The Charge:

For the first time, Become a master assassin on the PSP System.

Opening Statement:
Hot on the heels of Assassin’s Creed II comes the first iteration of the series for Sony’s powerhouse portable. Does Assassin’s Creed make the leap of faith into the palm of your hand? Or is this one portable knock off worth killing?

Facts of the Case:
It’s been a month since Altair buried his hidden blade into the neck of Robert De Sable, leader of the Templar Knights. As the new leader of the Order of Assassins, he’s gone on the offensive, taking the war to the Templars. Travelling to Cyprus, Altair hopes to wipe out the last remaining leaders of the Templar forces before they can rebuild and strike back.

The Evidence:
Reviewing a PSP title is always a dicey prospect for me. When you get a handheld with such horsepower, do you stand the games shoulder to shoulder with their console peers? Or should one judge the title against the sea of utter trash that consists of your average portable system’s software library (the PSP being no exception). Taken on its own; Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines is really a pretty amazing feat. Not only have they managed to squeeze an experience that feels remarkably close to the big brother games on the current consoles, but they’ve managed to do so without a whole lot of compromise to the core mechanic.

You still roam through a crowded city (though not quite so crowded as on PS3 or Xbox360), and you still have several side missions you can attempt in between assassination attempts (though the model is closer to the more linear approach of Assassin’s Creed II than the first game). Controls immediately feel markedly familiar to veterans of the series, and are not at all tough to grasp, even without the second analog stick, and in seconds you’ll be free-running over rooftops and dodging angry guards.

Technically speaking, I’m amazed that they’ve managed to squeeze this stuff into what is essentially a slightly enhanced PS2. The atmosphere and character of Assassin’s Creed is instantly recognizable, and character animations are every bit as fantastic as one might expect from the series. The sound is also top drawer stuff, and the game sounds fantastic through a set of nice headphones.

Rebuttal Witness:
While Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines does capture the core of the big console titles pretty effectively, it must be acknowledged that there are many elements stripped down or removed altogether from this version. The assassination missions basically boil down to fight scenes and boss battles rather that the calculating and strategic offerings the game is typically known for. The emphasis is definitely on the combat, which feels more like the first game than the second, now allowing for much in the way of choice or diversity. It’s an issue worth noting, but it doesn’t sour the deal completely.

Closing Statement:
Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines manages to succeed based simply on the fact that it’s a portable offering that immediately feels like Assassin’s Creed. While it doesn’t have the same depth of its console brothers, and even some of the basic elements of those games has been stripped down some, it’s still a technical wunderkind, and it’s still a worthy distraction for those on the go, or those with a hankering for some portable assassin action.

The Verdict:

Platform: Sony PSP/Sony PSPgo
Developer: Griptonite Games
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: November 17th, 2009
Rated: M(17+) for Mature.