Will ASSASSIN'S CREED Be The First Truly Great Video Game Film?

The fiction is rich enough (read: convoluted) to warrant a faltering melodramatic action plot whilst simultaneously simple enough for Hollywood to water it down to 'goody Assassin versus baddie Templar'. But which will it be?

Last week it was reported that Ubisoft are in the final stages of a deal with Sony to transfer the 'Assassin's Creed' gaming franchise to the silver screen. Though at this early stage both studio and publisher are officially keeping €œhush hush€ on the subject but Sony registering domain names regarding the film seemed to confirmed the story on Saturday. The live action 'Lineage' movie was released online in 2009 as a prequel to 'Assassin's Creed II' and was well produced enough to hint at the potential for a big screen translation. The series of shorts are likely to be remembered as a low budget affair compared to what will almost definitely be a series of block buster summer releases under the Assassin's banner. Still, any one interested at glimpse of the future can find 'Lineage' here; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct2kbLBuSOg The thing about the 'Assassin's Creed' franchise, in terms of the games themselves, is that by far their best feature is always the marketing. Every year with each new release you're promised the experience of playing as a finely tuned precision killer, the visceral thrill of prowling about then pouncing off into a foray of heart racing stealth-action, but in truth the games are never as intense or captivating as they're sold to be. The kill animations are fun and the missions entertaining enough, but there's never that purified intensity your looking for. The game's open world aspect making player choice the game-play linch pin as opposed to sharp pre-arranged linear sequences. Though the potential for that predefined action-stealth ferocity is certainly present and nowhere more so than the game's marketing. Whether it's the cinematic FMV's that paint the franchise as a gritty character drama or the spectacular gameplay trailers, tightly cut to the likes of 'Justice' (as seen here), the cinematic potential of the franchise is evident. As far as gameplay is concerned AC has always seen you holding a single button to dash across rooftops from one repetitive fetch quest or assassination mission to the next. As such the idea of a shrewdly scripted Assassin's action sequence only serves to highlight the franchise potential for better storytelling on screen. That said the fiction is rich enough (read: convoluted) to warrant a faltering melodramatic action plot whilst simultaneously simple enough for Hollywood to water it down to 'goody Assassin versus baddie Templar'. What will become of the fiction remains to be seen. Only time will tell what come of the franchise, both in the tray and on the screen, but be sure to check but to WhatCulture! for all your Assassin's news and previews as they surface.
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Jim is a writer from south London. @Jim12C