Video Game Vintage Title: Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed is a historical action-adventure open world stealth video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows. Most of the game takes place during the Third Crusade, with the plot revolving around a sect known as the Secret Order of Hashashin (Assassins). The player is in reality playing as a modern-day man named Desmond Miles, who through the use of a machine named the "Animus", is allowed the viewing and controlling of the protagonist's genetic memories of his ancestors, in this case, Alta�r ibn-La'Ahad, a member of the Assassins.

Through this plot device, details emerge of a struggle between two factions, the Knights Templar and the Assassins, over an artifact known as a "Piece of Eden", an ancient artifact used to control minds. The game primarily takes place during the Third Crusade in the Holy Land in 1191. The game received generally positive reviews, and won several awards at E3 in 2006. The story of a separate assassin, Assassin's Creed II, was released in November 2009. The sequel to Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, was released in November 2010. A subsequent sequel, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, was released on November 15, 2011. Assassin's Creed III was released on October 30, 2012 and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is set for October 29, 2013.

Desmond Miles, a bartender, is kidnapped by Abstergo Industries. There, Desmond is forced to interface with the Animus, a device that is able to replay the genetic memories of the user's ancestors. In Desmond's case, they seek information about his ancestor Alta�r ibn-La'Ahad, an Assassin during the time of the Third Crusade. Within the Animus, Alta�r's memories reveal that he was attempting to stop Robert de Sabl� from taking an artifact from a temple, but broke all three of the Assassins' Brotherhood's tenets in the process. The Brotherhood leader, Al Mualim, demotes Alta�r to the rank of Novice, and assigns him the task of assassinating nine people, all of whom are Templars, to regain his former status.

As Alta�r completes the assassinations, he finds that each was a member of the Templars searching the area for "Pieces of Eden", artifacts similar to the one de Sabl� attempted to steal. Upon encountering a heavily guarded de Sabl�, he discovers that it was actually Maria disguised in his armor. She demands he finish the assassination, but he spares her. Alta�r learns the location of de Sabl�, encounters him in front of King Richard and accuses him of Templar treason. King Richard makes the two fight and lets God decide who is telling the truth. Alta�r eventually kills de Sabl�, who with his dying breath, reveals the existence of a tenth Templar: Al Mualim. Returning to the Brotherhood, Alta�r finds Al Mualim in possession of the Apple of Eden that is able to control people's minds. Alta�r is forced to fight his way through innocents and assassins under Al Mualim's control (with the help of other Assassins still loyal to the creed) to reach Al Mualim, and engages him in battle. Alta�r eventually sees through Al Mualim's tricks using the artifact, and kills him. Upon approaching the artifact, Alta�r is surprised to find it displays a projection of the Earth marking several spots around the globe.

At this point, Desmond is brought out of the Animus, his purpose served. He comes to learn that Abstergo is a front for the modern-day Templars. Abstergo is now set to use the locations on the map seen by Alta�r to find more Pieces of Eden, believing that they must collect the artifacts to control the world's population in order to stave off the projected end of the world in 2012. Desmond's life is spared by Lucy Stillman, an Assassin mole doubling as an Abstergo scientist. Left alone in his locked room, Desmond discovers (through "the Bleeding Effect" from his time spent in the Animus) that he can observe numerous messages in blood on the walls and floor left by a previous test subject (Subject 16) that foretell the end of the world.