July 10, 2007 - There' s been a whole lot of hubbub about the next-generation of gaming and how it will take the interactive experience to a new level. So far, this new generation of design hasn' t emerged. We' ve instead experienced prettier and at times bigger games, but nothing that truly pushes things to that next plateau. That is until this November when Ubisoft releases Assassin' s Creed on PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Finally we have a game with a design worthy of being termed " next-gen."

The E3 demo begins with our anti-hero, Altair, standing on a roof high above Jerusalem. The city, faithfully recreated to match its 12th century real-life counterpart, features a number of historical landmarks. The Tower of David can be seen in the distance. Everything Altair sees he can not only reach, but can climb as well. The scope of the city' s size is made all the more impressive by the fact that each building is made up of numerous foot- and handholds that allow Altair to climb pretty much any wall he comes across. And this is just one of three major cities, all promised to be of comparable size and scale.



The controls are built on simple principles, but are tough to get a handle on at first. The face buttons represent your head, free hand, weapon hand, and feet. The Right Trigger acts as a modifier. Hold it and the feet button down to perform the most crucial move in Assassin' s Creed: free run. With free run you can perform some amazing feats of daring-do. It' s your tool for scaling just about any building. If you just run towards a building with free run active, you will often be able to leap up to an available nook and then continue your climb to the top. This action is instantaneous and fluid. Unlike Gears of War, which sucks you into a wall, Assassin' s Creed makes the interactions between Altair and his environment look and feel natural.

Gone are the usual color-coded textures that make it clear where your character is allowed to move. There is no grid you move along. The art tells you what you can grab. If there is a crack in a wall, you can dig your fingers in and pull yourself up. If a decorative stone knob is sticking out of a building, you can take hold. There' s no superficial artistry here -- for once, art and level design have bonded to be one and the same. As you scale a building, the trigger and free run button are held. All you have to worry about is pushing the analogue stick in the direction you want to move. If there' s something to grab hold of, Altair will do so. If not, you won' t move forward. The detail in every building is key, because as you get to higher areas you' ll be forced to look for handholds to continue your ascent. It' s a lot like rock climbing, where you continue to search for any groove or jut to grab. The beautiful animations make the climb seem all the more impressive. Altair has weight to him and his movements, just like the virtual Jerusalem, seem completely believable.

Free running is not such an easy skill to master right off the bat. Gamers have been trained to tap buttons. But Assassin' s Creed' s most important control functions have you holding down buttons for long stretches of time. The first few times scaling a wall, we released the free run button, then pressed it again, which caused us to leap off the wall. It takes time to get comfortable with the controls. But after about 15 minutes, it starts to settle in and suddenly every high building seems like a challenge. And, in fact, every tall building is a game objective. If you spot an eagle circling a building, it' s a landmark you' ll want to climb. Finding a way to the top will earn you a spectacular view of the city and also unlock new areas to explore.

Another reason to climb is the search for specially-marked Leap of Faith spots. These areas will have pigeons flying overhead. Just perch on the area marked by the pigeons and you are prepped for Altair' s most sensational move. If you' re willing to squat over pigeon droppings, you should have no trepidation about leaping over the edge in a swan dive. Done in the right spot, you will land gracefully in a bail of hay. Miss your mark and you may crack your back on the roof below.