Follow-up to Assassin's Creed

In just the previous post, I fopcused attention of a new online game, Assassini's Creed.

Well, if you go here, there is more information which includes the fact that the main character, an Arab, is a member of the Hashashin but is engaged in surpressing both sides of the conflict.

In short:-

The game takes place during the Third Crusade, in the year 1191. The player assumes the role of Altaïr (الطائر, Arabic, "The Flyer"), a member of the Hashshashin sect (the original "assassins"), whose objective is to slay the nine historical figures who are propagating the Crusades. As the player finds and kills these targets, their conspiracy is unveiled. The player will be able to travel through three cities: Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus.

Is there a post-modern, multi-cultural message here?

For example:

Assassin's Creed is set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart. Shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness, the Assassins intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. Players, assuming the role of the main character, will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and to shape events during this pivotal moment in history.

The story follows Altaïr, a disgraced master Assassin who embarks on an epic quest to restore his status within the Assassin Order. After failing to liquidate the Templar leader Robert de Sable and recover the legendary Templar Treasure, Altaïr is demoted to Uninitiated (the lowest rank in the Assassin Order).

But Sinan, leader of the Assassins, offers him an opportunity to redeem himself. Altaïr must venture out into the Holy Land and assassinate men said to be exacerbating and exploiting the hostilities created by the Third Crusade. In doing so, he will stabilize the region, allowing Sinan to usher in an age of peace.

and

Altaïr is not religious but rather "spiritual" and is the son of a Christian Mother and Muslim Father.

We'll have to keep track of this.

Temple Mount and a New Game

Did you know that there's an online game with this scenario?

Jerusalem, 1191 AD.

The Third Crusade is tearing the Holy Land apart. You are an elite Assassin sent to stop the hostilities by suppressing the powers on both the Crusader and Saracen sides. But as you carry out your missions, a conspiracy begins to unfold. You find yourself tangled up in a conflict that threatens not only the Holy Land, but the entire world.

Found this here:-

Assassin's Creed...appeared pretty similar to what was recently shown to players. The assassin starts on a church tower over an ancient and historically accurate Jerusalem with the gold dome of Temple Mount easily visible...The assassin is seen by local soldiers and needs to get out of the line of their site (when chasing potential kills like the trader, he turns in different directions based on the assassin's proximity). While climbing up on buildings helps, speed is key to getting distance between the vagabond and the sword-wielding soldiers. From roof to roof, the assassin climbed several buildings and showed the detail that the team has put in to the level as there are ladders, makeshift roofs with crossbeams sticking out (great for swinging) and to close the segment, the assassin leaps into an open area. Right into a stack of hay that effectively hides him from sight.

While the game still looks great, the framerate still seems a little slow and many of the areas really do look so similar that it will be interesting to see how the developers will ensure gamers don't experience constant disorientation.

More on this game here and at the home site here.