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RipTen Review: Assassin’s Creed Revelations

Murray Hibble — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:00:44 +0000

When it comes to annual franchises, nobody does it like Ubisoft. Each Assassin’s Creed title has improved subtly on its predecessor by folding in new activities and gameplay elements scattered across gorgeous city traverses. Revelations offers perhaps the smallest list of enhancements in the series but when the core gameplay is so good, and the complex, unwinding narrative surpasses itself, you’ll again find yourself drawn into many hours of running, murdering and boggling at what’s on offer. The franchise hasn’t lost step as it confidently reveals stunning new insights and revelations, so while the slick gameplay isn’t markedly different, the narrative is in the driving seat and offers every motivation that you’ll need to discover the last days of Ezio and Altair.

The setting for Revelations is a divided 15th century Constantinople, where the Ottoman King’s attention is held to other fronts allowing the Byzantines and Templars full run of the city. Ezio Auditore arrives in town seeking a weapon to fight the Templars, a weapon once weilded by Altair Ibn-Lahad himself, and the fight will take him across Constantinople to the underground city of Cappadacia and to the hallowed ground of Masyaf itself. Throughout the journey you’ll befriend local Assassin’s Guild Master, Yusuf, discover a new love interest for Ezio in the form of passionate bookstore owner Sophia and play through intertwining narratives for the two other main characters in surprising and incredibly fulfilling ways.

Narrative is clearly at the forefront in Revelations so much so that even the cityscape feels like it has its own monologue. It’s not just the colour; the beautiful swathes of pastel rainbows in the local people, stallholders and the strong visual representation when seen from a vantage point and it’s not just the fantastic presentation of hostile soldiers, particularly the masked faces of the Ottoman’s ‘Janissaries’ troops, or the level of detail in the lead characters. The story is in the amalgamation of these elements and is rooted in the architecture of the city itself through the subtle use of undulating structures and zip-lines (accessed using Ezio’s new hookblade or parachute). Constantinople is a gorgeous gamespace and thanks to its clever structure you spend less time finding the right lines and more time flowing across the city.

As an ancient history GTA, Ubisoft have again refined and expanded on the side-missions and for the most part it works. One of the major new additions is bomb-crafting. You’ll be able to choose a shell, an explosive element and an extra effect and these are grouped under further banners for Offensive, Tactical and Diversionary. These can be crafted at various bomb-stations throughout the game world and you’ll pick up the components from looting bodies or the almost overdone abundance of containers, purchase them from bomb-makers or from historical figure Piris Reis. Bombs, secondary weapons and primary weapons are all now selected cleverly from a single hold of the right button allowing on-the-fly changes to your entire weapon set, but the problem is that bombs are never really needed outside of forced moments in some missions thanks to the overly-effective primary weapon counter-strikes and insta-kills. Trip-mines take too long to activate, explosives can often kill citizens and with swordplay that is as fun to play as it is easy to do, there’s little incentive to employ your arsenal.

Expanding on the Assassin’s Guild mini-game, this time you’ll not only recruit new killers to your ranks and send them on missions but each mission will reduce Templar control in a city, with the goal of controlling the entire Mediterranean area. Templars fight back however, so you’ll need to keep revisiting the tougher ‘Reclaim The City’ missions to retain your hold. Your recruits tie into the other mini-games as well, and there are various Assassin’s Guild buildings across the map and once a recruit has become a Master Assassin a simple mission alongside them will give them control of that den.

To unlock new recruit slots you’ll need to find a Templar stronghold, locate the Captain and kill him which can be tedious as it entails walking around in blue-tinted Eagle-vision to find him standing out in gold. At times you’ll also be given the option to defend your Assassin’s Dens which are assaulted by templars if you gain too high of a public profile. These offer ‘tower defense’ gameplay and involve setting up barricades and manning rooftops with Assassin’s against waves of incoming enemy soldiers. Unfortunately this is way too fiddly to work and the constant requests to recapture your dens means this element is as frustrating as dealing with girlfriends in GTA. Clearly though, with these side missions and even more there is a ridiculous amount of content for fans of the series to be had.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations – ‘No Mercy’ Trailer Is the Most Epic Yet

Garrett Hartman — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 02:29:02 +0000

Wow! Count me as impressed. Im always on here writing about how awesome Ubisoft‘s Assassin’s: Creed Revelations trailers are and for good reason – they rock! Check out this new appropriately named ‘No Mercy’ trailer.

The action comes fast and hard as it showcases the merciless fighting prowess of master assassins Ezio Auditore and Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad as they join the ancient war between Assassins and Templars.

Two Assassins united by a single destiny: To defy those who want to control the will of man. Show no mercy.

Sony Reportedly in Final Assassin’s Creed Movie Negotiations with Ubisoft

Justin Carter — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 23:30:22 +0000

Video game films don’t have a good reputation, and it’s easy to see why. Most of them have come from fighting games that have little to no story, and the films based on games that do have actual stories are usually pieces of crap. Then, there are the five or so game films currently in development hell that probably have no chance of ever happening.

Ubisoft is hoping that’ll change pretty soon. Variety is reporting that the publisher is very close to making a deal with Sony Pictures to distribute a movie based on their flagship Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Ubisoft plans on being very very close to the development of the film franchise, just to make sure everything’s exactly what fans have come to expect. I’m also guessing they’re willing to sneak up and kill anyone who looks like they could be a problem and drop them in a bale of hay.

Do you think Assassin’s Creed could work as a film franchise? Stay tuned to RipTen as the story unfolds.

Check Out the Full Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Achievement / Trophy List

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:06:57 +0000

So you want to know what Achievements/Trophies Ubisoft‘s Assassin’s Creed Revelations has in store? We’ve got the list here for you thanks to X360A. Now, you can say i’m stretching things out a little bit by claiming this is the trophy list too. Actually i’m not, they are usually 99.9% identical except for the platinum trophy which is achieved by completing the others.

**Warning Will Robinson** There will be some spoilers so proceed at your own risk.

Achiever – Complete a Challenge (Mulitplayer) – 10G
Looking Good – Customise a PERSONA (Multiplayer) – 10G
Tax Evasion – Get your money back from a Templar tax collector – 10G
Tools Of The Templar – Purchase your first ABILITY in the Abstergo Store (Multiplayer) -10G
A Friend Indeed – Complete all Faction Creed Challenges from a single faction – 20G
Almost Flying – Parachute directly from the top of the Galata Tower to the golden horn – 20G
Are You Desmond Miles? – Complete Desmond Sequence 5 – 20G
Armchair General – Control all cities (except Rhodes) simultaneously in the Mediterranian Defense game – 20G
Best Served Cold – Complete DNA Sequence 1 – 20G
Bully – Find and beat up Duccio – 20G
Capped – Collect all animus data fragments – 20G
Craft Maniac – Craft 30 bombs – 20G
Escape to New York – Complete Desmond Sequence 3 – 20G
Explorer – Finish a session of each game mode (Multiplayer) – 20G
Fast Fingers – Loot 50 dead guards with thief looting – 20G
Fond Memories – Achieve 100% Synchronization in all Sequences – 20G
Holy Wisdom – Complete the Hagia Sofia challenge level – 20G
I Can See You – Kill 5 guards while under the cover of a smoke screen bomb – 20G
Iron Curtain – Perform a perfect den defense without using the cannon – 20G
Istanbul and Constantinople – Complete DNA Sequence 2 – 20G
Lightning Strikes – Kill 5 guards in 5 seconds using only your hidden blades – 20G
Monster’s Dance – Have a guard incapacitate 3 civilians while he’s poisoned – 20G
Mosh Pit – Have 10 guards poisoned at the same time – 20G
Mouse Trap – Kill 5 guards with a scaffold after they have been stunned by caltrops – 20G
My Protégé – Have one trainee reach the rank of Master Assassin – 20G
Old Boss, New Boss – Complete DNA Sequence 7 – 20G
Overkiller – Assassinate 50 guards with the hidden blade – 20G
Priorities – Complete DNA Sequence 8 – 20G
Pyromaniac – Complete all Bomb Missions – 20G
Sage – Collect all available books – 20G
Seal The Deal – Complete DNA Sequence 3 – 20G
Show Off – Parachute onto a zipline – 20G
Silent But Deadly – Kill three guards simultaneously with only throwing knives – 20G
Spider Assassin – Climb Hagia Sofia, from the ground to the pinnacle, in under 25 seconds – 20G
Successes and Failures – Complete DNA Sequence 6 – 20G
The Early Years – Complete Desmond Sequence 1 – 20G
The Mentor – Have seven trainees reach the rank of Master Assassin – 20G
The Plot Thickens – Complete DNA Sequence 5 – 20G
The Prince – Complete DNA Sequence 4 – 20G
The Reluctant Assassin – Complete Desmond Sequence 2 – 20G
The Rotten Apple – Complete Desmond Sequence 4 – 20G
The Way I Like It – Edit your TEMPLAR PROFILE to change your title, emblem, and patron (Multiplayer) -20G
There Is No I In Team – Win a session of a team mode (Multiplayer) – 20G
True Templar – Reach level 20 (Multiplayer) – 20G
Worth A Thousand Words – Collect all of Ishak Pasha’s memoir pages – 20G
Make the Headlines – Obtain 12 different Accolades (Multiplayer) – 30G
Mastering the Art – Earn the INCOGNITO bonus (Multiplayer) – 30G
Tactician – Score at least 2500 points in a session (Multiplayer) – 30G
Revelations – Complete DNA Sequence 9 – 50G

Source: X360A

Assassin’s Creed Will Return in 2012, Close Desmond’s Story

Justin Carter — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 01:30:33 +0000

In the Assassin’s Creed franchise, modern day Assassin Desmond is the vehicle to the adventures of his Assassin ancestors Ezio and Altair. Players have murdered in Italy and the Middle East through Desmond’s trips inside the Animus, and it looks like his ride will soon be over. The Creative Director for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Alexandre Amacio, revealed that a new Assassin’s Creed will come out before the end of next year. If you’ve played the original, you’ll likely know why:

“In Assassin’s Creed we set up a timeline with this whole end of the world plot of December 2012. That’s fast approaching, and the story we have to tell, we obviously need to do it before we arrive at that point. We had such a complex and strong narrative that we ourselves did our best to just try to execute these games before that date. It would be stupid of us to be centering a game on a semi-reality and then have that conclusion happen after that date in real life.”

It seems a safe bet to say that the 2012 game will be Assassin’s Creed III. That isn’t surprising, given recent history, but what is surprising is that next year’s game will end Desmond’s story. Amacio added that Desmond’s adventures will close out with the 2012 installment:

“Assassin’s Creed is all about cycles – we have the Ezio cycle and the Altair cycle, and both of those are set to conclude in Revelations and we have the Desmond cycle, which is set to end on December 2012. But there’s many cycles within the brand – that’s the whole point. History is our playground.”

Even more surprising may be that after the 2012 AssCreed game, the schedule will slow down for the series.

“We’re already structuring the way we do Assassin’s Creed, so it will no longer ever be like that. Our development approach is changing so our cycles aren’t structured the same way – so it gives us a little bit more development time.”

Personally, I find that last bit of information welcome news. Assassin’s Creed looked to be becoming the new Call of Duty with yearly releases, so it’s nice to see Ubisoft pull out before that moniker stuck.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations murders its way into stores on November 15 for the 360 and PS3, with the PC version in early December. Will you be picking it up, or just waiting for Assassin’s Creed 3?

[Via IGN]

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Extended Story Trailer Impresses

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:30:52 +0000

Ubisoft has done a commendable job hyping Assassin’s Creed Revelations. The E3 2011 AC:R Story trailer was simply amazing. Prepare to be amazed again as Ubisoft releases an extended story trailer featuring music from Woodkid Iron:

Assassin’s Creed Revelations is set to release on all platforms on November 15th.

AC: Revelations on PS3 Will Include the Original AC as a Bonus

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:40:47 +0000

Thanks to the storage capacity of the PS3′s Blu-Ray Disc – It looks as if Altaïr has an even larger role in the PS3 version of Assassin’s Creed Revelations than we originally thought! Ubisoft has decided to add the original Assassin’s Creed onto the Revelations disc as a free bonus.

Ubisoft released this statement:

In Assassin’s Creed Revelations, master assassin Ezio traces the footsteps of his predecessor, Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad. Now, gamers will be able to go back to the beginning of the Assassin’s Creed storyline as the day one copies of Assassin’s Creed Revelations on PlayStation®3 will include a copy of the original Assassin’s Creed.

Whether being introduced to the award-winning original Assassin’s Creed for the first time or going back to relive the start of the epic journey, players will be drawn into the secret war between Templars and Assassins in ancient Jerusalem.

If you’re a gamer like me, who missed out on the original Assassin’s Creed, this is definitely a welcome bonus and one that makes for an easier decision in choosing which console to pick Revelations up for.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations ships November 15th.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Walkthrough with Commentary

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:52:40 +0000

At Gamescom 2011, Ubisoft showcased a new gameplay sequence from Assassin’s Creed Revelations which features master assassins Ezio and Altair in action.

Now Ubisoft has released a director’s cut of the gameplay walkthrough with commentary.

Watch and enjoy below.

The Assassin’s Creed Revelations Official Gamescom Trailer is Awesome

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 13:46:21 +0000

Ubisoft sure knows how to make a good trailer – that fact is undeniable. The Assassin’s Creed Revelations hype has definitely benefited from the stunning E3 trailer and now the Official Gamescom 2011 trailer below.

See Ezio in all his badass glory when AC:R releases on November 15th.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations Trailer Recreated in LEGO

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:35:29 +0000

The E3 Assassin’s Creed Revelations trailer is awesome. Constantinople, epic battles and Altair – could it get any better? We’ll you could make it out of LEGOs and put a stormtrooper helmet on Altair. And that’s exactly what youtube LEGO film maker namwwe24 did.

In his words:

This is a LEGO Version of the Trailer to the new game: “Assassins Creed Revelations”. I am the first person who made a LEGO Version of this Trailer and I hope you like it! …And yes Altair is a Stormtrooper, because I did not have a second hood piece but please stop commenting about that! Thank you.

Watch this LEGOized Assassin’s Creed Revelations trailer below:

Watch the original Assassin’s Creed Revelations trailer.

E3 2011: Assassin’s Creed Revelations Forgoes Stealth For Epic Action

Danielle Cantrell — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:00:35 +0000

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations was shown to us at Ubisoft‘s press conference and also behind closed doors during E3. The game demonstrated impressive new tactics which also hint at the story’s direction. Come along as we tell you all about it.

The newest gameplay, instead of touting Ezio as an invincible badass, shows the weakness that his old age has cursed him with, as well as the strength it has endowed him with. Glimpses of Altair haunt Ezio as he continues to work toward an end of the war between the Templars and the Assassins, using relics his ancestor leads him to.

The gameplay that was shown at E3 was the same both in the press conference and in my closed door meetings, and while it wasn’t exactly the sort of thing that a hardcore Assassin’s Creed fan such as myself wanted to see, it did a good job of showing off what the next game will be capable of. That being said, hopefully what was shown doesn’t represent what the entire game will be like.

It seems that Ubisoft Montreal got bored with the more expected stealth aspects of the series and decided to aim for OMGITSSOEPIC instead — the signature hidden assassin blades are still prevalent throughout the gameplay, but now over the top scenes will have you bringing down an entire fleet of ships with a flamethrower as well…

We started out with Ezio trapped in the city of Constantinople in 1511 A.D. — the setting obviously entirely different from the Italian renaissance scenery fans have grown accustomed to. Paths filled with spices, gypsies (the replacements for the courtesans in previous games) and a plethora of vibrantly colored silks displayed for sale. A meeting had been arranged to assist Ezio in his escape, but it involved the removal of a massive chain that was blocking Ezio’s ship from departing. In order to achieve this, a larger-than-necessary smoke bomb was used on some guards, but instead of only being able to throw the smoke bomb at his feet, Ezio can now aim and throw the smoke bomb wherever it’s needed. A bleeding effect from Desmond’s overexposure to the Animus has also made Ezio’s eagle vision evolve into Eagle sense, so he can “see” through smoke and other less-than-ideal conditions. This can be used to seek out foes and defeat them as efficiently as possible, but also makes it seem like the game could become too easy if the smoke bombs are available too readily.

Once Ezio had defeated the guards, he had to bring down a tower, similar to the destruction of the Borgia towers in Brotherhood. This released the chain that had been halting his progression, and allowed him to board one of the ships to kill everyone (of course). Ezio’s loyal brotherhood was of course available to annihilate the guards on the other ships while Ezio took action by igniting everything in sight. This however is where it started to feel like overkill, so hopefully it’s just because the demo was trying to show off everything it could within ten minutes. I’d just like to get back to, you know… assassinating people.

Anyhow, here is what we saw:

The multiplayer part of Revelations is very similar to Brotherhood, although added abilities obviously change things up a bit. The game modes have been expanded to allow for guilds and a more team-based style, however the basic cat-and-mouse mode was the only one available to play.

After we played for awhile, we were guided into a room where two real life Animus chairs were positioned in front of a TV, and the end of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood was explained to us.

Beware: spoilers incoming. (Highlight to read)

At the end, when Desmond stabs Lucy and passes out, he goes into a coma and wakes up in the Black Room, which is an area where the Animus pretty much doesn’t work except for producing raw data. All of the bleeding of Ezio and Altair into Desmond’s mind has scrambled his mind, so he essentially has no idea what’s going on, and is trying to find a way out of the Animus. It seems like since this game is the end of Ezio’s part of the story, Desmond either must get out or figure out how to embody a dead guy. Fantastic.

While we still have five more months to wait for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, it seems as if it will definitely be worth it. With improvements to the gameplay mechanics, explanations of what happened at the end of Brotherhood, and an impressive ending to Ezio’s story, any Assassin’s Creed fan would be foolish to skip this when it comes out in November… unless you’re only on PC, in which case you can expect it in 2012.

Besides, if this epic trend continues, I think we all know there the series is heading next…

Michael Bay EXPLOSIONS – Watch more Funny Videos
If you want to talk to me about Assassin’s Creed, let me know on twitter — @matronedea.

E3 2011: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Trailer

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:18:50 +0000

What can you say about Assassin’s Creed: Revelations…the game looks Fantastic!!! They give you a trailer that shows an older and no doubt wiser Ezio and Altaïr! Yep, Alt-Effing-air!!!

As a fan of the series I AM BLOWN AWAY!

Watch this Awesome of this Trailer:

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Officially Revealed (Details)

Danielle Cantrell — Thu, 05 May 2011 18:04:47 +0000

Today, Ubisoft revealed the development of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, the fourth installment in the series. Led and developed by Ubisoft Montreal, with the help of Ubisoft studios Annecy, Massive Entertainment, Quebec, Singapore and Bucharest, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will continue the Assassin’s Creed legacy as THE BEST SERIES EVER… or at least, the best historical conspiracy-breeding game on current systems.

Ubisoft Montreal’s creative director, Alexandre Amancio said:

“Delivering the final chapter of the Ezio trilogy is an important milestone in the Assassin’s Creed franchise for us and for our fans. Assassin’s Creed Revelations includes lots of new features and some significant surprises. We can’t wait to show our fans what we have in store at E3 this year.”

Ezio will be concluding his portion of this series by following the path that his mentor, Altair, forged for him, on his way to put an end to the unrest caused by Templar infiltration in Constantinople. It will also be possible to manipulate Desmond’s memories and the animus to further understand the past — probably the future, too.

Multiplayer will be back, with more levels, more characters, and more gameplay modes.

I am pretty freaking excited.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations will be released on XBOX 360, PS3, and PC this November.

New Assassin’s Creed Revelations Teaser Shows More Altair

Dave Oshry — Mon, 02 May 2011 18:13:36 +0000

Ubisoft has just released another teaser for Assassin’s Creed Revelations, and it seems to further confirm Altair‘s return as well as give us some tiny new tidbits of information.

First, check out the teaser:

According to all the AC fanboys and girls out there, that is almost certainly Altair’s arm. However, we also get a glimpse of what appears to be a Phaistos Disc. According to Wikipedia (the most reliable source of information in the universe)

The Phaistos Disc (also spelled Phaistos Disk, Phaestos Disc) is a disk of fired clay from the Minoan palace of Phaistos on the Greek island of Crete, possibly dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC). It is about 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter and covered on both sides with a spiral of stamped symbols. Its purpose and meaning, and even its original geographical place of manufacture, remain disputed, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology. This unique object is now on display at the archaeological museum of Heraklion.

The disc was discovered in 1908 by the Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier in the Minoan palace-site of Phaistos, and features 241 tokens, comprising 45 unique signs, which were apparently made by pressing pre-formed hieroglyphic “seals” into a disc of soft clay, in a clockwise sequence spiraling towards the disc’s center.

The Phaistos Disc captured the imagination of amateur and professional archeologists, and many attempts have been made to decipher the code behind the disc’s signs. While it is not clear that it is a script, most attempted decipherments assume that it is; most additionally assume a syllabary, others an alphabet or logography. Attempts at decipherment are generally thought to be unlikely to succeed unless more examples of the signs are found, as it is generally agreed that there is not enough context available for a meaningful analysis.

Although the Phaistos Disc is generally accepted as authentic by archaeologists, a few scholars have forwarded the opinion that the disc is a forgery or a hoax.

What does this mean for our protagonist and his adventures? Are we headed to Crete? Is there some sort of Da Vinci code deciphering that must be made of this disc? Is it all misdirection? Is this a sequel? A prequel? A side..quel?

All will be revealed soon…

Also, what is up with that fortress in the background? Looks like it needs to be infiltrated and someone inside needs to be Assassinated!

Stay tuned to RipTen for continued coverage of Assassin’s Creed Revelations.

Assassin’s Creed Teaser Translated – Altair To Return?

Danielle Cantrell — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 07:55:42 +0000

There’s a new Assassin’s Creed teaser site up which includes glimpses of some Arabic writing. We have the translation.

The translation, provided by @Altair3Feb says that the teaser reads “Altair Ibn la Ahad,” (Altair, Son of No One) This is the full name of Altair, which leads to the suspicion that Altair will be returning in the new Assassin’s Creed game!

Allow me to say, OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. Hopefully Altair will have more of a personality this time around. Be sure to join in on the #ACReveal at their Facebook page!

Apparently more will be revealed in the May 13th issue of Game Informer. Those lucky sobs.

If you have any comments or ideas about the new game, let me know in the comments below or on Twitter – @matronedea.

Five O’Clock Fan Art: Altair Portrait

Dylan Duarte — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:18 +0000

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of portraits, but this is fantastic. The artist applied a talent primarily used on living, breathing subjects to capture a videogame character and in doing so, had to flex his creative talents a bit more than usual, filling in detail that wasn’t there. Well done, Assassino.

Five O’Clock Fan Art is perfect for wrapping up the work day. You don’t want to think anymore, you just want to look at awesome things. And there’s nothing more awesome than a well crafted piece of videogame fan art. If you don’t agree, what the hell are you doing at a gaming site?

Today’s wonderful artist is AlexMahone.

New Assassin’s Creed 2 details soon; in the meantime, teaser site is up

Sam Naylor — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:55:04 +0000

The Editor-in-Chief of Game Informer, Andy McNamara, has hinted on his Twitter page that the next issue of the magazine will have new information on Assassin’s Creed in some form. Until then, head here to look at a Da Vinci- styled video which has no useful information on the sequel other than, well, it’s likely to have some Da Vinci theme in there somewhere; probably that the game will be set in Italy at around that time period.

Let’s hope that they manage to take the good bits from the first game and build a game around that, instead of the frustrating and poorly designed bits. I think what I’m trying to say is “make a good game this time, please”.

Via Destructoid

Assassin’s Creed Altair Cosplay

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:59:37 +0000

Are you trying to stalk Jade Raymond and having no luck? Well, maybe this will help. At just $360, this Altair cosplay is sure to get you past Ubisoft security. Not so thin? No problem. The site selling this badboy boasts sizes up to 5XL, and they won’t cost you a penny more than the small.

In order to really appreciate a cosplay such as this, one must be capable of the moves shown in the video below — and Ubisoft, if you are reading this, locate the guy in this video, dress him up as Altair, and charge admission to watch him perform.

Have something you think we should show on Geeked-Out? Email it to us.

Assassin’s Creed Hints At Sci-Fi Twist: Should We Care?

Patrick Steen — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 04:06:16 +0000

Assassin’s Creed is one of the few “next-gen” games we’ll be experiencing this year – whatever that means, seems to be the buzz word these days. Coming from the makers of the classic Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, it has lofty expectations to live up to.

The game takes place during the Third Crusade, with the player taking the role of a secret Assassin, Altair. Altair means “the flying thingy” in Arabic, where the word “thingy” should be replaced with “one” to avoid any childish visions. This flying bloke, or Altair as he will henceforth be referred to, has the objective to slay individuals who promote hostilities. What hostilities? The Third Crusade, young one. Pay attention.

The game promises to contain historically accurate cities and interactive environments. You’ll be able to climb any building you fancy, buildings complete with historically, accurately, coloredly bricks. You are but an archaic Spider-Man (minus the red and blue tights) making your way through cities dressed in an assassin’s hawk outfit.

Yet, there is something on top of all this “gloriousness” that Ubisoft Montreal has kept swept under their grandmother’s carpet; a “sci-fi” twist that is suggested in the game footage. But should we give a monkey’s (or a rat’s ass as you American’s like to say) about this twist, and could it potentially spoil the game’s integrity?

An Assassin fallen from grace, Altair must prove himself to be a worthy stealth killer by assassinating nine historical figures who are propagating the Crusades. The Crusades? How interesting. Please tell us more, you cry. Well, if I must.

It says here on Wikipedia, that the Third Crusade is also known as the King’s Crusade. Good website that Wikipedia is, and if you type in my name there, it’ll come up with a “List of Winniepeggers”. Now, I don’t know what they are exactly, but they sound amusing, and I’m vaguely proud to be associated with them. Anyway, the Third Crusade, also known as the King’s Crusade, saw European leaders trying to reconquer the holy land from Saladin.

Who’s this Saladin fellow? Did he make salad? Actually he should properly be introduced as “Salah al-Dīn Yusuf ibn Ayyub” better known to his friends by his hip short rapper name “Saladin”. He was a Muslim leader from Iraq who led the resistance against the European Crusaders from infiltrating Jerusalem, which Saladin had captured years before.

Well, little Saladin was defeated by Richard I of England at the end of 1191, and the two came to an agreement over Jerusalem in 1192, where it would remain in Muslim hands but was open to Christian pilgrimages. This was a time when the opposing rulers had large mutual respect for one another, so much so that Saladin offered his personal physician to an injured RIchard I, sending replacement horses, providing fresh fruit, and even giving the King snow to keep his drinks cold. Ah those were the days. Fast forward to 2007, and we’re stuck with a pleb who calls an air strike against an adversary for hiding “invisible weaponry amongst oil reserves. That’s the end of our history lesson, so we must move on.

As Altair, the bird man, you have the power to impact events in the year 1191 AD, by tracking down and assassinating key figures on both sides of the conflict. Three cities will be your playground: Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus. But why is Altair called the flying thingy? Does he have wings, or a nifty glider to glide him from place to place, or perhaps even a funky colored hot-air balloon. No, he has no such transport, though at times, a wee pony will be gracious enough to carry him on her back. What he does have are some amazing abilities in free-running.

You might have seen “free-running” at the beginning of Casino Royale, or even better you might have watched Top Gear where James May raced a couple of free-runners through Liverpool in a Peugeot 207 – the runners won of course. Yes, it’s that jumpy jumpy, climby climby stuff. To escape from the deed you have done, you must climb the buildings, jump over the roof tops from beam to beam, and generally act like a flying fox floating from place to place with your nimble feet.

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwik-qCpnR0[/youtube]

You must agree that this sounds beyond splendid. Playing an Assassin in the Third Crusade, targeting individuals from both sides of the conflict whilst skipping from location to location, sounds like a veritable ball. Some might say that Jerusalem is a bit of a touchy subject, but how many World War II games have we seen in the past years, glorifying the Americans, and vilifying the Germans as Nazi encrusted robots? Moreover, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare takes place in a fictitious adaptation of the present day Middle East. Thus I think, in comparison, 816 years is plenty of time between now and The Crusades for it to be a safe and welcome change from other games.

There must be a catch, right? A catch maybe not, but there is a twist – a sci-fi twist. In interviews and game footage there has been a suggestion of “something else” in the Assassin’s Creed universe. There are visible effects, such as electrical interference encroaching across the screen like a TV with bad reception, and character’s outlines flashing with a blue glow when you approach them. Some have theorized that the historical setting may be a simulation, or even the “genetic memory” of present day people trying to discover information about past conflicts. This was put into the minds of those who frequent the sticky web that is the Internet by one of the character actors for the game, Kristen Bell. She said in an interview with IGN:

“It’s actually really interesting to me. It’s sort of based on the research that’s sort of happening now, about the fact that your genes might be able to hold memory…And it’s about this science company trying to, Matrix-style, go into people’s brains and find out an ancestor who used to be an assassin, and sort of locate who that person is.”

Well since then, the game’s producer, the stunningly gorgeous Jade Raymond (I wonder if she’s an unlockable skin in the game…hmmm), has stated that it’s not like the Matrix, and Altair is not a time traveller. Yet, in a gameplay demo at X06 a few little snippets seemed to support the genetic memory theory, with the words “memories/01”, “hard drive” and “access your genetic memory” appearing after Altair had died. Furthermore, in the background of the official website and in the “making of videos” are visible DNA strand patterns. So, the plot thickens for Assassin’s Creed, the supposed historically accurate game set in 1191AD. What’s clear is that the developers don’t want to talk about any of this yet, but have tried to make it certain that this is not a gimmick.

Now this worries me, because if this twist is an integral part of the game, then it’s not really set in 1191AD, and you can’t really get immersed into the atmosphere of Jerusalem and the Crusades.

What really gets on mon wick as I watch game footage, are these electrical glitches that interfere with the screen, which are said to have roles in the gameplay – such as being able to change the camera angle in real-time cutscenes. Even worse are the electrical readouts and outlines around the many characters within these cities, that apparently identify who you can interact with. Still, these effects are far from subtle.

It seems such a shame that Ubisoft Montreal have gone to all the trouble to accurately create these holy cities, from the architecture, to the clothes of the characters, to then just stab the player’s eyes with futuristic effects. Yes it’s a game, but games are meant to engage and engross and make you suspend disbelief. These “glitches” act as a knocking down of the fourth wall, taking you out of the immediate action and shouting at you “There’s a twist, don’t forget the twist young Assassin, oooh glitchy glitchy this is not as it seems, everything’s all Matrixy”. I’m all for twists and turns, but it fails to be a twist when the game tells you there’s a twist every five seconds.

Rumour goes that this sci-fi twist is actually revealed in the first 10minutes of the game, and that Gamesradar, the cunning foxettes that they are, have already worked it out by reading a chapter from the Assassin’s Creed comic. Let’s be honest, one is too cowardly to spoil the game by reading a piddly comic, and I doubt you, fine reader, would like the game experience to be spoiled like a freshly killed badger being run over by a two seater Cadillac (I mean I could have had that for my dinner!), either.

So, all in all, I could be wrong. This twist could in fact enrich the gameplay, supplement your interest in the game, and further engross you in the story. All the while the game’s plot will play with your little mind, confusing your thoughts like a Bishop confuses a choir boy when he leads him to the confession box.

Anyway, the long and short of it is young hobbit, is that there’s something else in this game, something bigger, more clever, and we all know it’s coming (well, you do now) and I for one am not convinced that it will help this game. In fact, right at this moment, I think that this twist will detract from the gameplay.