Assassin's Creed III

AC III

Sometimes things take a turn you don't expect.

I did not expect AC III's cover to look anything like this.

The storyline for the AC series is framed Desmond, who is linked to all the MCs of the individual releases. Desmond relives the stories of his ancestors through a device that taps into a latent memory stored in his DNA. Very cool idea. So, to recap:

The first game is in the perspective of Altaïr, set in Third Crusade Masyaf, Acre, Jerusalem and Damascus. Lots of Old buildings and castles to climb.

The second and two following games were through the eyes of Ezio Auditore. Game two, and game two and a half, were set in Italy. We all loved it. Game two and three quarters was in Istanbul, but really just felt like Italy with a few costume changes. Again, lots of castles and neat old buildings.

The "third" game is in the perpective of a new character, set in the American Revolution? That's a big change - as in change continents, and fast forward. The main character, Connor, is part Native American, part British. It looks like he takes the eagle theme even futher into shape changing. No chance for castles here, folks. I'll definitely be buying it, but -

What about the world that we enjoyed in the past versions of this game? There's a reason the whole AC II ++ was in a similar setting. Are we ready to move on? Maybe.

This is a question I ask myself about the books I read and the manuscripts I write. If book one does a good job immersing us in a specific world, why change it? Most readers aren't ready to move on yet either, which must be why there's a whole trilogy trend. But-

When we get past book three, aren't we ready to move on?

For me, I find that three books in a series is adequate. Lots of times I won't even read whatever follows. I don't have time. It's like travel. How many times should I visit Italy, when there are so many other destinations in the world I still have to see?

What do you think?

Haystacks & Hydrangeas à la Assassin's Creed

True to Ezio's previous adventures, there are plenty of haystacks to hide in throughout Assassin's Creed - Revelations. True to Istanbul, there are also plenty of hydrangeas, or what the locals call hortensia (hydrangea macrophylla). Although I wouldn't want to be jumping into them like Ezio does, hortensia bushes in all shades of blue and lilac are found in parks and palaces across the city - in real life and in AC-R. Little details like this are the reason I enjoyed exploring the game.  
Here's my take on AC-R:

Topkapi Palace is detailed fairly well, as is the Grand Bazaar, and other landmarks like Hagia Sofia, the Galata Tower, and the Maiden's Tower. The rest of the city feels like any other AC game, except for the minarets. Tile roofs and towers, courtyards and caverns. The programmers threw in some carpets for effect, but it feels like Ezio could be anywhere, especially since the Bosphorus looks like a small river or maybe a Venetian waterway. (The Bosphorus is much wider in real life and you wouldn't want to swim across, my dear Ezio.)

But if you like Ezio's previous worlds, then the familiarity is a plus. (Even I can't really complain.) I was disappointed with the way programmers handled the Yerebatan Sarnici. They must have had plenty of leftover code and thought they could get away with chopping it up into sections. I can almost forgive them. There are plenty of cisterns under the city which might fit into their labyrinthine plan, and some of them must connect to Yerebatan Sarnici. What I don't accept is the way programmers handled the caves of Cappadocia.

Problem #1: There are no navigable rivers in Cappadocia, yet Ezio hops on a ship in Istanbul and lands right at the hidden entrance to a rock city.

Problem #2: The city is inside a huge cave. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the cities of Cappadocia are carved into cliff faces, or dug seven stories down like ground squirrel warrens. Supersized, giant caves? Felt like a device the programmers used so they could suspend a challenge from the ceiling. *ahem*

So besides hydrangeas and aptly placed white tulips, what did I love about AC-R?

wikia.com

Turkish is interlaced in conversation. Push someone as you run past and you might get a dose of interesting insults. Some of the women standing around have stories to tell about their lives too, if you listen. I think they used some native speakers because the accent was pretty pure.

Otherwise, the city folk are pretty standard. Instead of Venetian courtesans, we swap out a few dresses et voilà: Romani gypsies. Veiled women and turbaned men roam the streets in between groups of Ottoman Janissaries, who look pretty darned awesome in their detailed uniforms. I've got a thing for Janissaries though, so maybe it's just me. Uniforms aside, there isn't much difference between them and the Byzantines supporting theTemplars of the AC-R conflict. All guards act the same as any soldiers in previous AC games.

Bottom line: don't expect anything outrageously different from AC-R. Expect to spend some more time with Ezio Auditore da Firenze, relive a few scenes with Altaïr, and help Desmond out with the Animus.

You know what to you need to do. 

Psst...Go play the game! Desmond is up next. ;)

Assassin's Creed - in Istanbul!



psnathome.com

You all know how crazed I am about Assassin's Creed, right? Well, triple that and add 200% - because the next installment, Revelations, is set in Istanbul -Constantinople, circa 1400.

*Insert enormous grin.*

So today I'm sharing the teaser trailer from Ubisoft, but first you need to watch this AC parody with Johnny Depp from The Tourist. (I knew that movie was good for something. ;) LMAO!)



Here's one of the AC4 teaser trailers - no sound - that are circulating around the web. I said Istanbul/Constantinople above, because I'm not sure how the story line is going to play out. The trailer has both the Byzantine double eagle and the Ottoman Tugra of the Sultan. Also, the key date for the name change is 1453. We don't know the exact timeline the Assassin's Creed alternate history will use, even if Ubisoft gives us a few specific dates. Looks like we might get Ezio and Altair in this game too. I have no problem with that. :)




Another cool game that's partially set in Istanbul is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The main character, Nathan Drake, spends some time there tracking down the Çintemani stone. (I <3 çintemani in a big way. Maybe I should write a post about it...I'm thinking of renaming my blog after it actually. Methinks these two thoughts are serendipitous.) And maybe you didn't realize it, but once upon a time, Johnny Depp's hat found some Turkish sailors. Right before the kraken ate them. (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest). Ooops!

Related articles

• 'Assassin's Creed: Revelations' Coming In November, To Feature Ezio And Altair (multiplayerblog.mtv.com)
• Assassins Unite Across the Ages in Assassin's Creed: Revelations (escapistmagazine.com)

Assassin's Creed

via officialpsds.com

Santa drops off all kinds of fun things about this time of year, and with teen boys in the house, PS3 games are king. My boys can't wait to tear into a new game and defeat it in no time flat.

But I confess. I'm addicted to Ezio too. So much that I even put up with all the glytches in Assassin's Creed 3 - Brotherhood. But shortcuts like pasting code from a similar spot, over and over and over again...I can't really overlook those. (Reminder: Avoid repetition like the plague in my own storylines.)

Before I go off on a rant...I should tell you Assassin's Creed 2- Bloodlines was the best game I've played in a while. And when I say "played" - I mean watched and directed my beloved to "turn left, turn left, TURN LEFT!!!!" while I hopped up and down on the couch. (He doesn't appreciate the excitement. Says it makes him stressed out and he can't concentrate. *snicker* OK, enough amusing myself here at his expense.) I have no gaming skills whatsoever, but I help figure out what to do next when it isn't immediately obvious. The boys on the other hand...they've been there, done that, and it's Spoilerville whenever they're in the room.

You won't catch me playing Call of Duty, or other shoot-em-up games, (Well, I did play Metal Gear Solid 4), so why am I playing AC (and all sorts of Uncharted, Red Dead Redemption, etc.)? It's the REALLY COOL storyline!

MC accesses his ancestor's memories through his own DNA and, with an Animus (I'll write a whole post about the Animus aka time traveling/parallel universe later), relives them to find clues to a present-day dillema. World domination conflict in two flavors. And the international settings are the kicker. (My Pomegranate tie-ins for today.)

AC1 is set in Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, AC2 and 3 are in Renaissance Italy. The main objective is to find the Piece of Eden and your opponents are operatives of the Knights Templar. All in all, it's some very nice historical fiction. I've picked up interesting ideas from each of these games, and sometimes my boys will refer to them if I'm stuck writer's block.

At the dinner table...

ME: I wonder if there's such a thing as blue amber?
SON: There is. The Cintemani Stone (Uncharted).
ME: Oh, yeah!

I got a couple of gems from that conversation, actually. (Totally LOVE Cintemani! It's going places, I tell you.)

The powerful Borgia family is the enemy in AC3. Here's the short trailer:

Related articles

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Has A Killer Cameo [Spoiler Alert] (kotaku.com)
• 'Metal Gear' cameo for 'AC: Brotherhood' (digitalspy.co.uk)
• Joystiq Top 10 of 2010: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (joystiq.com)