The first Assassin's Creed was designed to be played without a HUD or a map. Those were last minute additions and playing without them takes AC1 from a repetitive action game to a cooler (but still flawed) adventure game. You weren't meant to rush through things, you were meant to take your time and investigate your surroundings...like an assassin. There are lots of environmental cues left in the game from when it was meant to be played HUDless: the way your handler gives you detailed briefings instead of just marking stuff on your map, how the assassin guild is the only building with a metal roof and how the guild logo always points to the north. Birds are always perched above haystacks you can jump into. You can tell how many throwing knives Altair has left just by looking at his model. For informant missions the guy you actually need will be the only one with unique dialogue. Lots of details that went ignored because everyone was glued to the GPS.
Exactly! It's the reason why I ever so often come back to AC1. How playing it HUDless lets you slowly and seamlessly immerse yourself in the games world.
That completely explains my experience playing AC1 the first time. Just after exiting Masyaf for the first time, I noticed a *LONG* line of people, as far as the eye could see, walking somewhere. I slowly walked my horse alongside them in the opposite direction, wondering who they were and why they were traveling like this, and it brought me to (iirc) Jerusalem, which was clearly not doing well, sold all the better by the endless line of people trying to get away from the place. It was absolutely incredible, and I'm glad I never thought to even peek at the map.
It's kinda crazy how groundbreaking this was at the time especially that now having year upon year of basically the same game in various forms. I remember being blown away by the scope and unique setting at the time, my favorite thing to do was find a group of patrolling crusaders and parry takedown them all using the dagger. Great review!
The one thing that makes this game, and all the entries ending with Revelations, incredible, is the parkour system. There's so much incredible depth there; I recommend you check out some tutorials on the parkour system because the game really doesn't teach you, but it'll give you a much more accurate view of the level design and the depth of the movement.
Same here. People complain about repetition but I never had a too serious issue with it. The structure was built more in a "you're an assassin so do your job as an assassin" rather than focus on having vibrant characters and including 8 different genres in one game. When it originally released I hated it, along with pretty much all AC games, due to it not being Prince of Persia- and this was all I really wanted, just a good PoP game. I've been playing through most of the AC games again while not trying to ignore PoP influences and just take them as they are and 1 is still my favorite with Origins being my 2nd even though I hate RPG mechanics in these games.
This game, along with COD4 and GTAIV ushered in one of my personal favorite eras of gaming. Pure joy and discovery and some incredible visuals that truly felt like I was gaming in the future. When you think about it, games haven't really changed much since 2007. These games set the framework for modern gaming as we know it today
The first game of the series is the one I wanted the most to be good. I just find it's setting the most interesting. But it feels like it was pushed out by the publisher once the developer made the map and got the early version of the gameplay down. So it pretty much felt like a techdemo. Weird thing, I also have exactly one crash in the assassin town on Xbox 360 on every single playthrough. The thing about the game is, when Ubi started advertising the game, I was 16 and they heavily relied on the game's producer, Jade Raymond's "talents".
Even though this game has a lot of issues, especially regarding some of its design executions, with that said I still believe AC1 conceptually is the best in the entire franchise and leagues above the sequels. The atmosphere, the blend between sci-fi and history, how it utilizes its historical setting without coming across as too "Forrest Gump" like its sequels & the way this game's story tackles themes such as politics, ideology, morals, religion and conspiracies without coming across as pretentious or sometimes elementary levels of stupid like AC3, is something that still impresses me to this day. To this day, I don't think there is a single game quite like AC1, and despite the success and critical acclaim from its sequels, It's a real shame how none of them were ever able to match the atmosphere, tone and story of AC1 and instead went for something far more tropey, mass appealing and commercial.
I kinda liked this when it came out. Gorgeous graphics, fluid animation, quite solid sound design. I recall game getting a lot of hate for its plot, but I kinda digged the plotline and the mix of scifi, history and mythology, actually to extend I think I would've liked to see it kept more intact in some of the later games. Gameplay generally was good, but my biggest gripes where repetitiveness, if they would've added even like five more mission types it would've helped immensively. But for what the game is, there's way way too many missions overall and gameworld is like twice too large. For it's launch still like 8/10 for me, but I wouldn't recommend to play it these days. It just gets too boring around half way through. Been playing since late 80's and I'm like 99% sure I wouldn't put this on my "Top 50 games of all time" if I would make one. Top 100? There it would likely fit.
Hey, so just to let you know: for PC version there's something called Eagle Patch that fixes few problems with first and second AC, including full and proper controller support. Maybe someone will find that useful, instalation is just "drag & drop these folders into game folder".
Combat is much more fun when played aggressively. Plenty of different moves the vast majority of us didn't bother with the first time round. There's also a hidden and/or unintended technique that I call execution combo with which we can kill soldiers with one shot continuously until our luck, skill or supply of soldiers runs out.
One thing I loved about this game was how sometimes, enemies would get terrified of you and would run away during combat Although I wasn't really a fan of how the game basically threw stealth out the window in the second half of the game If you want a recommendation, maybe the first 2 Yakuza games on PS2 ? They're basically action-heavy beat-em-ups with good ( imo ) stories
this game was one of my greatest gaming disappointments. at the time, i was in love with the Prince of Persia series on GameCube/PS2. when I saw AC in magazines being touted as a spiritual successor, I was so hyped -- next-gen Prince of Persia?? Yes please! And then I finally played it and everything just seemed wrong. Sure, the Prince wasn't the most charismatic after Sands of Time, but Altair/Desmond in comparison were completely uncharismatic and lifeless. The fun/challenging platforming of PoP? Replaced with an "on-rails" auto-run, auto-jump button. Combat? far too easy and a total snoozefest while lacking any oomph. As a stealth game, somehow, Assassin's Creed seemed far behind a game that came out 6 years and 1 generation earlier (MGS2). and the plot, holy crap, this was the first game I found myself actively falling asleep playing.
I felt the exact same as you. I just wanted PoP. Recently I've just played them as they are and finally let go of the PoP desire and honestly this is now my favorite game. What helped me was taking it as literally an assassin/hitman type rather than an action game. I think walking it expecting action is what brings the focus on repetition. I think the repetition was meant more for the focus on the job as an assassin- trail, pickpocket, interrogate, and assassinate with no remorse. The character does grow but he is someone who was completely indoctrinated into the culture so he wouldn't have much charisma. He's essentially an arrogant military drone who develops intellect through the final talks with his targets and sees that they weren't completely evil but a shade of gray. As a genuine recommendation, if you thought the combat wasn't good enough and should've had more to it I would highly recommend Kingdom Come Deliverance and only use the sword (even then you may need to gimp yourself with some of the power-ups). As for medieval combat, this is about the best I think that is out there but if you know of something better please do not hesitate to let me know.
It's as good as we make it. If we learn more than the basics in combat and especially parkour, it's going to vastly more entertaining. We can do the quickest investigations and enjoy parkour when moving to each.
This is a game I never went back to. And it was a game that I kind of forced myself to finish because it was getting really repetitive But it was also a game where I knew there was concept here that was something special and if it could be fully utilized. It would be something great. So I took a chance on Assassin's Creed 2 when it dropped and then that was one of my favorite games ever I know everybody feels some sort of way about Ubisoft, but this franchise has remained one of my favorites to this day, even if there are a few in the franchise that didn't hold my attention as much
The modern day parts are supposed to feel restrictive and, I suppose, boring. You're a prisoner and seen as just a tool. On the flip side, while in the animus we feel free and in control but we are actually trapped on a table, more restricted
Assassin's Creed was a mediocre game which had cool ideas realized in the most generic way. Still, it set a footstep that stood the giant IP that I appreciate.
ooohhh nooo, I hate assassins creed, i see you will review all the franchise which its hard for me to watch them, Dont worry i am a loyal suscriber, I love your channel from the start years ago. Hope after this franchise you can review. Parasite Eve. Dino Crisis. Legacy of kain, Blood omen and Soul reaver. Ninja theory games, Heavinly soward, Enslaved, DMC, Hillblade. Max Payne. Housemarque games.
@@MrLisso98 AC 1-Revelations has a very precise parkour that gives you options. When you take the time to learn how it works, it gives you the most freedom to express yourself. The rest are far inferior besides the animations in AC3-Syndicate and rpg trilogy is just hold a button and there is no momentum or consistency.
@@arutzuki2491 IDK man, I've play one, 2, BR, Rev, 3, 4, Rogue, Sindicate and Unity, origins, valhalla and mirage. And from all of those, AC 1's parkour to me it not the best, and the slower of the bunch.
The first Assassin's Creed was designed to be played without a HUD or a map. Those were last minute additions and playing without them takes AC1 from a repetitive action game to a cooler (but still flawed) adventure game. You weren't meant to rush through things, you were meant to take your time and investigate your surroundings...like an assassin.
There are lots of environmental cues left in the game from when it was meant to be played HUDless: the way your handler gives you detailed briefings instead of just marking stuff on your map, how the assassin guild is the only building with a metal roof and how the guild logo always points to the north. Birds are always perched above haystacks you can jump into. You can tell how many throwing knives Altair has left just by looking at his model. For informant missions the guy you actually need will be the only one with unique dialogue. Lots of details that went ignored because everyone was glued to the GPS.
Exactly!
It's the reason why I ever so often come back to AC1.
How playing it HUDless lets you slowly and seamlessly immerse yourself in the games world.
That completely explains my experience playing AC1 the first time. Just after exiting Masyaf for the first time, I noticed a *LONG* line of people, as far as the eye could see, walking somewhere. I slowly walked my horse alongside them in the opposite direction, wondering who they were and why they were traveling like this, and it brought me to (iirc) Jerusalem, which was clearly not doing well, sold all the better by the endless line of people trying to get away from the place. It was absolutely incredible, and I'm glad I never thought to even peek at the map.
Well now I’m going to go try it without the HUD !
Interesting
It's kinda crazy how groundbreaking this was at the time especially that now having year upon year of basically the same game in various forms. I remember being blown away by the scope and unique setting at the time, my favorite thing to do was find a group of patrolling crusaders and parry takedown them all using the dagger. Great review!
yeah same 😀
As always, thank you for reviewing these older games and the blast of nostalgia these games bring from the life lived with them in the background.
The one thing that makes this game, and all the entries ending with Revelations, incredible, is the parkour system. There's so much incredible depth there; I recommend you check out some tutorials on the parkour system because the game really doesn't teach you, but it'll give you a much more accurate view of the level design and the depth of the movement.
My personal favorite in the whole series, alonside Unity. Shame the franchise has seemingly lost its way over the years.
Same here. People complain about repetition but I never had a too serious issue with it. The structure was built more in a "you're an assassin so do your job as an assassin" rather than focus on having vibrant characters and including 8 different genres in one game. When it originally released I hated it, along with pretty much all AC games, due to it not being Prince of Persia- and this was all I really wanted, just a good PoP game. I've been playing through most of the AC games again while not trying to ignore PoP influences and just take them as they are and 1 is still my favorite with Origins being my 2nd even though I hate RPG mechanics in these games.
Ah back when this franchise understood what an “assassin” was.
We need a remastered collection of the early games.
This game, along with COD4 and GTAIV ushered in one of my personal favorite eras of gaming. Pure joy and discovery and some incredible visuals that truly felt like I was gaming in the future. When you think about it, games haven't really changed much since 2007. These games set the framework for modern gaming as we know it today
No lootboxes in 2007
This game got very boring and monotonous very quickly. Even back when it came out, the graphics could only carry it for so long.
The first game of the series is the one I wanted the most to be good. I just find it's setting the most interesting. But it feels like it was pushed out by the publisher once the developer made the map and got the early version of the gameplay down. So it pretty much felt like a techdemo.
Weird thing, I also have exactly one crash in the assassin town on Xbox 360 on every single playthrough.
The thing about the game is, when Ubi started advertising the game, I was 16 and they heavily relied on the game's producer, Jade Raymond's "talents".
This to Revelations was peak story.
This is the best Assassins Creed
Nah. It was just barely mediocre even back then. 2 things were going for it, the interesting setting, the graphics.
@@azminek7154 thank you. I don't the other comments praising it. This game bored me to tears after two to three hours
A 16 Year late review
This game still holds up impressively. Especially on PC with the Directors Cut Edition
Even though this game has a lot of issues, especially regarding some of its design executions, with that said I still believe AC1 conceptually is the best in the entire franchise and leagues above the sequels. The atmosphere, the blend between sci-fi and history, how it utilizes its historical setting without coming across as too "Forrest Gump" like its sequels & the way this game's story tackles themes such as politics, ideology, morals, religion and conspiracies without coming across as pretentious or sometimes elementary levels of stupid like AC3, is something that still impresses me to this day. To this day, I don't think there is a single game quite like AC1, and despite the success and critical acclaim from its sequels, It's a real shame how none of them were ever able to match the atmosphere, tone and story of AC1 and instead went for something far more tropey, mass appealing and commercial.
Disagree, AC2 beats AC1 in pretty much everything. Gameplay, missions, characters, world design etc
I kinda liked this when it came out. Gorgeous graphics, fluid animation, quite solid sound design. I recall game getting a lot of hate for its plot, but I kinda digged the plotline and the mix of scifi, history and mythology, actually to extend I think I would've liked to see it kept more intact in some of the later games. Gameplay generally was good, but my biggest gripes where repetitiveness, if they would've added even like five more mission types it would've helped immensively. But for what the game is, there's way way too many missions overall and gameworld is like twice too large. For it's launch still like 8/10 for me, but I wouldn't recommend to play it these days. It just gets too boring around half way through. Been playing since late 80's and I'm like 99% sure I wouldn't put this on my "Top 50 games of all time" if I would make one. Top 100? There it would likely fit.
Hey, so just to let you know: for PC version there's something called Eagle Patch that fixes few problems with first and second AC, including full and proper controller support. Maybe someone will find that useful, instalation is just "drag & drop these folders into game folder".
I hope this doesn't mean any future SOCOM videos have been sidelined to focus on this massive franchise.
It appears they have been sidelined to shift towards AC, which was probably done to lead up to a now delayed game.
There are fan made fixes for the PC port along with some other great mods. Definitive Parkour, knife throw button, disable automatic weapon change
The Kingdom is there to show distance between the cities but I agree with you, it would be better left out
My mom got me this on 360 back in 2007 and I loved it. I also played the second game but stopped after that. I got burned out quickly.
Combat is much more fun when played aggressively. Plenty of different moves the vast majority of us didn't bother with the first time round.
There's also a hidden and/or unintended technique that I call execution combo with which we can kill soldiers with one shot continuously until our luck, skill or supply of soldiers runs out.
One thing I loved about this game was how sometimes, enemies would get terrified of you and would run away during combat
Although I wasn't really a fan of how the game basically threw stealth out the window in the second half of the game
If you want a recommendation, maybe the first 2 Yakuza games on PS2 ?
They're basically action-heavy beat-em-ups with good ( imo ) stories
this game was one of my greatest gaming disappointments. at the time, i was in love with the Prince of Persia series on GameCube/PS2. when I saw AC in magazines being touted as a spiritual successor, I was so hyped -- next-gen Prince of Persia?? Yes please! And then I finally played it and everything just seemed wrong. Sure, the Prince wasn't the most charismatic after Sands of Time, but Altair/Desmond in comparison were completely uncharismatic and lifeless. The fun/challenging platforming of PoP? Replaced with an "on-rails" auto-run, auto-jump button. Combat? far too easy and a total snoozefest while lacking any oomph. As a stealth game, somehow, Assassin's Creed seemed far behind a game that came out 6 years and 1 generation earlier (MGS2). and the plot, holy crap, this was the first game I found myself actively falling asleep playing.
I felt the exact same as you. I just wanted PoP. Recently I've just played them as they are and finally let go of the PoP desire and honestly this is now my favorite game. What helped me was taking it as literally an assassin/hitman type rather than an action game. I think walking it expecting action is what brings the focus on repetition. I think the repetition was meant more for the focus on the job as an assassin- trail, pickpocket, interrogate, and assassinate with no remorse. The character does grow but he is someone who was completely indoctrinated into the culture so he wouldn't have much charisma. He's essentially an arrogant military drone who develops intellect through the final talks with his targets and sees that they weren't completely evil but a shade of gray. As a genuine recommendation, if you thought the combat wasn't good enough and should've had more to it I would highly recommend Kingdom Come Deliverance and only use the sword (even then you may need to gimp yourself with some of the power-ups). As for medieval combat, this is about the best I think that is out there but if you know of something better please do not hesitate to let me know.
All Tie Air! 😅
It's as good as we make it.
If we learn more than the basics in combat and especially parkour, it's going to vastly more entertaining.
We can do the quickest investigations and enjoy parkour when moving to each.
Though I never liked the series, I loved this review. 5*
Keep it up brother. Stay cool
This is a game I never went back to. And it was a game that I kind of forced myself to finish because it was getting really repetitive
But it was also a game where I knew there was concept here that was something special and if it could be fully utilized. It would be something great. So I took a chance on Assassin's Creed 2 when it dropped and then that was one of my favorite games ever
I know everybody feels some sort of way about Ubisoft, but this franchise has remained one of my favorites to this day, even if there are a few in the franchise that didn't hold my attention as much
bro I thought everyone knew how to pronounce Damascus ☠
AC1 on PC is still playable with keyboard and mouse controls, correct?
Yes.The controls are unusual but you get used to it.
The main draw for me is *the best traversal in all of gaming*
And the possibly the best combat in AC
The way the story is told by every part of the game and how it's the purest AC story
The modern day parts are supposed to feel restrictive and, I suppose, boring. You're a prisoner and seen as just a tool.
On the flip side, while in the animus we feel free and in control but we are actually trapped on a table, more restricted
If you played 2 and black flag, then you can call it good. The franchise never reaches those heights ever again
I let my friend borrow this game and he never returned it, my biggest regret lol.
I never could get into assassin's creed, it looks cool, but it never really clicked with me, and didn't have too much interest to play it.
Finally!!
Assassin's Creed was a mediocre game which had cool ideas realized in the most generic way. Still, it set a footstep that stood the giant IP that I appreciate.
ooohhh nooo, I hate assassins creed, i see you will review all the franchise which its hard for me to watch them, Dont worry i am a loyal suscriber, I love your channel from the start years ago.
Hope after this franchise you can review.
Parasite Eve.
Dino Crisis.
Legacy of kain, Blood omen and Soul reaver.
Ninja theory games, Heavinly soward, Enslaved, DMC, Hillblade.
Max Payne.
Housemarque games.
He already did Max Payne
I think AC1 would greatly benefit, if they made a remake that plays like Ac:mirage. Mirage is basically a AC1 but better imho
Mirage has worse parkour
@@arutzuki2491 No. I am not on you with that Ac 1 parkour is awful and slow, compared to mirage.
I just can't with ac 1 mechanics, anymore
@@MrLisso98 AC 1-Revelations has a very precise parkour that gives you options. When you take the time to learn how it works, it gives you the most freedom to express yourself. The rest are far inferior besides the animations in AC3-Syndicate and rpg trilogy is just hold a button and there is no momentum or consistency.
@@MrLisso98 I'm assuming you don't know how it works in AC1
@@arutzuki2491 IDK man, I've play one, 2, BR, Rev, 3, 4, Rogue, Sindicate and Unity, origins, valhalla and mirage.
And from all of those, AC 1's parkour to me it not the best, and the slower of the bunch.
One of the worst games I've played. The sequel was astoundingly better.