Assassin's Creed Reviews

[Calvin]

Got it, but not sure when I am going to start.

[JCC]

I'm doing the first assassination. So far, I love the investigation stuff. In fact, you only need to do 2 of them before you can do the kill, but I am trying to do them all, because I find what you learn to be interesting. So far I have done 3. I also like finding/activating all the waypoints.

So far, combat is my least favorite part of the game. My main issue is that I am not sure what the difference is when I succeed vs when I fail and get killed. It hasn't become too frustrating yet.

Having a blast so far!

[JuniorDan]

I want to talk about Assassins Creed but first I need to get something out of the way. I have a lot to say about the game and I want to talk about some of the bad reviews it's getting but I want to make sure everyone understands I'm not saying this because of the comic we did for them. So I'm going to link you to an old set of news posts about Prince of Persia 2. Feel free to read those and come back if you like.

Now I'm going to tell you how advertising on PA works. Every other game site out there takes ads for whatever game they can get. It doesn't matter if it's a pile of crap, if the publisher pays for the spot IGN or Gamespot or whoever will run the ad. That's fine but that's not how we do it and the news posts you just read are part of the reason why.

We were huge fans of the first Prince of Persia game so when Ubi came to us and wanted to run ads for the second we said yes. We had no idea they were going to completely fuck it over. So from then on we started demanding playable copies of games before we'd agree to advertising. No matter how early the build we tell the publishers that unless we can see it played in front of us or play it ourselves we won't run ads for it. Obviously a lot can still go wrong during development but we make the best decisions we can. We do not think of the ads you see on our page as ads. They are recommendations and we try extremely hard to insure that anything we put over there is worth your time. When Prince of Persia 2 came out and we saw that it was crap we said as much on the site. Ads for the game appeared right next to those news posts slamming it. Needless to say Ubi wasn't very happy and Robert got some angry phone calls but our loyalty is to our readers not the people paying the bills. We explained to Ubi that the reason our ads perform better than any other site out there is because our readers trust us and that means we have to admit when something we advertise doesn't turn out as good as we hoped. Obviously they understood because we're still advertising their games but like I said this isn't the way other sites operate. I actually give Ubi a lot of credit for not just telling us to fuck off and buying more ads on IGN and Gamespy with the extra money.

I'm telling you all this because I want you to understand that if Assassins Creed actually was a 7.0 game I'd tell you. I also want you to know that when I tell you it's fucking incredible I'm not bullshitting you because we're running ads for the game.

There are about four or five reviews of the game with scores in the low to mid 7's. I want to cover some of the common complaints these reviewers had in case anyone out there is worried about them.

Many of the reviews say that the ending is bad. Obviously I don't want to give away any spoilers but I will say that the final confrontation was exciting and gratifying. It was an extremely satisfying ending to this chapter of the game. Chapter is the important word here. This is a huge story, probably a trilogy at least. The game does end with a cliff hanger and it certainly sets up the rest of the arc but that's how the first part of any multi part story ends. If Star Wars had ended with Luke jumping into his X-Wing to go take on the Death Star that would be a shitty fucking ending. It doesn't though, Luke destroys it and then we get hints about what's in store for our heroes. I'm telling you right now Altair destroys his Death Star.



I also can't be 100% positive but I'm guessing that some of these reviewers didn't let the credits role. Again, I don't want to spoil anything but wait for the credits to end. Until reviewers start posting their Gamertags along with the review we'll never really be able to tell how much of a game they played. But I'd be willing to bet some of them are missing the "Visions of the Future" achievement. I'm not gonna say why but If you don't have this achievement you can't say jack shit about the ending.

I think the biggest complaint I saw was that the missions become repetitive and boring. I actually didn't understand this complaint at all until just the other day. I had gotten an early copy of the game just like everyone else in the media but I was just playing it for fun. I'd cracked into it over the weekend and when I got into the office on Monday I started seeing these negative reviews. When I saw the low scores I was actually really upset and I wanted to talk about the game here on the site. I wanted to tell everyone that these guys were full of shit. However, since so many of the complaints were based on the ending I wanted to beat it first so I was sure I wasn't missing anything. I attacked the game again but this time with the goal of beating it as fast as I could. I was determined to get a post up on Tuesday and I was pushing through the game as fast as I could. I went from finding every high perch in a district to only getting the ones I needed to advance the story. I stopped saving every citizen and avoided any unnecessary confrontations. The informer missions that I had really enjoyed before, I now avoided because I knew they took too long to complete. I did the bare minimum of missions to progress the story and anything that "hindered" my progress was frustrating. Monday night after skipping over another combat (something I used to really enjoy) I stopped myself. What the fuck was I doing? I wasn't playing the game because I wanted to I was playing it because I had a deadline and I needed to beat it. I stopped immediately and decided I'd write about the game whenever I got around to beating it. I spent another day and a half with it and during that time I hunted for hidden flags and explored the cities again. I came in this morning and finally did beat it but I did it at my own pace and I enjoyed every part of it.

Imagine what an open ended sandbox title must look like to a reviewer especially right now. How many games do they have piling up on their desks? A game like Assassins creed isn't meant to be played under a deadline. You shouldn't be trying to beat it as fast as you can so you can move on to Mass Effect or Mario Galaxy. As soon as I gave myself a deadline all of a sudden I understood all their complaints. It was like a fucking Escher painting. I had put myself in their shoes and suddenly  the landscape flipped and I could see games from their perspective. In the end I wasn't angry at them for their bad reviews. I actually just felt bad for them.

-Gabe out

Could be found here: http://www.penny-arcade.com/
He makes a good point..

[Clay]

I picked it up and played for about 3 hours this afternoon.  All I can say is that this is one of the best, most beautiful, and most complete gaming experiences that I've ever had.  The Penny Arcade guy makes a good point -- this game is more about the journey than the destination.  I'm loving it for now.

My ONLY gripe - something that every game should have...  please, just humor me and put a 'save game' option on the pause menu.  It doesn't have to DO anything, but when I wanted to turn it off and was uncertain whether I had saved my progress, I was a little irritated. 

[KePoW]

Could be found here: http://www.penny-arcade.com/
He makes a good point..

wow, nice read

[CeeKay]

I really haven't noticed the frame rate stuttering, but then again I've been having fun and not nit picking.

360 or PS3?

360

[leo8877]

Got it and played for a couple hours.  Controls will take some getting used to, but I'm not worried about it.  The game is beautiful, just amazing looking.  Is it me or does the light dim when the Sun goes behind clouds?  The character's voice does seem out of place, but it's a minor thing that I have no problem looking past.  So far, I'm having fun.  Back to 1191 for me!

P.S.  Great read from Gabe.  That's how I'll end up playing this game as well.  Searching out for all the goodies.

[Canuck]

However, Grue, on the other hand, the GameSpot review states:

"PS3 owners are blessed with a slightly more solid frame rate."

and I've trusted GameSpot more than IGN in the past.

An AC programmer on QT3 basically that GS was incorrect- AC runs better on 360 than PS3. 

On the other hand, if it's the person I think you're talking about, from all his posts that I've read I've found him to be extremely biased against the PS3.  And a bit of a dickhead to boot.

[Brendan]

On the other hand, if it's the person I think you're talking about, from all his posts that I've read I've found him to be extremely biased against the PS3.

Source?  Who's against making money?

[TheMissingLink]

Is it me or does the light dim when the Sun goes behind clouds?

Thought I saw that, too.  Really neat touch.

Played for about an hour and it's great so far.  I was crawling all over everything, diving into straw, pickpocketing people...the controls are unique, and honestly, refreshing.

The story and presentation are top-notch. 

I'm really enjoying myself thus far, and am looking forward to taking out a few targets before getting more in-depth.

[Kevin Grey]

That's a great writeup by PA- not so much the AC stuff (I haven't played it yet) but the stuff about reviewers playing games under deadlines.  I mentioned it in the Fire Emblem thread but I think that right now almost any game that isn't named Mass Effect that requires more than eight hours of play is in danger of getting short shrift whether it's because reviewers don't bother finishing or because they rush through as fast as humanly possible. 

Source?  Who's against making money?

It's from a poster on Quarter to Three.  Canuck can link if he wants but I'm not going to because:

a) out of some kind of respect for his privacy - he's not an Ubi spokesperson.  For a long time he was trying to be (understandably) cagey about who he works for and what he was working on but eventually enough pieces fell into place for people to figure it out. 

b) he can be a little abrasive since he has very strong opinions and but that's something that you find out from seeing someone post over a long period of time and a single link wouldn't suffice.  And, yeah, he ain't exactly the world's biggest PS3 fan.

That said, I see no reason not to believe what he said about the two versions of the game. 

[JCC]

My ONLY gripe - something that every game should have...  please, just humor me and put a 'save game' option on the pause menu.  It doesn't have to DO anything, but when I wanted to turn it off and was uncertain whether I had saved my progress, I was a little irritated. 

It appears that the game saves any time you accomplish... well anything. Find a flag, save a citizen, discover a viewpoint, etc. they all seem to save the game. So, there is really no need for a manual save - at least none that I have seen so far.

[Thin_J]

My ONLY gripe - something that every game should have...  please, just humor me and put a 'save game' option on the pause menu.  It doesn't have to DO anything, but when I wanted to turn it off and was uncertain whether I had saved my progress, I was a little irritated. 

It appears that the game saves any time you accomplish... well anything. Find a flag, save a citizen, discover a viewpoint, etc. they all seem to save the game. So, there is really no need for a manual save - at least none that I have seen so far.

While I discovered this is true I, like Clay, was a little weirded out by not actually knowing if it was or wasn't saved the first time. I'd just saved a citizen ten seconds before I quit though so it's all good.

[Tebunker]

Supposedly I still have this preordered at Gamecrazy, I'll trade some stuff in tomorrow and pick it up. It seems like a mixed bag, but my PS3 wants something to play.

[semiconscious]

spent about an hour & a half with it, & i think i already got my money's worth just listening to the people's comments as i zipped around town tracking down flags - classic stuff...

bad: they main character's voice is just so wrong-headed - for the life of me, i can't imagine why they did it. not a game-breaker, but so obviously... wrong... i would also've been just as  happy if they'd passed on the whole secret/surprise bit altogether: i can understand why they did it, but i feel it kinda takes away from the impact of the actual game itself...

good: everything else. not quite comfortable with the combat yet, but that'll come, i'm sure. really a stunning accomplishment. very glad i got it, &, for once, i agree with pa: this game's all about just being there, & enjoying it at it's own pace (shades of shadow of the colossus?), & if that don't sound very appetizing, well, you'd probably be best off just staying away...

[kathode]

On the other hand, if it's the person I think you're talking about, from all his posts that I've read I've found him to be extremely biased against the PS3.

Source?  Who's against making money?

*raises hand*

[rickfc]

On the other hand, if it's the person I think you're talking about, from all his posts that I've read I've found him to be extremely biased against the PS3.

Source?  Who's against making money?

*raises hand*

Damn Communist! 

[JCC]

Well I am done with day one (and it was a long one) of AC, and I love it. I was just about to begin doing investigations for my 2nd assassination when I stopped. Now that I can counter again, combat is no longer an annoyance. (Countering seems overpowered if anything, but that's absolutely A-OK with me if it stays that way.) It's funny, how this game is really quite different from Thief, but yet seems to scratch some of the same itches that game did. I love bounding around on the rooftops, and evading the guards. I do sometimes make horrific mistakes when climbing in a hurry, but it's cool. I do wonder if the formula will grow tiresome, but so far it's just excellent. There are some flaws in the execution, but so far they haven't bothered me, and this game truly is something new and fresh. It's just spectacular looking. It also kept me away from Mario which I was blown away by yesterday, so that says something.

Between this, Forza 2, Mario, and the Witcher I am more than covered for a while!

[TheMissingLink]

After more time with the game...

It's exceeding my expectations.  It is quite an accomplishment on a technical level as well as presentation-wise. 

I am loving the story (my girlfriend was amazed at the narrative that can be done in gaming), the controls are starting to make more and more sense and being chased was pretty cool after my slightly botched assassination

I can see where getting the information for each target could get boring, but damn, big deal.  The information gathered is intriguing and I don't think climbing to the top of huge towers only to be presented with a beautiful pan-around is a negative thing (or could get tiring). 

Playing the PS3 version, the game looks beautiful.  The framerate isn't solid, but rather than make it choppy, it sorta slows down.  I have absolutely no issues with how it effects gameplay, because as of this moment, it doesn't. 

So, at this point, I'm playing that a game that has created an amazing narrative which is driven by a beautiful world and a very playable engine.  I have no real complaints.  It IS early, though

And again, to play something so fresh and creative is special in of itself.

[depward]

Went to Circuit City.  Brought it to the counter.  Asked to pricematch.  Had a printout of the Frys ad because I couldn't not find the actual ad.  Had them call.  The Frys worker had no idea and told the CC guy that they were selling it for $59.99, even though it's confirmed as selling for $39.99  I could not believe it.  YOU WORK IN THE VIDEO GAMES DEPARTMENT BE AWARE OF NEW RELEASES AND HOW MUCH YOU'RE SELLING THEM FOR.

[CeeKay]

Went to Circuit City.  Brought it to the counter.  Asked to pricematch.  Had a printout of the Frys ad because I couldn't not find the actual ad.  Had them call.  The Frys worker had no idea and told the CC guy that they were selling it for $59.99, even though it's confirmed as selling for $39.99  I could not believe it.  YOU WORK IN THE VIDEO GAMES DEPARTMENT BE AWARE OF NEW RELEASES AND HOW MUCH YOU'RE SELLING THEM FOR.

sounds like you need to lay down the smackdown, assassin style.

[Calvin]

Went to Circuit City.  Brought it to the counter.  Asked to pricematch.  Had a printout of the Frys ad because I couldn't not find the actual ad.  Had them call.  The Frys worker had no idea and told the CC guy that they were selling it for $59.99, even though it's confirmed as selling for $39.99  I could not believe it.  YOU WORK IN THE VIDEO GAMES DEPARTMENT BE AWARE OF NEW RELEASES AND HOW MUCH YOU'RE SELLING THEM FOR.

LOL what a fucking idiot, you should have demanded they ask another employee. What did you do?

[leo8877]

Hey guys can you not do all the investigations for each mission?  I am on the first one and I've found all the lookouts but 2 investigations are not-complete and not marked on my map??? 

[leo8877]

Hey guys can you not do all the investigations for each mission?  I am on the first one and I've found all the lookouts but 2 investigations are not-complete and not marked on my map??? 

NM I just went back to the bureau and it filled one.

[depward]

Went to Circuit City.  Brought it to the counter.  Asked to pricematch.  Had a printout of the Frys ad because I couldn't not find the actual ad.  Had them call.  The Frys worker had no idea and told the CC guy that they were selling it for $59.99, even though it's confirmed as selling for $39.99  I could not believe it.  YOU WORK IN THE VIDEO GAMES DEPARTMENT BE AWARE OF NEW RELEASES AND HOW MUCH YOU'RE SELLING THEM FOR.

LOL what a fucking idiot, you should have demanded they ask another employee. What did you do?

I laughed and left, Assassin-less.

[Calvin]

Went to Circuit City.  Brought it to the counter.  Asked to pricematch.  Had a printout of the Frys ad because I couldn't not find the actual ad.  Had them call.  The Frys worker had no idea and told the CC guy that they were selling it for $59.99, even though it's confirmed as selling for $39.99  I could not believe it.  YOU WORK IN THE VIDEO GAMES DEPARTMENT BE AWARE OF NEW RELEASES AND HOW MUCH YOU'RE SELLING THEM FOR.

LOL what a fucking idiot, you should have demanded they ask another employee. What did you do?

I laughed and left, Assassin-less.

Get online and tell me if you found it elsewhere playa. Sorry man, sucks.

[ATB]

Oh man. That PC post may swing me to getting this now. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I wonder if Blockbuster will have it for rent today or tomorrow...

[naednek]

b) he can be a little abrasive since he has very strong opinions and but that's something that you find out from seeing someone post over a long period of time and a single link wouldn't suffice.  And, yeah, he ain't exactly the world's biggest PS3 fan.

So we know it's not hetz

[IkeVandergraaf]

Yeah.  I'm trying to resist, but I'm starting to want this now.

[Kevin Grey]

Yeah.  I'm trying to resist, but I'm starting to want this now.

I'm dying to play this now.  Unlike, say, Lair where you had some people feebly saying "well, it's not *that* bad", I've seen quite a few people whose opinions I respect say that not only is so much better than those 7 range reviews but that it's one of the best games of the year. 

[Gratch]

Spent about 3 hours with AC last night (almost done with all the side missions in the first Damascus area).  I’m enjoying it far more than I initially thought I would.  For the first 30-45 minutes, I thought I’d made a big mistake, as I really didn’t like it at all.  The controls felt wonky, I couldn’t get a handle on combat, and I had a hard time figuring out what triggered the guard’s attention.  However, about an hour in everything clicked, and I’m having a blast.   A couple thoughts:

-   The graphics and presentation are simply amazing.  Standing on top of a view point and looking out over the city is incredible.  Altair’s movement is fluid and natural, and all the characters are animated very well.  This is the probably the closest a game has come to feeling like a living, breathing city. 
-   I love the climbing mechanic.  The fact that you can climb anywhere and on anything blows my mind.  I probably spent close to an hour last night simply running around on ledges and rooftops because it was so fun.  Smacking a guard then running away is a blast.  And as cheesy as it is, doing a 100-foot swan dive into a pile of hay is really quite exhilarating.
-   So far, I have no complaints with the AI.  Sure, they’re somewhat brain-dead and they’re a bit too easy to lose on the rooftops, but they’re not so dogged in the pursuit that it loses it’s fun.
-   The Assassinate option seems a bit screwy.  If I equip my hidden blade, it gives me the option to assassinate pretty much everyone walking around.  However, that option seems to disappear when I go into “Save the Citizen” mode, and it only allows me to get into a sword fight.  I did manage to do some sort of flying head-stab a couple times, but I’m not sure which buttons I pushed to get it to work.  Probably just need more practice.
-   Combat seems decent enough.  I’m starting to get some of the timing patterns down, but I’ll still get worked if I’m facing more than a couple guards at once.  Will be interested to see how that changes once I get some counter moves.
-   The side-missions are all similar, but I really like how you get small pieces of the story from each person.  While the actions themselves are repetitive (i.e. eavesdropping, pickpocketing, etc.), the different information makes it feel like you are putting together a puzzle. 
-       The voice work and music are very solid overall.  The little comments they make as you climb around on buildings are hilarious.  The only weak spot is Altair himself.  His voice is completely out of place and his actor is really, really bad.  It's a little bit distracting to listen to everyone talk with their realistic middle-eastern accents, then have Altair pipe in with his "I'm a suburban bad-ass from central Iowa" voice. 

The only thing I don’t like so far is the story “twist”
(Do we still need to spoilerize this?). 

Spoiler for Hiden:

It feels completely unnecessary, and is honestly pretty stupid.  I love the medieval atmosphere, but all the modern-day stuff completely takes you out of it.  I’m sure they’re setting it up so you can play “Altair” in different time frames in the sequels, but it all seems very silly to me.  Just make me a damn medieval assassin, not something out of the Matrix.

Overall, I’m very pleased with AC so far.  First impressions would put it around an 8.5 or so, and it'll be interesting to see how it holds up.  Can’t wait to fire it up tonight and make my first assassination!

[spigot]

I'm not too far in and I'm still enjoying it, but I can definitely see the complaints of repetition being valid. Make no mistake, the graphics are incredible and the environments are expansive and diverse but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm doing the same things over and over again. This really is a game you can get lost in just exploring each nook of every city and each little village as you ride through the countryside.

The story is jarring, at least it was for me. Then again maybe I'm not the "sophistimicated" gamer I thought I was. Missions all seem to play out the same way (spoilered just in case - don't worry, no plot elements revealed):

Spoiler for Hiden:

1. Get assassination order from the Grand Master.
2. Ride to town/city of said mark.
3. Visit Assassin Bureau/Guild to check-in.
4. Bureau gives you hints on where your investigation spots are.
5. Wander about town to find and climb a View Point to see exactly where your investigation points are.
6. Pickpocket, eavesdrop, or plain bully someone into giving you your investigation info.
7. After completing your investigations, the Bureau gives you the assassination blessing.
8. Kill your mark.
9. Rinse and repeat.

In some ways it feels like Hitman in the middle-ages only in Hitman you were given a specific mark and location, you just had to be creative with your final kill. In AC the progression of steps to the final kill seem to be same, only the environment and location of your mark is different.

Like I mentioned the game is still pretty fun. Call me a dork, but riding around the countryside brought back similar memories of the first time Link rode Epona in Ocarina of Time and the sense of exploration of discovery is fantastic.

Edit: The free-running, climbing, and roof-bounding is plain awesome. Now if they only made a decent next-gen Batman game with the same type of mechanic, only in sprawling metropolises.

[ras752000]

Edit: The free-running, climbing, and roof-bounding is plain awesome. Now if they only made a decent next-gen Batman game with the same type of mechanic, only in sprawling metropolises.

I said the exact same thing to my friend after watching the video reviews . . . somebody needs to use that engine for a Batman game . . . 

[Booner]

Well, despite harping on the negative reviews, I grabbed Assassins Creed last night. I've been hyped on AC for 6 months now because the whole setting is something I've found interest in for quite a while, plus new and interesting gameplay mechanics...of course I want. Yet, I really wanted variety in the missions. I figure that if it's really bad, that it becomes an expensive rental until I trade it in for Mass Effect next week.

So, with Gabe from PAs comments in mind...I popped in in and started playing.

Hmmm...the sci-fi stuff. It's kinda jarring, not that it's presented badly...it's slick, but a bit of a confusing way to thrust you into the game. Though it fits the story they're trying to tell.

A decent enough tutorial. You get just enough information to get you started running, jumping, hiding, basic swordplay, and a little info on the way to interact with the crowds. The tutorial will cross into the meat of the game, which brings me to my first complaint/question....how do I turn off that friggin' huge 'how to' graphic that comes up? Now I realize that it will stop showing itself after I've performed the action a few times...but I'd rather not have it there at all.

Yep. It's drop dead gorgeous. I do find that the crowd models aren't nearly up to Altiers detail...in fact some are dull, but with the number of NPCs and the detail in the architecture...it's really a non-issue. I was impressed with my first city-vista view from a distance, but walking through my first marketplace really put me in the game. I just stood there and watched the crowd pass by, interacting with each other, talking, buying, selling...giving the guards a little extra room. Good stuff. In fact I've spent far more time on the ground with the city, than on the rooftops.

About the rooftops. Easy as pie. The free running is effortless, no fancy button combos to get from place to place, just make sure not to run off a 10 story drop and you'll be scaling everything in your path that you can get a fingerhold on. There are very few sheer walls, so you'll almost always be able to find a path.

Swordplay is actually better than I expected, as the AI seem to be more aggressive than the earlier videos would imply. Also, I find that the timing for combos is hard to get just right.

So far the investigation missions are too easy (other than the pickpocking...which is a real pain for me), but if you pay attention to what the mission pay-off information is, it'll give you a bit of backstory on the reasonings behind the assassination.

I've only performed one assassination, but I can see where it's going to get repetitive. That said, I believe if I kinda play it in an RPG frame of mind, by performing all of the investigative missions, climb all the towers, save all the citizens, and just explore the world...I may just make it all the through before it loses it's luster.

Anyways...those be me thoughts on the thing.

Edit: Just an FYI, it took about 3-1/2 or 4 hours of play before I made that first assassination.

[JCC]

One thing I want to add that may not be obvious (it wasn't to me initially) is to definitely use the "pause" menu and check on the memories. In particular after completing an investigation looking at the memory really fleshes out the plot around the assassination. When I stumbled across that, and read the first one and saw there was an "attachment" (ie. a letter to read) associated with it, I immediately knew I had to do ALL of the investigations. I can't wait to get home and play this some more.

[CeeKay]

Swordplay is actually better than I expected, as the AI seem to be more aggressive than the earlier videos would imply. Also, I find that the timing for combos is hard to get just right.

I haven't been able to figure out how to get the combo just right.  It says hit X just as you hear the first strike hit but it doesn't seem to work that way.

[Booner]

I haven't been able to figure out how to get the combo just right.  It says hit X just as you hear the first strike hit but it doesn't seem to work that way.

I think you have to be in the normal posture (not holding the right trigger) to get it to work, plus the margin for error is really small. I can pull it off fairly regularly while dueling at the Masyaf fortress, but I get button happy when 6 soldiers are out to kill me. :p

[leo8877]

After the first assassination I got my short blade back.  I find that when you counter with the short blade, it's an instant kill and very cool.

[CeeKay]

I haven't been able to figure out how to get the combo just right.  It says hit X just as you hear the first strike hit but it doesn't seem to work that way.

I think you have to be in the normal posture (not holding the right trigger) to get it to work, plus the margin for error is really small. I can pull it off fairly regularly while dueling at the Masyaf fortress, but I get button happy when 6 soldiers are out to kill me. :p

when I had that many after me I'd climb a roof and see ifn the followed.  if they did I'd just grab them as they climbed up and toss them off the highest point.  you'd think they'd learn after the first few guys go flying down.....

[semiconscious]

you'd think they'd learn after the first few guys go flying down.....

nah, it's just part of the realism of the game - each guy believes that, even tho it happens to other guys, it won't happen to him personally...