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Hands-on with Assassin's Creed Rearmed on iPad

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Hands-on with Assassin's Creed Rearmed on iPad

This fall the Assassin's Creed franchise is making two big splashes on iPad: the arcade deathmatch Assassin's Creed Rearmed (just released on iPhone) and the card strategy game Assassin's Creed Recollection.

We had hands-on time with both and, surprisingly, found Rearmed the slower of the two.

The closest to the hit console games, Assassin's Creed Rearmed pits you against other assassins in a crowded town square. Based on the limited enemy description, you have to pick out the other guys and kill them before they do the same to you.

The game gives you a distant overhead view, so the only way you can differentiate your enemies from bystanders is by closely looking at their heads, shoulders, and gaits. Rearmed plays like a complicated version of hide and seek.

A little slow

Winning matches unlocks new options, like temporary disguises and additional characters, but the game didn't seem to really get off the ground.

We played a multiplayer game over Bluetooth with two other people (it also works on wi-fi) and found the experience more tedious than thrilling. The slightly sluggish controls and the removed camera view didn't help the cause.

We hope the iPad version of Assassin's Creed Rearmed gets some polish before it arrives in all territories later this year. The iPhone version launched in the Canadian app store earlier this week as a free-to-play title.

Damon Brown
Damon Brown
Damon Brown has been speaking the mobile game gospel since 2003 for Playboy, New York Post, and many other outlets. Damon writes books when he isn't busy gaming or Twittering. His most popular book is Porn & Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and Other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture.