Assassin's Creed

Organic gameplay: One of the most intriguing elements of our gameplay demonstration was how open-ended and alive the mission felt. We literally could have attacked our target in an infinite number of ways, including a straight on charge. The game uses sophisticated AI and even group behavior to create a dynamic universe that varies each minute. You have to meticulously plan your entry and escape routes to maximize your chances of success. You'll also have to quickly react to changing circumstances and behaviors. The end result should be a much more immersive experience. The fact that we actually lost the mission we watched is ample proof that Assassin's Creed is a different type of game.

Crowd dynamics: Next-gen console systems means more powerful graphics and AI processing, and Ubisoft Montreal appears intent on taking maximum advantage of this power in Assassin's Creed. A big part of the gameplay experience entails how you interact with and are perceived by large, medium, and small crowds of people. This notion of a true crowd AI is a first for gaming. The developers refer to this innovative new play mechanic as social "stealth". We call it a an added gameplay dimension that further enhances the authenticity of the overall experience. As an example, if you're in a rush, you can choose to push your way through the crowd, but this will draw attention and possibly incite violence against you. Another example is stated above -- climbing onto a rooftop drew the attention of the crowd.

Brand new control scheme: One of the more interesting new features we've read about is that the developers are flipping the script on controls. Instead of using arbitrary button assignations for attacking and defending, this game maps the controller's buttons to various body parts: head, arms (one button operates your non-weapon arm and the other your weapon arm), and lower body. The shoulder buttons impart intensity. As an example of how the controls work, let's say you're running through a crowd. If you hold down the low intensity shoulder button, the Assassin will attempt to squirm past people, avoiding contact. This will slow him down. If you hold down the high intensity shoulder button, the character will actively shove people out of the way, increasing his speed, but also increasing the relative danger. This same logic can be applied to combat and other maneuvers.

The gameplay possibilities introduced by this new control scheme are interesting and possibly even profound. After all, when's the last time we've seen an evolutionary leap in controls? We haven't had any hands-on time with the game yet, so it's difficult to say for sure. But this much we know: in a gaming universe full of the same forms of gameplay, innovation at the control-scheme sounds very promising.

Over-arching over-arching story: It appears that Assassin's Creed will feature numerous story layers, but one of the most intriguing elements we saw in our demo occurred at the end of our failed mission. After Altair died, the camera went white. Then, surprisingly, the very modern-day image of a doctor appeared onscreen. What could this possibly mean? We asked, but received no concrete information. Game Informer's preview indicates that the game features a unique meta story involving genetic memories across generations of time. Wow. In Conclusion?

We're going to call this one outright. Barring some kind of development disaster, Assassin's Creed is going to be a game for the ages. Rest assured that we'll be on the scene with more coverage of this riveting game as it becomes available.

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