(continued from previous page) ...out that Talal heads here every morning from his a nearby friend's location by an apparent runaway slave, it’s our time to strike.

From this point forward, we have no other option but to jump down. Down-climbing would take too long. So, we take a leap of faith to the stack of hay below. An interesting thing to note is that even though we are taking leap of faiths, the “intelligent” A.I. doesn’t seem to notice someone hawking down the wall with speed into a hay pile. The streets are certainly busy with guards chasing thugs, children, merchants, and even beggars, some of which are wives. They will spot Altair in his fanciful robe and will plead for money, or assistance--ranging from money to even killing someone. If you happen to help the guards catch a thug, or perhaps even give him a good hard beating, no one will mind. Each character has a societal value, subject to change. But, if you hurt someone like a guard, expect utter death.


The response of the A.I. crowd to your actions towards a person is far from amazing or believable. They cheer if you catch a thug, and run if you scare them, but one of the most disturbing thing aside from the A.I. crowd not noticing a person tomahawking into a hay bin, is them saying the exact same thing. Pure verbatim in their reaction is a huge turn off. “Run! Please don’t hurt us!” is the only response you will hear when they are scared at the slightest. It’s as if you casually sock someone’s arm, it’s as if you’ve brutally beaten them in public and gouged their eyes out. Or a bleak “hail to the kind stranger!” If you do, however, attract the attention of the guards due to this serious “intelligent” A.I. crowd flaw, you need to break their line of sight if they are chasing you. To do this, an alert meter in the top left of the HUD will show red if guards are onto you and flash yellow the moment they lose sight of Altair. That’s your cue as an assassin to slip in somewhere. If you can’t do that, head around a corner and use the “blend” ability to assume the role of a monk, constantly praying while walking slowly.

When we enter Talal’s slavery location, we are launched into a cut-scene which reveals that the whole thing was a ploy, and he knew we were following him, by some miracle. As this happens, we are flashed by a spot of light on the screen occasionally, even an "Initializing Image..." text. You'll be able to see scenes of your enemies showing off, hitting the active scene button, or currently R1, correctly. Holding down R2 puts Altair in a defensive stance. He’ll skillfully dodge any attack and while he does it, can make a counter attack by hitting X. Targeting an enemy requires just a tap of L1, and that can lock you onto a specific target for a more centric approach. Don’t worry. He is still defensive, and automatically switches to a new target if he is hit. For the entire attack system, timing is everything. Hitting X as soon as your enemy's combat animation begins will play a cinematic like sequence that shows the opponents destruction.

All of this is supported by 10,120 string animations for Altair, not dynamic animations used in a majority of Sony’s first party titles. As a short brief, string animations are simple animations pieced together to add for a fluid effect. But, in reality, even a millisecond move of the blade or any object for the entire Altair character counts as 1 animation, not his whole character movement as 1 animation. String animations extremely simplify the process of detailed editing, exemplified from Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune or Heavenly Sword, and allow for a minimally smooth effect. So, don’t be fooled by this figure when it’s referred to as “animations” for Assassin’s Creed. Another gripe is that the camera is a huge irreparable problem in Assassin’s Creed at this point. It can sometimes lose its place or get stuck behind bushes and against walls.

In terms of overarching gameplay and storyline, Assassin's Creed is not meant to be stealthy. There are elements where you will need to be ... (continued on next page)