 Words by James Brookfield Last Friday saw the release of Assassins Creed: Syndicate, the latest instalment in one of Ubisoft’s biggest franchises. There is much hype and anticipation surrounding this entry for numerous reasons such as; an attempt to rectify the mistakes and mishaps which plagued Assassins Creed: Unity, the location set within Victorian England and the opportunity to play as two assassins via twin siblings Jacob and Evie Frye. To celebrate the game’s launch this article will delve into the history of the first Assassins title, divulging facts that readers may or may not already know. So let’s re-enter the animus and uncover some tropes of the Creed in which to live by. Firstly, Assassin's Creed was almost a different game entirely, originally intended to be a continuation of the Prince of Persia series. Initially entitled Prince of Persia: Assassins the plot was to be based on the life of Hassan-i-Sabbah, a missionary who converted a community in the late 11th century in the heart of the Alborz Mountains of northern Persia. He founded a group of fedayeen whose members are often referred to as the Hashshashin, or ‘Assassins’. Furthermore Patrice Desilets, Sands of Time director, believed a prince was not an appealing protagonist. As a result the prince would have been AI-controlled, thus creating a more interesting character in the form of the player-controlled Assassin. However Ubisoft did not want a Prince of Persia game where the focal point was not on titular character, therefore the game was given a new IP. Moreover it has been reported the assassin protagonist was female, switching the previous relationship dynamics of the Prince and his female companions. This is interesting given the continual debate of gender equality in gaming in addition to recent criticism of a lack of strong female characters within Assassin Creed games, prior to Aveline de Grandpre and Evie Frye. The major gameplay mechanic of Prince of Persia: Assassins was co-operative play, a feature that would not be established into the series until Unity. Test footage and early gameplay of Prince of Persia: Assassins is still available online which does, to some degree, demonstrate the basic outline of what then became Assassins Creed.  Image thanks to gamerant.com Another fact regarding Assassin Creed is upon hearing Desmond Miles speak for the first time most gamers instantly recognised the vocal talents of Nolan North, famed for other roles including; Nathan Drake, Deadpool, The Penguin (from Batman Arkham Series) and Dr Edward Richtofen. However most may be unaware that Desmond’s likeness was provided by Francisco Randez, a French-Canadian fashion model with a Spanish background. In a somewhat more familiar area Kristen Bell, well-known for Veronica Mars and Frozen, lent both her voice and likeness to the character of Lucy Stillman. This marked the first time Bell had voiced a character in any medium  Eagle-eyed gamers may have spotted in the first Assassins Creed game Altair is missing a finger. Subsequent assassins did not need to follow suit due to Altair modifying the hidden blade to operate effectively, without the removal of the ring finger, prior to his death. Resultantly this also enabled any assassin to further avoid detection; many early Levantine assassins were recognised due to a missing digit.  Image thanks to gameinformer.com Finally, concluding on a rather humours note, the inability to swim in the first game is due to an apparent glitch in the Animus matrix and not a gameplay mechanic limitation, honestly.  Image thanks to 30plusgamer.com Want to write for us? Click Here!
 Article written by Andy Jones. 'My Friend Dahmer' a graphic novel by Derf Backderf. Published by Abrams. As a comic reader of many years, the urge to push comic books onto other people to read(and then discuss) is a strong one, but its rare that I NEED someone to read what I have. My friend Dahmer, is one of those books. the writing and artwork are both by an Actual school friend of Jeffrey dahmer, and reflect an insight into a person, that police and media profiling cannot offer. While it is easily said that 'serial killers' are a pop culture mainstay, and that we take an almost vulgar interest in their life's, this book is NOT what that is about. The writer takes lengths to point out that while any sympathy for Dahmer is lost as soon as he crossed a murderous line, and that he is to be pitied, not revered, his early life deserves to be documented. This being said, i will admit i shed a tear reading this book for the first time, and i was definitely moved. Now i don't sympathise with a murdering cannibal, but end the tale before any 'impulses' are acted upon, and its the story of a very poor home-life, and detail of a social outcast. Coming in at just under 200 pages of art, the book is well written from a standpoint of an observer, and makes no attempt to lead you one way or the other on your feelings towards the Protagonist, but details accounts and observations of their shared childhood. The author will at times use gathered information to fill in blanks as necessary for a smooth read, but will include details of these accounts at the end of the book, so as to eliminate the 'you weren't there, how do you know what he was doing' moments. The book is Black and white throughout and don't be expecting any Alex Ross artwork here! This is the all encompassing work of one guy, his life and his vision, and thus the artwork is more Schulz than anything! With this in mind it works well, and will attract both comic fans and 'coffee table aficionados' alike. The book is laced with photographs and actual paraphernalia from the time, and ends with a section of sources and notes that the author had gathered before putting his final draft together. In Summary, If you want a dark retelling of murder and savagery, this is NOT the book for you, but if you want an insight into a person, and first person accounts of their life, and indeed staggering points of 'you could have prevented this', then this is a definite recommendation. I would go as far as to say its one of the best things i have ever read as far as comic book work goes, especially on the side of Indie books. You can buy this book on Amazon HERE You can find Andy's review page HERE Want to write for us? Click Here!
We've all been there! We all have regrets, but what collecting mistakes have you made that you just cant get over?! Well here's Lucy Myatts, AKA TorAthena's 5 greatest mistakes. |
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