I just got done reading a recent review of Assassin’s Creed on the N95 (a Nokia mobile phone device). I haven’t come across anyone who is playing this game on a mobile device, but apparently a lot of people do. It’s being called Assassin’s Creed HD. Here’s a quick excerpt of an article on Pocket Gamer:

In Assassin’s Creed HD’s case (the ‘rich’ version of last year’s Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles – Gameloft is currently putting ‘HD’ on the end of games where once it would have said ‘3D’), the mobile in our pockets represents a time machine, shoving a sword in our hands and transporting us back to the Middle East in the time of the Crusades. It’s a journey that, perhaps surprisingly, proves that the canny mobile phone can serve up sword-slicing action with the best of them, with main character Altair’s foray onto the rooftops serving up an adventure that’s as deep as it is entertaining.

The rest of the Assassin’s Creed HD review just goes into the basic info we’ve all heard before. That the game consists of a lot of running, fleeing, jumping and escaping. But it also ends on a very positive note: “Gameloft has developed one of the few mobile games that genuinely makes you forget what format you’re playing it on, widening the scope for those that follow.”

For those of you who are having trouble finding the locations of the flags in Assassin’s Creed, or are too lazy to look the for flags, here are 2 useful links:
Flag locations 1 - This is a Google Maps mashup that shows the locations of the flags in Masyaf and Damascus Poor
Flag Locations 2 - here’s a comprehensive list of screenshots with flag locations in all the world

For those of you that haven’t purchased Assassin’s Creed yet, here’s another reason to do so. The video bellow shows how you how you can assassinate someone in Stealth Mode:

We’re all waiting as the release date is just 36 hours away. In the meantime (and to whet our appetites), I’ve uploaded 5 new screen shots. Check them out in the Gallery by clicking Assassins Creed Screenshots

Now tell me this won’t be the best game of 2007 AND 2008

This is getting awesome…Check it out!

I’ve added four new screenshots to the Assassins Creed Gallery. The first three feature Altair jumping from a rooftop into a hay cart on the street, while the last one features him walking along an archway above the street.
You can view the screenshots here:
Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
Screenshot 3
Screenshot 4

You can discuss the screenshots on our Assassins Creed Forum

Heres a little preview:

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Even though Assassin’s Creed is quite far from release, it’s already being recognized for its effects. Assassin’s Creed has been nominated for an award by the Visual Effects Society. Currently the game, well, trailer, has been nominated for Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Video Game and Outstanding Pre-Rendered Visuals. Ubi Montreal employees Jade Raymond, Nicolas Cantin, Raphael Lacoste, Christophe Martin, Thomas Giroux, and Anne Mai Le Bouyonnec were also mentioned as potential honorees.

The VES Awards will be handed out at the Kodak Grand Ballroom in Hollywood, which is also the site of the Academy Awards and Nintendo’s E3 2006 press conference. I’m sure Assassin’s Creed will win, quite simply, because it blows away the competition.

Technorati Tags: Assassins Creed, Video Games, PS3, Xbox360, PC, Visual Effects Society

As predicted by TeamXbox, Assassins Creed could well be one of the best games of 2007. In TeamXbox’s article, they cite a few reasons for picking Assassins Creed, the biggest being the game’s focus on gameplay and Assassin’s Creed’s beautiful graphics. You can read their post here.

Technorati Tags: Assassins Creed, Assassin’s Creed, RPG, Action, Ubi, Video Game, Xbox 360, PS3, PC

In a recent interview with IGN TV, Veronica Mars actress Kristen Bell apparently has revelealed the plot of Assassins Creed.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW:

In the interview, she said that while parts of the story are centered around 1191 AD and the Third Crusade, there are also elements that take place in the future, although how far in the future was not revealed.
Quoting Bell,

“It’s actually really interesting to me. It’s sort of based on the research that’s sort of happening now, about the fact that your genes might be able to hold memory. And you could argue semantics and say it’s instinct, but how does a baby bird know to eat a worm, as opposed to a cockroach, if its parents don’t show it? And it’s about this science company trying to, Matrix-style, go into peoples brains and find out an ancestor who used to be an assassin, and sort of locate who that person is.”

Theres no comment on the rumor, but with the loading screen saying “memories”, she may just be right.

If you’re reading this site, you probably already have at least a passing interest in Assassins Creed. However, I know that most people don’t have the time to dedicate to following a game and keeping up with every new feature and minute hint released to the public. Thats why I’ve written up 5 reasons that Assassin’s Creed will own, so you, the reader, can learn more about the game without spending time researching.

So, let’s get started, the number one reason is…

#1 - The Crowd
- Every person around you reacts differently to you depending on how you treat them. Say you decide to be rude and push and shove your way through the crowd. The crowd will react intelligently to this and will push you back in turn. They may even be quicker to turn you over to your enemies. However, the opposite is true as well. If you respect the crowd, they will help you out, even going as far as blocking your enemies or otherwise aiding your escape.

#2 - Assassins Creed is developed by the same people that did Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.
- This one is pretty much self explanatory. You’ve got the great developers behind Prince of Persia, except now they have the power of the Xbox 360 and PS3 to fuel even more innovation and features.

#3 - Innovative New Combat System
- Assassin’s Creed has an innovative new combat system that has not been seen ever before. Currently, you use a mere 5 controls + the left thumb stick to engage in combat and guide Altair around the city. The right trigger accelerates your movement, X is jump, Y is view mode, A is attack, and B is not yet known. How do they get off with such simple controls? By making the enviroment intuitive and easy to work with. Which leads me to the next point…

#4 - Assassin’s Creed is set during the Crusades
The Crusades were a turbulent time in history that few video games have explored. The enviroment is diverse and chaotic, which lends itself to assassinations. The enviroment is also incredibly intuitive, Altair can climb walls, run along roofs, leap from buildings, and do many other nifty tricks throughout the city. For an example of wide open enviroment of Assassin’s Creed, check out the X06 preview on Gametrailers.

#5 - Altair is, well…badass
- First off, he’s an assassin, a legendary one at that, which is practically a ninja on the cool scale. Secondly, he has an ingenious switchblade that’s attached to his arm. Nuff said.

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I hope you enjoyed my little writeup. I’d also like to hear you guys’ 5 reasons Assassins Creed will own, so why not head over to the Assassins Creed Forums now.

I can’t believe I never posted this video. I humbly apoligize for this glaring mistake. Below is the live X06 demo narrated by Jade Raymond. In the demo, you get to see actual gameplay from Assassins Creed. The video showcases the interactiveness of the enviroments, as Altair climbs walls and jumps from building to building. It also demonstrates how the new crowd system will work.

If you want to see a larger version, you can check it out on Gametrailers

Ubi has just released some new screens from Assassins Creed. You can check them out at our sister site: Assassins Creed Screenshots

I think this is from around September 5th.
Jade Raymond, lead developer for Assassins Creed, talks about how their main goal for the game is to create a new and redesigned gameplay experience. They have two main ideas they are focusing on, the first being a huge free roaming world, and the second being unique crowds that react to you based on your actions.
They also go around the studio and talk to different members of the Assassins Creed developer team, which is very interesting.
Watch the video below:

In a recent IGN article, Assassins Creed devloper Ubisoft says that while the XBox 360 and PS3 versions will be “nearly identical”, the Xbox 360 version will have slightly better AI.
The article only mentions crowd AI and not enemy AI, but either way, better AI is better AI :).

Read the full article Assassins Creed AI