I tried to hunt down the two that I missed, but they're the informer parts.

Which I think you can only get if you don't go to the bureau in each section right away.
Might be wrong on that though

11/15/2007 1:27:01 PM

is the stuff that's repetitive still fun....or does the repetition take all the fun out of it

(i could kill the idiot AI all day in Hitman and never get tired of it)

11/15/2007 4:46:47 PM

its fun in my opinion.

11/15/2007 5:00:51 PM

Just got to the second city. When you get to the second mission you have a choice to chose which city to go to between 2. I won't give away the city names from here on out so to leave some things for those of you that want to play the game to discover.

Been messing around with combat for a good bit of an hour and everytime I get into a fight I swear I'm seeing new moves that I haven't seen before. Its actually pretty sick to watch! Lots of crazy last samurai hollywood type stuff which I enjoy. Haven't started the 2nd mission yet cause I'm still exploring the side mission in this new city. Also the AI can be pretty smart in combat. They surround you and attack you from all sides and if you try to run they will chase you down jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Also another really sick move I would like mentioned is when I had landed on a new rooftop another guy just landed infront of me and all it took was one swing of my sword and he fell to his death. Was pretty cool to watch. I also tackled another guy off a roof and fell with him. Luckily I didn't die but almost from the fall.

11/15/2007 7:53:48 PM

from what i read they said Ai doesn't attack you...like 5 guys wait while you take them out one by one

11/15/2007 10:18:51 PM

^not true at all. They won't all attack at once but the guy behind you will attack you while you are fighting the guy infront of you etc. I've been surrounded by 5 guys and gotten my ass kicked. But I've also managed to fight my way out especially once you master the counter move.

11/15/2007 10:31:27 PM

I've had them alternate, but never attack simultaneously.

I've yet to die in a fight, but I haven't gotten the 25 guys killed in one battle sequence achievement yet either, so probably like 16ish guys in a row

11/15/2007 10:37:23 PM

I've killed quite a few. I've only died a few times and some deaths in addition have been from jumping off a building and not making it to the next building over

11/15/2007 10:39:43 PM

my 2 deaths were while trying to swim

11/15/2007 10:42:56 PM

some of the achievements look pretty darn tough. granted i've only played it for 1-2 hours. either there are some big battles or i need to pick more fights instead of blending.

11/15/2007 10:56:01 PM

eh, the ones i'm wondering about are the 25 kills in one fight and the lasting 10 minutes.

i haven't been able to pick a fight with 25 guys even dragging some around to find others.

just finished 5th assassination with full completion of the 4th and 5th areas now

11/15/2007 11:01:16 PM

^ what's your opinion having played through that much?

11/15/2007 11:18:20 PM

a number of missions are repetitive, but they do get slightly more challenging as it progresses.

I'm enjoying the game for what is given and trying to figure out just how to manage to get the perfect assassination on each of the boss kills.

I haven't been disappointed yet.
Just wish that they would have added in more variation to the voice acting for some of the missions. It would at least vary things a little more than they are.

I'm getting drawn into the story quite a bit though.

So far with repetitiveness as a negative factor I'd say it's sitting at an 8/10 so far without making it through the game completely.

I'll definitely play through it again to catch everything that I missed before.

11/15/2007 11:36:56 PM

i got the 10 minute battle achievement about an hour ago...

you don't stand a chance in major fights without mastering the counter attacks. i could easily take 25 guys, but i can't find that many. i killed about 20 at one view tower, but not quite enough.

11/17/2007 1:17:40 AM

After alerting the guards early in the game, we were expecting a metal-gear-solid-like AI, so the guy playing the game climbed up a ladder to a roof, and "hid"... we were all pleasantly amazed by the enemy's ability to climb ladders. Later, he got to one of the highest rooftops in the starting city, and for whatever reason attempted to blend. Didn't work. Shortly after, though, he was able to narrowly evade a guard by sitting next to a couple bystanders on a bench.

Nice following job by the AI, good evasion system, but... really, sitting on a bench? I suppose something is needed in an area without much cover.

11/17/2007 5:55:47 AM

Fuckin-A .... just got a white screen of death.

Damnit i am cursed

11/17/2007 11:10:48 AM

How do you do a perfect assassination? Is it just completely clearing the area of all the informers, pickpockets, and listening checkpoints? I'm in Acre working on the Hospitalier guy right now.

How many of the flags has everyone found? I've got about half of the king richard flags, but the others are proving harder. I've only killed 7 templars too.

11/17/2007 11:54:53 AM

i've gotten the 10 minute and undefeated for 100 achievements already and i'm only on the 3rd assassination...i pick a lot more fights now that i have the timing down for combos and counters.

http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/Achievements/ViewAchievementDetails.aspx?tid=%09%5d%3bei*h1%02%04&compareTo=cmoody

[Edited on November 17, 2007 at 2:21 PM. Reason : .]

11/17/2007 2:17:58 PM

There is one King Richard flag out in the kingdom that I can't figure out how to get. It's at the top of a pillar in the middle of the area that looks like Greek or Roman ruins.

11/17/2007 2:36:51 PM

Ok, I've completed through the second assassination (the Hospitalier in Acre), and I'd like to leave my impressions for anyone still looking for input on the game.

The game reminds me of a cross between Prince of Persia and Grand Theft Auto. Every assassination mission so far has elements of exploring a new city, gathering information about the target, actually figuring out how you want to kill the guy, then the assassination itself. All the targets tie directly into the story, and the story itself seems to have a great deal of depth.

I say its like Prince of Persia, because of the elements of moving around, climbing on shit, jumping etc. Very similar. It reminds me of GTA because in addition to all the main storyline objectives you have these secondary accomplishments you're trying to complete. Specialty flags are hidden in every area, very much like the spray-paint tags/sea shells/horse shoes from GTA. Finding all these has actually been a lot of fun, and they're not all easy to get to. Additionally, Templars are hidden as well, and you have an objective to kill all 60 of them too.

The AI is really impressive as other people have mentioned. There is a threat system, and when you're being attacked or followed, the AI will chase after you, climb up the sides of buildings, alert other guards, etc. Fighting is also more than just mashing buttons, but learning how to perform combo and counter attacks. Not all the fights seem to be at the same level of difficulty either. I've had some really easy encounters, but I've definitely had my ass handed to me by more than a fair share of groups.

Overall, the 15+ hours I've played have been a lot of fun. I can see where people might get tired of just trying to beat the main missions, if that's all they've got their heart set on. However, there is such a huge mix of stuff to do, that taking your time through the game might yield a better experience.

11/17/2007 3:47:33 PM

And that's the real kicker about this game. It is methodical and thorough. It isn't hack and slash. You play an assassin and not some hack-n-slash warrior running through town mowing peeps down. Even watching [user]Mr.Hand[/user] play it last night I was very captivated by what he had to do. This game doesn't seem like it is not for the a.d.d. crowd who get bored easily.

11/17/2007 3:56:13 PM

am i the only one who kills the beggars?

also, it would be nice if they'd used a little bit larger color palette in the game - i'm afraid its gonna be boring to go through the entire game only seeing tans on the screen.

[Edited on November 17, 2007 at 9:29 PM. Reason : s]

11/17/2007 9:28:36 PM

Do you think that Middle Ages Damascus was full of bright and shiny rainbows?

11/17/2007 9:42:03 PM

just finished it. Overall I really liked it. I don't buy games like these because they don't hold replay value for me (I will buy sport games usually, everything else I rent). So definitely rent it, if you can play through "story" games a few times then it's probably worth picking it up. Or if you like the side stuff like "collect all of the 'x' flags" (which unlock additional memories) then there is some value beyond the core part of the game.

After the first couple of assassinations I was getting a little bored, but the climbing and fighting get better as the game progresses and I thought the story was good. So a little slow at first, but the game gets progressively better. The character gains skills and weapons as the game progresses. Also, there are more guards, their suspicion is increased, and they get better at fighting as the game moves along. There are also different "levels" of soldiers in regards to their fighting ability. None are really that difficult to kill, it's the number of them fighting you that make the biggest difference.

Something I found to make it a little more interesting at times was to not use the map. Once you scale a viewpoint markers are placed on your map designating different "missions". So at first I would just go around climbing the towers then going to the spots on the map (very repetitive and mechanical). However, you don't need the markers to be on the map to actually do the thing that needs to be done. So later on I started to just go around the cities and find these things on my own. This made the game play longer, but less mechanized I thought.

I saw in the thread that some people said they "missed" some things. If you're using the map you shouldn't miss anything unless you chose not to do it or because it was too difficult. The informer missions in particular get more difficult as the game moves along. I didn't do the last few just because you don't need to and I knew I was close to the end and wanted to move along. But they are something I would probably go back and do because they were more challenging.

The horse riding is really good, but not mandatory after a few of the missions. You can just select which city you want and it takes you there. You can chose to ride around if you want though. While the riding was done well and I enjoyed it at first I was glad I didn't have to continue riding from city to city. It reminded me of the later GTAs where you'd have to spend a good bit of time just driving from city to city versus actually progressing in the game. Once again if you want to wonder around and find the flags and what not then you may not mind it so much.

The Assassinations: Once you enter a specific area (there is no way to tell where exactly it begins and ends) a cinematic begins. You can move around to some extent during the cinematic but that's it. This basically sets up the situation. What happens after the cinematic depends on the specific assassination. Sometimes you're left walking around and can decide how you want to go about the kill, meaning sneak in (maybe killing guards on the way) to kill a person or just flat out fight. Sometimes you have no choice and just have to fight though.

POSSIBLE SPOILER
.....
....
...
..
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Story wise I was a little annoyed by the lack of a conclusion to the main story (desmond). My roommate, who actually bought the game, told me he read that it was the first of a trilogy. But the only thing I've seen referring to a trilogy is for a novel series which was canceled. Either way it really annoys me when the story of a game just stops without a real conclusion. I want the story to finish with the game. I wouldn't mind it so much if I knew a second one was coming out in 6 months or something. But I doubt that's the case.








END POSSIBLE SPOILER

[Edited on November 17, 2007 at 11:01 PM. Reason : .]

11/17/2007 10:57:56 PM

are there ever any other side quests beyond scaling view points and saving citizens from guards? and is the only reward to those always going to be more health?

the other investigation quests seem to be disabled as soon as I get two of them completed

11/18/2007 1:50:15 AM

^ The informer tasks are side-missions as well, you don't have to do them for approval to assassinate. And while they become more difficult they are the same (for the later informer tasks there is a time limit). Toward the end I was only doing the pickpocket and eavesdropping missions. And the occasional save-the-citizen for some action. Saving the people stays the same, a few more guards to kill, but that's it. And the pick-pocket is listening to the conversation, which gives you a little about the story, and then taking the letter/map from them (too easy). So to answer your question; No, there are no new tasks and no new rewards.

That's one of the flaws in the game. The tasks were very linear, and unvarying. It would have been a lot better if the tasks had changed or become more challenging. I thought the assassinations should have been more involved too. And no crouch button? isn't that a go-to stealth move. The lack of stealth overall could be improved. I mean he just walked around cocky as hell, which is alright but stealth in this game is walking really slow with your hands folded in front of you. And that's not bad if he wasn't a guy in white robes and a hood with 15 throwing knives on the outside of the robes, a short-blade on his back, and a sword at his side. I mean, only the soldiers and guards carry swords... wouldn't this guy stand out?

If they could have made those things better I think this game would have been great and a "must have" example of what this generation of platform games could be. User control was good, I didn't like the fighting that much at first but it grew on me a lot (although use of the sword and short blade at the same time would have been a nice addition). And for some reason I wanted a bow or cross bow. The story was good enough in my opinion. It seems like it's being bashed in some reviews. It could have been revealed better but beyond that I don't get why people are saying it's bad. Ultimately I think it's a good game (I enjoyed it) and it's a great glimpse of what's down the line. I'm sure there will be a sequel and hopefully it will improve where this one failed.

Quote :

"the other investigation quests seem to be disabled as soon as I get two of them completed"

Are you going back to the bureau as soon as it says you can? Nothing was deactivated for me until I returned to the assassin's office for approval. If you don't return they should all stay on the map. So just don't go back until you're ready to be done with that section of the city.

I mentioned this a little in my last post but you can turn off the map (the entire HUD actually). It definitely changes up the feel of the game some. You have to do more exploring to find the people.

11/18/2007 3:08:17 AM

yea, they get removed from my map as soon as I finish the second task - even before I go back to the bureau.

are you playing 360 version? I'm playing ps3

11/18/2007 10:39:54 AM

duro did you get the visions of the future achievement? (if you're playing 360)

[Edited on November 18, 2007 at 11:38 AM. Reason : no s]

11/18/2007 11:37:54 AM

so whats the consensus? yay or nay?

11/18/2007 12:01:26 PM

def. yay

11/18/2007 12:06:00 PM

i think its a very individual "yay" - I recommend renting or borrowing to make sure that you'll like it. If you like the first 30 min of it enough to essentially replay it 100 times (for 50hr gameplay) then buy it. If not, then save your money.

I like it though, because I can't get enough of running up behind rooftop guards and sticking them in the neck.

[Edited on November 18, 2007 at 12:37 PM. Reason : s]

11/18/2007 12:36:30 PM

definitely yay

Quote :

"am i the only one who kills the beggars?"

Heh, no. I started off killing them, but I got tired of dodging the guards afterwards, so I just change to my fist and punch them in the face. They run off after you hit them, and usually the guards don't care.

By far the most annoying fuckers. A close second would be the retards in Acre around the Hospitalier keep. They just come up to you and push you repeatedly. I finally lost my cool and cut the guy down.

I'm still running around trying to find all the flags. I only need I'm 28/33 for the Hospitalier flags in Acre, 76/100 for King Richards, and I've killed 25ish/60 Templars. Shit is fun

11/18/2007 12:40:57 PM

if you use your wrist dagger to stab the beggars, then blend away for about 10 seconds, there's no dodging needed.

the dead beggar stays standing long enough for you to get away from the scene, before he collapses, choking on his own blood

by that time, you should be far enough away from the scene that they won't see you

that's basically how I did my first assassination - just wrist-stab all the guards while constantly doing the prayer thing. Then you can fight it out with the dude alone or just wrist stab him too. Even though it doesn't matter much, I like the idea of having killed all his body guards before going in for him.

[Edited on November 18, 2007 at 12:46 PM. Reason : s]

11/18/2007 12:45:48 PM

I'm still trying to do a perfect assassination. I came really close with the Hospitalier guy, he didn't see me before I got him but right after I dropped his ass in a dark corner all of his guards suddenly sensed my presence via ESP or the force or some other shit.

Pissed me off cause I worked really hard to get it right.

11/18/2007 1:02:36 PM

what is a perfect assassination? is it an xbox 360 achievement only or does it have significance for ps3? i feel like i've done a perfect assassination

11/18/2007 2:01:29 PM

Solinari I'm playing the 360 version.

Quote :

"duro did you get the visions of the future achievement?"

Yeah, i have 28 of the 44? achievements. I don't have any of the flag achievements. And somehow I missed a conversation with Lucy.

The beggars and drunk/mental people are really annoying. They're in every city, typically in specific locations. I would either sprint past them, use the hidden blade, or climb over them.

Sayer, what do you mean by "perfect assassination"? Are you talking about the blade in the crowd achievement?

11/18/2007 3:44:19 PM

probably where you kill someone and no one notices at all

11/18/2007 5:05:13 PM

Yeah, I thought I read somewhere that one of the achievements is to perform a perfect assassination of one of your targets, ie: no one notices. You slip in and out without raising any alarm. I still haven't been able to do this.

I did find all the flags in Masyaf, or whatever the starting town is.

11/18/2007 5:52:14 PM

^ if that's the case I don't think it's possible with the main targets. I may be mistaken though. The only way to kill people without others noticing is with the hidden blade. There are 2 main ways to kill with the hidden blade, up close (from behind or head on) and the leaping stab to the neck. And as far as I know the only way to kill someone on the street w/o anyone noticing is to walk up real close and use the hidden blade (no leaping) and then walk away as they're falling down. If you just stand next to them you're usually spotted.

For one of the assassinations I killed all of the guards on the fortress walls, climbed down right behind the guy and used the blade on him (nobody saw me before). If it were a random person on the street I would have been able to turn around and climb back up the wall undetected, but because of the cut scene you just sit over him and have a conversation. As soon as the cut scene ends the guards know you're there. They didn't see me sneak up on the guy, but they knew when he was dead, even though I did it in a way that isn't usually noticed. I think this is just built into the game.

That being said I'm fairly certain I got the "Blade in the Crowd" achievement for that kill. The description for that achievement is: "Kill one of your main targets like a true assassin". There are a couple of the assassinations which I don't specifically remember so it's possible I got that achievement for a different kill. But I don't think I killed any of the main targets without having to fight, or run and hide afterwards.

11/18/2007 5:54:32 PM

Doh, didn't even realize I had Blade in the Crowd.

Keeper of the Creed, Eagle's Talon, The Blood of a Doctor, The Blood of a Corrupt Merchant, Blade in the Crowd, The Punishment for Treason, Hero of Masyaf and the Welcome achievement.

11/18/2007 6:00:42 PM

Hopefully mine will be sitting in the mail box tonight and I can start contributing in this thread

11/19/2007 8:43:52 AM

Finished the game last night (thankfully in time for mass effect now)

I enjoyed it, although on the last fight it felt like the controls fell apart and they didn't respond the same way that they used to before. After a death or two though it fell back together and finished it up.

Thought I had talked to Lucy all I could, but now I'm thinking I missed something early on.
I need to go save more citizens in last area still, but that can be saved for the next play through.

Final rating for the game: 8.5/10
It seems to very much fit in as a "fellowship of the ring" game for the series.

Hopefully it doesn't fail too badly due to its release being so close to mass effect and mario.

I did manage to kill 25 guys in one fight and last 10 minutes in the same fight (you pretty much have to get 10min to get 25 guys)

I think in all I had to make the fight last for ~20-25 minutes dodging backwards to keep finding more guys to attack me to finally finish it.

[Edited on November 20, 2007 at 7:41 AM. Reason : .]

11/20/2007 7:36:37 AM

I just started playing last night

I agree with a lot of what's been said so far. I haven't done much yet, just the first area, and now i'm on my first assassination plot

Right now i'm just trying to find the 20 "extras" in the first area, so it's fun leaping around from building to building

11/20/2007 8:20:19 AM

if the extras mean the flags, you can only get 2 of them after completing the first assassination.

might help save some time

11/20/2007 9:41:53 AM

yeah, I didn't want to spoil anything

and I actually haven't even left to change cities yet, I'm finding flags in the initial city with the original assassin's academy or whatever

I think i'm at 12/20 right now

11/20/2007 9:48:07 AM

You won't be able to find 20/20 until you kill you finish your first assassination. After you get back from that, the little garden/harem area behind the castle opens up to you and there are some flags in there.

Didn't want you to get frustrated and start banging your head against the wall like I did

Also, there are flags out in the "Kingdom" that you can't get until you assassinate the first 3 guys. You get the Grab Ledge ability at that point, and you'll be able to get the last of them (I think, I still need ~15 that I'm trying to find).

11/20/2007 10:03:50 AM

some lame vids i through up on geevee.com

11/21/2007 12:18:27 AM

I've noticed that the controls don't seem to work consistently in fights. Sometimes I can kill 20+ people without a problem, and sometimes I'm lucky if I can take down one guard before I get slaughtered. It's not that I"m doing anything differently or that my timing is bad, it literally just feels as if the controls aren't responding the way they do the rest of the time.



5/9 assassinations complete, on my way to Jerusalem to kill the 6th.

11/21/2007 12:33:13 PM

i think that what you're experiencing is just different skill levels of guards

11/21/2007 1:05:51 PM

I haven't played a ton yet, but I agree with ^

I think that based on the skill of the guard, your "timing window" of when you can counter is smaller

11/21/2007 1:26:29 PM