade Raymond, the producer on their best selling open world action game Assassin's Creed, would be working on a sequel. Guillemont responded with, "She's currently working on a new project but it's a little too early to share more about it." Guillemont also said that Michel Ancel, the creator of UbiSoft's Rayman series, is "working on several unannounced projects, and I'm afraid I cannot tell you more at this stage."

EDIT, 3-28-2008:
ACPC Preview on GameSpot (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/assassinscreed/news.html?sid=6188451&mode=previews)

GameSpy preview on ACPC (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/assassins-creed/862750p1.html)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Monday, March 31, 2008, 07:30:38 PM
Shank, motherfucker! SHANK!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Wednesday, July 02, 2008, 06:34:09 PM
Well, great game and great ending...if the second one was already out.  As it is, fuck them for leaving it like that.

Actually, it wasn't that bad, just really surprising.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Wednesday, July 02, 2008, 06:39:50 PM
I wish I could see the ending, but the game totally bores me now.  It's a very cool thing really, and I'm not as hard on the game as some have been, but it did eventually wear thin for me.  I've got no desire to finish it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, July 02, 2008, 08:36:37 PM
I wish I could see the ending, but the game totally bores me now.  It's a very cool thing really, and I'm not as hard on the game as some have been, but it did eventually wear thin for me.  I've got no desire to finish it.
Do you mean earn the right to see the ending?
Or just see the ending period (even if you didn't earn your way there)?

I mean, I'm sure the AC ending has been like many other games' endings -- posted by some person on Youtube.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Wednesday, July 02, 2008, 09:03:25 PM
I wish I could see the ending, but the game totally bores me now.  It's a very cool thing really, and I'm not as hard on the game as some have been, but it did eventually wear thin for me.  I've got no desire to finish it.

Yeah, it kind of started to wear thin on me near the end.  Not the whole thing - just that some of the tasks were tedious and I stopped trying to get a 100% completion and just did what I had to.  There are some changes I'd like to see them make in the future that could make a lot of the little tasks in the cities a lot better.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, July 03, 2008, 05:14:52 PM
I wish this PC game would drop in price to $20 already...
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Sunday, July 06, 2008, 01:28:46 PM
The interesting thing here is that the control scheme has totally ruined me for other action/platformer games.   I tried to play a bit of the redone Tomb Raider today and it seemed so clunky.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, August 07, 2008, 04:40:57 PM
UbiSoft sues a company for leaking ACPC, which has been reported to be downloaded over 700,000 times before the game was even officially released. (http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6195570.html)

Quote
Ubisoft sues over Assassin's Creed leak
Publisher believes disc-replication firm responsible for 700,000 pirated prerelease downloads of its PC action game.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
Posted Aug 7, 2008 1:34 am GMT

Ubisoft's hit action game Assassin's Creed was released on the PC in April, but in appropriately Altair-like fashion, a pirated version of the game sneaked onto the Internet two months earlier. Obviously unhappy with the leak, the publisher has decided to take the matter to court and make someone pay.

Last month, Ubisoft filed suit against Charlotte, North Carolina-based Optical Experts Manufacturing, the company that it had contracted to reproduce copies of the game disc. The publisher alleges that "an extraordinary breach of trust and gross negligence" on the part of OEM allowed one of the company's employees to take a copy of the game home early and post it on the Internet in late February, six weeks before the game arrived in stores.

The publisher alleges that OEM had agreed to abide by--and thereafter ignored--an array of security procedures that could have prevented the leak. Ubisoft further alleges that OEM admitted to not following through on its security commitments and causing the leak. One such security procedure was to prevent copies of the game from ever leaving OEM's premises.

Ubisoft said that it tracked the earliest connections to the pirated copy of the game online and found that they were coming from the home of an OEM employee. An OEM-manufactured copy of the game was later found at the employee's residence, though the suit doesn't specify when that copy was found.

According to the industry-tracking NPD Group, the PC edition of the game sold more than 40,000 copies at US retailers through June.
Ouch.
And it also doesn't help w/ the minimum requirements so damn high, either.
So, double ouch.

Quote
Ubisoft claims that the leaked edition of the game was downloaded more than 700,000 times, costing the publisher millions of dollars.
That's a lot of downloads!

Quote
In addition to lost sales as a direct result of piracy, the publisher also claimed its reputation was hurt by the leak as well. Ubisoft says that it included a bug in the prerelease Assassin's Creed for security reasons that would cause the game to crash partway through.
Ahhhh...they did what Iron Lore did w/ TQ, basically -- and threw a "bug" in the version they were working in to cut the game off on pirates w/out warning. I knew someone else would try that!

Though, really -- if they intend to cut the gamer off like that, they should throw the pirate a message saying "Game crashed to desktop b/c your copy of the game is not legit! Please buy a real copy!" or something so the pirate isn't thinking that the game cut-off b/c it's buggy; it was cut-off b/c of the pirate!

Quote
The bug was supposedly removed from the retail edition, but a mix of negative reviews of the leaked, bug-equipped pirated version of the game and legitimate reviews of the retail edition created customer confusion and caused "irreparable harm" to its reputation, Ubisoft said.
Okay.

Quote
Ubisoft is suing OEM for copyright infringement, breach of contract, and negligence. It is asking for damages and legal fees relating to all three claims, in the amount of no less than $10 million each for the breach of contract and negligence claims.

Neither OEM nor Ubisoft returned GameSpot's requests for comment as of press time.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, August 07, 2008, 05:54:39 PM
I think the bigger problem is the game itself.  The game is basically an amusement, and if you get your fill of it before you're done, there's no way you're going to buy it.  I don't want to make it sound like I think this is a bad game, even though I've had some negative comments in the past, because I totally don't think that.  I think it's a tremendously awesome game in every respect and I more than got my money's worth.  However, it does suffer from that "Wow, that's cool!  But I think I'm done now" problem.  A lot of games you can see downloading and being totally into, then buying after because you like them so much, but I think with this one a lot of people come for the control scheme, come for the fun climbing on stuff, come for the shanking... but then they finish with that really fast and feel no need to continue playing.  I've gotten that from a whole lot of the people I've talked to, and that's pretty much how it was for me.  I'm curious about the story, and maybe I'll finish someday, but that was never my driving force, and I don't think it was for anyone else either (even though the plot *is* cool, nicely presented, and potentially quite interesting).

I don't know about the rest of it, but I think that's a big problem for this game.  It's just too easy for it to lose its allure.  But I still think it's a bit bullshit, because this is primarily a console game, and I'd venture to guess that a ton of the people who downloaded it simply wanted to check out how it ran on PC and what new features it had.  Seriously, I'd bet that's a good 25% of the people who downloaded it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Thursday, August 07, 2008, 06:26:50 PM
I think the bigger problem is the game itself.  The game is basically an amusement, and if you get your fill of it before you're done, there's no way you're going to buy it.  I don't want to make it sound like I think this is a bad game, even though I've had some negative comments in the past, because I totally don't think that.  I think it's a tremendously awesome game in every respect and I more than got my money's worth.  However, it does suffer from that "Wow, that's cool!  But I think I'm done now" problem. 

A lot of games you can see downloading and being totally into, then buying after because you like them so much, but I think with this one a lot of people come for the control scheme, come for the fun climbing on stuff, come for the shanking... but then they finish with that really fast and feel no need to continue playing.  I've gotten that from a whole lot of the people I've talked to, and that's pretty much how it was for me.
But Que -- how many think like that? How many who DL the game illegally are going to actually go out and buy the real copy upon its actually official release?

Quote
I'm curious about the story, and maybe I'll finish someday, but that was never my driving force, and I don't think it was for anyone else either (even though the plot *is* cool, nicely presented, and potentially quite interesting).

I don't know about the rest of it, but I think that's a big problem for this game.  It's just too easy for it to lose its allure.  But I still think it's a bit bullshit, because this is primarily a console game, and I'd venture to guess that a ton of the people who downloaded it simply wanted to check out how it ran on PC and what new features it had.  Seriously, I'd bet that's a good 25% of the people who downloaded it.
Since you bring that up, I wonder how many of those 700,000+ pre-released version of ACPC DL'ed illegally, I wonder how many of those actually already purchased AC on either the X360 or PS3 and said, "Why re-buy this game with very little new content on the PC? I already own it on the console!"

I think the think w/ this kind of game -- with any open-world game that is a sandbox and a half, naturally -- is that if your main quest line ain't much different than what you can do when involved in side missions and/or just when being in the gameworld like it's a sandbox, why do the main quest?

I think that's why GTA always succeeds like it does -- the main missions in the game feel important. They are more-detailed with more pieces to the mission than any of the other parts of the game. Also, they filled with variety, too. And to boot, they are presented extremely well. So, it feels much different than when you're doing side missions or when you're just free-roaming around.

Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, August 07, 2008, 07:49:19 PM
That's a good point about (not) re-buying the game.  I know I wouldn't.  I didn't bother downloading the PC bootleg because I can't run it.  It would be a waste of time.  Otherwise, I might have, out of curiosity.  I paid my $60 already.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Ghandi on Thursday, August 07, 2008, 09:35:54 PM
I think the bigger problem is the game itself.  The game is basically an amusement, and if you get your fill of it before you're done, there's no way you're going to buy it.  I don't want to make it sound like I think this is a bad game, even though I've had some negative comments in the past, because I totally don't think that.  I think it's a tremendously awesome game in every respect and I more than got my money's worth.  However, it does suffer from that "Wow, that's cool!  But I think I'm done now" problem.  A lot of games you can see downloading and being totally into, then buying after because you like them so much, but I think with this one a lot of people come for the control scheme, come for the fun climbing on stuff, come for the shanking... but then they finish with that really fast and feel no need to continue playing.  I've gotten that from a whole lot of the people I've talked to, and that's pretty much how it was for me.  I'm curious about the story, and maybe I'll finish someday, but that was never my driving force, and I don't think it was for anyone else either (even though the plot *is* cool, nicely presented, and potentially quite interesting).

I don't know about the rest of it, but I think that's a big problem for this game.  It's just too easy for it to lose its allure.  But I still think it's a bit bullshit, because this is primarily a console game, and I'd venture to guess that a ton of the people who downloaded it simply wanted to check out how it ran on PC and what new features it had.  Seriously, I'd bet that's a good 25% of the people who downloaded it.

I rented it for the PS3, and I loved it, but I'm definitely glad that I didn't buy it. You nailed it.

But whats interesting is that GTA4 doesn't suffer from the problem, even though the gameplay is in the same general category. I guess that Assassin's Creed just doesn't have the depth that GTA4 has.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Thursday, August 07, 2008, 11:18:04 PM
Interestingly enough, I played this game for much longer than any GTA game.  There's less variety in the missions, but what's there is done so much better as far as I'm concerned wheras GTA always got really boring after a point for me.  The game has massive problems that need to be solved for any more entries in the series, and now that they have the engine and scheme all worked out they'll hopefully dedicate the time to do that.  It's a pretty hit or miss game depending on the person though and by the end of it I was just kind of whizzing through the required missions.

Quote
A lot of games you can see downloading and being totally into, then buying after because you like them so much, but I think with this one a lot of people come for the control scheme, come for the fun climbing on stuff, come for the shanking... but then they finish with that really fast and feel no need to continue playing.

I personally have always kind of thought this is a myth.  I've never gone and bought a game I already have for free and I can't see many others justifying it either.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, August 07, 2008, 11:40:44 PM
I will *still* do an occasional 2-hour session in GTA IV, even though the story is complete.  It's pure escapism, basically "living" in pseudo-NY and wreaking havoc while skipping through the radio stations. 
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Friday, August 08, 2008, 12:20:17 AM
I don't know, gpw, I can only speak for myself and a few others, but I do know people who try stuff and if they really love it they go to the store and pick up a copy, even if they never install it because the pirated copy is already installed.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, November 16, 2008, 06:25:23 AM
I wish this PC game would drop in price to $20 already...
I guess my wish might be coming true, soon.
Rumor has it on Black Friday, I guess ACPC will be $10 at BB.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, December 06, 2008, 09:54:10 AM
Okay, received this in mail other day from Best Buy.

So, I installed this ACPC on my current rig -- P4 clocked at 3.2 Ghz with HT, 2 GB RAM, Win XP Home, 512 MB GeForce 8800 GT  -- to see how it would run, since some have got it going on single-core processors as long as they have a pretty good video card (i.e. 512 MB GF 8800 GT) and been able to run it; but not maxed-out or anything of that sort.

The game seems to be running fine. Ain't had slowdowns, slideshows, or anything, on these settings. Been running fine.

So, yeah -- here's my settings
(http://screenshot.xfire.com/screenshot/natural/1b6262f0c66323dc885b2f6500089f7875f6e847.png)

Screenies:
(http://screenshot.xfire.com/screenshot/natural/32ef36a5fd795a96cbed269da1e2b1ed641779d4.png)

(http://screenshot.xfire.com/screenshot/natural/96fb643174646cc6d8ae8275d40063af23d9ef38.png)

(http://screenshot.xfire.com/screenshot/natural/1fd71a3c55126a77dfe8cd16826c47aea849fe30.png)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, December 06, 2008, 10:02:00 AM
You've got a fine video card. Why does your game look so bad? Put the settings up a little.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, December 06, 2008, 11:32:53 AM
I jacked it up a little more -- and it still runs fine on my single-core processor. :)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Saturday, December 06, 2008, 12:22:50 PM
I run everything on max without issues. You should be able to run pretty close at the very least.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, December 06, 2008, 05:30:49 PM
I run everything on max without issues. You should be able to run pretty close at the very least.

Even on my single-core processor, Pug?  :o

Is this game more reliant on the GPU or something?
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Ghandi on Saturday, December 06, 2008, 05:32:50 PM
There's a simple way to find out...
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, December 06, 2008, 05:36:04 PM
There's a simple way to find out...

Yeah, test it out -- hehe.

I like the game's main quest -- it's pretty good and what's keeping me going, playing on.

But, the side stuff -- eh, not enough variety, first off. And even if you do a same type of side quest, it's all too much of the same. Lacks depth and whatnot.

I love the ability to basically climb and jump around anything and anywhere. The world's like a jungle gym.

Great foundation for a sequel, though. Just -- add more side quest depth and variety for side quests.

Oh, X360 controller is perfect for this PC version -- which is what I usually use for games for platforming elements; yeah, I didn't even try the KB/mouse.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, December 13, 2008, 10:49:07 PM
So, I finished this one tonight.

Well, the game isn't super hard...
(click to show/hide)

Regardless, the game was good. The game really picked up steam, as it got further along. It took a bit to get going b/c -- well, the side quests were not of much variety, in the first few hours. Eventually, there are more and more different ones, to keep you from feeling like you're doing the same crap over and over. I still wish there was more variety in these, those.

But still, the main quest stuff was really good. All of those main quest executions were pretty good.

By the end...
(click to show/hide)

EDIT:
Ummm...did ACPC make a deal with The Devil?
Did anyone notice that ACPC takes up 6.66 GB of hard drive space?  :o
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Sunday, December 14, 2008, 04:43:32 PM
Ummm...did ACPC make a deal with The Devil?
Did anyone notice that ACPC takes up 6.66 GB of hard drive space?  :o
Haha Yeah, I think I noticed that just before I uninstalled it last week. I had to make space for TR: Underworld.

It was great, I enjoyed it a lot, but after a while it gets a little too repetitive.

Btw, I was going over some commentary on Assassin's Creed and Prince of Persia and I'm kind of irked that they refer to these games as "non-linear." Fact is they're both pretty damn linear. You cannot alter the outcome whatsoever. They have multiple paths that all lead to the same destination. You will always start at A and end at Z, no matter what order you take everything in between. It's not non-linear, it's just segmented.

Non-linear should be a term used exclusively for games in which you can actually affect the course of the plot. Where the path you choose significantly alters the outcome of the game; multiple endings. Anyone remember Contra: The Hard Crops (a.k.a Probotector)? That was the first non-linear game I recall that had six different endings depending on what path you chose. It was not open-world. There was also Guardian Heroes on the Saturn. By their definition Megaman is a non-linear game.

I think the problem is that they assume that "open-world" is a synonymous with "non-linear."
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Sunday, December 14, 2008, 04:46:56 PM
That's too restrictive a definition.  Life is non-linear, but it always ends in death.  I'm happy when I can do things in whatever order I choose, go anywhere I want in a wide-open world.  It doesn't bother me that the ultimate end is going to be the same regardless of what I do.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Sunday, December 14, 2008, 04:50:32 PM
That's too restrictive a definition.  Life is non-linear, but it always ends in death.  I'm happy when I can do things in whatever order I choose, go anywhere I want in a wide-open world.  It doesn't bother me that the ultimate end is going to be the same regardless of what I do.
The choices you make will likely affect the circumstances of death. I know what you mean, but in terms of storyline and plot it makes a difference. In terms of the game, yes I know it will end eventually but how it ends depends on whether or not it's linear or non-linear.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Sunday, December 14, 2008, 08:11:19 PM
Yeah, I don't really agree with that.  Were I to go with your definition I could say that maybe 90% of the games I've played that people hold as being incredibly non-linear are actually pretty linear.  Where do you draw the line?  One plot 'altering' decision or a thousand?  Hell, none of the decisions I made in Fallout 3 had any effect on the outcome in the end.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, December 15, 2008, 12:40:43 AM
Even on my single-core processor, Pug?  :o

Is this game more reliant on the GPU or something?


Like 99% of the games out there. You have a fine machine, and at resolutions of around 1024x768 you should be able to play with max., or nearly max settings. Whenever you buy a new game, see if it has some benchmarking tool. If you can max your settings and get an avg. of 30fps, you should have a very good experience.

Yeah, I don't really agree with that.  Were I to go with your definition I could say that maybe 90% of the games I've played that people hold as being incredibly non-linear are actually pretty linear.  Where do you draw the line?  One plot 'altering' decision or a thousand?  Hell, none of the decisions I made in Fallout 3 had any effect on the outcome in the end.

I agree with you and Cobra. Though I must say, while PoP does have somewhat of an open world, it is quite linear.

To me, a linear game is something like Half-life or F.E.A.R.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Monday, December 15, 2008, 05:58:22 AM
I think we should have classifications as classic linear, pseudo-linear, and non-linear.

Pseudo-linear being games like PoP and AC. They're not truly linear, they just give you the illusion of choice. It doesn't make them worse or anything.. whatever works for the game. It depends on the objective of the game. For example The Max Payne games are classic linear. The objective was to get the story across in a film noir action style.

Fallout 3 is non-linear, and your choice can actually affect the outcome.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is that linear and non-linear are terms of plot, story-telling elements. At least that's what I was taught in school. Open-world or sandbox, on the other hand, are gameplay terms.

Is Super Mario World (SNES) linear or non-linear?

Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Thursday, December 18, 2008, 05:18:32 PM
So I need some help. The game isn't too bad, but I keep getting targeted by guards when I travel between cities. When I was in the first city, I was used to being left alone, but as I travel by horseback I get attacked by every person wearing an armor. Am I doing something wrong here? I could try and "blend", but that is just tedious.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Thursday, December 18, 2008, 05:30:37 PM
Just gallop away.  If you get tired of running, get out of sight and jump into a bale of hay until you're no longer wanted.  Otherwise, you have to hold down the blend button on horseback.  Clip, clop, clip, clop, slow going.

You should get a beeping warning before they go into chase mode.  Press blend when you hear it if you don't want to be constantly running.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Thursday, December 18, 2008, 06:00:51 PM
I never really understood that about AC. I can understand if I was galloping top speed past them but when I'm just trotting?!

I used to take the time to hide or eliminate my pursuers.. Eventually I gave up and would just zoom past.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Quemaqua on Thursday, December 18, 2008, 06:33:11 PM
Yeah, I never understood that.  I'M TROTTING, OH NO I MUST BE AN ASSASSIN.  ONLY ASSASSINS MAKE THEIR HORSES TROT.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: gpw11 on Friday, December 19, 2008, 12:26:01 AM
I just used to bolt from one place to the other. 
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Cobra951 on Friday, December 19, 2008, 01:42:20 AM
After a while, you won't even care.  With a bit of practice, staying away from danger on horseback becomes easy, and so does diving into a recognized hiding place.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Friday, December 19, 2008, 01:53:29 AM
Just gallop away.  If you get tired of running, get out of sight and jump into a bale of hay until you're no longer wanted.  Otherwise, you have to hold down the blend button on horseback.  Clip, clop, clip, clop, slow going.

You should get a beeping warning before they go into chase mode.  Press blend when you hear it if you don't want to be constantly running.

This is absolutely retarded. What the fuck indeedio.

It isn't even that they make things difficult or whatever. I just want to get off the horse and explore a bit for fun... but unless I put my hands together and pretend I am an overgrown alter boy, they attack me.

Just so tedious.

The game has a bit of an identity crisis. I am pretty sure originally they designed it so that you wouldn't be attacked unless you acted the fool, but then they probably thought,"Hey, this is an action game!"

edit:

What the hell is the difference between my roaming the country and my being in the crowded city? Why don't they treat me this way inside city walls? I am pretty sure they took this design decision for those who wanted to go out of the city and play an "action" game.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 03:38:31 PM
Assassin's Creed PC is $5.00 on Steam until tomorrow. (http://store.steampowered.com/app/15100/)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: W7RE on Monday, November 16, 2009, 09:38:16 AM
Do you get anything from completing the side quests? I'm playing through it and wondering if I should just skip the optional quests so I can finish faster (AC2 comes out tomorrow.)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Monday, November 16, 2009, 10:11:12 AM
I haven't noticed any real value to the side quest other than being a minor distraction for perfectionists. Although aiding civilians may add hiding spots (walking monks) or vigilantes to help you escape pursuers. The flags on the other hand are rubbish.

If you just want to get through the story all you need are the three necessary investigations of your choice and you may move to the assassination.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: W7RE on Monday, November 16, 2009, 11:00:08 AM
I do have a completionist buried somewhere inside me, to the point that I've already looked up achievements for the game to make sure I don't skip any missable ones. Maybe I'll just skip side quests with the knowledge that I can come back to them later if I feel the need to "complete" the game.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Pugnate on Monday, November 16, 2009, 11:17:01 AM
This game to me was one of the biggest pieces of wasted potential ever released. Even then it had its moments, which just goes to show how spectacular it could have been.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: W7RE on Monday, November 16, 2009, 12:17:53 PM
This game to me was one of the biggest pieces of wasted potential ever released. Even then it had its moments, which just goes to show how spectacular it could have been.

Yea I'm already noticing a lot of stuff that I've heard mentioned being bad about it. The guards in the kingdom area are ridiculously alert, the environments aren't all that varied. I was once running from guards and ran into a giant blue wall of computer glitchyness, because I guess I wasn't supposed to be in that area. I fucked up the first assassination in the game twice in a row because someone walked into me with a pot and the guards wanted to kill me because it broke. The third time some dumb bitch was begging for money and the guards were alerted. A little bit ago I jumped to my death when trying to do a leap of faith, I guess because I had the angle of the jump off?

Anyway, despite all this it's a fun game, and I'm enjoying it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: idolminds on Monday, November 16, 2009, 01:57:59 PM
I did all the side missions in the PC version even though it wasn't required and it didn't get me anything.

From what I read, the game had some changes later in development that made the missions less important. The problem was they added the GPS to the game. Originally you were supposed to get the initial clues from the guy in the assassins guild building and then manually find those places. It wasn't simply waypoint that you could make a beeline for. So each investigation was both FINDING the place and then doing the quick little thing there to get the info. The GPS sort of ruined that.

The idea of having more investigations than required to do the assassination is that each one actually gave you hints and clues on how to pull off the assassination. That info is still in the game in the menus, but you never have to read it since, again, the GPS just points the way.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: W7RE on Thursday, November 19, 2009, 03:39:48 PM
Is it just me, or does this game increase the number of damn drunks, crazies, and begagrs that fuck with you as you get further into the game. I'm on my 7th assassination, and I feel like every mission I'm doing now has at least one of these guys fucking it up for me. Just now I was trying to do a pickpocket mission and a drunk shoved me into a guard twice, at which point the guard yelled for help and attacked me. My pickpocket target was right there, so I really didn't want to shove the drunk and get some attention. So now there's bodies lying on the ground, surrounded by guards asking who did it, right next to the damn pickpocket target. I guess I'll go do another mission.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Thursday, November 19, 2009, 04:04:32 PM
Yeah, that pissed me off more than anything else in the entire game! Damn drunks!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Schlotzky5 on Thursday, November 19, 2009, 05:02:27 PM
I found the fights to be way too easy. It shouldn't be that easy to fend of 5 guards at once. I think they realized this and just increased the 'random' drunks to make the game a little harder.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: W7RE on Thursday, November 19, 2009, 05:14:41 PM
The guards actually seema  bit more aggressive now, but the fights are still pretty easy. Also, the fights are a lot of fun. The only reason I feel like I'm avoiding them is because I really want to finish and move on to AC2. But yea, damn those drunks. Earlier I got one of those "the guards are watching you, walk slow" alerts, and right then 2 beggars and a drunk all zerged me.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Schlotzky5 on Thursday, November 19, 2009, 05:29:41 PM
AC2 looks cool and all, but after they sold me a $20 game for 60 bucks I cant spend my hard earned money on it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: W7RE on Thursday, November 19, 2009, 06:27:38 PM
I've actually been enjoying the first one quite a bit. I guess it's because I've heard a lot of people complain that it's repetitive, and I also didn't pay full price. Gamestop had some "buy MW2 and get a discount on a used game" deal that I didn't even know about until the clerk pulled out a coupon to copy the code from. So when I bought MW2 and AC, AC ended up being like $13. (I actually wanted a new copy, but they didn't have any)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Schlotzky5 on Thursday, November 19, 2009, 07:12:10 PM
Its definitely worth 13. I remember getting the game right as it came out. It was also the first game I got for my PS3. I played the shit out of it for a week and it was awesome. Then, the game ended and I haven't touched it since.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: W7RE on Friday, November 20, 2009, 05:16:27 PM
I finally finished. The side quests and drunks/crazies/beggars were seriously pissing me off toward the end, but overall it was a fun game.

Ending spolers:
(click to show/hide)



Edit, to add some opinions on stuff I liked/didn't like:

Story Assassinations:
(click to show/hide)

Obviously the 3 or 4 different mission types repeated over and over again became pretty boring.

Drunks and beggars were one of the worst game features in recent memory. They weren't so bad at the beginning, but the whole second half was really annoying. At one point I had a pickpocket mission in a small enclosed courtyard with guards stationed at the entrance, and surrounding my target were 4 crazy bastards. I had to climb over and out to wait for my target to come out because there's no way it was gonna happen inside there.

My only gripe about the combat was that I hated it when you would counter-attack and just punch the guy. Fuck that, stab him, so he doesn't get back up.

Despite all the complaints, I had a lot of fun with the climbing and rooftop running, as well as the fighting. One-shotting an archer on a rooftop with a throwing dagger was awesome. Assassinating guys in the crowd for side missions was awesome. Even though the combat was easy, it was tons of fun because it made me feel like a badass. I'm seriously glad it's finally over, but I can't wait to start up the second game.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Friday, November 20, 2009, 08:39:01 PM
In some cases when you counter-attack with a punch if you keep pressing the attack button you can follow-up with a kill. In other cases the enemy is too strong to kill that easily, at least by the game's rules, which doesn't make much sense since it would have been a one-hit-kill if you use the hidden blade. Oh yeah, switching to the hidden blade makes all successful counter-attacks insta-kills, however you can't block any incoming attacks at all, you have to counter and dodge.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: W7RE on Friday, November 20, 2009, 08:47:05 PM
I guess the "higher hp" is why I'd punch guys when I was hoping to stab them. I didn't realize I could use the hidden blade for a counterattack though. I knew I could pop it out and 1 shot someone mid combat, but didn't think to try a counterattack with it.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Friday, November 20, 2009, 09:09:41 PM
I guess the "higher hp" is why I'd punch guys when I was hoping to stab them. I didn't realize I could use the hidden blade for a counterattack though. I knew I could pop it out and 1 shot someone mid combat, but didn't think to try a counterattack with it.
Yeah, you just have to time it right coz if you miss you'll take a hit.

The hidden blade counter kills are pretty cool too. Almost savage!
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Friday, November 20, 2009, 11:00:50 PM
I finally finished. The side quests and drunks/crazies/beggars were seriously pissing me off toward the end, but overall it was a fun game.

Ending spolers:
(click to show/hide)

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Sunday, December 20, 2009, 12:23:06 PM
Assassin's Creed - PC Version on Impulse = $14.99 w/ ACREED25 coupon to buy-to-download.
This Impulse version's protected by Impulse GOO. (http://www.stardock.com/media/mailers/ACREED.htm)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Saturday, May 23, 2020, 08:39:42 AM
Kotaku - Story on original AC games, on all side missions were made in 5 days:
https://kotaku.com/all-the-side-missions-in-the-first-assassins-creed-were-1843627081?utm_campaign=Kotaku

Info:
- Charles Randall worked on the original AC game, who talks about why the side quests in AC1 existed.
- UbiSoft's CEO Yves Guillemot let his child play a test build of the game.
- The child felt the game was boring with nothing to really do.
- The original AC only had the game's main & critical path; no side missions were in the game yet!
- So, they went back...and that's when they added side missions.
- Took 5 days to make all of the side missions.
- They needed to get this all done in 5 days b/c the game was already set to ship & ready to go to stores.
- This probably explains the cut & paste nature of the side quests, as they were all made in 5 days.
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 10:14:23 AM
(https://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx27/xietoun/ThreadNecromancer_zpsiu2v1iou.png)

Btw, I am impressed  ;D
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: MysterD on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, 04:20:43 PM
@Xessive:
I love that card. That rules. :)
Title: Re: Assassin's creed.
Post by: Xessive on Sunday, June 14, 2020, 02:02:42 PM
@Xessive:
I love that card. That rules. :)
Haha I miss ya, man!  ;D