Medieval Malarky

A while back a friend (AKA Enabler Smurf) let me borrow his Xbox 360 in exchange for trying out Assassins Creed. After renting it I liked it enough to pick it up. As of today I'm over half way through the game and I've amended my opinion a tad.

I still really like the game, it has a lot of potential. The basic concept is excellent, and the storyline is intriguing. There is a slight twist, but I won't disclose it here - some might find that a bit spoilerific.

The things I like about the game are many. When you get to a city with a target's name, you have no idea where, who or what the target is. You need to complete a certain number of investigations in order to find out about your assigned target. It's a lot of fun to go about the city pickpocketing, eavesdropping and other various tasks to learn about the habits of the target. You can blend with other city folk to avoid guards, and by "blending" I mean walk very, very slowly with your head lowered. The most impressive part is that the vast cities are 100% explorable. Every building in the city can be climbed up, in, around and sometimes through.

Combat has potential, but can be very frustrating. While you do learn moves as the game progresses, some are less than user friendly. The "Combo Kill" is especially difficult, impossible even. The other moves, work about half the time. While this may have something to do with my elder reflexes, I'd like to think that at least a small part is the game's poor combo system.

Speaking of guards, the city's security force is apparently recruited from the Midvale School for the Gifted. I have run past them to start climbing a wall with nothing but a "Cheerio and good luck". Other times I have been attacked for standing in the street. To evade the chasing guards all you have to do is turn a corner and jump into a pile of hay (which were apparently very common in medieval cities) or rooftop stands with curtains in the windows. I've seen the guards chase me to these stands and then wonder where I've gone.

Like I mentioned, the investigation part is fun. Unfortunately, it's fun at the beginning and less so as the game progresses. After the fourth or fifth race to collect flags for an informant, I'm ready to stab myself in the eye with my very own secret blade.

Bottom line is that the game is great in many, many ways, but less so in a few. Overall the pros outweigh the cons, so it's definetely worth a shot. Just don't get me started on the frakking beggar women...