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keykI've never been much of a western gamer. Aside from old PC floppy disk games and Solitaire and the like, the most I ever played were a handful of action games and platformers (the early Rayman games--barely, and the early PS1 Spyro games) and mostly racing games (Destruction Derby, Need for Speed), and then in later gen consoles, a couple of tiresome party games (Rabbids, that Rayman spin-off) with a bunch of friends. But that's about it. Assassin's Creed marks my return--entrance, perhaps--to more serious western gaming.
At first, I wrote Assassin's Creed off as another kill-them-all type of game with senseless violence tacked on with sexy male characters to win over some of the female market. But upon lightly researching it, its setting, I thought it might have been something more. As its popularity rose, however, my interest fell (my interest is unfairly inversely proportional to popular opinion). It wasn't until the release of the AC: Revelations trailer that I decided to give the series a chance again. Then I found out it was largely set in Constantinople! Who sets games in Turkey? Assassin's Creed is gutsy in choosing its settings and concepts. AC1 was set in the Middle East in the middle of the Crusades, ACII in Renaissance Italy, in the midst of the political struggles and rapid scientific and artistic advancements and--who could forget--corrupt politicians.
So how could such games win over so much of the gaming world with such obscure (comparatively, or at least here in America) and controversial settings? Most gamers aren't history buffs, after all. Ah, but, many people enjoy traveling. Assassin's Creed researches its settings, scrutinizing the tiniest of details, and reproduces each city so well that just being able to stroll through the narrow streets and to listen to the city banter is a treat in and of itself. From the dry arid climate and harsh sunlight of the Middle East and the stunning, intricate, geometric patterns of Arabesque art that decorate the towering minarets and the walls of the wealthy, to the milder Mediterranean climate of Italy, with its lavishly decorated cathedrals and palaces towering into the skies with their vaulting ceilings, while down below, the people walk by, sporting richly colored ornate garments--so bombastic that--clearly--it's the Renaissance. Of course, the production team took its freedoms even with the setting. They made sure each city had its own character, adjusting filters and giving each city a subtle undertone of color--no two cities looked alike: every place was fresh. The sandbox gameplay allowed the player to walk the streets as they pleased, to take in the scenery, to jump the rooftops and see the city in the skies--a virtual tour of an ancient city.
Well, fine. Aesthetics and detailed historic scenery is nice and all, but that still won't win over most gamers. Remember when I said I thought Assassin's Creed was a kill-them-all type of game? I wasn't entirely wrong. The "Assassin" in the franchise's title isn't just there for show--you do end up killing things most of the game. Here, some history buffs will cry, because AC is not afraid to botch up the deaths of historical figures to showcase the badassery of its characters. AC is a stealth-action game hybrid. Sometimes you have to sneak around, other times, you have to jump into the action and slice away. The action part is simple, flashy, and rarely irritating: a few timed button presses is enough to deal out a rather gruesome animation of your avatar character goring your enemies (or civilians, although your chided for that) to their bloody deaths. But in the stealth part, you get to use the beautiful scenery to your advantage. Use the towering heights to dispatch of enemies below, or run through the narrow alleys to quickly lose the guards tailing you. The gameplay, which alone would make for another dry run-of-the-mill action game, in conjunction with the rich settings, greatly broadens the series' prospective audience. It's fun, it's beautiful, but it's also nerdy as heck.
But what about those who care about plot? Settings and gameplay may work well together, but what's the point? To be frank, the plot hasn't won me over as well as the characters have, but I'll expand on both. The story? Meta. You have the real world layer, with Desmond Miles and his modern-day Assassin posse, and his enemies, modern day Templars, manifest as some super huge unusually rich corrupt company. Desmond Miles trains to become an Assassin by playing through his ancestors memories, allowing the player to wander around the cities mentioned above--the second layer of the plot. The plot is interwoven with conspiracy theories reminiscent of Dan Brown's books (except better written) that have been silently thread through history by the tireless, bloodied hands of the Templars, and wouldn't you know it, conspiracy theories are enjoyed by a wide range of people! But in case the main plot (stopping the Templars once and for all and saving humanity) isn't enough, each Assassin the player follows through Desmond Miles has his own story. Revenge, reclaiming rank, saving the town he holds dear--here, the player forgets that he's on a quest to, ugh, "save the world," but instead is simply a person who wants to protect what's important to him--he's not bent on becoming a hero of justice and saving the world, thank goodness.
Allow me to repeat: this game is gutsy. The game is not calling the "Assassins" the good guys. The characters in the game frequently question the contradictory morality behind killing people to save others. Just when you feel it's ok to call yourself "better" than the Templars, the game yanks you back to ask, "Are you really?" and all the while your avatars keep on killing. The game has no problem questioning the existence of God--one god, many. Why are religions with so few Gods looked down upon? What about monotheism is so venerable? The game also likes to go Nietzsche on your rump. Servility and subservience is inferior to individuality and strong will. Make yourself who you want to be, but don't enslave others under your power--it is this philosophy that the game ultimately decides makes the Assassins more respectable than the Templars. But still. Are they really? It's still murder in the end.
The game dips its fingers into hundreds of pies, but still manages them all well enough to become hugely popular, and even manage to win me over. It's left a little something for every gamer: the flashy action for casual gamers, a truckload of history and convoluted conspiracy theories as well as tidbits of philosophy for the nerdier ones, and simple but endearing characters through whose eyes people can painlessly watch the story unfold. Even if one finds a couple of parts of the game distasteful, the game tries to win the player over with the rest of what it offers, and, clearly, it's won many players to hop on for a ride on their bandwagon. It's a game that has a dedicated, talented, and a considerably brave staff. The series has made leaps of improvement since its first installment, and really, I can't possibly be the only one interested in what else the series will have to offer.
P.S. Did I mention the music? Because dang.
Assassin's Creed I: "Chase Theme"
Assassin's Creed II: "Venice Rooftops"
Assassin's Creed II: "Ezio's Family"
At first, I wrote Assassin's Creed off as another kill-them-all type of game with senseless violence tacked on with sexy male characters to win over some of the female market. But upon lightly researching it, its setting, I thought it might have been something more. As its popularity rose, however, my interest fell (my interest is unfairly inversely proportional to popular opinion). It wasn't until the release of the AC: Revelations trailer that I decided to give the series a chance again. Then I found out it was largely set in Constantinople! Who sets games in Turkey? Assassin's Creed is gutsy in choosing its settings and concepts. AC1 was set in the Middle East in the middle of the Crusades, ACII in Renaissance Italy, in the midst of the political struggles and rapid scientific and artistic advancements and--who could forget--corrupt politicians.
So how could such games win over so much of the gaming world with such obscure (comparatively, or at least here in America) and controversial settings? Most gamers aren't history buffs, after all. Ah, but, many people enjoy traveling. Assassin's Creed researches its settings, scrutinizing the tiniest of details, and reproduces each city so well that just being able to stroll through the narrow streets and to listen to the city banter is a treat in and of itself. From the dry arid climate and harsh sunlight of the Middle East and the stunning, intricate, geometric patterns of Arabesque art that decorate the towering minarets and the walls of the wealthy, to the milder Mediterranean climate of Italy, with its lavishly decorated cathedrals and palaces towering into the skies with their vaulting ceilings, while down below, the people walk by, sporting richly colored ornate garments--so bombastic that--clearly--it's the Renaissance. Of course, the production team took its freedoms even with the setting. They made sure each city had its own character, adjusting filters and giving each city a subtle undertone of color--no two cities looked alike: every place was fresh. The sandbox gameplay allowed the player to walk the streets as they pleased, to take in the scenery, to jump the rooftops and see the city in the skies--a virtual tour of an ancient city.
Well, fine. Aesthetics and detailed historic scenery is nice and all, but that still won't win over most gamers. Remember when I said I thought Assassin's Creed was a kill-them-all type of game? I wasn't entirely wrong. The "Assassin" in the franchise's title isn't just there for show--you do end up killing things most of the game. Here, some history buffs will cry, because AC is not afraid to botch up the deaths of historical figures to showcase the badassery of its characters. AC is a stealth-action game hybrid. Sometimes you have to sneak around, other times, you have to jump into the action and slice away. The action part is simple, flashy, and rarely irritating: a few timed button presses is enough to deal out a rather gruesome animation of your avatar character goring your enemies (or civilians, although your chided for that) to their bloody deaths. But in the stealth part, you get to use the beautiful scenery to your advantage. Use the towering heights to dispatch of enemies below, or run through the narrow alleys to quickly lose the guards tailing you. The gameplay, which alone would make for another dry run-of-the-mill action game, in conjunction with the rich settings, greatly broadens the series' prospective audience. It's fun, it's beautiful, but it's also nerdy as heck.
But what about those who care about plot? Settings and gameplay may work well together, but what's the point? To be frank, the plot hasn't won me over as well as the characters have, but I'll expand on both. The story? Meta. You have the real world layer, with Desmond Miles and his modern-day Assassin posse, and his enemies, modern day Templars, manifest as some super huge unusually rich corrupt company. Desmond Miles trains to become an Assassin by playing through his ancestors memories, allowing the player to wander around the cities mentioned above--the second layer of the plot. The plot is interwoven with conspiracy theories reminiscent of Dan Brown's books (except better written) that have been silently thread through history by the tireless, bloodied hands of the Templars, and wouldn't you know it, conspiracy theories are enjoyed by a wide range of people! But in case the main plot (stopping the Templars once and for all and saving humanity) isn't enough, each Assassin the player follows through Desmond Miles has his own story. Revenge, reclaiming rank, saving the town he holds dear--here, the player forgets that he's on a quest to, ugh, "save the world," but instead is simply a person who wants to protect what's important to him--he's not bent on becoming a hero of justice and saving the world, thank goodness.
Allow me to repeat: this game is gutsy. The game is not calling the "Assassins" the good guys. The characters in the game frequently question the contradictory morality behind killing people to save others. Just when you feel it's ok to call yourself "better" than the Templars, the game yanks you back to ask, "Are you really?" and all the while your avatars keep on killing. The game has no problem questioning the existence of God--one god, many. Why are religions with so few Gods looked down upon? What about monotheism is so venerable? The game also likes to go Nietzsche on your rump. Servility and subservience is inferior to individuality and strong will. Make yourself who you want to be, but don't enslave others under your power--it is this philosophy that the game ultimately decides makes the Assassins more respectable than the Templars. But still. Are they really? It's still murder in the end.
The game dips its fingers into hundreds of pies, but still manages them all well enough to become hugely popular, and even manage to win me over. It's left a little something for every gamer: the flashy action for casual gamers, a truckload of history and convoluted conspiracy theories as well as tidbits of philosophy for the nerdier ones, and simple but endearing characters through whose eyes people can painlessly watch the story unfold. Even if one finds a couple of parts of the game distasteful, the game tries to win the player over with the rest of what it offers, and, clearly, it's won many players to hop on for a ride on their bandwagon. It's a game that has a dedicated, talented, and a considerably brave staff. The series has made leaps of improvement since its first installment, and really, I can't possibly be the only one interested in what else the series will have to offer.
P.S. Did I mention the music? Because dang.
Assassin's Creed I: "Chase Theme"
Assassin's Creed II: "Venice Rooftops"
Assassin's Creed II: "Ezio's Family"
