35 Comments »

1. I picked up the game today. I only had a few hours of time with it, but so far my impression is good. the learning curve for the controls is steep, but otherwise an enjoyable experience.

   Comment by cswalker — November 14, 2007 @ 4:25 pm

2. So, that Gametrailers gave it a 9.1, but everything they say is good is followed by a but that brings the experience down. From what I can see, IGN and GT said the same things.

   Comment by Lee — November 14, 2007 @ 5:16 pm

3. so i guess good graphics,being able to climb, and decent story makes up for a short game with no online play, bad AI, bad fighting, and repetitive quests. they complained a lot and still gave it a good review

   Comment by mike — November 14, 2007 @ 5:56 pm

4. Hilary is THE worst reviewer working for the entire IGN network. She should burn in a fire.

   Comment by r gun — November 14, 2007 @ 6:19 pm

5. Hilary is a guy!! dude!!, but im agree with you, he really is the worst in ign.

   Comment by BlackNegazor — November 14, 2007 @ 6:40 pm

6. r gun, if you’re gonna say something about a person at least make it sound like you actually KNOW something, HILARY GOLDSTEIN IS A GUY YOU FOOL! thus your opinion doesn’t matter…

   Comment by Waxman — November 14, 2007 @ 6:55 pm

7. LOL, I’m wit R Gun in thinking that Hilary is probably the worst of IGN’s reviewers, bu actually is a HE and not a SHE, ROFLMFAO

   Comment by Soap — November 14, 2007 @ 7:01 pm

8. beep!

   Comment by forrest — November 14, 2007 @ 7:39 pm

9. Worst reviewer of IGN hmm? I guess you frequent the site quite often, read tons of reviews, editorials, etc.

   Funny that you missed the fact that Hilary is actually a GUY.

   IGN’s review was spot-on, I’m sad to say

   Comment by Peter M. — November 14, 2007 @ 8:08 pm

10. I was psyched about this game but after playing it for about 5 hours I can see why IGN scored it the way they did. Giving you such a huge environment with so little to actually do just makes the game feel hollow. The cities are stunning from a distance and i certainly appreciate the effort that went in to making them but once you’re inside they feel EXACTLY THE SAME. Which is a shame because anyone who’s actually been to the old city of jerusalem and akko/acre can tell you how different the cities are (i have, and yes both are still pretty much the same as they were 800 years ago). The animation is literally the best i’ve ever seen but pretty much everything else is pretty dodge. the combat is way too easy once you get the rhythm down, the AI is terrible, the controls are certainly unique but in practice you often just end up holding the free run button combo and blindly steer altiair, fingers crossed and hoping he jumps/climbs somewhere useful… with more varied missions this could’ve been better than bioshock but as it stands it feels extremely halfbaked. the fact that one of the optional quests of the game involves you hunting flags in a manner akin to GTA’s secret packages shows just how last gen a lot of this game’s design is. It’s not a bad game and like i said, the animation is phenomenal. But it’s repetitive as hell and feels like the biggest missed opportunity in the history of games. Unfortunately I too am going to have side with IGN on this one.

    Comment by trak rek — November 14, 2007 @ 8:40 pm

11. Hilary is the same guy that Gave NBA 2K8 a low review for ridiculous reasons. I know it’s all opinions, but I don’t know what you’d need to do to impress this guy. What’s more I don’t care. I’ll make up my own mind, thanks.

    Comment by Ken — November 14, 2007 @ 8:40 pm

12. So far this game is turning out to be absolutely and completely…….average. Rent before buying. Trust me.

    Comment by cuthar — November 14, 2007 @ 9:20 pm

13. I wonder if IGN changed or edited their video review of the game. Because he said these exact same thing in his video review of the game.

    Hilary: “I would go on to say that Assassins Creed would be the top 5 most dissapointing games of all time.” and “…this is a rental, there is no need to go back to play it more than once…in fact, you probably won’t even finish it once.”

    Comment by Tre — November 14, 2007 @ 9:32 pm

14. Yo, I preordered this game and it came today. I’ve played this game for about 6 hours already today and I’m not being bias but this game is great. Graphics will blow your eyes away, Being able to jump and climb up almost anything is also badass. Then we get to the missions and you have pickpocket missions, Interrogation missions, The main missions which have all been Assassination missions, I forgot the rest but there’s more than just those. The first part of the game is definitely only worth a score of 7-7.5 because it’s the tutorial and all game tutorials are lame IMO. But then they let you free to roam and complete the game as you choose. that’s when it gets (IMO) a score of 9-9.5. You get to ride a horse also. The guards seem to always be after you when you ride it fast though. A couple of tight spot where there’s bad camera angles. This game will be like GTA was where you’ll want to just go around not doing missions and killing random guards and people and seeing if you can get away from them. Did I menchion this game is huge. I think there’s 5 big cities and small towns in between those with mountains and pathways. It’s not as big as Oblivion but it’s also not an RPG. Which means it doesn’t have big huge forest, deserts, caves, etc etc etc…were there is nothing to do but walk and pick up random items. In this game you wont have to walk through a huge forest of nothingness. It’s awesome I think, If you don’t believe me at least rent the game to see for yourself. When you get your game sit back don’t criticize all the little quirks, appreciate what Ubisoft/Montreal has given us. Enjoy the game for what it is and not for what it could have been. (perfect) In other words enjoy what can be done in this game and realize that no game is perfect not even Halo 3 nor Bioshock nor SMG nor a lot of other games. Zelda: OT, MM, TP were close to perfect games but nevermind. Mass effect might be a perfect game. That’s why I preorder that game to. It’ll be here next Wednesday. Assassin’s Creed is alot like Prince of Persia but less linear more open. Just enjoy the game already and quit gripeing. Thanks

    Comment by Matt — November 14, 2007 @ 9:51 pm

15. […] Some give it around a 7 and some give it a low to mid 9, so who

    Pingback by Official Assassin's Creed Thread - Page 4 - VolNation — November 14, 2007 @ 10:14 pm

16. IGN reviews have started taking a turn for the worst. I have always checked there first and occasionally based some purchases on what they said. But in the past year they have been completely wrong and biased. Motorstorm and Resistance Fall of man were rated fairly high and both of those games had zero innovation. Are they going to say that Strangle hold is a better game than Assassins Creed? Come on.

    Comment by Lobsterbisk — November 14, 2007 @ 10:40 pm

17. I’m inclined to believe that any reviewer that gets all stiff in his knickers because “moving the thumbstick actually CONTROLS the character!”, and over the fact that you don’t have to turn the controller upside-down to jump (but still requires you to hold an extra button down, which sounds unintuitive enough already), is more likely to have had his palette smeared by a bunch of shitty games this generation, rather than beholden some messiah of 3D action games. And apparently a large proponent of gameplay is “almost gamebreaking” yet is compensated for by some buzzwords? The fact that he considers 13 hours a respectable length is all the more a sign of falling prey to diminishing standards. I can’t make any final judgment for myself…but I’m actually made more skeptical by that GT review than I am by IGN or Gamespy.

    Comment by Qial — November 14, 2007 @ 10:42 pm

18. YOU SAD SAD PEOPLE.

    Comment by fucken idiot — November 14, 2007 @ 11:15 pm

19. i got the game yesterday and to be very honest its the best looking game on 360 (don`t know about PS3 version) . the controls are smooth and highly responsive . and it gives u a real next gen feel while playing the game .
    IGN review is nothing more than crap . they said a lot about frame rate and story being so bad , but there wasnt a single problem with the frame rate in my 3 hours of game i played today .

    Comment by nauman — November 14, 2007 @ 11:59 pm

20. […] it a low to mid 9, so who ’s telling the truth and actually played through the entire game?read more | digg story Tags:  Share […]

    Pingback by Reviewers Not Sure If Assassin’s Creed Is Good | Wonder Games — November 15, 2007 @ 12:34 am

21. I have this game and I love it. I know the AI won’t attack you at obvious opportunities, but I wouldn’t want them to because I’d have to withstand 40 sword hits each fight, resulting in even less realism. I think the world is very atmospheric, the twist in the story is interesting and surprising. The free running is super fun, the sword fighting is fun and free-form, and all you need is two buttons to fight, anyway. Sure, some parts repeat themselves, but this really isn’t a problem for me because I know that the most fun part is running around beating up the homeless, assassinating random soldiers, and running as their friends come up for revenge. For my time with it I’d give it a solid 9.3 out of 10. I was completely surprised by the split between 7.5s and the 9.5s. What the hell is going on? And I’m the sort of gamer who is very picky, I don’t play Madden and I go out of my way to play games like Otogi, Katamari, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Okami, Silent Storm, and the likes. I have a fine taste for games and I like Assassin’s Creed, no matter what these haters say.

    Comment by TiE23 — November 15, 2007 @ 12:45 am

22. Waxman stfu n00b

    Comment by twonk — November 15, 2007 @ 1:27 am

23. Hilary is a loser because his name is amgibous and his reviews are a joke.
    Your all losers for caring whether some low-income nobody with a pension for poor reviews is a guy (in which case he’s some run of the mill liberal arts major who gets 50 bucks an article) or a girl (obese or blew the editor). You should all be as ashamed of yourselves as i am of you.
    Sincerely,
    Anonymous
    PS: Assassin’s Creed is like getting your first blowjob - your really excited, but your going to be disappointed by the poor gameplay (her skill).

    Comment by your all idiots — November 15, 2007 @ 2:31 am

24. The problem I think, is that most reviewers are currently blinded by the fact that they wanted the game to be good.
    I forced myself through it, tried to relax, tried to see it throug the developers eyes etc, but I still have to say: This game makes me feel it’s intended to people who have not played much games at all. I guess i’d like it if I was ten years old, but I’m 33 and find it very shallow and tedious.

    Comment by Mechano — November 15, 2007 @ 4:04 am

25. I was so pumped about this game, and even with only a few hours of gameplay, I agree with the reviewers. The story doesn’t grab my attention like I thought it would. Eye-candy… check. Fun-factor? Not so fast…

    The control-scheme is foreign at first. The gameplay style is a mix of familiar elements, but its still unlike anything I’ve played before. So, it’s challenging on those levels, and I’m ready to bear with it in order to reap the rewards. However, I’m still wondering if my only reward for wading through the repetitiveness and silly AI are the gorgeous graphics, silky smooth character animation, and an interesting yet unfocused storyline.

    Don’t get me wrong. Exploring and sightseeing inside a living, breathing historical past is awe-inducing. However, I spend more time as Altair the “land surveyor,” than Altair the “badass asassin.” (BTW, In a huge game about situational awareness, you’d think there’d be a better way to inform the gamer about the surroundings than a too-close over the shoulder view, a narrow first-person view, small radius radar, and and vague overworld map)

    So does being offput by the unfamiliar control scheme mean I am a lazy gamer? Or has Ubisoft not TAUGHT the gamer how best to play and enjoy this game?

    Perhaps if there were more rewards for exploration, ala metroid. Anyways, back to the game…

    Comment by Runamok — November 15, 2007 @ 4:09 am

26. I’d like to tell you guys that I got a copy and played this game for abotu 5 hours yesterday. I found it to be a bit steep in learning curve on the controls.
    I LOVE this game however.
    I am attracted to history in games.
    The way they handle some of the oldest most annoying things about games (areas of terrain you can’t access that are right in front of you, having a HUD make you FEEL like you’re playing a game and taking away from the realism, etc) are truly elegant and genius.
    I think that this game allows players to play through in a repetitive way if so desired but the open expanse of the world allows for many creative and inventive ways to dispatch your targets.
    I WILL admit that I would have preferred a for less linear ways of gathering informatoin but the game is so expansive to begin with that if they had added much more it might have been a little to tough to learn.
    Overall though I give it a hell yes go buy it and play it review.

    Comment by Zorandor — November 15, 2007 @ 9:05 am

27. well what jew parents named there son hilary..thats the problem with im in the first place….

    Comment by Jamie — November 15, 2007 @ 9:06 am

28. I usually love Gametrailers, but really watch that review. It’s total BS. Yeah, he says a lot of good things about the game, but then he says that the AI is almost a gamebreaker, says the combat is pointless and says the missions get repetitive. Then he goes on to give it a 9.1. While watching the review I was sitting there thinking he was describing a high 7.+ or possibly 8.0 and no higher. Then after bashing it, he gives it a great score. It blew my mind.

    Then I realized he was an early reviewer and it got me to thinking about some industry confessions about early reviews that have come out recently. Such as the guy who was told anything less than a 9 for the game he was early reviewing was unacceptable, so he bashed the game in the review and stuck on the lowest numerical representation editorial would allow.

    This is why you gotta ignore the numbers and read the words. Hell, Shawn Elliot’s recent 8 for Crysis is his idea of a good review, but there are people who’re ignoring what he has to say and freaking out because of a number.

    In this case, the above poster is correct. IGN, 1up and Gametrailers all seem to be saying the same thing. It’s just that the people given the early review of the game decided to apply a higher number.

    Comment by Adam — November 15, 2007 @ 9:57 am

29. man…! well by the look of the trailer to me at leats it looks good i really hope its that good cuz that would be really disapointed i was about to go buy it when i heard that now i dont know if to rent or buy

    Comment by KrazyQuban — November 15, 2007 @ 10:15 am

30. I’ve put about five hours into this game.

    I gotta say, so far I totally disagree with the reviews. I feel like Gabe’s Penny Arcade post (http://www.penny-arcade.com/2007/11/14/#22310) hits the nail on the head. If you put your head down and “power-through” the assassinations, you will not enjoy this game. Take time to pause, look around, and enjoy the scenery.

    Right now I’m playing this like I play Grand Theft Auto. Run around and explore my environment. Climb to the top of this and that not because it’s required, but for the hell of it. See that guy speaking to a crowd? Axe him, then run from the guards. Then maybe do a mission…

    I’m five hours in, two assassinations down. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

    Comment by Noah Callaway — November 15, 2007 @ 12:57 pm

31. ok guys I finally picked this game up yesterday after being excited about it for more than a year. the reviews started coming in and I started to get really worried, but I got to play it I love it! I’d give it an 8.5, maybe a 9. I don’t know why people think the controls are hard to get used to, they’re freakin’ easy! The graphics are the best I’ve seen on the 360, but at the same time there is a little bit of tearing (like in god of war 2) and a lot of pop-up, but it’s like the pop-up in a gta game where it really doesn’t take away from anything. the graphics are so amazing this things are easily forgivable. the combat is too easy once you learn the counter ability, but it hasn’t gotten old yet. the game does seem to get repetitive, but that’s ok because the game is fun, free running is a blast, combat is fun etc. so you won’t get bored so long as you like those things. the only other complaints I have is that its too easy to get the guards on your ass, yet at the same time they are pretty dumb. the AI is very unbalanced, and just running around always makes the guards suspicious of you. what if I’m just in a hurry!? So I think it all comes down to what you like in a game. If after reading all the reviews and you still think you wanna get it, buy it cuz you’ll like it. If you’re not sure, definitely rent it.

    Comment by a7x — November 15, 2007 @ 1:03 pm

32. I probably will never stop playing this game… Its a pretty good balance of what seems to me like Crackdown, Tenchu Z, and Prince of Persia.. I Love it personally especially the graphics and cinematics.

    Comment by DaGGy — November 15, 2007 @ 3:31 pm

33. God, what is WRONG with these low-scoring reviewers…? I bought Creed yesterday, and I’m about 1/2 way through, but I must say, it’s probably my favourite game of all time. How can anyone bash it so much? It’s a great game with very high production values. Don’t worry about IGN, they’re just a small chink (racial slur not intended) in Ubisoft’s impenetrable armour.

    Comment by Stevie B. — November 15, 2007 @ 3:36 pm

34. Personally I love AC. I think some of the reviewers, including IGNs Hil, had trouble with the game because they could not seperate the hype and their own expectations of what AC should be for them, and still be objective in their reviews.

    AC is an 8.5 in my book. No way anything lower than an 8.0.

    Comment by Mark — November 15, 2007 @ 9:03 pm

35. My expectations for this game were neutral. I didn’t expect a lot but not too little either. I LOVE IT. It’s a fantastic experience, and as you can see in gamerankings.com, Hillary and 1up are in the minority. Not necesarilly a bad thing, having a different opinion, but the majority of their claims are very personal and don’t seem to reflect everyones perspective. In contrast other reviews try to take account what different people might like or not like.

    Rent first if you’re not sure. Meanwhile I’ll enjoy owning it.

    Comment by joel — November 17, 2007 @ 5:10 am

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