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We've all seen the commercials, and we've all heard the hype (both positive and negative). Hopefully, I can review this in a basic fashion, as I don't want to give away too much of the very convoluted plot.

First off, as the game involves a very real conflict and is based on broad historical events, there is a certain measure of potential offensiveness to be gleaned. Your character is presumably of Muslim descent, and the majority of your enemies are Christian. In an effort to not appear biased in any way, Ubisoft makes a discalimer as you load the game, stating that it was worked on by a group from many different backgrounds and nationalities. If your religious or political sensibilies are easily offended, "Assassin's Creed" is not the game for you.

STORY
Altair (all-tie-ear) is a member of the Assassin's Guild during the time of the Crusades. On a mission to stop a Templar knight from absconding with the Ark of the Covenant, Altair allows another member of the brotherhood to be killed, as well as revealing himself and the brotherhood's whereabouts. As these are all big no-no's to Al Mualim -- Master of the Guild -- Altair is subsequently stripped of his high rank and specialized weapons. To regain his lost status, Altair must undergo a retraining of sorts; nine assassinations that will restore peace to a war-torn Holy Land.

GAMEPLAY
While the title indicates killings by the truckload, there is actually much more going on in "Creed." For the first few missions, you must actively travel from the brotherhood's base to the cities where your targets are. This is done by going through a huge map called the "Kingdom." These portions in themselves can take a long time to traverse, as Altair is constantly under surveillance from just about everyone with a sword. Even when riding horseback (sometimes especially because) is dangerous, although you can sometimes beat cheeks fast and far enough to outdistance your pursuers (for some reason, no one in the Holy Land except Altair can ride a horse).

Once you arrive at the proper city, you make for the Guild Bureau -- a building accessable only through the roof -- to receive the name and some initial info on your target. You're then required to perform a minimal number of investigative tasks to get the particulars on the man you've come to kill. Interrogation has you actively pummelling someone into giving you intel, while eavesdropping and pickpocketing are a lot more subdued. There are also a lot of extra objectives, such as saving hapless city-dwellers from overzealous guards, and helping lazier assassins take out their own marks.

With your information gathering complete, the Bureau member will authorize the assassination, allowing you to finally rub out someone important. It's never as easy as it sounds, though, as you must infilatrate the well-guarded locales, and should you be spotted by alert soldiers, you'll pooch the whole deal. If you can get close enough to shank your mark, he'll ramble on for a few moments about why he did the things he did, and then you're forced to run like the wind back to the Bureau. When that's done, you return to Al Mualim and start the whole process over again.

Anonymity is the key to survival throughout the game. Ordinary citizens pose no threat, although they will comment should you do something "socially unacceptable." These actions include climbing walls in public, knocking over people in your way, upending vendors' stands, and pretty much anything other than walking in a slow, boring gait. Guards, on the other hand, provide more challenges. Unaware guards will watch you screw around with the same curiosity as most citizens. Watchful guards will attack you if you behave too erratically. And guards with weapons drawn are actually looking for you.

When you've been spotted, you have to return to an "anonymous" state in order to continue your objectives. First, the "line of sight" must be broken (your status meter will go from red to yellow) by getting as far and twistingly away from your pursuers as possible. If someone can still see you, they'll keep coming. Once they can't actually see you anymore, select a hiding spot until pursuit is given up. Hiding spots include benches, knots of scholars, bales of hay, and the inexcplicably large number of cupolas in every city.

CONTROL
For the most part, controls are fine. Running, jumping, and access to weapons are are controlled with a shoulder button. This keeps you from accidentally being too obvious in a crowd, but it also means you find yourself holding the shoulders when you're trying to escape or do anything really meaningful. Jumping between buildings is fun, and gives the player a kind of Spiderman/Batman-ish feel. Unfortunately, Altair has a tendency to drop and cling to ledges instead of vaulting them. This can be remedied by timing your jumps a little sooner, but sometimes your thoughts are a bit less focused, and you find yourself playing cliffhanger instead of putting distance between yourself and the angry mob on your heels.

The game map is revealed through "view points," represented by large buildings or towers. By climbing these structures, the layout of the streets becomes apparent, as well as the additional objectives in your mission. Once you've "synchronized" with the map, you can perform a "Leap of Faith" by diving off the top of the building to land safely in a pile of straw.

Combat is simplistic. Use the D-pad to select your weapon (sword, dagger or throwing knives, hidden dagger, or your fists) and use the R1 shoulder to block. Fighting moves and particulars are revealed in-game, and there is even an area in the first stage where you can practice.

Without revealing too much about the story, Altair dies when his lifebar is depleted, although there is way more involved in it than just that...

GRAPHICS
Visually, the game is incredible. The cities of the Holy Land are beautifully rendered, as are the citizens and denizens. My only qualm is that without a hi-def television, it becomes difficult to read the icons on the maps.

SOUND
Voice-acting is abundant. Ordinary citizens mutter to one another. Vendors call out to potential customers. Zealots in every city harangue the multitudes about Saladin and King Richard. Music itself is rather sparse, but you find yourself more engrossed in the story than the soundtrack. Again, only one problem here, and it's that Altair sounds like a Midwestern white guy rather than an assassin from the Holy Land. It tends to break up the rhythm of a conversation.

OVERALL
This is one of the best games I've ever played, and is one of the first "must own"s for the PS3. As the system continues to struggle for dominance, it's good that they had access to a multi-platform title like this. If you have a PS3, I cannot stress enough that you should play "Assassin's Creed."

Story: 10
Control: 8
Graphics: 10
Sound: 9

Total: 37/40 A!

Darn, another good game that I'll never actually play due to it coming out on a system I don't have and aren't going to get. Damn you Sony for making your PS3 so damn expensive!

Actually, "Creed" is also available for the XBox360. It even has a number of achievements for the live network.

Then I'll have to keep it in mind once I inevitably break down and buy an XBox 360.