Thoughts on Assassin's Creed?

[Soviet Heavy]

What do you guys think about this series? I find it an interesting beast. I like the story and the characters, and I am very impressed at the scale of the cities featured in the games. But at the same time, I can't get over how bland the gameplay feels to me. Buy house, get cash to buy more house, kill man, stir up shit. It feels like Grand Theft Auto mixed with Prince of Persia thrown in an historical setting.

I find it strange, because I love Ubisoft's Prince of Persia series, but the AC games all seem rather clunky with their controls in comparison.

Like I said, I do like things about the games, like the story and definitely the sense of scale, but at the same time I feel held back by the gameplay. What are your opinions on the series?

 

[Saelune]

Well, Prince of Persia is focused almost solely on movement. I hate combat in those games though. AC has more than that going for it so it cant focus on just that.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Well, Prince of Persia is focused almost solely on movement. I hate combat in those games though. AC has more than that going for it so it cant focus on just that.

True, POP is more about the flow of the gameplay, as it is primarily a platformer. What would AC be categorized as though? It has action elements, platforming, some strategy in Brotherhood, and the economy system.

 

[Saelune]

Well, Prince of Persia is focused almost solely on movement. I hate combat in those games though. AC has more than that going for it so it cant focus on just that.

True, POP is more about the flow of the gameplay, as it is primarily a platformer. What would AC be categorized as though? It has action elements, platforming, some strategy in Brotherhood, and the economy system.

Does it really matter?

 

[Nieroshai]

I enjoyed it thoroughly. Sure the combat mechanics are very much "you can have your cool toys and all but there's only ONE move that ensures success" in the first one, but it was the in-plain-sight stealth that was fun. Number two was gaming gold, and Brotherhood was more 2 with some fun tweaks. I haven't played the portable installments though.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Well, Prince of Persia is focused almost solely on movement. I hate combat in those games though. AC has more than that going for it so it cant focus on just that.

True, POP is more about the flow of the gameplay, as it is primarily a platformer. What would AC be categorized as though? It has action elements, platforming, some strategy in Brotherhood, and the economy system.

Does it really matter?

I guess not. Anyways, you still haven't answered my question: What are your views on Assassin's Creed?

 

[conflictofinterests]

Never played GTA, personally, and the only Prince of Persia game I ever played was the dumb one that came out recently that tried to do the hub-based mission thing. This has probably colored my views on it, but I really like the series because of the general gameplay and the parkour in particular. I also enjoy flying-tackle-facestabbing people. That's fun. And sneaky-stabbing people... And chucking an oversized ax at people and watching them fly 5 feet back... And breaking people's spines with the short sword...

 

[Saelune]

Well, Prince of Persia is focused almost solely on movement. I hate combat in those games though. AC has more than that going for it so it cant focus on just that.

True, POP is more about the flow of the gameplay, as it is primarily a platformer. What would AC be categorized as though? It has action elements, platforming, some strategy in Brotherhood, and the economy system.

Does it really matter?

I guess not. Anyways, you still haven't answered my question: What are your views on Assassin's Creed?

I actually really love it. The story is amazing I think, and its alot of fun. AC2 is one of my few games ID give a perfect score to. I have not played Brotherhood yet though....despite owning it. I kind of congested with games I have to actually play that I own. (ME2 is another)

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I enjoyed it thoroughly. Sure the combat mechanics are very much "you can have your cool toys and all but there's only ONE move that ensures success" in the first one, but it was the in-plain-sight stealth that was fun. Number two was gaming gold, and Brotherhood was more 2 with some fun tweaks. I haven't played the portable installments though.

Despite my misgivings about the controls, I will admit that launching myself from a rooftop, planting a knife in a guys neck and bowling into his friends in one movement is pretty awesome.

 

[Redem]

Growing into one of my favourite franchise, however the story feel a tad loose at time especially in assassin creed II (although in some aspect its better than ACI mostly character wise, but I didn't like how the templar became cartoony evil or that they tried painfully hard to have assassin to stand for something that would resonnate through the age but just can't)

 

[LobsterFeng]

I ran into the same problem with AC that I had with Fallout 3, there's just so much crap to do that I can't find the motivation to do any of it. I'm probably the only person in the world who thinks that though.

 

[Nieroshai]

I enjoyed it thoroughly. Sure the combat mechanics are very much "you can have your cool toys and all but there's only ONE move that ensures success" in the first one, but it was the in-plain-sight stealth that was fun. Number two was gaming gold, and Brotherhood was more 2 with some fun tweaks. I haven't played the portable installments though.

Despite my misgivings about the controls, I will admit that launching myself from a rooftop, planting a knife in a guys neck and bowling into his friends in one movement is pretty awesome.

Isn't it though? My favorite run was my first hidden blade only run.

 

[Nieroshai]

Well, Prince of Persia is focused almost solely on movement. I hate combat in those games though. AC has more than that going for it so it cant focus on just that.

True, POP is more about the flow of the gameplay, as it is primarily a platformer. What would AC be categorized as though? It has action elements, platforming, some strategy in Brotherhood, and the economy system.

Does it really matter?

I guess not. Anyways, you still haven't answered my question: What are your views on Assassin's Creed?

I actually really love it. The story is amazing I think, and its alot of fun. AC2 is one of my few games ID give a perfect score to. I have not played Brotherhood yet though....despite owning it. I kind of congested with games I have to actually play that I own. (ME2 is another)

Just a tip for when you start: you do actually get story from side quests, so try to do all of the big ones, especially the ones by... that one girl whose name I forget... and Leonardo. Especially since, I think, some of the DLC went free.

 

[Squilookle]

Couldn't finish the first one- it was so frikken boring. Not Even Veronica Mars could save it. Second one, however is amazing. So much potential to mess with people, best on foot in a sandbox, and best 3d swordfighting in a game second only to the Mount and Blade games.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Spoiler: No. I don't like series.

I played 2, and from it I can say I really don't care for it. First strike comes from the simple "Can't skip cutscenes" that is a horrible mistake games keep making. Then the affirmations, which really bugged me.

Take GTA IV, you can trigger a mission, skip the briefing, and play. In ACII, you trigger the mission, sit through the briefing (because it can't be skipped,) then you either accept or decline the mission. Now, it does make sense for the side missions. But for the story missions? I wouldn't have triggered the mission if I didn't intend to play it.

I also didn't care for the various button combinations, especially when it came to combat. Now combat is serviceable in itself, but when I switch weapons I'd expect Ezio to draw the selected weapon instead of requiring another button press. Often at the start of combat the enemy would get a quick potshot on me because Ezio wouldn't draw.

The race in the Carnival chapter also got under my skin. My opponents would find often some way to die on the linear path to the flag or home, at which point the game would reset all the races.

It got to the point that I just decided to grind the game for easy trophies.

Except that system is bugged. Late in the game, I beat a Sequence but the game failed to award the trophy for it. Which then fucked me over, because the game autosaves after every action. And since there is no chapter replay after endgame, my only option is to play.
Through.
The.
Entire.
Fucking.
Game.
Again.

 

[Saelune]

Well, Prince of Persia is focused almost solely on movement. I hate combat in those games though. AC has more than that going for it so it cant focus on just that.

True, POP is more about the flow of the gameplay, as it is primarily a platformer. What would AC be categorized as though? It has action elements, platforming, some strategy in Brotherhood, and the economy system.

Does it really matter?

I guess not. Anyways, you still haven't answered my question: What are your views on Assassin's Creed?

I actually really love it. The story is amazing I think, and its alot of fun. AC2 is one of my few games ID give a perfect score to. I have not played Brotherhood yet though....despite owning it. I kind of congested with games I have to actually play that I own. (ME2 is another)

Just a tip for when you start: you do actually get story from side quests, so try to do all of the big ones, especially the ones by... that one girl whose name I forget... and Leonardo. Especially since, I think, some of the DLC went free.

Ive collected all th flags in AC1...so dont need to tell me.

 

[Dr.Panties]

I really dislike this series, primarily for its poor, automated gameplay mechanics and lack of a proper stealth system. Seriously, it's automated to a fault, in that all notion of "true skill" is removed. The combat is one big, sloooow quicktime event, and I'm always struggling against where the parkour system insists I should be going. I find it to be very dull, lacking in any challenge, yet still frustrating and shallow.

I also can't suspend my disbelief enough to accept the ridiculous notion of "blending". This isn't a stealth series, as there aren't any proper stealth mechanics. The title of this series is a misnomer. An assassin doesn't run around the rooftops in broad daylight, nor does he/she assassinate a target in plain sight, and then fight off a dozen well-armed guards. In a game such as this, the player should be punished for being detected. Combat should be something to be avoided/feared. Detection should result in more than a momentary inconvenience, or a protracted sword fight whilst ridiculously outnumbered.

They should have called it "Brigand's Creed".

I've played each game in this series, and have been very impressed in terms of visuals, but disgusted in terms of gameplay and replayability. I would rate the entire series collectively as a 4.5/10.

 

[King of Wei]

I love the series, one of my favorites. The attention to detail with the story and how they implemented real world events/artwork into the game is amazing. And don't even get me started on the soundtrack and riddles. I also seem to be the only person who isn't bothered by the controls.

The only thing I absolutely hated was the flag hunting in AC 1. 420 flags ... that should be considered a form of torture.

 

[PlasmaFrog]

Most of the game play and story line seems incredibly shallow with hardly any depth or emphasis on combat structure since most fights go attack>parry>attack>parry>repeat. The series isn't terrible, it just seems as if they've been throwing in and taking out crap between the sequels which brings me to my burning desire to point out that Brotherhood was lacking too much in some areas while having way too much in others.

Here's what I think...

Assassin's Creed: The combat system actually makes me feel as if I were an assassin, but proves to be too easy in most cases considering the ease and availability of parry and stab. the story actually manages to grip me without having too many plot holes or unnecessary devices. Further elaborating on the combat system, I felt as if it were sometimes lazy and needing.

Assassin's Creed 2: A great game nevertheless. Ubisoft managed to hold my attention for the duration of the campaign, yet it managed to fall apart in some areas. The combat system managed to improve upon itself in some areas, allowing the use of more abilities and disposable weapons giving more flavor and life to something once dead and uninteresting. Not much to say otherwise about a pretty well-rounded game.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood: This game was sold under the interest of the first multiplayer scenario. Wonderfully executed since it brought something new and fresh to the table, rather than the common stale and overused FPS. The combat flowed wonderfully when competing against other players due to the simple, yet elaborate compatibility involving perks and techniques. Sadly, it still fell short in some areas due to unnecessary perks, being connection dependent, and the some-what linear usage of perks.

On to the campaign. I can't possibly be more empathetic when it comes to stating the unnecessary features and shallow story telling. This game was a letdown from it's previous version overall due to the addition of mercenaries, side-questing, and much, much more. Overall it seems like a rehashed package that they threw together at the last second to sell with the multiplayer feature. I wasn't impressed if anything.


Upon further speculation, the series will either fall apart from here or continue to take form into something wonderful that was built upon the foundation of trial and error, leading use to a marvelous perfection. Sadly, I won't hold my breath. We can only wait and tell.