I actually received AC from Gamefly two days before I got Mass Effect (that's
before Thanksgiving!), yet I'm only now just discovering the way of the
Assasin.  Thanks mostly to the amazing 30-40 hour movie experience that was
ME.  I know some of you have already finished this bad boy. But for those
who haven't...

I'd say the most impressive thing about the game is the size and graphics.
The visuals look great, and yet you can travel through huge sections of
cities, jam packed with citizens, without a single load screen, pop in
texture, etc.   Standing on a roof top and looking over a city like
Jerusalem just never gets old.

Here are my quick comments:

--Combat--
Absolutely LOVE the combat system.  It took me a while to keep telling
myself NOT to mash buttons.  The game is all about timing, and once you get
it down it is very rewarding.  The close ups that occur during combat that
show the various cool kills you can pull off are wonderful.  And throwing
guys off the roof is just killer.

--Enemy AI--
This game has some VERY nice enemy actions that are, quite frankly,
brilliant in their simplicity.  Examples:  I'm climbing a ladder to a watch
tower to take out an archer.  He sees me nearing the top of the ladder.
What does he do?  Walks up as I get near the top and kicks me in the face.
Down I go...ahhhh!!!  I hit the ground and get ready to climb the ladder,
half way up the archer is half way down the ladder.  What does he do?
Kick's me in the face again...ahhh!

I'm fighting 3 swordsmen and things are getting tricky.  I run away and
start climbing a tall wall.  They can't climb as well as me, I'm safe
right?  Nope, even without bows they pick up some rocks and start throwing
them at me.  Sure enough one nails me in the head, I loose my grip and
ahhhh!!

While these seem simple, I'm not sure I can think of another vid game where
the opponent doesn't simply wait until you get off a ladder or you are done
climbing.

--Assassinations--
I still haven't been able to get an 'assasination move' off on a real target
yet (I've taken out the first two) but I have assassinated more than a few
guards.  While the low profile assassination is fun, the high profile
leaping assassination is just off the hook cool.

--Story--
The game has a very unique story hook that really makes you want to know
more, far beyond just why you are killing people.  There is also a very nice
'moral dilema' sub-plot running that is fun.  While the story itself is
linear (unlike Mass Effect, the plot won't change based on what you do) it
is compelling.

--Overall gameplay--
AC, is above all, a 'sandbox game'.  That is like GTA, Saint's Row,
Crackdown, or Spiderman, you can wander about massive cities and do optional
mini-quests events and/or then follow the main story events.  Because it is
so large and open, it does suffer a little bit of the same problems these
other games have.  That is the mini-quests start to feel the same.  e.g. You
need to get into a city with heavy guards.  How do you get in?  Step 1: find
the guy being molested outside the gates, save him, a bunch of monks show up
and you hide in their group and sneak inside.

The above example seems to be the same in every city.   Also, once inside
the city you always climb to the tallest building, have a look, then jump
down.

So I can see where the complaints of repetition come from in some of the
reviews.  But...

The graphics are so great, the combat is fun, and there is a lot of variety
in actually taking out your target.  Climbing and jumping from the massive
buildings simple NEVER gets old.  The views are astounding, and running from
a group of angry guards always gets the heart racing.  Plus you'll
invariably find some new move or action every time you do something and more
than a few times you'll hear yourself say "man, that was cool."

--Red Toof's Recommendation--
Take Assasin's Creed for a spin..at LEAST as a rental. The game is unique,
and deserves a good shot.  Especially for anyone who likes thinking stealth
games.  I give it 9 out of 10 teef.