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 - Can't shake it's ugly console pastI heard about this game being on consoles a while ago but ignored it since I don't do consoles. When I heard that it was out on the PC I thought I'd give my new 9800GTX video card a good work out and picked it up. It would be hard for me to be more disappointed in this game. The interface is immediately and noticeably the very thing I loath about consoles; a kludge of menus that could be one simple menu if they were designed to be used with a keyboard or mouse instead of a limited device like a game pad. That alone made it hard to continue, but I tried to get past that and tried to get into the game. The game's next huge failing is the lame setup and plot line. I bought the game thinking it was either history based or fantasy based, but the game actually uses some lame Virtual Reality cover story to validate it's linear game play and confined world. It also attempts to add in some kind penalty for "bad" behavior even though it's a game about assassinating people. Sorry, you can't have your cake and eat it too. For a game about assassination I was expecting a lot more violence and gore; I'm 33 I can handle it. Pros- The graphics are very impressive. The textures and modeling are top notch even though you still see some puppet like movement during the dialog cut-screens. Ran without issues on my Intel E6600 C2D system with 2gb of RAM and the 9800GTX VGA card. Cons- Bad, made-for-consoles menu system and interface. Lame setup that is almost insulting. A game with the word 'Assassin' in it should have a higher body count. I couldn't stomach it enough to keep playing it, but the friend I gave it away to said it's also really short. Conclusion - Nice eye candy but not enough to keep me from ditching this game and regret the money I spent on it. If you want to try it for your self wait until it's in the clearance bin. Rating:  - Great Game...I certainly hope there's a sequel in the making because the ending was left off really unclear and unfinished. Other than that, great fun game! Good unique story! Rating: - Great gameplay and graphics!First off, I have a high-end machine courtesy of pcgamer mag's dream system specs, so no problems there. Plus I have wide screen monitors which I heartily recommend. I actually was able to play this on high settings very nicely, whereas Crysis had to be lowered for it to look good on my rig. I found using my logitech gamepad the way to go w/ this game, the keyboard/mouse was not as nice for me. The voice acting and cut scenes are enjoyable, and in particular I really liked how you switch between the present and the past. In the present you have a meglomaniac yelling at you to get back into the machine, and once in the machine of course you take out all your anger on your targets. The fighting is fun to play once you get a handle on the counter-moves. The sound effects during battle are excellent, and the various moves you can pull off are always fun to watch. The cons for me are: - can't easily exit the game - can't skip cut scenes even after you've seen them already before - the ending battle is ridiculously impossible! It took me something like 10 hours of attempts to finish that end battle. So the good news is you can eventually do it :) The end of the game leaves you hanging and wanting more, so I am definitely awaiting the sequel. Rating:  - Best Game played in the last five years.This game is so life-like in its historical representation that it will emerse yourself in 1191 Crusades of the Holy Land. Here you follow the memories of Altair, the head Assassin as he conducts himself on nine missions (Not to mention a hundred side missions that you can enter freely of your own will). I can see this game engine use in other simulations, like Shinobe of Japan, or even a Bourne Supremacy game. The details are amazing, masses of people interact and the slightest mishap will draw you into an incounter. Fight or flee. Its your choice. One aspect of fascination is the computer's prediction on weather you will make a leap from one rooftop or not. Precision was taken to allow a sense of fear as the computer predicts based on your angle and speed. This changes with just a mili-second of decision. It is very real aspect to the game. Even the horses move with realism... A must have. Rating:  - Good, but not great...Pros: - looks amazing - fun to kill with swords and knives - most assassinations are interesting and fun Cons: - at times the controls can be maddening, like when you want to disengage from a fight - somewhat repetitive up until the last assassination - can get confusing sometimes at what you are supposed to do Bottom line - looks great, but the controls ruin it.
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