**SPOILER TOPIC**: every post is a spoiler to some degree

[PZ]

The introductory transition is great - all of the prior episodes are touched upon, and you really get the feeling of continuity.

You start out as a bad guy called Hatham, who assassinates someone in a theater in London, then boards a ship heading toward the colonies.  As Haytham, you learn the combat moves, climbing skills and other essential game play movements while on the ship - you even get to climb the rigging to the crows nest to watch as you approach Boston.

[PZ]

OMG what a twist.  This is a heavy spoiler that affects the entire first 3 sequences so I'm using a spoiler tag just in case you are the kind that doesn't mind small spoilers, but would rather not see major ones.

 a shocking revelation

During the entire set of first 3 memory sequences, you play as a character named Haytham, who assassinates an old guy (with hidden left blade) in a theater in London.  You have adventures on the ship heading toward Boston, and when you reach that town your adventures are quite similar to what you would experience in the prior AC cities.

You assemble a group of associates in a secret society and develop your assassination and climbing/running skills.  Along the way you meed a guy that seems like he is the loyal kind of associate you need among your assassins.  You bring him onto the guild to meet the other assassins and swear him in..... to the Templars!

What a twist; all along you are lead to believe that you are developing an assassin's guild when in fact you are creating a nest of Templars in the new country.

[PZ]

The village where you live when you play as Connor is in a secluded valley, and the clan mother tells you that it must be kept secret because it is a "special" area that must be kept from outsiders at all costs.  The way she speaks leads you to believe that one of the hidden temples is in the valley.

[PZ]

I completely forgot to mention the Desmond activity at the beginning of the game.  As Desmond, you walk into a cave with Rebecca ans Shaun and Desmond's father.  Desmond uses the Apple to open a door leading to one of the hidden temples that the ones who came before built.  In this temple Shaun and Rebecca set up shop so Desmond can enter the animus, which again has been improved.

[PZ]

This is another huge spoiler so into a tag it goes!

 about Connor's father

Most of you that have seen the trailers know that you play as an assassin named Connor.  What is not so evident from the trailers is that Connor's father is Caucasian, but even more shocking is that he is the Templar that you play when you start the game!

[JRD]

That's a nice post PZ... major spoilers!!!!

I was truly shocked when Haytham put the ring in Lee's hand and pronounces him a Templar... I was like... WHAT!...WAIT... Something is broken on this new Animus machine... Rebecca must have missed a few screws somewhere!

The fact that he has a hidden blade and act and moves like an assassin is odd though. Synching with viewpoints, the eagle vision... all of it have always been the mark of the Assassin's Brotherhood... and now we learn that a Templar also holds the same powers.

I can also see a major boss fight in the end of the game once you get to kill Haythan... so far we never fought any Templar who is skilled enough to pose a real threat. Robert de Sable being the only tough enemy so far but in the boring, simple combat mechanics in AC1. Al Mualim had the Apple with him and was a bit tough too but not really hard to kill. The Spaniard in AC2 was a joke... the Borgia too and I can't remember who I fought in Revelations so it probably wasn't tough either!

[mandru]

From AC2 we see that Altair had a child with a former Templar Maria who is one of Desmond's ancestors.  The blood line to Desmond crosses back and forth between the boundaries of the two ideologies and we see that at times there are good Templars and evil Assassins.

I'm at a point where Juno starts e-mailing Desmond.  ???

At least I think it's Juno.  I can't be sure because whoever it is has identified themselves as the message sender with a long binary code of 1's and zeroes but anyway they've hacked into the Assassin e-mail system (because it's just electrics after all) in the temple where the group has set up camp and starts messaging Desmond.

One of the e-mails flatly states that the Templars are unworthy.  Well actually everyone is unworthy but the Templars are really off the worthiness table.

I'm interested to see where this nuance of the storyline goes.  Gods e-mailing mere mortals?  Who'da thunk it? 

[JRD]

We are basically in the same part, mandru. I just finished all training Connor requires to dress up like an Assassin with the characteristic robes and hood. I am now about to start sequence 6 (?) where a grown up Connor is preparing to strike the enemies whose portraits are hanging over the secret room in the manor!  >:D

I too found weird to see Juno's emails... can't it be? Gods emailing us? What if some are sent to my spam folder and I never get the message in time?  ????

From AC2 we see that Altair had a child with a former Templar Maria who is one of Desmond's ancestors.  The blood line to Desmond crosses back and forth between the boundaries of the two ideologies and we see that at times there are good Templars and evil Assassins.

I didn't remember that... Maria, yeah, but the blood lines crossing back and forth? Can't remember any good Templar either.... bad Assassins are easy to name: Al Mualim being one!!