Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles for Nintendo DS Reviews by Gamers

Altair's Chronicles is a prequel to the console version of the game.

The biggest problem is the controls. The 3D world is hard to navigate because the camera is fixed on a 2D plane. Many times you can't tell where you need to jump and grab a rope or avoid obstacles. The platforming is very inconsistent. It's very easy to be sneaking on a beam and have to make a jump, but jump to far and die. Then when you reload and try again, you don't jump far enough.

I found the combat wasn't too bad in small doses. Once you learn a couple of combos, you find that's all you use. When fighting one or two guys that's alright, but when facing 4 or 5 enemies it becomes very repetitive.

The DS exclusive touch-screen mini-games really don't add anything to the game. The interrogation is an Elite Beat Agents rip-off that isn't fun without the beat. Pickpocketing usually involves moving a key out of a bag without touching the other items in the bag. They both come across as annoying filler.

The graphics aren't too bad for a DS game. The cities all look similar and there's not many character models.

The game has an annoying habit of not remembering things. Everytime you turn it on it asks you to select a language. Then there is a screen that says "touch screen to continue" for no apparent reason. Everytime you do a pickpocket, it asks if you're left handed. Just little annoying things. Unfortunately, the game doesn't save at checkpoints which means you have to beat a level before turning your DS off. I like my handheld games to save frequently, since I may need to turn it off at any moment.

Overall, Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles isn't a bad game. It has it's moments, running on rooftops is kinda fun, but with many levels plagued by poor control and design the game becomes more of a chore than entertainment.