Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines Review

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is the PSP sequel to the third person action-adventure title, Assassin's Creed, that first landed in 2007. Releasing alongside Assassin's Creed 2 for the holiday season, Bloodlines is set to tie together the loose ends of the first game, which ended rather abruptly and did nothing more but set the stage for its predecessor. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal in conjunction with developer Griptonite Games, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines hopes to offer the same non-linear gameplay and open world environments as the first game, but does it hold up to the reputation set by its predecessor?

Taking place a month after the events of Assassin's Creed, players will find themselves back in control of Altair, hunting down the remnants of the Templar order. Set on the island of Cyprus, players are taken from city to city on a quest to remove the last vestiges of the Order's leadership. Assisting the local resistance, helping those in need on the street, and taking on specific hits all bring Altair closer to his goal. These are the contacts that Altair must work through, learning about the political circles of Cyprus and how to best move amongst his enemies. Though many of the characters encountered in the sequel are new to the series, Templar Maria from the first game has a returned to assist Altair, although not entirely of her own free will.

Mechanically the game is near identical to its predecessor. Given third person control of Altair, players are again faced with the High and Low Profile options. Movement is done using the PSP's Analog Nub while the Profile is controlled using the right trigger. Depending on what Profile state the player chooses, Altair will walk, run, or sprint actions that will draw a low to considerable amount of attention. Being in a High Profile also allows Altair to rapidly scale objects, climb walls, leap small distances, the very foundation of the Assassin's Creed series. Health (or Synchronization) also functions the same as the first game, damage taken from falling or combat is undone over time or instantly by completing a mission. Upgrades to health, damage, and hiding abilities can be purchased between levels with currency acquired from exploring and finishing an objective.

Unfortunately Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines also mirrors all of the worst traits of its predecessor, as well as adding a few issues to the list. Movement using the Analog Nub ranges from flawless to absolutely frustrating as the Nub's sensitivity is unpredictable. Much of Assassin's Creed flow came from the ability to control the camera and plan the next route to safety, but lacking any real form of camera control it's difficult to get a sense of direction. With no way to quickly look ahead, players find themselves running Altair into a dead end, or slipping off a ledge, or even comically leaping off a building only to see that there is no slightly lower rooftop below and instead falling to death. This would be less of an issue if the game offered more opportunities for stealth, however much of the fast paced hit-and-run gameplay has been watered down to nothing. Enemies will attack seemingly on a whim, whether in Low or High Profile, and it's difficult to tell when Altair is successfully blending into the crowd around him.