With so many hot titles coming out for the X-box 360, Playstation 3 owners have been patiently waiting and starving to play something that finally tests some of the PS3’s capabilities. This game will not satisfy your appetite for that “ultimate game” ( like Halo 3), but it will allow you to test the power of the console better than any fighting game out on the market for the PS3. With all the twists and turns, smoke and mirrors, and utter unpredictability, these elements make the story of this renegade assassin very intriguing. To simplify it, I will hit the basics. 2011,you start off the game as a bartender who has been kidnapped. Some mysterious scientists want you to look into their time/gene/memory machine to capture the memories of your ancestors. When you do this, you relive the life of an ancient ancestor of the bartender, Altaïr in the year 1191 AD. As this man(in the past), you fail a assassination mission (your first memory), but are given a redeeming chance: you must travel throughout the Holy Land and assassinate nine men. These men are/were profiting from and feeding the flame of war in the Third Crusade. If you accomplish the mission, you will stabilize the region and regain your proper rank with those in power.

After my first glimpse of Assassin’s Creed and I knew this was a game that had potential and sure enough, it exceeded my expectations The.overall size of the world is massive and some times might feel a bit overwhelming; but that’s not a bad thing because I would rather be overwhelmed by a game’s depth and other various dimensions than short-changed. Once you start the game you will go through a tutorial, which will take you a couple of hours; once completed you will receive a horse and are sent to the kingdom that is in the middle of the three main cities Damascus, Acre, and Jerusalem. One thing that’s interesting about this game is the developers have used realistic renderings of these cities and it includes some historical figures as well. The graphics for the game are done very well and make up a big part of why this game so compelling.

From the moment you start on your journey, you get a real sense of just how big the world is that you must travel through. There are many large towers that you can climb in various locations; once you reach the top of these towers you can press the Y button to change the camera view and take a look at the landscape— this helps to give you a better idea of where you’re at and also allows you to check for informants that will help you in locating your target. After a target has been located, the key is to try to be as sneaky as possible because if you are spotted by someone else, they will run in panic and scream for guards. Your best bet is to not be seen. Because you will follow the same sequence of targeting your mark for each kill, the developers have created some impressive AI interactivity with the guards and citizens which always keeps you on your toes. Different scenarios can happen with the guards on alert: this could possibly clear up different areas, it might allow you to get closer to your target, or have you confronted by a group of guards that don’t simply want to talk with you.

The world of Assassin’s Creed gives off an impressive feeling of realism: the street vendors talk about there merchandise, paupers beg for money, and guards and citizens fill the city streets going about their own business. The fighting style in the game is a different than your normal hack-and-slash game. A player could just repeatedly tap the X button to swing your sword, but learning how to dodge and counter attack in battle is what will determine your overall fate.

I have played both X-box 360 version and Playstation 3 version and I have found that both pretty much look and feel the same, except for a couple small components that in my opinion make the PS 3 version better. The X-box 360’s controls feel awkward compared to the PS 3. The Playstation’s button layout is easier to use especially when executing combo attacks. The graphics for each system are good, but I think they look just a little bit better on the PS 3 and the frame rate is better than the 360 version. Although these problems are very mild with the X-box the Playstation version is superior, but not by much.

Right now there are only a limited number of games out for the Playstation so if you haven’t picked up Assassin’s Creed yet why did you buy the PS3 in the first place?

Assassin’s Creed for the PS3 gets certified with an A.

Jeremy Hohman is the writer, producer and host of GameBytes a 30 minute weekly game news and review show. To see Jeremy’s latest pod cast or to rent & play the game reviewed simply go to; http://www.gnfgames.com