Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft Montreal's latest game. Assassin's Creed takes place during the Crusades... oh wait, I'm sorry, it takes place in Modern Times. Yes, the Sci-fi twist is actually right at the beginning. You start off smack in the middle of a simulation thats gone haywire. The game really doesn't start till all the mess is sorted out. As soon as all of this madness happens, it completely took me out of the setting. Couldn't it just have been a game about the Crusades?

Anyway, this game can basically can be described as a "Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia" mix. Some may be right with this, but all of it is not there. The stealth part of the game really lacks a bit of... well... the stealth. Hiding amongst the crowd and climbing the rooftops may seem stealthy, but it just doesn't have the whole "hiding in the shadows" type of thing.

The gameplay is quite solid, the fighting doesn't really kick off until a little bit later into the game. One thing that bothered me was that parts of the cities are locked off until later, which basically brings you back memories of playing demos of Saints Row, where theres this huge world to explore, but its cut-off. Yes, the comparison is a bit different, but Assassin's Creed is a full-fledged game. Is there any harm to open up all the cities right at the beginning? Even though they cut off alot of the city, the area you are given is quite large, yet the blue cloudy walls may tick you off after awhile.

The AI is a bit shoddy, for example, out exploring the world outside in the Kingdom, I was randomly assassinating lone guards. I happen to stumble apon two guards standing face-to-face with one another, so I figured I could assassinate one, then just fight the other. I go up behind one, and quickly jab him in the back, the guy looking right at me ignores the whole thing. I end up jabbing him in the stomach with the hidden knife, instead of getting into a sword fight. Unless these guys can have randomly generated virtual gripes with one another to where they don't care about if their partner dies or not(which I highly doubt), the AI could of had had a bit more tweaking.

The missions tend to get a bit repetitive, such as the things you have to go through with your fellow assassin's. One sends you on a hunt for flags, the other sends you out to kill someone for information about the target your after. Each one had a different personality, and the way you killed the informer's targets changes a bit (One was on a 3:00 timer, another was just kill two guys without alerting the city guards). It doesn't change the fact that it's the same thing over again. Before you can go after the guy your supposed to assassinate, you have to gather information. Like Eavesdropping, pickpocketing missions, doing what informers ask you to do (as explained above), and Interrogations. Unfortunately, they all stay the same. Eavesdropping requires you to sit on a bench while you target two people talking about your target (Listening to people talk, fun... right?). Pickpocketing requires you to target two men talking about an object that has information about your target, and then pickpocketing the man with the object. Pickpocketing missions only last about two seconds, and aren't really that fun. Interrogation would have to be the best one of the bunch. You have to target a guy who happens to be preaching about your target to the city people. After he gets done, you follow him to a secluded area (some might not lead you to one, but from what I've played, it doesn't really matter), then you proceed to beat the crap out of him for information. There are also Free missions for you to do, such as reaching view points, and saving civilians (again... the same thing over and over again... except you have to do it ten times per city). The free missions aren't all bad. After you save a civilian or reach a view point, you are awarded with an updated map, or people that help you within the city, such as Scholars that will help you get past guard posts, and Vigilantes that will distract guards if your being chased. These seem like the only missions that actually benefit you.

Once you have the information you need after doing the missions, you are ready to report into the city's Assassin's Bureau to receive your mission. The assassin missions change in terms of setting, but all in all, they tend to stay the same as well. Some missions will just require you to stick your hidden knife into the target without hassle, the other lead you on a goose chase throughout the city. One way or the other, hes dying, and pleading his "worthy" cause to you.

Visuals are amazing, yet I can't see the full experience, since I lack an HDTV, but still outstanding on an SDTV. The detail on each building, and the variety of each building is quite the treat for the eyes.

The story is kind of messy, the twist kind of makes the events happening in the simulator seem unimportant. I haven't finished the game, so I wouldn't know what happens at the end. For all I know, the end could make the segments meaningful.

The sounds of the people could of used some work, the quality of the sound seems phoned in, and people's conversations and comments tend to loop. Also from what I have heard, there isn't that much of an original score to talk about. Most of the time, I'm running around the city with no music (dunno if it's just me or not).

If you happen to enjoy any of Ubisoft Montreal's other games, such as Prince of Persia, by all means I'd recommend this. People outside of the loop should also pick this game up, its not to hard, nor too easy. The difficulty curve is friendly to most gamers. With all that said, this game is definitely a worthy addition to your collection, yet it wasn't quite the GoTY candidate it was made out to be. With all you can do though, this will last you for a long, long, LONG time.