Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this game is very much about violence as you play as a hired hitman, of sorts, to take down key targets with cunning and strategy. This usually involves skulking through the shadows to remain undetected and figuring out how to accomplish the task, such as a knife to the throat from behind. People you kill will fall to the ground and some blood is seen.
Families can talk about whether this game teaches anything about this time period (12th century) in the Middle East or does the backdrop take a backseat to the violence? That is, could a player actually use a game like this one to learn about key moments in history such as the Crusades?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Marc Saltzman
If you ever doubted a video game could deliver a movie-like experience, pick up Ubisoft's ASSASSIN'S CREED for an adventure so engrossing it should've come with a crowbar to pry yourself away.
Designed for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, and PC, this intense and near-photorealistic action game lets you play as a retired assassin who is sent back into action in the late 12th century, when the Third Crusade is raging across the Holy Land. You are Altair, whose task is to suppress the hostilities on both sides with stealth and precision.
But how you stalk and approach your target, perform the task at hand, and exit the scene safely will vary from player to player. This is because the authentically re-created cities you'll be visiting -- such as Jerusalem, Damascus, and Acre -- are open-ended and bustling with citizens. At the start of the game you'll learn how to blend in with crowds, scale buildings, and end confrontations quickly with a concealed dagger.
It's not just about violence in this game, though -- other missions include pick-pocketing and reaching the top of a high building to survey a scene.
You will no doubt be amazed the first time you find yourself perched on a rooftop, staring at a sea of people making their way through cobblestone streets -- especially when you realize this world is interactive. How should you assassinate your target when he's giving a speech to a bunch of onlookers? Take out the guards first one by one? Cause a distraction on the street before subtly making your way to the target with dagger in hand? Approach from the rooftop behind him, drop down, and then try to run away after the deed is done? Try throwing a knife from afar?
The game's wide-screen presentation and high-definition graphics are only outdone by its smooth character animation, dialogue (including a female character voiced by Heroes and Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell) and Hollywood-style music soundtrack -- composed by British Academy Award-winner Jesper Kyd -- that changes depending on what's happening onscreen.
The comparison of Assassin's Creed to the Prince of Persia and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell games is inevitable -- and understandable, too -- given the fact that these two popular game franchises are also from Ubisoft Montreal's world-famous studio. Altair's acrobatic moves, such as hopping from building to building or balancing on beams, are straight out of Prince of Persia, while creeping through environments to kill targets is like the infiltration and spy scenes in Splinter Cell.
Some players, however, might be disappointed that the combat in Assassin's Creed isn't as fleshed out as in past Ubisoft Montreal games. Perhaps in order to make the game more accessible, or to focus more on the planning and exit strategies, the action sequences in Assassin's Creed are simply well-timed button presses, rather than deep combat control schemes.
That said, Assassin's Creed is an imaginatively conceived and wonderfully executed single-player adventure that should take a good 10 hours to complete, and more than double that for the optional side missions.
Mature gamers in search of a beautiful, exhilarating piece of interactive entertainment will be more than pleased with this hard-to-put-down adventure.
For younger players looking for recommended action-adventures that require stealth and precision, turn to Prince of Persia: Sands of Time which is T-rated. For the PS3, try the T-rated action-adventure Heavenly Sword.
Rate It!
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ViolenceYour job is to assassinate targets, so there's plenty of violence and gore. This includes using an arsenal of weapons, such as knives, to kill key historical figures or other threats. Blood can be seen as they fall to the ground. The kill itself is not over-the-top or gratuitous, but similar to games like Prince of Persia, they can be "cinematic" in nature with fancy camera angles and slow-motion effects. |
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LanguageA few -- but strong -- instances of swearing, topped by the F-word, as well as others might consider offensive, such as "damn" and "hell." |
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Educational ValueThe developers say this game was researched considerably for historical accuracy. |
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