[GOTY] Best Action Game of 07: Assassin's Creed

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[GOTY] Best Action Game of 07: Assassin's CreedPosted 1:38pm Tue Dec 18, 2007 by Shiva Stella Tags: Game of the Year 2007, GameBump, features, Assassins Creed, God of War II

Our Review (****)

Why It Won: From the outset Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed presented itself as a different sort of game, as a stealth title marked by unrivaled beauty and the promise of a more open-ended adventure boasting clever target assassinations, amazing buildings to climb, a great musical score and ambiance, and a level of seamless interactivity when the gameplay goes according to plan. It's a damn-near awe-inspiring feeling the first time you perch atop the highest guard tower, ride through the beautiful countryside with the sun at your back, or engage in roof-top leaping for that quick getaway following a smooth-as-silk assassination (or if you're like me, the tragic unexplained death of a civilian - practice makes perfect).

Its greatest feature, however, is how drastically ambitious the title is: with a wealth of assassination/combat options and the mechanics in place for either stealth or action-oriented gameplay - refreshing for those of us who appreciate the option for a change of pace - the game is positioned for fun and intense play full of subtle enhancements that showcase how far the industry has come since the days of Pac Man and plumbers. Thanks to next-generation technology Creed's world is full of responsive, helpless civilians with a lot of them on-screen at once, only this time without lag or draw-in factors you've encountered in other games: you can position Altair anywhere in a city and from the tallest structure spy the whole network of buildings, guard towers, and people scurrying around like tiny ants.

The storyline is one of the strangest you'll ever play, but that doesn't make it less enjoyable, especially if you love this era of history and adore those "alternative" twists; the plot will pull the majority of you in with its peculiarity and great voice acting (though apparently this last bit is debatable), and for a lot of us that's probably because the game is not another Prince of Persia or World War II shooter. It does not feature aliens invading the planet, the threat of nuclear bombs, a kingdom that needs saving from a wicked monarch, or a pretty little princess in distress (for how else do they come?) For attempting something more innovative and not akin to the popularized crowd of blockbuster sequels, shooters, or never-ending RPGs, I give Ubisoft credit.

Why You May Disagree: For the fun that I had with it, even I had my qualms with Creed's gameplay, which becomes quite repetitive and frustrating in terms of mission objectives - which boast almost no variety at all - and combat - Creed's nicely sharpened double-edged blade that makes one wonder if Creed suffers from an identity crisis: is it a stealth title, in which case combat is to be avoided, or an action title in which it's to be embraced?

Naysayers are also quick to point to the game's unbelievably confusing ending that actually requires a guide to understand what the hell is going on, some illogical hiccups (why can't anyone swim, and why is it that someone riding a horse is immediately suspect by guards?), AI that needs a bit of work, and the damnable crazy people and beggars who get in the way when the player is attempting an objective or key assassination. Overwhelmingly, though, the game's greatest fault is that it failed to implement what it excels at the most: its seamless gameplay and assassinations that make the player feel like she's controlling the action in a big-budget film than merely playing a game. While stabbing a guard in the stomach and slinking away, blending into a crowd, is a lovely treat for stylistic play, the immersion is immediately ruined by getting pushed by a beggar woman into a guard who draws his sword and raises the alarm so that you have to climb the wall and hide in a "shady retreat" half a city away.

But We Say: Even with its slew of faults and hiccups, however, it's still one of the most inventive and original titles to release all year, not to mention beautiful and a bit less linear than the rest of the market, and this combined with what the game does do well makes it enjoyable and highly memorable for most, something I know I'll keep coming back to over the years despite its obvious drawbacks. Even so, I'm sincerely hoping that Ubisoft Montreal makes the necessary adjustments for the next one.

Runner Up:

God of War 2 - Released early this year, this sequel to the groundbreaking God of War had a lot great features. In fact, it was just as good as the original. The problem is, it's practically the exact same game as the original. There is very little new content there, just what feels like a continuation of the first instead of a successor to it. If they'd have made the game for the PS3 with next-gen-caliber content instead of releasing it for the PlayStation 2, Sony might have had a system-seller on their hands instead of wallowing in third-place for over a year now and blaming everybody but themselves.