Assassin's Creed (Series)

Genres	Third person, action, stealth,sandbox
Developers	Ubisoft Montreal Gameloft Gryphonite Studios
Publishers	Ubisoft
Creators	Patrice Desilets
First release	Assassin's Creed 14 November 2007
Latest release	Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 16 November 2010

Assassin's Creed saw its first release at the end of 2007 and is now an award-winning historical fantasy video game series. It currently consists of six games, with one to be added, a short film (split into three episodes), a novel and a comic book. The games have appeared on iOS, Windows, Nintendo DS, PS3, PSP, Mac OS X, Xbox 360, Android and Windows 7 Phone.

Overview

The main plot for all the AC series takes place in the year 2012. It is implied that the 2010 of the game's timeline is rife with chaos and confusion. Amidst this strife, Abstergo, a megacorporation has devised a plan to seize control of the minds and free will of every person on Earth. To achieve this goal, they must locate artifacts called "Pieces of Eden". Abstergo kidnaps Desmond Miles, a bartender who as a child was an assassin trainee, to search his ancestors' memories stored in his DNA in order to find the artifacts. He is forced to enter the Animus , a machine that allows for the viewing of such memories.

Animus

Lets get on with the games that released on Windows, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Assassin's Creed

Released worldwide in November 2007 on PS3 and Xbox 360 and April 2008 for PC. Assassin's Creed takes place during the Third Crusade, with the plot revolving around a Muslim Shia sect known as the Secret Order of Hashshashin (Assassins). The player is in reality playing as a modern day man Desmond Miles, who through the use of a machine "Animus", is allowed the viewing and controlling of the protagonist's genetic memories of his ancestors, in this case, Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad, a member of the Hashshashin.

Gameplay

In the game, the player primarily assumes the role of Altaïr as experienced by Desmond Miles. The primary goal of the game is to carry out a series of assassinations ordered by Al Mualim, the leader of the Assassins. To achieve this goal, the player must travel from the Brotherhood's headquarters in Masyaf, across the terrain of the Holy Land to one of the three cities, Jerusalem, Acre or Damascus, to find the Brotherhood agent in that city. The agent provides a safe house and minimal information about the target. Thus requiring the player to perform additional intelligence gathering missions before attempting the assassination. Missions include eavesdropping, interrogation, pickpocketing. Player can also take part in any number of side objectives in the open world environments. After completing each set of assassinations, the player is returned back to the Brotherhood and rewarded with a better weapon and then given another set of targets, with the player free to select the order of certain targets.

There were generally positive reviews, although several publications, while still awarding the game decent scores, pointed out a number of significant shortcomings. Eurogamer stated that the gameplay "never evolves and ultimately becomes a bit boring and quite amazingly repetitive".

Assassin's Creed won several awards at E3 2006. Game Critics awarded it "Best Action/Adventure Game," from IGN, "Best Action Game", "PS3 Game of the Show", "Best PS3 Action Game", "Best PS3 Graphics"; from GameSpot and GameSpy, "Best PS3 Game of the Show"; from GameTrailers "Best of Show", and from 1UP.com, "Best PS3 game". Creed was nominated for several other awards by X-Play and Spike TV.

Assassin's Creed II

The 2nd installment in the Assassin's Creed series, the game was released for consoles in November 2009 and for PC in March 2010. The game starts with the player controlled protagonist Desmond Miles escaping Abstergo Industries with Lucy Stillman, an employee seen in the first game. After escaping , Desmond enters the Animus 2.0 which is more advanced. In this game Desmond relives the genetic memories of nobleman Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who lived in the Renaissance period of late 15th Century in Italy. The player controls Ezio who becomes an Assassin after his father and brothers are murdered by a traitor to the Auditore family.

The Animus 2.0

Gameplay

Unlike the 1st game, AC II takes place in open world with non-linear gameplay, allowing the player to roam freely within several regions such as Venice, Florence and Tuscan countryside. The player can now swim in water, and eagle vision - the ability to identify specific people and landmarks - can now be used in third-person view and while moving. A young Leonardo da Vinci is present in the game, aiding the player by creating new weapons from translated "codex pages" that Altaïr left behind for future assassins' analysis and insight.

The combat system is more complex than that of its predecessor, with the ability to disarm opponents.  Leonardo provides the player with specialized weaponry such as dual hidden blades, poison blades and the miniature firearm.

Ezio killing with the dual hidden blades

Ezio as seen flying the contraption created by Leonardo da Vinci

Upon release, Assassin's Creed II garnered widespread critical acclaim. Review aggregator site Metacritic gave the Xbox 360 and PS3 version a score of 91. Despite the game being "fun and beautiful" the game was hindered by Ubisoft's DRM , a security feature which required the user to be connected to the internet.

According to the pre-official sales estimate, AC2 had sold 1.6 million copies worldwide during its first week of sale, representing a 32% increase over the first week retail performance of the original AC. As of Feb 2010, the game has shipped 8 million copies.

At the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards,Assassin's Creed II was named Best Action Adventure Game, and IGN named it as the Action Game of the Year for Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Game of the Year. Game Informer also named it as Xbox 360 Game of the Year. It also received Game of the Year from GamePro, Eurogamer and The New York Times. Assassin's Creed II has been nominated for the "Outstanding Achievement in Animation", "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction", "Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering", "Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering", "Outstanding Achievement in Original Story", "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition", "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design", "Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction", "Adventure Game of the Year" and "Overall Game of the Year" Interactive Achievement Awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. The game was also nominated for several Game Developers Choice Awards including "Best Game Design", "Best Visual Art", "Best Technology", and "Game of the Year".

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Released for PS3 and Xbox 360 in Nov 2010 and due for release on Microsoft Windows in Q1 2011, the game is a direct sequel to the Assassin's Creed II. It is the first game in the main series to feature a multiplayer mode.

Assassin's Creed : Brotherhood emphasizes on sandbox style gameplay in an open world of Italy. The game introduces a brand-new management system : the player can recruit new members by destroying any of the twelve "Borgia towers" around Rome where papal troops are stationed, then rescuing disgruntled citizens in their districts from harassing guards. The player as Ezio can then send them to assignments around Europe or call them for support during missions.The player can customize the Assassins appearance, skills and weapon training by spending the skill points they've earned. Assassins can die on missions, from which they will not return.

Ezio using the BAM system (Brotherhood Assist Move)

The player will have to rebuild Rome, which has fallen into ruin due to the corrupt rule of the Templars over Papal States and concentrating all the wealth in the Vatican. They player will have to conquer and destroy Borgia's towers to free city zones from the family's influence. Rome is the biggest city ever created after the first two installments and includes five varied districts : Vatican, Downtown, Tiber, Country and Antique.

The combat system has been upgraded to be faster and more dynamic. The AI in this game is more aggressive and enemies can attack simultaneously. Brotherhood also introduces various types of horse related assassinations, featuring horse to horse assassinations.


Multiplayer


Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the first game in the main series to feature multiplayer mode. It was heralded by many at E3 2010, where it was showcased for the first time.GameTrailers awarded it as the Best Multiplayer Game of the show. Multiplayer portion ofAssassin's Creed: Brotherhood was generally well-received by critics

The players are Templars in training at the Abstergo facility. They use the animi (plural for animus) seen at the beginning of Assassin's Creed II to access memories of Assassins and to acquire their skills using the "bleeding effect". There are four game modes and different maps, including the areas from the first and the second game like Florence, as well as new maps like Rome, Castel Gandolfo, Siena and the newly announced Mont- Saint Michael.The gameplay in multiplayer mode is similar to the core gameplay of the series, as players are required to use their assassination and stealth skills. The players must hunt down targets while being hunted themselves. Players earn points by completing each assassination without being detected and escaping after each kill. Breaking cover makes the player visible to other gamers and makes them easier to assassinate.

The multiplayer mode also includes a leveling system, which allows players to unlock rewards by earning experience points during the matches and gaining new levels. Players can then unlock abilities, perks and streaks. Abilities are active skills, which can be used again only after a cooldown time. Perks are passive skills, which can be equipped before the match and they are active all the time. Streaks are bonuses awarded for reaching certain number of successful or failed contracts.

The multiplayer beta, exclusive for PlayStation 3 users, was announced at E3 2010. It began on 4 October 2010, with early access for Playstation Plus subscribers from 27 September, and ended on 18 October 2010. Three maps have been playable in the beta: Rome, Castel Gandolfo and Siena.

Game Modes

In Wanted, up to eight players are dropped on a map of medium size where they must find and assassinate each other. However, the rule is not the one of a standard deathmatch but rather a cat-and-mouse game. Each player is given another player as a target. The goal is to find and kill a target without being seen or killed by the player's own predator. If the player breaks cover, the target will be warned and will run away, starting a chase sequence. The player with the highest score wins. Points will be removed for dying or killing NPCs, otherwise players would feel the need to kill everyone in sight. A player cannot interact with another player who is neither the target or the hunter of that player, but they can stun their hunter. This mode is very similar to the multiplayer mode of The Ship.

In Wanted, one player chooses a character and is assigned a target to kill. The other players must find and stop the assassin. This mode relies on use of NPC characters to make it more difficult as there can be several characters who look like the target in the same area, and any visual customizations on a player character will be shared by their NPC counterparts. Killing an innocent person cancels the assassination contract.

Advanced Wanted mode is a variant of Wanted mode, with the only difference involving the player's radar no longer specifying the height of the target.

In Alliance, there are three teams, each limited to 2 players. Each team represents a character. The point of this mode is to get more points than the other team, but each team is chased by another and is only allowed to kill one specific team (not the team chasing them, but they will be able to stun the team hunting them). This mode encourages players to work together, as teammates can help each other or they can assassinate their target simultaneously.

In Manhunt there are two teams of four. One team is the hunters, the other is the hunted. Each team looks like a specific character and takes turns being the hunter and the hunted. Hunters obtain points by assassinations, while the hunted obtain points from escapes, stuns, and remaining incognito. The team with the highest score wins.

Plot

Ezio's story begins in 1499 as he exits the vault, still confused by what he saw inside. He escapes Rome with his uncle Mario Auditore and arrives at Monteriggioni. Soon after that, his city is besieged by Cesare Borgia, son of Rodrigo Borgia. The Assassins are overpowered by this attack and the entire city is left in ruins. Mario dies in the attack, after being shot by Cesare, and the Apple of Eden, the mysterious artifact of great power, is lost to Cesare Borgia and the Templars. Ezio escapes with his family and decides to travel to Rome, the center of the Templar Order in Italy. As a Master Assassin, Ezio will have to reestablish the Assassin Brotherhood in Rome and destroy the Templars, as well as his new arch-nemesis,Cesare Borgia, son of the Pope.The story is set in 2012. After escaping the Templars' attack at the end of Assassin's Creed 2, Desmond Miles and other modern-day Assassins go to Monteriggioni and set up a new hideout in the ruins of Villa Auditore. After restoring the electricity in the old tunnels under the villa, the player once again takes control of Ezio Auditore through the genetic memory of Desmond Miles using the Animus 2.0 (which is the game's memory interface).

During the attack on the Villa, Ezio's ally and love interest Caterina Sforza was taken away by Cesare's army. While trying to rescue Caterina from the Castel Sant Angelo, Ezio witnesses Cesare passionately kissing his sister, Lucrezia Borgia. Once Cesare has left, Ezio is able to sneak into the Castel, hold Lucrezia hostage, and use her to free Caterina from her cell. Not long after the rescue, Ezio is made head of the Assassin order, and promoted to the rank of Il Mentore due to his attempts to rebuild their brotherhood.

Towards the end of the game, Rodrigo becomes suspicious of his son's activities. Using his power as Pope, he withdraws the funding that Cesare needs to keep his army running, and then attempts to murder him using a poisoned apple. Cesare, saved from death by his sister, turns the tables on his father by shoving the poisoned apple in his mouth when Rodrigo refuses to reveal the location of the Apple of Eden. When Cesare storms off to look for the artifact - destroying his relationship with his sister in the process - Ezio races ahead and uses the Apple to destroy Cesare's army and to make his supporters withdraw their backing from his campaign to become King of Italy. When all of his "friends" have abandoned him, Cesare is arrested by the new Pope's Papal Army for murder and incest, finally leaving Rome in peace.

Ezio, however, is not convinced, and so uses the Apple to check up on Cesare. He discovers that the Borgia Captain General has escaped from his prison and has launched an attack on a small city in Spain. Ezio arrives and corners Cesare on the battlements of a crumbling castle. Ezio and Cesare engage in a sword fight, but Ezio quickly overpowers his enemy. Cesare, however, refuses to be killed by the hand of man, and so Ezio decides to "let fate decide". He pushes Cesare off the castle battlements, and therefore does not directly kill him. Ezio then takes the apple and hides it in a place in which no-one will find it - another temple, this one built underneath il Colosseo - the Colosseum.

Using the co-ordinates taken from Ezio's memories, Desmond, Lucy and the other modern-day assassins open the temple in a bid to steal the Apple to prevent the Templars from getting their hands on it. The plan goes wrong, however, as soon as Desmond touches the Apple. His DNA activates the apple, and it takes control over his body, freezing everyone around him and forcing him to draw his hidden blade. The goddess Juno, for whom the Temple is created, explains that there is someone who will accompany Desmond through "the portal," but that someone is not within their sight and must be "awakened". The Apple then forces Desmond to stab Lucy, and Juno tells him to awaken the other temples alone. The artifact then deactivates itself, and Desmond and Lucy crumple to the floor, unconscious.

As the credits roll, two men are heard arguing among themselves. The two men decide to put him back into the Animus to prevent him going into shock.

Reception

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	91/100
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	A-
Edge	8/10
Eurogamer	10/10
Game Informer	9.25/10
GamePro
GameSpot	8.5/10
GameTrailers	9/10
IGN	8/10

Reception of the game has been very positive. It currently holds an aggregated score on Metacritic of 91 for the Playstation 3 version and 90 for the Xbox 360 version, both signifying "Universal Acclaim". Eurogamer praised the game, giving it a perfect 10/10 score. Game Informer gave the game a 9.25/10, commenting that the ability to raise a group of followers was a significant enhancement to the previous title's gameplay, and praising the new multiplayer mode as something never before seen. The magazine's review also gave very high marks to the graphics, sound effects and voice acting. Its lone criticisms were with the game's story, namely that it may be difficult for new players to approach and that it is complicated, carefully treading the "fine line between a good mystery and overly obscure nonsense." Video game talk show Good Game's two presenters gave the game an 8 and 7.5 out 10, however, saying that the game felt like a very big expansion, praising the addition of a 'kill streak' however feeling that the main story wasn't as motivated as the last game Overall stating "I thought I wasn't ready to let go of the Ezio story, yet. And - it's clear the devs weren't either. But I just don't know that these new additions were enough to warrant an entirely new game as a continuation of the Ezio story - when so little effort was put into making it compelling this time. Now I kind of just wish they'd saved all of this stuff for a potential Assassin's Creed 3 - with a new character, a new setting and best of all, a new story- I'd have been blown away!" At the Spike Video Game Awards, It was awarded best Action/Adventure game of the year. The game crossed the one million sales mark in less than a week after its release. Due to this fact, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has become Ubisoft's fastest-selling European title ever. It also had the best Ubisoft's launch in Europe and is the best-selling launch title ever as of November 2010. It also helped the Assassin's Creed series as a whole achieve over 20 million units sold.

Future Development

Assassin's Creed is a flagship property for Ubisoft. Some Ubisoft Montreal's developers stated in their interviews that Assassin's Creed III will be released eventually. The game will introduce a new character in an entirely new setting. There has been much speculation about possible settings of this game. Corey May stated that Assassin's Creed III will not take place during World War II. No other official information has been yet announced. Jean-Francois Boivin of Ubisoft stated that each numbered title in the franchise will introduce a new lead character and a new setting. Patrice Désilets, former series' creative director, said that the series has always been planned as a trilogy. He also commented on the story ofAssassin's Creed III, saying that it will focus on Assassins' quest to prevent the end of the world in 2012 and their race against time to find temples built by "those who came before". Desmond would have to search for clues on locations of these temples by exploring memories of his other ancestors. Asked about future of the series, Sébastien Puel from Ubisoft said that "[...] we could do 35 of these [Assassin's Creed games]".

In November 2010, Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot teased "something Assassin's related" in 2011, despite earlier statement by Ubisoft Montreal's Jean-Francois Boivin that no Assassin's Creed game will be released in 2011. Geoffroy Sardin of Ubisoft has later confirmed that it will be a "big" Assassin's Creed game. He has also hinted at the possible setting of next game, pointing out other franchise releases, such as Assassin's Creed comics and their settings, such as USSR or ancient Rome. More information will be available early next year. Guillemot also explained that ultimate goal for Ubisoft is to release new games in the franchise annually along with other Ubisoft's most popular franchises.