Anybody else think Assassin's Creed is going to be a huge dud? [Archive]

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Anthony1

10-26-2007, 01:02 AM

Frankie_Says_Relax

10-26-2007, 01:07 AM

Supposedly, Assassin's Creed went gold, and it will be released November 13th. For some reason, I have a feeling that this game should have been delayed till March. I don't know why, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the game is going to have alot of bugs, alot of issues, framerate problems, tearing, etc, etc. I think the game could be an awesome game, but I just have the feeling that it's being rushed out for holdiay release, and that it really isn't ready for prime time.

Hopefully I'm totally wrong, and this game is the cat's meow. I guess we will know in a few weeks.

While I half agree that early press buzz says that it has a very buggy beta ...

I think this might be an example of a company like UbiSoft taking an opportunity get a product out in the market and see what they can do with downloadable patches to fix problems that crop up.

This might not be the best way to handle things ... especially considering how many (if not all) reivew outlets do their "game scoring" prior to retail release ... but I think that if there are acutal unforseen bugs that consumers find to be troublesome, and Ubisoft can prove that they can fix them via free patches ... that it might be a step in a good direction for the industry to see.

Of course, it's always better to have a "near perfect" product when you go gold ... but I must admit that I am dying to get my hands on A.C. bugs or no.

Bojay1997

10-26-2007, 01:43 AM

I suspect it is going to be very buggy and that gameplay may not meet the initial hype. As recently as TGS, reviewers were complaining about some very major issues including level design and general play issues. I think this is probably an example of a game that should have been delayed a few more months being rushed to hit the pre-holiday ship date. I am hoping against hope that it surprises everyone, but given all the high-profile disappointments lately, I wouldn't count on it.

Kitsune Sniper

10-26-2007, 02:09 AM

I'd like to know what was up with that leaked comic.

What does a thief in a corporation have to do with an assassin from the past?

Lothars

10-26-2007, 02:26 AM

Kitsune Sniper

10-26-2007, 02:35 AM

Richter Belmount

10-26-2007, 03:00 AM

I think your wrong on this dude (and about the model fuko)

PDorr3

10-26-2007, 04:16 AM

Bojay1997

10-26-2007, 04:31 AM

Man I don't understand your guys Negativity, I think that really no one has seen enough of the game to be able to actually say how it's gonna turn out.

I have it preordered and It's one of my most anticipated games of the year, I think it's gonna be great but it probaly will have bugs though what games don't anymore.

Then I guess I would ask you why you felt compelled to pre-order something you haven't even seen or really read much about other than what the "negative" reviewers are saying about it. Given what happened with Lair, I'm not buying anything in this generation until I read some reviews and get some impressions from people who have played the final version. $65-$75 (with tax for either the standard or limited edition) is a lot of money to spend on something that has not even been made available for final review yet. Ubisoft in particular has a track record of shipping mediocre games in pursuit of profits, so until I see a polished product that gets good reviews, I'm not going to anticipate anything.

kedawa

10-26-2007, 07:03 AM

I totally forgot about this game. I think it got way too much media attention early n development because there wasn't much else on the horizon at the time, and now people are expecting it to be GotY or something.

Oobgarm

10-26-2007, 07:09 AM

Won't quite live up to the hype, but will still be pretty good.

Once the initial excitement dies down, though, it won't move as many units.

PapaStu

10-26-2007, 10:18 AM

regardless I am buyin the collectors edition for the 12 inch figure....
The only thing I did not like from what I watched of this game was the combat, you know the type where the ircle of 5 enemies takes turns attacking you....yeah I hope all combat isnt like that and hopefuly it was just that one E3 demo fight.

The US one isn't getting the 12" figure, just hope you know that. We're getting a much smaller one 3" and the normal LE randomness. Europe is the only group getting the 12".

gepeto

10-26-2007, 10:30 AM

I have to go with ubisofts track record which seems to be fine when it comes to well running software. Can it live up to the hype? only the people will decide. I am just happy to see an original game!!!!!!!!!!

Daria

10-26-2007, 10:31 AM

but I think that if there are acutal unforseen bugs that consumers find to be troublesome, and Ubisoft can prove that they can fix them via free patches ... that it might be a step in a good direction for the industry to see.

I don't think less bug testing for an earlier Holiday release and patches released after the fact can ever be considered a "good thing". We've all seen this sloppy senario before with PC gaming, and in my opinion, I think it's one of the things seriously wrong with PC gaming (right behind a lack of universal system requirements). Now I'm not judging Assassin's creed yet, may as well wait for release to start bitching. :P Just saying.

mailman187666

10-26-2007, 10:38 AM

I am interested in the game, but a lot of times this type of game will come out to the market all hyped up. Then I go and pay the full price and its pretty much the same thing I've been seeing for years as far as gameplay goes. I want to check this game out myself but I do have to say that I am skeptical as well. Once its out, I will read reviews for it first before buying.

jcalder8

10-26-2007, 11:25 AM

Here's my two cents on it:

Ubisoft knows that it will never live up to they hype that it currently has so why not release it before Christmas. When looking at some of the complaints, level design and play issues, these aren't the kinds of things that can be fixed in a couple of months. My thought is since they aren't going to put the time and effort into fixing the problems why not push it out while you can make a mint for Christmas.

walrusmonger

10-26-2007, 11:30 AM

While it looked awesome when first shown many moons ago, AC doesn't really have me lusting for it now. I'll wait to see how it gets reviewed, but will probably wait for it to have a price drop before I buy. I also feel that it's going to bust, like Beyond Good and Evil. Just something about the game gives me that impression.

segagamer4life

10-26-2007, 12:47 PM

regardless I am buyin the collectors edition for the 12 inch figure....
The only thing I did not like from what I watched of this game was the combat, you know the type where the ircle of 5 enemies takes turns attacking you....yeah I hope all combat isnt like that and hopefuly it was just that one E3 demo fight.

ditto, this game looks good, and will be a nice break from all the great FPS's comming early next month!!

Damaramu

10-26-2007, 12:51 PM

I'm sure if there were an unlockable character based on Jade Raymond, it would sell in droves. Double that if she's bikini clad. :pimp:

DrunkPollock

10-26-2007, 01:38 PM

I'm sure if there were an unlockable character based on Jade Raymond, it would sell in droves. Double that if she's bikini clad. :pimp:

Seconded.

Anyway, I have it pre-ordered and I think the game will be solid and at least it's something a little different considering the glut of FPS of late and I'm a sucker for free-form gameplay. So as long as they got that aspect right, I can pretty much deal with any combat related issues, or minor bugs that will get patched as UBI is usually pretty good with supporting their titles after release.

diskoboy

10-26-2007, 02:05 PM

I don't know about it being a huge dud, but I was beginning to wonder why I was the only person who really doesn't care about this game, one way or another...

Nothing I've seen about this game has really impressed me.

heybtbm

10-26-2007, 03:12 PM

I'd like to know what was up with that leaked comic.

What does a thief in a corporation have to do with an assassin from the past?

Spoilers (?)...
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The "Assassin" is a genetically enhanced killer who goes back in time. This was revealed a month or so ago by accident with an interview with one of the voice actors.

Kitsune Sniper

10-26-2007, 03:15 PM

Spoilers (?)...
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The "Assassin" is a genetically enhanced killer who goes back in time. This was revealed a month or so ago by accident with an interview with one of the voice actors.

... WTF?

WTF?!

THAT IS FUCKING LAME! I was hoping the game would be as authentic as possible - no super soldiers, no technology, no nothing. Just the story of a middle-ages assassin.

Fuck that. :(

heybtbm

10-26-2007, 03:20 PM

... WTF?

WTF?!

THAT IS FUCKING LAME! I was hoping the game would be as authentic as possible - no super soldiers, no technology, no nothing. Just the story of a middle-ages assassin.

Fuck that. :(

I just read it in the new issue of EGM (i.e. "grain of salt") yesterday. Definitely weird. The revelation came from when the interviewer asked what was the explanation behind the chemical compound/DNA effects you see on screen whenever the Assassin gets near a potential target. Bizarre.

Nesmaster

10-26-2007, 05:40 PM

It's Ubisoft Montreal, I'm not worried. Overhyped maybe, but it won't be a dud. :)

studvicious

10-27-2007, 09:41 AM

Joker T

10-28-2007, 01:33 AM

Highly doubt it will be a dud, looked a little glitchy in places from the stuff I've seen but nothing that will kill the game.

And the plot is odd but actually pretty cool in my opinion.

boatofcar

10-28-2007, 10:07 AM

It's Ubisoft Montreal, I'm not worried. Overhyped maybe, but it won't be a dud. :)

Because everyone knows Canadians can't make bad games.

Nesmaster

10-28-2007, 03:58 PM

Because everyone knows Canadians can't make bad games.

Huh, I just merely meant that they have a good track record for developing quality games. Sheesh.

Anthony1

10-29-2007, 02:42 AM

Huh, I just merely meant that they have a good track record for developing quality games. Sheesh.

Yeah, Ubisoft Montreal is normally considered one of the best developers out there, period. No question about that, but I think any developer is capable of rushing a game before it's time. Look at GTA 4. That game could have easily been forced out in late October, and millions of people would have bought it regardless. Rockstar North is one of the best developers on the planet, and they "almost" rushed one out. Good thing they delayed it.

I just get the feeling that Ubisoft Montreal should have done the same thing with this game. Again, I'm hoping that I'm completely wrong about this, cause I love the 3rd person action adventure genre, but I must say I have my doubts. I'm also hoping against hope that the combat isn't all going to be a "Fight this guy cause he's highlighted, now fight this guy cause he's highlighted, now fight that guy cause he's highlighted. Fuck that. If they do that, they can kiss my ass. Like in real battle when you're fighting 7 guys, 6 of them are going to stand around and watch, and they are all going to take turns, and you only get to fight the one that looks like they have some Matrix like computer highlighting around them. I pray that what I saw at the e3 demo was a very, very, small and insignificant part of the combat. If the whole combat is based on that, then this will clearly be a dud in my book, no matter how good the rest of the game is. Once you have a broken (or maybe not broken, just dumb) combat play mechanic, then the rest of the game can't really save it.

heybtbm

10-29-2007, 09:48 AM

Rockstar North is one of the best developers on the planet, and they "almost" rushed one out. Good thing they delayed it.

I just get the feeling that Ubisoft Montreal should have done the same thing with this game.

Well they keep hyping the fact that this game has been in development for 4 years. You would think after 4 years you would be able to iron out just about every bug and glitch. However the videos from this past September didn't look like it.

I have such high hopes for this game. The futuristic aspect is dissapointing, but hopefully the bullshit is kept to a minimum.

I don't want to sound alarmist, but...if this game fails (or even does mediocre) at retail you can kiss the epic "big budget" 3rd party games goodbye. Publishers/developers just want to make money and if they can pump out 10 shitty Wii titles in the time it takes to create 1 Assassin's Creed...which way do you think they're going to go?

Stone_Protector_101

10-29-2007, 11:31 AM

i know the game will be great. my thing is will it be a challenge or some game my girls could beat. i just want hard games man something thats keep me thinking how the hell do i get past this. but to make it short i dont see a dud.:devilish:

Anthony1

10-29-2007, 11:52 PM

I don't want to sound alarmist, but...if this game fails (or even does mediocre) at retail you can kiss the epic "big budget" 3rd party games goodbye. Publishers/developers just want to make money and if they can pump out 10 shitty Wii titles in the time it takes to create 1 Assassin's Creed...which way do you think they're going to go?

The problem with this theory, is that 3rd party games aren't cracking the top 10, or even top 20 in sales when it comes to the Nintendo Wii. Only Nintendo published games are cracking the top 10 and top 20. Sure, there will be an occasional exception, but 3rd parties are definitely doing much better salescharts wise on the 360. So if they pump out 10 shitty Wii titles in that same time frame, and they don't sell worth a damn, then that isn't going to help them either.

xplics

10-30-2007, 12:00 AM

The reason I feel the same way is just the reception that this game has been getting from people who actually got the chance to play the game say it was not coming along all that great. Hey in the end maybe it was a positive if the game does turn out to be a stinker that it was not realeased only on the PS3.

colicub

10-30-2007, 11:27 AM

Rockstar North is one of the best developers on the planet, and they "almost" rushed one out. Good thing they delayed it.

*cough*Manhunt*cough*

When I used to work at the Gamestation in Edinburgh I'd always take the piss out of anyone who worked for Rockstar North. But hey, their games are full of totally random Scottish references that most people don't get, so I'm in favour of that.

I thought GTA IV was delayed because the PS3 is a bitch to program for and the 360 version's pretty much done?

Nature Boy

10-30-2007, 11:37 AM

Supposedly, Assassin's Creed went gold, and it will be released November 13th. For some reason, I have a feeling that this game should have been delayed till March. I don't know why, but I have a sneaky suspicion that the game is going to have alot of bugs, alot of issues, framerate problems, tearing, etc, etc. I think the game could be an awesome game, but I just have the feeling that it's being rushed out for holdiay release, and that it really isn't ready for prime time.

Hopefully I'm totally wrong, and this game is the cat's meow. I guess we will know in a few weeks.

I won't think anything about Assassin's Creed until I see the game. I've read nothing about it so far, nor do I want to. I like UbiSoft so I'll give it a chance, as they've earned that from me.

Speculating that *you* think it should be delayed until March is just ludicrous. You haven't seen the game, you have no idea what's missing that you would find annoying, and even if you had, you have no clue how long it takes to get something like that fixed.

FAMOUS

10-30-2007, 03:19 PM

im hyped about this game, but i get excited about all games@_@...

Poofta!

10-30-2007, 04:01 PM

Anthony1

10-31-2007, 01:42 AM

I won't think anything about Assassin's Creed until I see the game. I've read nothing about it so far, nor do I want to. I like UbiSoft so I'll give it a chance, as they've earned that from me.

Speculating that *you* think it should be delayed until March is just ludicrous. You haven't seen the game, you have no idea what's missing that you would find annoying, and even if you had, you have no clue how long it takes to get something like that fixed.

Wow.

Need some help getting down off that high horse buddy? I mean.... calm the fuck down bro. All I was saying with this post, is that for whatever reason, I'm getting some very bad vibes from AC. Now, don't get it twisted. I'm not hating on this game. I really hope it's one of the years best. No question about it. I love action/adventure type games from a 3rd person perspective. Easily one of my favorite modern day genre's. So, if this game turns out to be a killer game, then that will be absolutely outstanding, cause in a sea of first person shooters, I can really use a good action/adventure game. My No.1 most wanted game of the year is Uncharted: Drake's Revenge, another 3rd person Action/Adventure. You might wonder why I don't have bad vibes about Uncharted. I honestly don't know.

I can say that I listen to alot of various podcasts, and some of the podcasts have guys that have actually had hands on time with AC, and they don't exactly come out and say definitively that Creed has major issues, but you can hear it in their voice that they are very unsure about the game. Their first impressions remind me alot of Lair, and that's not a good thing at all.

But seriously..... why get your panties in a bunch over it? What has Ubisoft done for you personally? You're acting like your on the development team and my post was a personal insult against you. No need to trip. I could end up totally wrong, and I'm hoping very much that I am totally wrong, so I have another awesome game to play this Holiday.

Nature Boy

10-31-2007, 08:44 AM

All I was saying with this post, is that for whatever reason, I'm getting some very bad vibes from AC.

Trust me, my panties are perfectly in order. I'm just firmly disagreeing with your opinions, especially when you suggest how long it should be delayed due to your 'bad vibes'.

(Note how I can say that without writing three paragraphs?)

heybtbm

10-31-2007, 10:13 AM

The reason I feel the same way is just the reception that this game has been getting from people who actually got the chance to play the game say it was not coming along all that great.

I want to emphasize this point. It's the exact reason I've been a little worried about this game.

This months EGM article was based around the premise that Assassin's Creed needed major work. Ubisoft caught wind of this news and invited EGM back to re-evaluate. EGM gave it another try and still had the same concerns. They document each one in the article.

The good news is how they keep referring to this game as a medieval version of Crackdown. That's exactly what I've been hoping for.

Garry Silljo

10-31-2007, 04:51 PM

(Note how I can say that without writing three paragraphs?)

Nice.

zemmix

11-02-2007, 03:37 PM

Hey it looks like there might not be a need to worry about this one. Famitsu gave it a 37/40.

As if we needed further proof that November will assassinate your wallet, Famitsu has heaped glowing praise atop Assassin's Creed. According to a forum post on the Ubisoft forums, Famitsu has given the title a very respectable 37/40, with the individual reviews standing at 10, 8, 9, and 10. Incidentally, Famitsu handed the same overall score to Halo 3. There are some tiny scans of the reviews on the forums, but our Kanji is a little rusty. Thankfully, someone went to the trouble of summing things up. Apparently, the Famitsu reviewers were impressed by the story, presentation, and addicting acrobatics, noting that Assassin's Creed is a true next-gen title. Some knocks against it are the one button combat, confusing map, and occasional camera problems. All in all, it sounds pretty solid. Good news for gamers, bad news for bank accounts.

10 -- A gripping story, feels like a movie. A true next-gen action game, simple interface but satisfying.
8 - A stand-out title in the 360 library, but camera issues (while nitpicky) are often enough to be a problem.
9 - Surprising and amazing in lots of ways, but even just moving the character around is a lot of fun. Jumping from wall to wall or diving from high places makes for great action.
10 - Climbing walls and performing acrobatics is highly addicting. Story is impressive.

http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2007/11/02/famitsu-reviews-assassins-creed-37-40/

Anthony1

11-02-2007, 03:42 PM

Yeah, i'm thinking that my concern with this game is way overblown, because I finally got around to reading the new issue of Game Informer, and they had a five hour hands on session with the game, and were in love with it. So maybe my worries are completely unfounded.

Great news. I don't mind eating Crow for dinner if this game is going to be awesome. I definitely need a kick ass 3rd person adventure.

digdug

11-02-2007, 10:29 PM

I think the game will do well. I think the main problem is that there is TOOO many companies releasing games this time of year hoping to get the profit it deserves and alot of titles fall to the waste side. This happens every holiday season. When its all said and done you have a 3 month period after the holidays that doesn't have many quality titles and companies have financial problems b/c their game didn't do as well as they hoped.

A good example of a quality game that released after the holidays that did well: Lost Planet. Was the game perfect by all means no, but people were, at that time getting sick of gears of war, and COD 3, and wanted something new. I think that is why GTA IV got pushed back (partly that and hard to finish on the PS3).

I really like Ubisoft products and think the game will do well just not as well as the other re-hashed sequels (Galo 3, COD4, Mario, etc. don't get me wrong these games are great but not unique).

Just my 2 cents

heybtbm

11-13-2007, 07:41 PM

Bump.

7.7 (good) from the IGN review (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/834/834676p1.html). Maybe not quite dud-worthy...but damn.

Chuplayer

11-13-2007, 08:18 PM

gum_drops

11-13-2007, 09:00 PM

Bump.

7.7 (good) from the IGN review (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/834/834676p1.html). Maybe not quite dud-worthy...but damn.

But it also received a 9.0 Editors choice from Gamespot who are usually tougher on giving out 9.0+ than IGN.

slip81

11-13-2007, 10:25 PM

well so far it's got an average score of 84 on metacritic. guess you were wrong about the whole bug riddled dud theory

YoshiM

11-13-2007, 10:42 PM

The IGN review of the PS3 version says there are load times of 5 minutes long. WTF?

Wait, it says the 360 version has the same problem. I figured the fact that the PS3 version was on Blu Ray with its bad disc access times was the main culprit, but now it's probably just bad coding.

From what the review said, though, after the load you've pretty much got full reign. So you have to decide if you like shorter but more loading times or one big-ass one.

I'll give it a rent when I have time. Still going through Bioshock.

geneshifter

11-13-2007, 10:50 PM

The IGN review of the PS3 version says there are load times of 5 minutes long. WTF?

Wait, it says the 360 version has the same problem. I figured the fact that the PS3 version was on Blu Ray with its bad disc access times was the main culprit, but now it's probably just bad coding.

Some mods on shacknews.com that had played the game said that must have been a typo because there was almost no loading to speak of on the 360 version anyway. Also, no other outlet has reported such a horrible flaw so I'm going with it was a mistake.

Chuplayer

11-13-2007, 11:29 PM

From what the review said, though, after the load you've pretty much got full reign. So you have to decide if you like shorter but more loading times or one big-ass one.

I'll give it a rent when I have time. Still going through Bioshock.

I'd prefer they streamed the data like in Shenmue. Not to mention, I doubt you're typically going to finish each area in one sitting. Say you spread it across three days. That's 15 minutes wasted.

misfits859

11-15-2007, 02:05 PM

I bought this yesterday and on my way home I stopped at a local shop and my buddy was inside playing the game. Not so sure I was impressed. He murdered a guard who was standing in front of a bunch of subordinates standing at attention. They failed to react to the murder right in front of them...Maybe this is an isolated case but it seemed to be a horrible display of AI.

How are other experiences? I would like to hear some other views on the games strong/weak points. I have kept my copy sealed and have debated simply trading it in for Mass Effect next week.

Oobgarm

11-15-2007, 02:42 PM

Gave it a shot and liked it. Th 'futuristic' aspect is well integrated and the controls are great.

Not going to be a dud, but it'll probably be somewhat overlooked at retail.

theoakwoody

11-15-2007, 04:03 PM

I only played for like 40 minutes but it's not a game you can just jump into which is frustrating. I hate games that have a forced tutorial level. If I want to play the tutorial it should be optional not forced. I have to admit though, in the short time I played it, its fun just running around and climbing and bumping into people and whatever. It's very different that GTA in that your surroundings are so much more interactive but you can't enter buildings which would have been a nice touch, especially for hidden items and secrets. I like the game but yeah, I'm glad I'm through the tutorial.

geneshifter

11-15-2007, 06:17 PM

I also got it yersterday and I really like this game. Very gorgeous graphics but more importantly the gameplay is fun. Lots of mixed reviews had me wondering about it but I love it overall. The storyline is very cool BTW.

zemmix

11-16-2007, 10:34 AM

Gabe from Penny Arcade posted an interesting read on why he thinks 70% reviews are wrong.

I want to talk about Assassins Creed but first I need to get something out of the way. I have a lot to say about the game and I want to talk about some of the bad reviews it's getting but I want to make sure everyone understands I'm not saying this because of the comic we did for them. So I'm going to link you to an old set of news posts about Prince of Persia 2. Feel free to read those and come back if you like.

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.

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.

I'm telling you all this because I want you to understand that if Assassins Creed actually was a 7.0 game I'd tell you. I also want you to know that when I tell you it's fucking incredible I'm not bullshitting you because we're running ads for the game.

There are about four or five reviews of the game with scores in the low to mid 7's. I want to cover some of the common complaints these reviewers had in case anyone out there is worried about them.

Many of the reviews say that the ending is bad. Obviously I don't want to give away any spoilers but I will say that the final confrontation was exciting and gratifying. It was an extremely satisfying ending to this chapter of the game. Chapter is the important word here. This is a huge story, probably a trilogy at least. The game does end with a cliff hanger and it certainly sets up the rest of the arc but that's how the first part of any multi part story ends. If Star Wars had ended with Luke jumping into his X-Wing to go take on the Death Star that would be a shitty fucking ending. It doesn't though, Luke destroys it and then we get hints about what's in store for our heroes. I'm telling you right now Altair destroys his Death Star.

I also can't be 100% positive but I'm guessing that some of these reviewers didn't let the credits role. Again, I don't want to spoil anything but wait for the credits to end. Until reviewers start posting their Gamertags along with the review we'll never really be able to tell how much of a game they played. But I'd be willing to bet some of them are missing the "Visions of the Future" achievement. I'm not gonna say why but If you don't have this achievement you can't say jack shit about the ending.

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

heybtbm

11-16-2007, 11:29 AM

The Penny Arcade article sums up my feelings exactly in regards to sandbox-type games. The fun isn't going from mission to mission. The fun is getting from place to place and interacting with the environment. Just running around the sections of the city in Crackdown (for example) was the reason I loved that game...not because of the short ass "kill this guy" story missions. The article above really nailed it.

Bojay1997

11-16-2007, 01:09 PM

I too picked up Assassin's Creed and I think the reviews are pretty much right on. I guess part of the problem is that the expectations for the game were so high and the development period was so long that everyone expected this to be an industry altering title. I'm not sure if Ubisoft or the gaming public are really responsible for this raising of expectations, but in the end, I'm not sure if a game of this type can ever live up to the hype. In the end, I would say this game is for fans of Prince of Persia who also enjoyed the games Thief and Hitman and not really something that is going to appeal to the mass audience. I have played for a couple of hours and while I will probably finish the game, I can see myself losing interest if I make the mistake of starting another game in my pile in between. It's a good game, it's just not a great game.

Daria

11-16-2007, 01:26 PM

I saw a friend playing it last night and it looked fun. Sort of Fable meets Splinter Cell. Also noted that they early hype for the game was complete bullshit. The whole 'controlls will take two hours to master' using the sticks and buttons to control your character like a marionette. None of that shit was there. Which was disapointing because it sounded like a neat idea. Instead just like Fable or God of War your buttons are mapped to actions that change slightly based on your enviorment. Nothing new, nothing fancy. But the game looked like solid fun and it just goes to show what bullshit pregame hype really is.

Eternal Tune

11-16-2007, 02:38 PM

heybtbm

11-16-2007, 03:54 PM

The 3 inch Altair figure was disappointing especially since the UK is getting a larger one in their LE sets. If anyone is curious as to how small he actually is:

http://www.dustincarter.com/bjb/Tales.jpg

It looks like a Christmas tree ornament. You should put a hook in his head and put it up.

youruglyclone

11-16-2007, 04:32 PM

I bought the limited edition PS3 version. The first load time when I inserted the disc was pretty long. Other then that, no load issues.

The game is average at best. It looks good, but I guess I was expecting more of a PoP: Sands of Time game. I really like all the climbing puzzles.

The 3 inch Altair figure was disappointing especially since the UK is getting a larger one in their LE sets. If anyone is curious as to how small he actually is:

http://www.dustincarter.com/bjb/Tales.jpg

damn small

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/youruglyclone/AltiarandthePearl.jpg

as for my personal opinion of the game, starts off too slow. So slow I'm putting it off so I can finish Mario Galaxy...sorry Jade, Miyamoto wins this one.

Wolfrider31

11-16-2007, 06:52 PM

Did Jade Raymond actually design the game or is she just a producer?

Anyway, I just rented this (along with Kane and Lynch - oi) and haven't gotten far into it, but right now I'm on the fence. I'm impressed by the presentation and the story seems cool (even the weird sci-fi thing seems well integrated), but holy crap the controls are garbage. I mean just unecessarily complex. The jumping from rooftop to rooftop requires you to contort your hands so you are simultaneously pushing forward, holding down the right trigger and holding A. It's absurd because the motion is context sensitive (you don't have to actually push A to do anything) so why they didn't just opt for a Zelda interface where he would automatically jump, or run up walls, etc I have no idea.

Maybe I'll get used to them, but right now they are really impairing my enjoyment of an otherwise solid game.

As far as the load times, I don't know what IGN is smoking. 5 minutes is a DAMN long time, and I imagine they would have assumed something had gone wrong long before those five minutes were up. The load times are closer to 15-20 seconds, and it takes place in this weird dream world that you can walk around in. So it's actually pretty tolerable.

Also, has anyone else been getting disc read errors? It only happened to me once, but I'm positive it's not the disc. Then again, I'm playing it on a rented 360 so that could be the issue.

Poofta!

11-16-2007, 08:31 PM

i get what youre saying and i think i agree. the game has always felt a little 'clunky' to me, and this close to release we havent heard a single previewer praise it to high heavens.

no 12" figure makes me sad
futuristic augmentation in a crusader setting makes me sad
but all of that is silly if the game plays great, i too just dont think it will, it doesnt look it. i have it reserved, ill pick it up and wont open it till i hear opinions, if its shite ill return it.

IM EATING MY WORDS!!!

yummy.

i have it, im playing it, i cant stop. the game is amazing, no futuristic augmentation! story is fantastic and it really does feel like playing a movie, the graphics are fabulous (im on 360) and the animations are one long love note to assassins and ninjas everywhere.

about the load times: there are only 1 or 2, when yous tart the game and they last for probably 40-70sec, there are no load times while playing the game.

the camera really is a little annoying at times, but i haven't thrown my remote in rage, so it cant be too bad. overall definitely worth my dinero, i have the LE release, the figure is shitty 3" 'meh' feel like it could've been a reserve bonus instead. the reserve bonus art book is also very sub par. there is a bonus disk w/ the LE, but i haven't put it in yet. the tin box is neat, up to you if you wanna spend 10 bucks on it.

*i had no problem w/ the controls, and i usually do (i cant play fps on a console period). im a pc gamer at heart and there are few console games i really feel at home w/ when controlling. Daria said it best, its a Fable (70%) meetings splinter cell (30%)

Wolfrider31

11-16-2007, 08:41 PM

Okay, here's a question. I've completed my first real assassination in Damascus right? And I get the message to return to "the bureau". The only problem is, I have no idea where its at. And it doesn't appear on the GPS or in my main map. Is something going wrong here? I find it hard to believe that the designers expect me to wander around Damascus looking for the thing. O.o

Poofta!

11-16-2007, 09:46 PM

the bureau is the main assassin hq in that first town. afaik.

Wolfrider31

11-16-2007, 09:53 PM

Really? Ah... that's a hell of distance to travel. O.o

digitalpress

11-16-2007, 10:28 PM

Bojay1997

11-17-2007, 01:24 AM

For what it's worth (FWIW)...

Customers in my store are raving about this game. I've been a little tentative about "recommending" it to them. I DO use this forum as a guide. But everyone who has bought the game so far (and some who have bought it ELSEWHERE, the bastards) return to my store telling me how great it is. The ultimate review from one of my own guys, Raj. "It's AMAZING", he begins, and goes off for five minutes about the incredible interaction with the backgrounds, subtle movements of the main character, and solid action feel. The game sounds like a lot of fun, and I swear if I find out that it really IS, I'm going to destroy everyone here who says it isn't, because I trusted you.

I think the game is definitely one of those that appeals to a certain group of players, but I would absolutely not say that it's something for everyone or even a game that I would say is great. It has elements that could have turned out great and may in other similar games down the road, but there's just something about it that doesn't feel right or fully "gelled" to me. I also don't think it's going to fly off shelves once people start playing it at friend's houses or renting it. Having said that, it looks great and it's fun in short bursts. I bought it, paid full retail for the collector's edition and don't regret it, but I don't think you're necessarily misleading your customers by telling them that it's not for everyone.

YoshiM

11-17-2007, 10:17 AM

I swear if I find out that it really IS, I'm going to destroy everyone here who says it isn't, because I trusted you.

"Joe, what are you doing in my house and why are you wearing a white hooded...AAARGH!"

Wolfrider31

11-17-2007, 10:24 AM

"Joe, what are you doing in my house and why are you wearing a white hooded...AAARGH!"

So video games DO cause violence. Hey, can I have his stereo?

geneshifter

11-17-2007, 11:14 AM

For what it's worth (FWIW)...

Customers in my store are raving about this game. I've been a little tentative about "recommending" it to them. I DO use this forum as a guide. But everyone who has bought the game so far (and some who have bought it ELSEWHERE, the bastards) return to my store telling me how great it is. The ultimate review from one of my own guys, Raj. "It's AMAZING", he begins, and goes off for five minutes about the incredible interaction with the backgrounds, subtle movements of the main character, and solid action feel. The game sounds like a lot of fun, and I swear if I find out that it really IS, I'm going to destroy everyone here who says it isn't, because I trusted you.

I am loving this game but I think that it depends upon how you play it. I've read reports of people that just go gung-ho into every enemy and slashing like madmen. You can do that for the whole game pretty much but where's the fun in that?? If you take time to figure each enemy out and do a real stealth assassination on each (when possible), this game is awesome. It really is a cross of Prince of Persia with Hitman. But, you can cheat your way through which is why I think people are whining about it.

Slate

11-17-2007, 12:29 PM

So video games DO cause violence. Hey, can I have his stereo?

*Enter some lawyer who blames violent deaths on games and south park*

"I told you so!"

*He has left the building*

I think assassin's creed should be a great game, I'm going to get it from gamefly soon so I'll post my opinions up here after I've played it for awhile.

MarioMania

11-17-2007, 01:50 PM

On what system did it sell the most the PS3 or the xbox360, even know the PS3 has a Limited Edition Version