The other game I’ve been excited about recently is Assassin’s Creed, the beautiful stealth game set in the Holy Land during the Crusades. Sadly, it’s not good, and I can only assume the high reviews came from people who didn’t finish the game. It’s a beautiful game, but the gameplay gets repetitive way too quickly.

It’s too bad; they squandered a really interesting setting. Jerusalem during the time of Christian occupation? Templar conspiracies? Sounds brilliant. Alas, the story quickly devolves to “do these five repetitive tasks, then kill this guy”. I can’t help but think if there were a little choice or interaction in the storytelling I’d find it more compelling. Instead I find myself reading my email while the cutscenes play.

One thing I do appreciate is some of the gameplay and storytelling chances they took, the cut scene glitches and the times when Altaïr wakes up in the present time. It felt a bit like failed experiment Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy. And it’s the first game I’ve played that creates the feeling of a crowded city rather than the empty zombielands of most games. Hopefully someone can do something more interesting with the game engine.