Who knew brutally killing people could be so damn pretty (and so much fun)?!

No, I'm not referring to going off the deep end at some holiday family gathering (although the thought may have crossed my mind) rather the hours of gameplay logged on Assassin's Creed (AC).
Rarely has a game "wow-ed" me but this game will visually blow your mind. Halo 3 might have had great framerate and gameplay but its got nothing on AC. Not only are the environments detailed and lush but from your "eagle-eye" perches (which just also happen to be places you can take gorgeous swan dive-like "leaps of faith") are EXPANSIVE. You can literally see for miles and miles as well as all the inhabitants milling about through that distance. Trust me, this is what was meant by next-gen gaming.
Oh yeah, there is actually a story going on here. You're a Crusade-era ninja in charge of taking out important targets. The story is compelling and once you find out how we get to this place in time you'll see that there's plenty of sequels left in this story. How many of these missions have I completed thus far in my 14+ hours of gameplay? A mere 2. I spend time just walking, running, building climbing, swan diving (never get tired of that) and riding my horse around the HUGE environment. Yeah, if you think riding a horse in Zelda is cool, wait 'til you ride around on this steed.

Not to mention I have a crush on two women involved in this game. Jade Raymond, the game's producer (who knew geeks could be so hot?!) and Kristen Bell who is one of two scientists in the game working with you (she makes me feel funny like when I used to climb the rope in gym class).

Okay, everyone knows I'm a cheap bastard and I never buy games at retail. But.....if you got gift cards or money for Christmas, or just just crappy presents or whatever...you HAVE to go and buy this game. You'll thank me, I promise.