Initially I reacted quite positively to it, as I think a lot of the work they put in was used to amazing effect, but the gameplay definitely didn't hold up for me. I couldn't understand the reviewer reaction at first, but after a little time I began to understand it. The gameplay is the same shit over and over again, and while initially compelling, it just doesn't have the legs it needs to carry a whole game. Too, the stealth elements are sort of stilted and idiotic, and I feel retarded running into a group of scholar dudes and bowing my head while the guards run past. It's just so unintelligent.
Still, the amazing parts of the game are amazing. The sheer design of the world and the method they used to have you scale everything so effortlessly are both groundbreaking, and I'm excited to see what they do with that. I do hope they evolve the climbing to be a little more relevant (multiple paths, more dead ends that could potentially lead to disaster, etc.), but then I also hope they evolve the combat, which really wasn't challenging in the least with how easy it was to insta-kill dudes on a parry, and evolve the stealth mechanics which were so stupid and broken. Because the core design of the game is just plain awesome.
And there needs to be a way to get hints as to where the last flags are, because it's nearly impossible to find them all with the way it's set up now, and once you realize that you totally aren't compelled to bother with them anymore. The hunt for flags was actually quite fun, as was finding the templars (who were way, way too easy to kill), but while that stuff was great fun in the wilderness, it lost a lot of its appeal in the cities because of the way they were set up. I think that needs to be addressed as well. Not to mention the whole concept of assassinating guys, which I really think they could have done better. The primary assassinations just didn't have the impact they needed. They needed to be longer, more drawn out, and more potent and exciting, maybe with more puzzle-like solutions.
