Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles

true <img src="/contributed/1203661162ceXeNuGh0M.jpg" alt="" /> For the longest time the only piece of documentation proving that Ubisoft was, indeed, making Assassin’s Creed DS was a few kilobytes of data on the Gamestop release schedule. Missing was the PC version, which was confirmed, leading many to believe that the Nintendo DS version was simply a placeholder for that version until some unknown problem was cleared up. I actually believe this was the case, and Ubisoft heard the confusion of gamers and decided it was in their best interest to scramble together a portable version of the most technologically advanced game released this generation. Regardless of any of that information, I am going to say this blunt statement right away: Assassin’s Creed: Altaïrs’s Chronicles is one of the best Nintendo 64 games I have ever played. No, that is not a typo, it is just the feeling I had while playing the game. The game is about as suited for the Nintendo DS as a pair of boots is for a slug, and nearly every feature of the game that takes advantage of its “unique” abilities comes off as insanely heavy handed.  I say nearly because there is a glaring exception among the awfulness, as the Elite Beat Agents inspired interrogation sequences are as stellar as they are disturbing. You find yourself poking, prodding, and twisting different parts of the back of random people in order for them to point along the path you were already traveling and tell you to hit a switch that is shining white. Compared to the other uses of the DS’s features, which are (in order of their inanity) picking pockets of people you can almost always kill as soon as you take the key, clicking on enemies to fire at them with a bow in what could be the absolute worst use of the touch screen yet, and blowing into the microphone to clear away sand from random, unnecessary treasure chests, poking the bare backs of passersby’s comes off as the most fun and inventive. <img src="/contributed/1203661293EFPimoQDUq.jpg" alt="" /> Unlike the console version, the gameplay involves Altaïr decimating the entire Order of the Templar in events that would have undoubtedly been mentioned in the sequel (see: Star Wars Syndrome). Like the console version, it is meant to be played in short bursts unless you want to grow tired of repetitive gameplay and fighting the same boss over, and over, and over, and over, and over. While its big brother on the console would smack the hell out of it for being a stereotypical platformer (complete with spike traps, fire pits, and slow moving platforms right out of the Mushroom Kingdom) it is a blast and actually fits the handheld idea more then even Phantom Hourglass due to frequent checkpoints. Combat might appear deep at a glance, but after a while you will find yourself attacking with the same two button combo unless you are fighting a boss, in which case it is just God of War, hitting X or Y when the game decides it wants you to poke someone in the neck. It does have its share of insane moments that make me wonder exactly how much thought went into some parts of the game. Altaïr makes use of disguises in his portable outing, killing random guards to take their costumes in odd, spur of the moment decisions. At one point in the game you are supposed to change disguises three times to trick different sets of guards into letting you pass. Why you don’t take the outfits of one of the higher ranked guards as you dispose of dozens of them on the way to the next checkpoint is beyond me, as is why I was forced to kill a scholar to steal his white cloak when later in the game my normal garb was more then fitting enough to pass off as one. It is things like this that make some gamers hate the handheld platform, as developers get ridiculously sloppy in storytelling and just do whatever feels right at the moment. <img src="/contributed/120366119817JxxNw2Gq.jpg" alt="" /> Just like many other series that get the downsize to a portable title, Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles focuses less on combat and more on platforming. For most of the game this actually works, allowing for players to guide Altaïr over buildings and through cities with easy. Because of the smooth framerate the game is very fast, with some of the action rivaling the speed of the console version. This can hit a wall at times, as the camera can literally find itself behind an actual wall, obstructing vision completely and relying on the grunts of enemies to know when a blow has been landed. Graphics also, obviously, were downgraded to fit onto the small screen, but they still look fantastic most of the time. Ubisoft could have easily cut its losses with graphics by never showing the characters closely, but they blew that chance by showing your character lying on the ground on a blank screen upon death (a screen which you will surely become intimately familiar with). When you get the super close look at the limp, corpse of Altaïr you realize he has about four polygons putting him together, which should make for some interesting paper crafts. The plot is complete garbage and doesn’t tie in at all to the console sequel. It is easier to pretend this is just a dream Altaïr has instead of something that actually happened in the cannon of the story if you want to take any of the inevitable sequels seriously, because his actions in this game set him far apart from “just another blade in the crowd.” The plot never actually encumbers the game and it is obvious that any elements added to the story were just to make some of the silly level choices easier to swallow. Even so, I still actually enjoyed the game and would recommend it for anyone looking for some action on the DS. It isn’t the console version by any stretch of the imagination, but it doesn’t really try to be. <img src="/contributed/1179941578DGVahDLFCu.jpg" alt="" /> review

2008-02-22T01:33:51-05:00

<img src="/contributed/1203661162ceXeNuGh0M.jpg" alt="" /> For the longest time the only piece of documentation proving that Ubisoft was, indeed, making Assassin’s Creed DS was a few kilobytes of data on the Gamestop release schedule. Missing was the PC version, which was confirmed, leading many to believe that the Nintendo DS version was simply a placeholder for that version until some unknown problem was cleared up. I actually believe this was the case, and Ubisoft heard the confusion of gamers and decided it was in their best interest to scramble together a portable version of the most technologically advanced game released this generation. Regardless of any of that information, I am going to say this blunt statement right away: Assassin’s Creed: Altaïrs’s Chronicles is one of the best Nintendo 64 games I have ever played. No, that is not a typo, it is just the feeling I had while playing the game. The game is about as suited for the Nintendo DS as a pair of boots is for a slug, and nearly every feature of the game that takes advantage of its “unique” abilities comes off as insanely heavy handed.  I say nearly because there is a glaring exception among the awfulness, as the Elite Beat Agents inspired interrogation sequences are as stellar as they are disturbing. You find yourself poking, prodding, and twisting different parts of the back of random people in order for them to point along the path you were already traveling and tell you to hit a switch that is shining white. Compared to the other uses of the DS’s features, which are (in order of their inanity) picking pockets of people you can almost always kill as soon as you take the key, clicking on enemies to fire at them with a bow in what could be the absolute worst use of the touch screen yet, and blowing into the microphone to clear away sand from random, unnecessary treasure chests, poking the bare backs of passersby’s comes off as the most fun and inventive.

8838

2462

2008-02-23T15:17:32-05:00

false

2008-02-22T01:33:51-05:00

11624

7.0

assassin_s_creed_alta_r_s_chronicles_ds published Everything is Real, Some Stuff is Permitted Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles - Nintendo DS

2009-11-29T21:59:00-05:00

328