Game Journal / Review: Assassin's Creed

written on Sunday, March 29, 2009

GAME JOURNALS CONTAIN SPOILERS. DEAL WITH IT PINK BOY.

Okay, so here's the main problem with the combat in Assassin's Creed. It's dull. You wait for someone to attack. You perform a counter. Repeat until victorious. Sure, you could attack, but the timing to break their defenses is a pain. Plus, they might counter, which you have no defense for. It's sad, really. In theory, I like the kind of close quarters dance of death combat they were shooting for. And once in a while I would get so bored I'd go on the offensive, get lucky with the timing, and the combat would actually seem cool. But then I'd fail the timing, get beat on, and be reminded that the game didn't want me to have fun.

The same thing would generally happen if I tried to evade pursuers. I'd get hung up on some tiny impediment or try to climb a wall only to stuck under an overhang I couldn't see from the ground. Those things wouldn't happen all the time, but they happened just enough to kill the mood. This was all the more sad because it was a good mood. Barreling down alleyways, knocking people over is cool. Hopping a low wall, zipping through a garden, then leaping up a pile of boxes to get onto a rooftop is cool. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop is cool. But then I fail to grab that ledge because I wasn't facing it exactly and can't change facing in the air, and all the progress I just made is wiped out by a glitch.

It happens a lot in games where the designer wants the player to have fun; the player wants to have fun, but they can't quite meet in the middle and just end up driving each other nuts.

And that's basically Assassin's Creed. It's a three out of five and a good deal at ten bucks. It sold crazy well for some reason, so hopefully the sequel will work the kinks out and streamline the rotten controls.

Case in Point: The Space Bar

Based on what you are doing, here are the functions of the space bar.
not moving or walking
Bow your head and pretend to be a monk. Guards are less likely to notice you. This is also how you sheathe your weapon.
running
Tap to do a long jump. Hold to sprint, run up walls, and jump off of ledges.
combat (offensive stance)
Take a quick step towards your opponent. In armed combat, the step can be followed with an attack that will push an opponents sword away if they are blocking.
combat (defensive stance)
If someone is attacking, you'll jump back. Otherwise you'll just stand there. And in unarmed combat you'll always just stand there because it doesn't work in unarmed combat. Why not? Who knows?
climbing If you're holding the run key, you'll jump off of what you're climbing. Otherwise you'll do nothing.
standing still and holding the run button
Hold to duck. Release to jump straight up.

Yeah. These controls aren't overly complicated at all. Don't even get me started on the shift key. :P