A beautiful and mostly efficient killer.

After months of riding the hype train, Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed has finally arrived. The game puts you into the shoes of a medieval assassin named Altair, a nimble figure once part of an elite group of assassins. After a disastrous screw-up with an enemy that leaves a fellow Crusader slain, he must earn his leader's trust – by getting thrown into a series of missions to eliminate key targets in several corrupt cities.
After an initial foray into plotville with TV babe-of-the-moment Kristen Bell (which we won't spoil for you here) the game kicks into high gear. You'll learn the basics of Altair's skills, including identifying and zooming in on assassination targets (with the help of a color-coded body heat system); calmly pushing people aside without making them uncomfortable (this is real important, unless you want unruly citizens giving you away); attack techniques (we especially love sneaking up behind someone and impaling them in the neck) and stealth skills.


Most of these abilities get regular use as you complete the nine main and various side missions that make up he game. You'll use Altair's observation skills frequently, climbing up high structures to get a lay of the land, pickpocketing for information and listening in on conversations. Along the way, you ascend old buildings and move across loose boards, simply by holding the correct buttons down while moving with the analog stick.

When it comes to the actual assassinating, Assassin's Creed misses the jugular by a bit. While you'll enjoy singling out a target and causing their death in a number of ways, the aftermath somewhat disappoints. That's because the guards don't really have a full quiver of arrows, if you get our meaning. Sure, they'll pay attention to your behavior and watch to see if you act suspiciously, but they don't know how to handle themselves in combat. You could wipe out the target and his entourage with several quick sword swipes just as easily as you could escape from them, leaving very little to risk. In addition, outrunning guards and hiding from them is pointless because, if by chance they do catch up and ambush you, they don't really attack in droves – only two at a time. At least some of the townsfolk know how to play it smart, sometimes requiring a heated pursuit throughout the city.
Ubisoft Montreal has done an impressive job recreating a medieval landscape. The game moves very fluidly, whether walking through the crowds or riding on horseback into the next town. Also a plus – you rarely have to fight the camera. Climbing up to the top of a tall structure affords an impressive vista – and of course, it's fun to jump off and dive into a haystack several hundred feet below with nary a scratch.

Even with braindead guards and occassionally repetitive gameplay, Assassin's Creed is worth a stab (no pun intended). Its scenic presentation, teamed with violent gameplay and an involving story, gives you more than enough reason to step into this killer's shoes.