ars tecnica has the most satisfying review to date of Assasin's Creed imo. I'm about halfway through the game (I promised myself not to touch Mass Effect before then which is hard, really hard -a Collector's Edition even). I agree with all except for the combat, I still think it's good -you just need to appreciate it differently than in most games. It's a game of skill, and so is the combat. If you know your combos and more importantly your timing (which believe me, later on gets really hard), then combat plays out like a great movie scene. Still, often it's much more fun to just make a run for it, knock over people and fruit stands and jump up a rooftop (I didn't know I could kick down and punch up while on ladders which is also very cool). Read it, if you're still thinking about getting this.