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07-11-2007, 12:43 PM

Al Blue4.6l

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Assassin's Creed Hands On

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E3 2007: Assassin's Creed Hands-On
Climb anything, go anywhere, kill anyone. The first true next-gen experience has arrived.
by Hilary Goldstein

July 10, 2007 - There's been a whole lot of hubbub about the next-generation of gaming and how it will take the interactive experience to a new level. So far, this new generation of design hasn't emerged. We've instead experienced prettier and at times bigger games, but nothing that truly pushes things to that next plateau. That is until this November when Ubisoft releases Assassin's Creed on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Finally we have a game with a design worthy of being termed "next-gen."

The E3 demo begins with our anti-hero, Altair, standing on a roof high above Jerusalem. The city, faithfully recreated to match its 12th century real-life counterpart, features a number of historical landmarks. The Tower of David can be seen in the distance. Everything Altair sees he can not only reach, but can climb as well. The scope of the city's size is made all the more impressive by the fact that each building is made up of numerous foot- and handholds that allow Altair to climb pretty much any wall he comes across. And this is just one of three major cities, all promised to be of comparable size and scale.

The controls are built on simple principles, but are tough to get a handle on at first. The face buttons represent your head, free hand, weapon hand, and feet. The Right Trigger acts as a modifier. Hold it and the feet button down to perform the most crucial move in Assassin's Creed: free run. With free run you can perform some amazing feats of daring-do. It's your tool for scaling just about any building. If you just run towards a building with free run active, you will often be able to leap up to an available nook and then continue your climb to the top. This action is instantaneous and fluid. Unlike Gears of War, which sucks you into a wall, Assassin's Creed makes the interactions between Altair and his environment look and feel natural.

Gone are the usual color-coded textures that make it clear where your character is allowed to move. There is no grid you move along. The art tells you what you can grab. If there is a crack in a wall, you can dig your fingers in and pull yourself up. If a decorative stone knob is sticking out of a building, you can take hold. There's no superficial artistry here -- for once, art and level design have bonded to be one and the same. As you scale a building, the trigger and free run button are held. All you have to worry about is pushing the analogue stick in the direction you want to move. If there's something to grab hold of, Altair will do so. If not, you won't move forward. The detail in every building is key, because as you get to higher areas you'll be forced to look for handholds to continue your ascent. It's a lot like rock climbing, where you continue to search for any groove or jut to grab. The beautiful animations make the climb seem all the more impressive. Altair has weight to him and his movements, just like the virtual Jerusalem, seem completely believable.

Free running is not such an easy skill to master right off the bat. Gamers have been trained to tap buttons. But Assassin's Creed's most important control functions have you holding down buttons for long stretches of time. The first few times scaling a wall, we released the free run button, then pressed it again, which caused us to leap off the wall. It takes time to get comfortable with the controls. But after about 15 minutes, it starts to settle in and suddenly every high building seems like a challenge. And, in fact, every tall building is a game objective. If you spot an eagle circling a building, it's a landmark you'll want to climb. Finding a way to the top will earn you a spectacular view of the city and also unlock new areas to explore.

Another reason to climb is the search for specially-marked Leap of Faith spots. These areas will have pigeons flying overhead. Just perch on the area marked by the pigeons and you are prepped for Altair's most sensational move. If you're willing to squat over pigeon droppings, you should have no trepidation about leaping over the edge in a swan dive. Done in the right spot, you will land gracefully in a bail of hay. Miss your mark and you may crack your back on the roof below.

These various elements are what make Assassin's Creed feel like a "next-gen" game. It's not just that you have big, open cities to freely explore. It's not just that there's a surprising amount of verticality. Altair's interactions with the environment don't feel predestined. You can't see the programming in every movement. During our long play session, there was never a point where it felt as if we were being restricted in our interactions with the game world. Don't you hate it when an "open" game world won't let you climb a particular wall or perform a specific action for no reason other than its limited design? We found none of these restrictions in Assassin's Creed save a lack of indoor areas. But, honestly, we never felt any desire to head inside. Leaping across rooftops and scaling historical landmarks is satisfying enough that being confined indoors would likely hurt the experience.

This isn't to say that Assassin's Creed is perfect. There are still several months of bug squashing to be done, as was evidenced by several clipping issues and a few instances where Altair got stuck. But with more than three months left on the project, these things should be ironed out.

Altair's mission in the E3 demo is to assassinate the slaver Talal. The moment we take over is the final act in a long series of sub-missions. Altair has methodically investigated his target before reaching this point, a gameplay element we've not yet been shown. There is no doubt in his mind; Altair knows where and how to strike Talal. All that remains is performing the deed. How that is done is largely up to you.

From this point forward, we're given complete control over Altair to do whatever we please. It begins with a Leap of Faith into a pile of hay waiting below. Climbing out of the hay, Altair finds himself in the wealthy district of Jerusalem. Despite his unique dress, the average citizen and guard will pay Altair little attention. The streets are crowded with merchants, thugs, and even the occasional desperate housewife. These distraught maidens will force their way in front of Altair and plead for money, or kindness, or assistance. It may be tempting to give a good solid sock to one of these women, but that would be a big mistake. Each character has an assigned social value to help determine how the game world reacts to their treatment. Beat down a thug and no one will care (you get the added bonus of hearing him blubber as he lies bleeding on the ground); sock a helpless woman and you will get a very different reaction. Some citizens may run in fear. Many will jeer. One may even come at you. Any guard in the area will become alerted -- or may be notified by one of the fleeing citizens. And once the guards are onto you, your job as an assassin becomes much more difficult.

It's not that the guards want to stop you because you're the player; it's just their job to keep the peace. From what we saw in the demo, the guards' reactions were pretty reasonable. If, at the beginning of the demo, you accidentally bump into a lady carrying a water vase and it crashes, the guards will give you a casual glance. Make the same clumsy move once the guards are aware there is an assassin in the city and they will immediately take notice. Make a jaunt across the rooftops in sight of a guard and he will know you are up to no good (no one takes leisurely runs across the roofs of Jerusalem). It's a series of sensible reactions based on the situation.

When guards spot Altair, there are two options: Fight or run. While your initial reaction may be to pull out your sword and do battle, keep in mind that the city of Jerusalem employs a lot of guards. A morale system exists for the guards, which can be of some assistance. At the start of a fight, target the higher-order guards first. Take a couple of the tougher ones down and you may actually scare away some of the weaker ones. Even if you kill every guard in the area, the rest of the city will still be on alert. Your best bet, after slaying a few of the guards for fun, is to run and hide. This isn't so easy in the crowded streets of Jerusalem, where every pedestrian becomes an impediment to your escape. Fortunately, you have a tackle option, to knock people out of your way.

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07-11-2007, 12:43 PM

Al Blue4.6l

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To lose guards, you need to break their line of sight. An alert meter in the top left of the HUD will show red if guards are onto you and flash yellow the moment they lose sight of Altair. But they will keep searching. So you must find a place to hide -- there are many convenient bails of hay and other hiding spots throughout the city. Stay hidden for a bit and the guards will eventually give up the chase. You'll also get healed, which will be a welcome favor, since combat is somewhat brutal (but wonderfully so) in the demo. If hiding in hay isn't your thing, you can use the "blend" ability to assume the role of a monk. That means walking around slowly, head cast down, hands steepled as if in constant prayer. Though the guards may give up their search, they are now aware that there is an assassin out there. Any false moves after this point will alert the guards and the chase will be on once more.

Once you are in the clear, it's time to tackle the mission at hand. Using the radar in the bottom right of the HUD, you'll have an easy way to find Talal. Remember that prior to this mission you would have spent some time gathering intel to learn Talal's location. It's not as if the maker just magically appears. If, for some reason, you want to continue your exploration of Jerusalem, you can bring up the game map at any time. The detailed map shows the location of hundreds of guards, as well as hiding spots, and landmarks. You can set a waypoint to help in navigating the twisting alleyways of the city.

Reaching Talal isn't so easy. The main path is protected by some very powerful guardians. Rather than direct combat, there is an easier way to get through. Taking the alleyway to the right, you can climb up a roof and find yourself facing the back of a guard. Your default movement is a silent walk, so there's no need to crouch or worry about noise. Walk to the guard and when you are behind him, switch to your hidden blade with the D-Pad. Hold down the Right Trigger modifier and attack. You'll perform a brutal assassination move and dump the body over the side. When the body lands, the guards blocking your way move to investigate. Leap over them and continue forward into Talal's lair.

When you enter the slaver's hideout, an interactive cut-scene begins. You are in full control of Altair. Not just in looking left or right, but in moving through the environment. The HUD disappears, but your control remains. Walking to certain points triggers new story points in the cut-scene. You meet a few of Talal's captured slaves, who beg for their freedom. As the cut-scene plays out, a strange flash of light pops on the screen occasionally. Hit the active scene button at that moment and you'll get unique views of the area, usually ones that show off your enemies.

And boy, are there enemies. Talal has set a trap for Altair. He asks the assassin to step into a patch of light coming in through the window and promises to do him a "favor." That favor is to send a half-dozen armed mercenaries to surround our hero. And so the introduction to Assassin's Creed's challenging combat system begins.

Like most of the cool elements in Assassin's Creed, the best of combat requires you to hold down the Right Trigger. This puts Altair in a defensive stance. He'll automatically attempt to parry attacks, whether he has his fists, sword, or assassin's blade equipped. Targeting an enemy requires just a tap of the Left Trigger. The target system is smart and will switch targets the minute Altair is attacked by someone else. And this is often. In our experience with Assassin's Creed, Altair almost never fought one-on-one. You will be surrounded quite often, so having the targeting system switch to an attacker from the rear is actually very helpful.

In combat, you can dodge with proper timing, perform grabs, and pull off impressive combos. The combo system isn't for button-mashers. This is a system based completely on timing, since there is only one true attack button. From what we saw, the combos are pretty varied and with more than 10,000 animations for Altair alone, combat is beautiful and fluid -- when you aren't getting your ass handed to you. Counters are the toughest trick to pull off, as they require a perfectly timed strike to be triggered right as your enemy's combat animation begins. The reward is often a cinematic execution with requisite spray of blood.

Fighting with the sword, the fist, the assassin's knife, and the hidden blade are all unique in terms of the animations and the flow of combat. The sword is slower, but also more powerful. The blades are for more skilled players. But we've been assured you can actually get through much of the game with stealth kills and that sweet knife if you have skill. We did not have skill as was evident by the large levels of blood-loss from our star assassin.

Combat isn't perfect. The camera, which is generally in the right place, can sometimes lose its place or get stuck behind bushes and against walls. Getting used to the system takes some time as well, though admittedly the demo takes place several hours into the game, so the guards are tougher than you'd initially face. Seeing someone with skill play the combat, it can be frighteningly fast. Most enemies fall from one strike of the sword, but delivering the blow is the challenge. Enemies will parry and dodge. And with four or more enemies surrounding you at all times, your attention swings left and right throughout the battle.

Once the enemies are dead, Altair climbs the ladder after Talal. The slaver is already across the way, forcing you to hop over several chandeliers. There's no platforming skills required. Just free run across and you'll be fine. By this time Talal is outside and mocking you from a distant roof. The chase is now truly on. Running across the rooftops and chasing Talal presents a few problems. First, you need to make your way quickly towards Talal. He'll descend to the streets in short order, which makes your job much tougher. The crowds will need to be navigated, guards avoided, and Talal's own mercenaries quickly defeated if you hope to take down the slaver.

The chase AI is unique for each target. Talal, for example, likes to mock his enemies. He will turn at times and egg you on. Others will pick up rocks and throw them at you as you climb. The AI is dynamic and changes its routes based on the moves you make so that two people could chase the same character and have completely different experiences.

If you're fast, as we were, you can get Talal almost immediately. Switch to your hidden blade and perform a leaping assassination as Talal hits the first line of pedestrians. Altair dives forward, tackles Talal and shoves a knife through his eye. If you don't catch up with Talal soon enough, you hit a dead end and a second trap which forces you to fight a number of the slaver's private guard before you can deal the deathblow.

Before he shuffles off this mortal coil, Talal and Altair have a heart-to-heart. Talal reveals that he may not be the evil SOB Altair assumed, raising questions as to why the assassin is being asked to carry out these missions. The E3 2006 demo hinted at some sort of virtual experience or a framework of high technology surrounding the 12th century missions. The new demo does nothing to discourage these assumptions. Several times during the mission the text "Reinitializing..." appears onscreen. There are a few other blips in the system seen throughout. And the somewhat surreal final conversation between Talal and the assassin suggests stronger forces at work than just 12th century kings and warlords.

With Talal dead, the mission should be over. But it's not. In Assassin's Creed every mission requires that you escape once the target has been neutralized. You need to return to your safehouse as the guards and Talal's remaining men give chase. The AI will look for the shortest route to nab Altair, allowing the game of cat & mouse to feel natural rather than scripted. Your main goal is breaking line of sight. One option is to hide among the crowd. But remember, the guards are on the lookout for an assassin. Any disturbance will draw their swords. The women carrying pots, that once were fun to push around, become a major obstacle. One crashed pot could lead to your death. Fortunately, you have a gentle push command, to nudge them safely out of your way. Once you get to the safehouse, the mission draws to a close.

Assassin's Creed is not a stealth game. There are elements where you will need to be a bit sneaky, but this is an action title. It's not Metal Gear or Splinter Cell. From what we've seen, you'll be forced to make split-second decisions on a regular basis and will almost always be on the move. Whether Assassin's Creed is the best thing since melted butter on popcorn remains to be seen, but it certainly looks promising. With no demo planned, most gamers won't get to enjoy the experience of performing assassinations in old Jerusalem until November.

Be sure to check back with IGN at 8:30PM PST tonight for direct-feed footage of the entire demo and a new interview with the producers of Assassin's Creed.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/802/802800p1.html

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07-11-2007, 12:44 PM	#3
Mattlike Cunning Linguist Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Southern California > * Posts: 19,564	edited to add pic [Al Blue] It looked awesome last night when they demo'd it at the M$ Press Conference. __________________

07-11-2007, 12:49 PM	#4
MATTWEB Amateur Gynecologist Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 53,666	Cliff Notes?

07-11-2007, 12:50 PM

oneball

Cobra Dan's Troll Account

Join Date: Sep 2005

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Quote:

Originally Posted by MATTWEB

Cliff Notes?

Buy assassins creed when i comes out

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Semper Fi

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Originally Posted by DaMightyAntEater

I want ALL positions.

07-11-2007, 12:50 PM

Mattlike

Cunning Linguist

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Location: Southern California > *

Posts: 19,564

Quote:

Originally Posted by MATTWEB

Cliff Notes?

it doesn't matter you don't like consoles.

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07-11-2007, 12:52 PM

Al Blue4.6l

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Originally Posted by Mattlike

it doesn't matter you don't like consoles.

its on PC too. not sure if it will be a simultaneous release or not though.

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07-11-2007, 12:53 PM

MATTWEB

Amateur Gynecologist

Join Date: Oct 2003

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Mattlike

it doesn't matter you don't like consoles.

Quote:

Ubisoft releases Assassin's Creed on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Looks like I will get to own some console wiitards

07-11-2007, 12:54 PM	#9
Roy XBL & PSN: Hannibaiis Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Bay Area, Kalistan Posts: 15,684	can't wait for this game!

07-11-2007, 12:55 PM

#10

Al Blue4.6l

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Originally Posted by MATTWEB

Looks like I will get to own some console wiitards

its not multiplayer.

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07-11-2007, 12:56 PM

#11

MATTWEB

Amateur Gynecologist

Join Date: Oct 2003

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Blue4.6l

its not multiplayer.

Well wtf is the point then? ugh

07-11-2007, 12:56 PM

#12

Sublime GT

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I just found out about this game yesterday. Sounds fvcking tittays

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Originally Posted by Mizzoustud

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Originally Posted by Sublime GT

I didn't even know it was possible to be impotent and a premature ejaculator at the same time

Trust me, it is.

07-11-2007, 12:58 PM

#13

Al Blue4.6l

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Quote:

Originally Posted by MATTWEB

Well wtf is the point then? ugh

on a semi-related note:
I REALLY wish they would make another Thief game

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07-11-2007, 12:59 PM

#14

MATTWEB

Amateur Gynecologist

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Blue4.6l

on a semi-related note:
I REALLY wish they would make another Thief game

07-11-2007, 01:00 PM	#15
Ensomniak Mettlestrife on 360 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 6,595	OMG I read all of that! Totally worth it. i will own this game and it will own me. __________________ McLovin > *

07-11-2007, 01:01 PM	#16
Roy XBL & PSN: Hannibaiis Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Bay Area, Kalistan Posts: 15,684	hell.. i've been waiting for this game for over a year...

07-11-2007, 01:02 PM

#17

Al Blue4.6l

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Quote:

Originally Posted by MATTWEB

Thief. First person stealth game. The third (released in 2004) was apparently the last.

FEAR may be the scariest game yet, but Shalebridge Cradle in Thief: Deadly Shadows is probably the creepiest.

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07-11-2007, 01:05 PM

#18

MATTWEB

Amateur Gynecologist

Join Date: Oct 2003

Posts: 53,666

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Blue4.6l

Thief. First person stealth game. The third (released in 2004) was apparently the last.

FEAR may be the scariest game yet, but Shalebridge Cradle in Thief: Deadly Shadows is probably the creepiest.

Ohh gotcha, never heard that term before.

07-11-2007, 01:08 PM

#19

P51-SN95

Biff-12 on the PSN

Join Date: May 2002

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I can't wait to get to play this game, but I did find this review that was less than glowing..

Quote:

BLOG- The word from our man onsite at this morning's Microsoft conference is dismaying - Assassin's Creed is looking bad. And, having watched the walkthrough on video we can see what's worrying our frontline-camping chap.
First to tick us off are the hordes of cloned water-jug-on-head women idly milling around at the start. Seriously, in some shots you can see six or seven of exactly the same person.

Then there's the much-lauded crowd-pushy-system. The collisions look anything but smoothly animated, more like robots bumping into one another than people. Or, by contrast, sometimes there's too much reaction, with the otherwise graceful Altair windmilling his arms like a seven-year-old on an icy playground.

Later, a man pushed from a roof hangs in mid-air - while erstwhile producer and narrator Jade Raymond makes a sort of squeaky, strangled 'Ooops!' noise. While we're on that, what is it with guards facing the wrong way in these games?

Okay, that's the bile done with. On second viewing, if you ignore the irksome bug and oddly clunky collisions, there's actually good reasons to be positive here. Altair's acrobatics look satisfyingly fluid and easy to perform. And the climbing, well, we love the go-anywhere climbing stuff.

We're also pleased to see a gigantic draw distance, and probably the best visuals of any game so far seen at this year's E3. There's also some one-hit-kill combat to enjoy. It reminds us of the counter-attacks in Pirates of the Caribbean, only done properly and with far more variety in killing moves.

It is a bit worrying that the guards seem to take turns to attack - even when they have you surrounded - though quirks like this can be ironed out in the later stages of development. But Assassin's Creed needs plenty of other tweaking too if it's to avoid becoming a great big let down. Fingers crossed.

source: http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?op...343&Ite mid=9

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07-11-2007, 01:10 PM	#20
Al Blue4.6l wwwboard Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Virginia Posts: 34,315	yeah i noticed a couple of those things. hopefully it will all be ironed out by november. __________________


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