The setting- Italy during the Renaissance- is interesting enough, and I’ve only been mildly embarrassed playing through it with my wife so far; but between the busy interface (completely hidden from all promotional screenshots) with its tiny prompts that go by way too fast, and a control scheme that they do nothing to prepare you for if you’ve not played AC1, there’s just not enough here to keep me going.

Case in point: early in the game you are supposed to race the main character’s brother to the top of a church, and this race is designed to show you the parkour elements of the game.  The problem is there is nothing to ease you into the moment, you simply begin the race and try to catch any instructional prompts as they fly by.  When you fail, you are literally pulled out of the game world and forced to wait through a loading screen to start the race again.  It took me 40 minutes to complete was is essentially a 60 second bit of gameplay.

This comic pretty much sums it up.

I’m not the only person who’s dealt with this, for what its worth.  I’m going to give it another try but unless it really gives me something special its on to Dragon Quest V.

Also, I just made some muffins.  Mmmmmmmmuffins.

Mmmmmuffins