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[Ivan]

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/27616.html

For those like me who don't have a PS3 or a 360 and want to live it vicariously through Game Trailers employees.

[Melly]

I'm pretty sure I can guess what the twist to that plot is based on the graphical presentation of the game.

The freeform movement does look impressive. And yes, sitting on a bench to hide yourself does sound stupid.

I hope to play that game eventually.

[Alec]

I'm pretty sure I can guess what the twist to that plot is based on the graphical presentation of the game.

Its really about a 3D character exploring a 2D world!!

~~~~MIND BLOWN~~~~

[fish]

ive known the twist for a loooong time and its stuuuuupid.
that HUD and on-screen crap is way overkill.
its like visual polution.

[Melly]

I agree that something more subtle would have been more effective. But this is the mainstream, where at least half the gamers just don't want to THINK. That's why Zack and Wiki isn't selling well.

[Zaphos]

I agree that something more subtle would have been more effective. But this is the mainstream, where at least half the gamers just don't want to THINK. That's why Zack and Wiki isn't selling well.

This seems just baseless and elitist ... I don't think it's true, and I certainly don't think Zack and Wiki's lack of commercial success has much to do with ... well, anything about the contents of the game; probably it's just too obscure and released in a busy season for games.

[Xander]

The hud is certainly overkill, but it's also optional, you can choose to completely remove the GPS/Synchronisation bar/controls and such, although visual effects can't be turned off. That said, the game is what it is, even if that isn't what people really would've exactly wanted.

My only real problems are to do with the painful repeating of nearly all elements. Not so much that you have to save citizens in the same format over and over again, I mean I play Dynasty Warrior games, I can handle an overabundance of hack-and-slash. But they make things MUCH worse in Assassins Creed, even if you're in a different city where people have entirely different accents... almost all of them will thank you unskippably in EXACTLY THE SAME WAY as all the others did, depending on whether they are men or women. That's almost all the differentiating. It's EXCRUTIATING I'd argue. It's still enjoyable, and there's a lot of good in there. It's just, when they slip up in AC... they do it off a bridge into a one hell of a deep gaping chasm.

[rey-o]

Thought you fellas might be interested in this: Stephen Tolito has a brief article where he interviews the game's creative director, Patrice Desilets. It's a good read, if short.


http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1574280/20071114/index.jhtml


Desilets describes how he wanted to justify everything in the game, from the break down of the stages to why you collect flags.

"Note that there are no rewards for gamers who collect all the flags other than pride. "It's almost a statement for gamers," he said. "It's a statement about the futility of collecting things"

Reminds me of my art school days.

[Movius]

At last someone understands the purity of the flag collecting experience and dares to depict it in an uncorrupted manner, minus the pseudo-capitalist materialistic 'endgoal' so often seen in todays 'games'

[Paul-Jan]

According to the trailer, your screen goes flashy flashy and you get some nice (or screen polluting if you are so inclined) 'objective accomplished' visuals on screen, everytime you collect a flag. How is that not a reward?

[Lurk]

I had an argument recently, about this trend in mainstream entertainment software; I think we come at a point where it's really hard to call them 'games', because they became something like 'interactive movies'. Games had a set of rules, that kind of made sense in a strange abstract way(you fall in the pit, you die, you start over). In these 'interactive movies', you just need to wait a while for your energy to replenish itself, which is very passive compared to actively hunting for boosts. Fights become button mashers with no real sense of accomplishment, unless you're easily impressed by scripted real-time cutscenes, instead of stress inducing bouts where you need to observe patterns and find weak-spots. I don't see this as a necessarily negative thing, as it would be the proper way to make historical simulations where you participate as you learn.

[fish]

patrice desilet is a huge fucking wanker.

all he had were those high level philosophies and statements about futility.
he's all talk, no action.

the last time the game was delayed, it was in such a bad shape, that the higher ups had one of the lead designers from GRAW to come in on the project. his mandate was to fix the game.

this of course was meant as a statement to how much of a huge fucking wanker desilet is.

[Bennett]

I agree that something more subtle would have been more effective. But this is the mainstream, where at least half the gamers just don't want to THINK. That's why Zack and Wiki isn't selling well.

The reason *I* skip over Zack and Wiki (in the review websites, and in the store) is that ever since 'ToeJam & Earl', every game titled 'X & Y' has been a cynical attempt to cash in on the kiddie market.

Get this: The name of your game MATTERS. Think of a good name for your game.

Ratchet & Clank
Jak & Daxter
Banjo Kazooie
etc
etc

[fish]

Kane & Lynch

[Xander]

Zack and Wiki is one of the games I really wish I had a Wii for. Certainly the last people I thought that were going to make an adventure game were Capcom.. but it looks really fun and enjoyable.

Metal & Lace? I don't remember that being too child friendly.
Sam and Max? They just weren't friendly to anyone really were they..

On Topic; I finished the game today, or at least finished as much of it as I was comfortable with. I think 7/10 honestly is a fair score. I was enjoying it to start with, but after a while it just became a chore. It never really introduced any variation, and eventually it completely disregards the idea of being an 'Assassin' the just being a knight fighting it out with people. For a game called 'Assassin's Creed', you really have a very limited range of targets to kill, and compared to the Hitman series it really doesn't satisfy in that area.

There were still a lot of things I enjoyed, since it was great to look at and again kicking someone in the knee to break their leg before grabbing their neck and snapping their spine is a pretty wonderful way to end someones life.  But at the same time, there was just too many things I couldn't ignore (No, I did not find the ending satisfying. I really really hate when people design a game with the mind that it's going to be a franchise. It's honestly an inadequate attitude if you want to make the best game you can).

And to leave with one of my favourite moments of the game; I snuck about the city for one of my informants in order to silence those that would hunt him down. I was risking life and limb in order to do so. When I was finished, I returned to him so that he might impart the knowledge both he and myself risked our beings on.

"Many drunken sailors populate the dockyard"

In the spirit of my good friend wolverine... *SNIKT!*