Parent Game: Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition

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Summary

Assassin's Creed is a non-linear action-adventure video game, during which the player controls a 12th-century Levantine Assassin named Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad during the Third Crusade, whose life is experienced through the Animus by his 21st century descendant, Desmond Miles.

The Director's Cut Edition features four PC-exclusive memories, including the Rooftop Race Challenge, the Archer Stealth Assassination Challenge, Merchant Stand Destruction and Informant Escort Challenge.

Storyline

Desmond Miles, a bartender, is kidnapped by the company Abstergo Industries for use as a test subject in the "Animus," a device that can simulate genetic memory. Abstergo intends to put Desmond in the device to recall the memories of his ancestor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood in the year 1191, who lived during the Third Crusade in the Holy Land. Initially, Desmond has trouble adjusting to the device, but eventually relives Altaïr's exploits over the next several days. The game then primarily changes to Altaïr's point-of-view, with occasional transitions to Desmond, due to problems with the Animus or onset of the Bleeding Effect.

The game opens with Desmond entering Altaïr's memory, but he soon faces synchronization problems. On this, Lucy Stillman and Warren Vidic's voices can be heard, arguing over Desmond's safety within the Animus. After experiencing a few problems, Desmond exits the virtual machine and Vidic briefs him about the Animus' inner workings, before initializing the machine's tutorial program. After Desmond is done with the tutorial, he enters the closest synchronizable memory of Altaïr; Lucy adds that Desmond has to relive key moments of Altaïr's life to increase his synchronization, before reaching the final memory which holds the information that Abstergo is seeking.

Altaïr is first shown attempting to retrieve one of a series of artifacts known as the "Pieces of Eden" from Solomon's Temple with the help of Malik Al-Sayf, and his brother Kadar, but they are stopped by Robert de Sablé, Grand Master of the Knights Templar and sworn enemy of the Assassins. While retrieving the treasure, Altaïr breaks all three tenets of the Assassins' Creed in an attempt to kill Robert, but he ultimately fails. In the following commotion, Malik's brother is killed, and Malik's left arm is crippled and later amputated. When Altaïr returns to the Assassins' stronghold at Masyaf with apologies, Malik, who survived de Sablé, comes back with the artifact and disparages Altaïr because of his arrogance.

After narrowly defeating a retaliatory attack by the Templars, Al Mualim, leader of the Assassins, demotes Altaïr to a novice but gives him another chance to rise through the ranks of the Brotherhood. Al Mualim assigns Altaïr the task of assassinating nine key figures across the Holy Land in Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus, aiming to bring peace between the Crusader and Saracen forces. Each target is based on an actual historical figure from the Third Crusade, including Majd Addin, Garnier de Naplouse, Jubair al Hakim, Abu'l Nuqoud, Sibrand, William of Montferrat, and Robert de Sablé.

Altaïr completes each task, learning how each target is connected to Robert and the Templars and how together they aim to end the Crusades and place the Holy Land under their own control. With men on both sides killed, he discovers that Robert's last plot is to attempt to unite the Christian and Muslim forces against their new common enemy, the Assassins themselves. Altaïr defeats de Sablé before Richard the Lionheart, failing to convince the King that an end to the war would be welcome to both sides, but ending Robert's plot. From de Sablé, Altaïr discovers that Al Mualim was himself a member of the Templars and used the Assassin to kill the other members who held the secret to the treasure's power, so that he could selfishly keep the artifact for himself.

Altaïr quickly returns to Masyaf and approaches his master, who reveals the truth to him: the Piece of Eden, which he had recovered through the help of Altaïr directly before his transgression, creates illusions. He denounces religion and other seemingly supernatural events (e.g. the Ten Plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and the presence of the Greek Gods in the Trojan War) as illusions caused by the Piece, and then states his intention to use the artifact to compel mankind into a brainwashed state, and in doing so, bringing an end to all conflict; Altaïr is eventually able to see through the deceptions created by the artifact to kill Al Mualim. When Altaïr recovers the artifact, the Piece of Eden activates, showing a holographic view of the world with numerous locations of other Pieces of Eden marked across the globe.

When the process is complete, Desmond learns that Abstergo is a modern-day front of the Templars, and they are already seeking other artifacts at locations identified in Altaïr's memories. Further, he learns that the modern-day Assassins had tried to rescue him before the memory had completed but had failed. Following this, Desmond was to be killed after an order from a high-ranking Templar, Alan Rikkin, but Lucy Stillman saves him from death and, at one point, tucks her ring finger into her palm, referring to the Assassins' tradition of cutting off the finger.

Though Desmond remains trapped in the Abstergo laboratory, his experience in the Animus has created a Bleeding Effect of Altaïr's life in his own, allowing Desmond to use Altaïr's Eagle Vision, which, in turn, allows him to see strange messages painted on the walls of his room and the floor of the lab. The messages all deal with various forms of the end of the world from different cultures, including several references to 21 December 2012, the date that Abstergo plans to launch a satellite that will "permanently end the war." It is hinted that this method would be by the same method that Al Mualim hypnotized Masyaf, only on a larger scale. Finally, the game ends with Desmond wondering what the images all mean and who could have drawn them.


Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition Activation Instructions

Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition Reviews & Ratings

70
Review by Basem101 [user]
July 12, 2013

Assassin's creed is a good game with decent story (although the ending was bad great graphic and some cool characters but the game isAssassin's creed is a good game with decent story (although the ending was bad great graphic and some cool characters but the game is repetitive with the same missions nothing new so you'll have fun in the beginning and then you'll get a bit bored then disappointed in the ending but still it is not bad and give it a try

80
Review by Alex12345 [user]
August 12, 2012

This is a very good game. Its graphics are superb and the storyline is well thought out and gripping. Basically, you play as a 21st centuryThis is a very good game. Its graphics are superb and the storyline is well thought out and gripping. Basically, you play as a 21st century person who uses a machine to relive the life of his ancestor-Altair, an assassin in the 12th century. Altair messes up a mission and is demoted in his assassin guild. In order to regain his high rank Altair is tasked by his master to assassinate a number of Templars-his guild's mortal enemies, including their grand master. The story has an interesting conclusion-I'll leave it at that. The gameplay is fluid and amazing. My only real criticisms are that the NPCs don't do much else other than walk around and utter the odd sentence. Also, most of the time you simply duel your target face-to-face, rather than employing skill to take them out stealthily. Overall, a great game!

90
Review by Acht_Neun_Aus [user]
December 22, 2011

I really love the Assassin's Creed series, I like this game very much. I like the graphics too. Great controls and story, the enemies needI really love the Assassin's Creed series, I like this game very much. I like the graphics too. Great controls and story, the enemies need some more voices, but that's alright. The thing I don't like is that the structure of the missions is repetitive, and sometimes the dialog is too long. Other than that, it is a good game to buy. 9 out of 10 is what I give it.

95
Review by NZGamer
N/A

The game looks better than ever on the PC and plays like a dream too. However if you already have the game you wont find anything totally new other than the odd side-mission.

84
Review by YouGamers
N/A

Great PC conversion of a somewhat flawed game. It just feels that the actual gameplay elements got sidelined while developing all the technology used to realize the the impressive cities, the crowds and the great character animation.

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Game Information
Release Date April 8, 2008
Publisher Ubisoft Montreal
Content Rated M (Mature)
Game Modes Single player
Player Perspectives Third person
Genres Platform, Adventure
Themes Action, Fantasy, Science fiction, Historical, Stealth, Sandbox, Open world
Platforms PC (Microsoft Windows)