Assassin's Creed is a bold adventure that spans back to the time of the Crusades. You'll play dual characters throughout the game, the first being Desmond who is kidnapped by a mysterious corporation and proceeds to subject him to a device called an Animus that is able to read his genetic memories. The second character is Altaïr -- the long-lost relative of present day Desmond and whose life is so interesting to this corporation. The plotline is serviceable if a little extraordinary.
The graphics are pretty, the sound is superb and the voice acting is convincing (all except for Altaïr who delivers every line with the enthusiasm of a DMV employee forced to work over-time). Where AC ultimately comes up short is in its execution (no pun intended) of gameplay as you are consistently tasked with doing the same exact side missions that lead up to each assassination target in each of the game's wonderfully recreated ancient cities of Acre, Damascus and Jerusalem
Ubisoft creates such a rich and vibrant world and inhabits that world with a badass protagonist, but they hamper down this feeling of badassery by throwing in a bunch of repetitive and monotonous side missions. While it is not necessary to complete all these missions before you can assassinate your primary target, by ignoring them you are severely cutting short your gameplay experience. Not to mention the finale turns into an all out brawl that makes the entire premise of the game seem sort of moot. Overall, the game is a competent piece of work that just needs a little more variety to flesh it out.