When comparing Assassin's Creed vs XCOM: Enemy Within, the Slant community recommends XCOM: Enemy Within for most people. In the question“What are the best singleplayer games on Steam?” XCOM: Enemy Within is ranked 44th while Assassin's Creed is ranked 109th. The most important reason people chose XCOM: Enemy Within is:
The gaming genre of turn based strategy lends itself very well to touch screen devices. It is actually easier to interact with the characters on screen with ones fingers instead of a mouse.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Interesting story of Assassins versus Templars
The story in Assassin's Creed is full of intriguing ideologies and philosophies. It's a familiar tale of liberty and freedom on the Assassin side and law and order on the Templar side, but it still feels fresh. Playing as Altaïr, it's up to you to assassinate certain templar targets who oppress the masses and horde power for themselves. As you take them down, you learn about their views on controlling the populace, encouraging you to question if the assassins are truly on the right path. Thankfully, the game doesn't tell you what to think, leaving you to draw your own conclusions.
Pro Intuitive stealth gameplay
The stealth mechanics feel natural and fluid in how strategic they are.
While tracking your targets, you blend in with each city's citizens or climb up to the tops of buildings to perch there and avoid getting spotted by the templar or their guards. You can either wait for the perfect opportunity to strike with a hidden blade up your sleeve that silently assassinates your target, or you can go all-out and have a sword duel with them if you'd rather take a more aggressive approach. After they're dead, you make your escape and become incognito again.
Everything goes together nicely in a way that feels satisfying.
Pro Excellent soundtrack
The game's soundtrack is top notch. It has a blend of medieval-sounding instruments with modern sci-fi synths, making the tracks unique. The echoing choruses and unsettling backtracks give a sense that you're on a tense, but mysterious mission to assassinate the templars in the Holy Land that the game takes place in. There's a measured thoughtfulness and caution that you pick up on as well, almost like the songs themselves mimic you as you stalk your targets while you blend in with the crowd. It's such a cool experimental sound that the composer, Jesper Kyd, manages to pull off well, keeping you engrossed as you play and listen.
Pro Impressive cities to explore with buildings to climb freely
The medieval locations of Jerusalem, Damascus, and Acre are beautifully done. The levels are massive for their time, with well-designed areas from the era such as towers, open plazas, and religious buildings. You can climb anything, anywhere, and run along the rooftops as much as you want. Scaling the tallest places gives you an amazing bird's eye view of the city and the mountain ranges beyond, along with a vantage point to plan out how to assassinate your targets. The realistic architecture makes Assassin's Creed feel like a true period piece set in the Holy Land.
Pro Turn based strategy works well on touchscreen devices
The gaming genre of turn based strategy lends itself very well to touch screen devices. It is actually easier to interact with the characters on screen with ones fingers instead of a mouse.
Pro Enjoyable gameplay
XCOM sets the standard as to what to expect in turn based strategy gaming. Players use soldiers to fight off an alien invasion by utilizing cover, flanking and other strategy tactics to defeat the alien baddies on each level of grid based environments.
Pro Hardcore strategy gaming at it best on a mobile platform
For a series that is regarded as hardcore gaming even on PC, to see this franchise come to mobile is a godsend.
Pro New upgrade resource
There is a new resource known as Meld that allows the user to purchase upgrades.
Pro Cheaper than PC version
Epic game, same as PC version, for lower price.
Pro Expansion on what was already a fantastic game
Enemy Within is and expansion on the classic Enemy Unknown. With Enemy Withing players are given new options such as maps, missions, enemies and of course the new Mech Suits.
Pro Ethical choices effect long game
The choices the player makes from what kind of upgrades to use to what soldier to send where on a battle map will effect later game play.
Pro Online multiplayer
There is support for asynchronous online multiplayer built into the game over Google Play Services.
Pro Unexpected storyline
A strategy game such as this is often not expected to have a storyline, or if so, a good one. But this game has an interesting and surprising one.
Pro Many upgrades
Many possibilities for upgrades are available in the game, which is impressive. Cybergenetics and genetics mods are some of the options you can use as upgrades in the game.
Cons
Con Repetitive main missions
The main missions are all structured the same without much variety. You're assigned a target to kill, you go to the specified city, you get a few means of tracking them down, and then you assassinate them. It's the same formula for every single target until the final mission. The only thing that breaks the monotony is that you get to choose your approach on how to kill your target. Pretty much everything else falls into the same routine that drags on for too long.
Con Confusing ending that lacks closure
The ending is weird. There's a sudden twist that happens with no real explanation, and it seems to happen just to shock you. The final wrap up also leaves out a lot of information about this twist, leaving things open for a sequel. You more than likely will end up confused by the whole thing.
Con Altaïr isn't all that compelling
As the main protagonist, Altaïr is kind of boring. His voice acting is emotionless and he doesn't really grow as a character. He does what his superiors tell him to do and just goes along for the ride in the story. You won't get to know much about him as a person, only the things that revolve around his role as an assassin. Getting to see more of him beyond the main story would have helped to flesh him out some more.
Con Many crashing bugs
It may crash often when loading missions.
Con Too expensive
Con Second half of game lacks as many options as first half
The second half of the game feels a bit lack luster in options when compared to the first half.