Assassin's Creed - Xbox 360

I'm not normally a fan of stealth action or platform games - Assassin's Creed wasn't on my shopping list until Gabe at Penny Arcade convinced me otherwise.

It is a truly beautiful game. The first sight of Damascus is breathtaking. Player character animation is fluid and graceful. Climbing (one of the key mechanics) is simple to control but still a joy to behold. Horse riding is also well implemented. However combat from the saddle is generally short lived (is there a market here? Sparhawk anyone?).

For me, most scenarios degenerated into sword-fights. Admittedly by "degenerate", I mean morph into beautifully choreographed, visceral steel-play - and I prefer the direct approach anyway. Knife fights can be *very* satisfying, especially on rooftops. :-) [The one-context-sensitive-button approach bugs some players, see below].

The futuristic bent on the medieval theme works surprisingly well. It also serves as a useful plot device for fast-forwarding directly to the action. The story fizzles a little at the close of this installment as the sequel directions are left wide open but I was four-armed [sic] and forewarned about that.

The pseudo-interactive cut-scenes also serve their purpose admirably - presuming that purpose is:

• look very pretty.
• provide further (brief) insight into a character who normally doesn't have a long life expectancy.

'Creed is not perfect e.g. making collectible objects (flags) look like graphical glitches isn't a good call unless the game is completely free of graphical glitches. A Crackdown-like aural cue when the player is close to such objects would have been a welcome addition. On the topic of sound, the NPC dialog can be repetitive, especially for tasks should as "Save Citizen". The combat-camera logic can also be a little unhelpful - it would be nice if it put it back where it came after it temporarily wrests control from the player.

On the whole, I'm glad I bought it. Thanks Gabe!

PS This is a big step closer to fulfilling the Quake to Half-Life 2, Crackdown to ???, "prophecy". Maybe the sequel(s) will reach those heady heights. ;-)

PPS Zero Punctuation takes a stab.

Crackdown - Xbox 360

Crackdown is an empty vessel but it can make a LOT of appealing noise. It is devoid of significant characters except for the sarcastic, disembodied voice that serves as co-pilot and tutor to your mute, latent superhuman aka "Agent". Anyone who played GTA or any of its clones will be familiar with Crackdown's open world style. Its contribution to the genre is being able to pick up a "commandeered" car (or Scud missile transport), jump from the street to the roof of a several story building in a single leap while carrying said vehicle, drive said vehicle while atop said building and...take it from there...It sets the bar for future super-hero games and some Spiderman 3 reviews are already comparing that game in a negative light to Realtime Worlds' offering.

The recent downloadable content with additional vehicles and activities is also worthwhile. "Street Racing" Crackdown-style can be particularly entertaining; while your AI competitors try to navigate the city at high speed, you build roadblocks, shoot out their tyres...or whatever takes your fancy.

A friend noted that he considered Quake a tapestry with Half-Life 2 being the masterpiece. It will be interesting to see how future titles paint the bar that Crackdown has raised.