Stayed in tonight to finish <a href=”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Creed” target=”_blank”>this one</a> off, which I had been borrowing from Dnorm the past few weeks. The reason I was borrowing it was because the game was very, very hyped before being released and a lot of reviews were sour on it. After playing through, I can only assume those reviewers were bitter from the game not living up to that hype.<br/><br/><span style=”font-weight: bold;”>The Good</span><br/>Excellent story, amazing graphics, awesome controls, beautiful scenery, awesome gore.<br/><br/><span style=”font-weight: bold;”>The Bad</span><br/>So graphic intensive that it froze my system a few times, commoners only have a handful of sayings so they get pretty annoying after a while, the whole game revolves around doing the same few actions over and over again, but it managed to keep me interested… What else? Hrmm… While the scenery was beautiful, it was pretty much the same across the “kingdom.” Finally, fighting on horseback was a complete joke… It’s like they threw the feature in five minutes before shipping… It just doesn’t work.<br/><br/><span style=”font-weight: bold;”>The Ugly</span><br/>Primarily what kept me laughing was the fact that I could blend in so easily. Just  killed a guard? Getting chased? Nevermind you’re armed to the teeth with a giant sword, a short sword, and fifteen throwing knives (all visible), just sit on a bench… Or find some monks you can walk with (you’re wearing white too, of course you look like them)… Or jump in a bale of hay! The only other thing that I’d consider “ugly” is that game developers are now adding RIDICULOUS <a href=”http://xbox.gamespy.com/articles/680/680891p1.html” target=”_blank”>achievements</a> for players to attain. In games of yesteryear, the player might have to run around for an extra hour or two (if they wanted) to pick up some sort of bonus items that would unlock some sort of special power. In this game, the player is tasked with picking up something around 500 flags that are scattered all over a huge world. Ridiculous… In casual play (picking up all that I saw, but not actually going searching), I found maybe 100. To gather them all, one would likely have to double their play time… For some achievement points! Gah, no thanks.<br/><br/>Overall, a great game. I can’t wait to see what they do with the sequel given the feedback they’ve received…<br/><br/><span style=”font-weight: bold;”>8.8/10</span> – Somewhat short so maybe just rent it for a week or two<br/>