I have to admit I was not looking forward to this game because some of the negative reviews and the fact I hate stealth games like Splinter Cell.  The Idea of having to act all stealthy is really annoying.  Well after playing a few hours over the weekend I can see I was totally wrong about this game.  So far I am loving this game.

If you didn't know Assassin's Creed takes place during the Third Crusades in the Middle East.  You are apart of the Assassin's Brotherhood and have fallen out of favor.  You have been tasked to assassinate 9 people that are in Jerusalem, Acre, Damascus and Masyaf.  You are based in Masyaf which is a safe haven for you while in Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus you are not welcome and if recognized the guards will try to kill you.  For the most part you blend in and do not get noticed unless you kill someone.

So far I'm really enjoying that this game has a lot more emphasis on action than stealth.  You will need to sneak into cities and guarded areas but for the most part once you are in the city you can walk around freely.  You will have occasion to unsheathe your blade to kill a few guards harassing citizens and scholars or the occasional Templar Knight.  The sword fighting in this game really is excellent and gives you some nice cinematic finish moves if you counter at the right time. 

The game to me feels like a bit  like Mercenaries meets Crackdown in the Dark Ages.  You have three huge cities to explore as they become available where you will need to perform tasks to be able to assassinate your target.  Each target requires your to find 3 of 6 tasks to gain knowledge on your target.  They break down to a pickpocket, eavesdropping and interrogation.  You will need to complete one of each and then a second of each will be available.  For the most part they are easy to get and provide some nice information about how evil the people you are killing.

As you explore the cities there are lookout areas you can climb up to to get a better view of the city.  These sites help you locate the local Assassin's HQ and help you locate citizens to protect and maybe see some flags to gather.  Each area has several flags for you to track down.

I am really impressed with this game so far.  It is a very beautiful game with great attention to detail in the cities and surrounding game world.  I have seen some bugs where I've had to repeat a side mission and there is limited dialog for the citizens you save.  Still this game is a a lot of fun to play and the cities are fun to tool around in.  I hope I can keep coming back to the cities after I have completed all the assassinations but just in case I'm taking my time saving citizens and climbing peaks.

wiki - Assassin's_Creed