IGN calls Assassin's Creed one of "top five most disappointing games ever"

Assassin's Creed has received almost universal praise from media outlets across the web, so when I read a review from one of the most respected and widely read game sites around, IGN, I was stunned by the negativity of their opinion. However, once I got past my initial shock, I realized the reviewer makes a lot of valid points; and honestly, it's refreshing to see someone take a deeper look at a big name title without being blinded to its faults by the hype machine.

The reviewer, Hilary Goldstein, praises the game's stunning visuals, even giving a pass to the inordinately long loading times (as long as five minutes for some levels), texture pop-in and occasional frame rate stutters. Considering the immense size of the cities in the game, such hiccups are forgivable.

As a historic recreation, Assassin's Creed is a triumph. The main character, Altair, is a member of the Hashshashin (or Assassins), a real-life group that performed politically-motivated murders between the 11th and 13th centuries. The three cities in the game, Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus, are modeled meticulously using historic documents available from the period. Even the nine people you assassinate throughout the game all actually existed and were either murdered or vanished mysteriously around the time the game takes place.

Gameplay wise, the free-running and climbing aspects of the game are superb. The combat is unique and fun, although hack 'n slash fans will probably find it frustrating (which is not a bad thing if you ask me). Unfortunately, the rest of the gameplay mechanics fall flat. The information gathering aspects of the game, including eavesdropping, pickpocketing and other minutiae are incredibly boring and repetitive.

What is not expected or acceptable is the poor voice acting of Assassin's main character, Altair. While the ancillary characters are all voiced very well, the star of the game is voiced by a b-grade actor. Even worse is the writing. The story, which had great potential if handled correctly, is crippled by having its biggest twist revealed in the first five minutes of the game.

The long and the short of Assassin's Creed comes down to whether you plan to play it for the long or short term. If you play the game for an hour, you'll probably think its great, but if you play all the way through, you're likely to find it tedious and disappointing. Overall, the reviewer feels the developers have laid the groundwork for a potentially fantastic sequel, but in his first mission, this Assassin wields a rather dull blade. He goes so far as to call Assassin's Creed "one of the top five most disappointing games of all time considering its vast potential."

I would be curious to hear some of your opinions. If you've played the game, share your thoughts with your comments.

Watch the full video review below.