Assassins Creed preview for Nintendo DS

Assassin's Creed was the biggest original IP launch of last year, and stormed the next-gen charts. So, you might be forgiven for wondering how Assassin's Creed on DS is going to work. Well, wonder no more. We got hands on with Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles and snagged and exclusive interview to boot, so if you want the info, preview, shots and interview on Assassin's Creed DS version, you can get it all inside this issue.

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Assassins Creed preview for Nintendo DS
Altair is b oth an assassin and the star of one of the most visually stunning next generation games we've yet seen. This freshly announced DS prequel could well be the perfect accompaniment though, as what it obviously lacks in graphical shine is more than compensated by sharp gameplay and a clever use of the DS's obvious natural abilities. There's plenty of sneaking around (as you'd expect) in the game's four Middle Eastern cities but also plenty of combat, too. Altair will have 11 weapons to choose from, including five swords, daggers, explosives and a grappling hook. There are also plenty of unique moves, which are revealed as you work through the game.

So, we've had the preview version of the game in our DS for some days now, and we're pleased to say that it's looking hugely impressive. The game starts with a sweeping panorama over some beautifully drawn 3D cityscapes and then you're into the game itself. Graphically, Altair's Chronicles is almost perfect. The cities are welldefined and packed with detail.

The top screen is used for the main display, while the bottom one gives you a map and finer detail for the touchscreen mini-games (see ‘The Killer Touch' b oxout). As you progress, you learn new moves and power-up your weapons by collecting blue orbs dotted through the cities.