Assassin's Creed
Preview
E3 brings more info about the most expected title of 2007
by Marko Susimetsä
previewed on PC
Cities of the Holy Land (cont.)
Ubisoft's been careful about making the cities seem as real as possible and this extends to the non-player-characters. The streets of the cities are populated by people from all walks of life: beggars, ordinary town folks, merchants, soldiers, nobility. The NPCs are numerous and different enough to make sure that you will not be walking down a street and bumping into a company of identical people as you make your way towards your target. Furthermore, the game AI is able to control 150 different characters at the same time, which translates into realistic reactions from the masses when you attract too much attention to yourself.
Every action you make has its consequences – the crowds can as easily mark your downfall as they can offer you a quick escape in the chase sequences that you will encounter as you play. Similarly, if you kill an innocent, the crowd will likely flee from you or turn against you, and the city guards will be attracted to the spot. And if you decide to fight the guards, they have an AI that allows them to cooperate in taking you down, or run away from you if you kill their leaders off like flies.
Your targets
The nine individuals to be killed are actual historical figures who died during the 1191. Historically, their deaths may not necessarily have been delivered by assassins' hands, but there are some degrees of freedom that a game can take. And this includes the surprise factor of the game: whereas you start the game believing that your targets are mere opportunists who machinate the crusades to their own benefit, you will slowly learn that there's more to them than meets the eye. In essence, it appears that they are all part of some secret masterplan that has consequences all the way to the modern world... Ominous, isn't it?
Furthermore, it seems that the game will have a futuristic side. This is hinted at by the focus effect around various NPCs that Altair meets on the streets, which shows numbers and data around the people. And since we have heard hints that Assassin's Creed is the first game in a trilogy, with the sequels taking place in a more futuristic setting, we can start wondering who the people 'controlling' Altair (besides you as a gamer) really are and how and why they are trying to change the history of the world.
Gameplay
You control Altair from the third-person perspective and roam the city streets – or the rooftops if you so choose. Taking advantage of Altair's cat-like dexterity you can easily climb up walls, swing from handy handholds, jump over deep chasms and generally enjoy yourself more than the average city-dweller. Climbing on top of high buildings, you can get to know the surrounding area of the target and prepare for your escape. Also, from some high places, marked by pigeons fluttering away, you can perform a 'leap of faith', which looks cool and, what's more important, ends with you landing safely on a stack of hay or some other landing spot at the ground level.
