Secret Assassin's Creed plot slipped by Veronica Mars star
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Dec 14th 2006 at 12:25AM }
Speaking with IGN TV about her role in Assassin's Creed, Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell offered a surprising take on Ubisoft's upcoming title:"It's sort of based on the research that's sort of happening now, about the fact that your genes might be able to hold memory. And you could argue semantics and say it's instinct, but how does a baby bird know to eat a worm, as opposed to a cockroach, if its parents don't show it? And it's about this science company trying to, Matrix-style, go into peoples brains and find out an ancestor who used to be an assassin, and sort of locate who that person is."
Huh? We thought Assassin's Creed was about the Third Crusade? Guess there is something to that mysterious 'after-death screen' (see video; jump to 5:35). Too bad Ubisoft was unavailable for comment.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Vanth @ Dec 14th 2006 12:34AM
Am I the only one who wants this game? Seriously though that alone makes me want to buy the game(sounds like a good story) who else is with me?
TopaZ @ Dec 14th 2006 12:35AM
This girl needs to get naked already.
Borat @ Dec 14th 2006 12:41AM
She is the cutest person on TV.
I also read in EGM (I think) that the assassin in Assassin's Creed is a Muslim...I wonder how people will feel about that game after knowing that.
freecajunlove @ Dec 14th 2006 7:00AM
To touch her would be magical...
M.J. @ Dec 14th 2006 12:48AM
@Borat:
You're either really stupid or trying to be. "Assasin's creed" is not a person, so how could he or she be a person. And assuming that the "Assasin" is muslim, do you want people to start hating the game already?
Animus @ Dec 14th 2006 12:56AM
@ TopaZ:
Ditto.
mjsmitho @ Dec 14th 2006 1:01AM
Well as the term assassin is supposed to have originated from a muslim sect the Hashshashins(sp?) which would have been active during the times of the crusades well . . . not to mention the fact he said "that the assassin in Assassin's Creed" you might rethink calling people stupid.
Borat @ Dec 14th 2006 1:06AM
@M.J
Maybe you should learn to read.
mietha CAG @ Dec 14th 2006 11:22AM
Hum, maybe they should have had her sign a NDA... Unless it was on purpose.
Cid @ Dec 14th 2006 6:33AM
Argh....when they ruin this nearly perfect sounding game with some confusing sci-fi bullsh*t i'm personally going assassin on the devs :(
boost @ Dec 14th 2006 1:23AM
That game looks absolutely amazing. I cannot wait to get my hands on it.
Chris @ Dec 14th 2006 1:31AM
Poor girl.... she probably just rendered herself liable to a lawsuit from Ubi.
Queue the blonde-jokes... but, my word, she is sooo very hot. You're forgiven babe.
M.J. @ Dec 14th 2006 1:34AM
@ mjsmitho
I know where the word "Assasin" comes from, or at least where people speculate where it comes from. In fact, I took a whole class on the guy. His name is Hassan-i-Sabbah, look him up. And you will see that he had nothing to do with the crusades, nor did his sect, although they did kill some Sunni scholars. And yes, I can still call BORAT stupid because when you say "Assasin's Creed is A muslim", you're not talking about the phrase or the word, but referring to a person. In this case, there is no such person as "assasin's creed".
@Borat,
I think I know how to read, why don't you go learn some grammar, huh?
Vlad @ Dec 14th 2006 1:29AM
anybody who's been paying attention has already pretty much figured out the whole "genetic memory" component to the game...it's been speculated heavily that THAT'S the real nature of the game ever since the first trailer, so this is just confirmation of what we already expected.
Still, I hate it when actors or actresses who worked on some gaming or movie project spoil the "big secret" behind the game. it makes me feel sorry for the devs who have worked so hard to make the twist something new and surprising.
and, in conclusion...I'm insanely excited about this game. Splinter Cell + Prince of Persia + 3rd Crusade setting = Assassin's Creed crazy awesomeness. I can't wait, no matter what system I end up playing it on.
Spartacus @ Dec 14th 2006 1:39AM
Am I the only one who is a little curious about what she said about "research that's currently going on in science"? Is this true? People think that genes might have memory? I was pretty sure that the whole "aquired traits" theory of Lamarckism had been disproven by modern biology years and years ago. In fact, I don't think it's been widely accepted in the last 100 years. Now modern science is resurecting an ancient theory?
If genes have memory, ALL genes would have memory, regardless of species and therefore humans would/should have just as much or more "instinct" as any other creature if you buy into the evolutionary theory. So why is it that man, though being the most advanced being on the earth is one of the most helpless in infancy? A turtle has enough "gene memory" or "instinct" to survive on its own after birth but a human isn't self reliant until years and years later. I really hope she was mistaken and that this is simply the basis of the game, not based on actual research, because it would seem like a lot of perfectly good money is being wasted on a half-baked "scientific" theory. Then again, if the past is any indication, science will continue to stumble around in the area of biology until it makes enough mistakes to accidentally uncover a few morsels of truth...
Optimus Prime @ Dec 14th 2006 1:43AM
She needs a few cheeseburgers, quick!
M.J. @ Dec 14th 2006 1:49AM
@ Spartacus
Does she look like she knows about the current research in biology? When was the last time some celebrity opened up Nature or Science? and you're right, the Lamarckian theory has been disproven, by Darwin. But I'm not sure if that would be exactly this problem. Some couple of years ago I read about this guy who extracted some proteins from some mouse's brain who had gone through a maze and injected it into some other mouse and the next one did incredibly better. But I think something was incredibly wrong with his research, so it didn't become real famous.
Yardsman @ Dec 14th 2006 1:51AM
@ M.J.
They're called prepositions, genius. The phrase "in Assassin's Creed" is providing context for the word that precedes it, which in this case is "assassin". Good job with the reading comprehension.
(I'm not even an English major, and I remember my 7th grade grammar ^_^)
Dr. Zaius @ Dec 14th 2006 1:52AM
@M.J.
you have to be mentally retarded. read his damn post again. he said "THE ASSASSIN in Assassins Creed", note the first use of the word assassin denoting the person who he is saying is a Muslim.
socrates @ Dec 14th 2006 1:51AM
Veronica Mars, cracked another case!!!!
I love her.
jason @ Dec 14th 2006 1:53AM
I do not think anything is ruined, since i have no idea what shes talking about
Krazy Koala @ Dec 14th 2006 1:53AM
@ Spartacus: you should look up the research in the 70s of James V McConnell and Georges Ungar...I'm not aware of what current studies are going on in chemical memory though.
EihBeir @ Dec 14th 2006 1:59AM
*sigh*
As if we needed more evidence.....Chicks can't keep a secret!
Rare Hare @ Dec 14th 2006 1:59AM
Borat:
While I have a great deal of respect for your simple and elegant pwnage of M.J., the point of your initial comment seems somewhat irrelevant to me.
What does the religion of the character have to do with the price of tea in China? Or the price of oil in the Middle East, for that matter.
A discriminatory attitude toward a Muslim is no different than if it were toward a vegetarian. And it's not okay either way. Let's not be so quick to link terrorism with Islam, please. After all, Timothy McVeigh allegedly claimed to be agnostic.
The point is, there's no reason to even raise the possibility of an issue about this. It doesn't make a difference in the world how "people" may or may not feel about the fact that the main character is Muslim. What do they want to do, make him a protestant?
Rare Hare @ Dec 14th 2006 2:08AM
Oh, and by the way, M.J.:
It might help your case if you would stop repeatedly misspelling "assassin". Once is a typo. Five times is ignorance.
Rein @ Dec 14th 2006 2:24AM
I doubt she did anything wrong here, seeing as how if you die, you'll see the screen anyways, thus it's most likely explained at the beginning and not some sort of huge twist. It wouldn't make much sense to start out the game thinking you're in the third crusade time period only to die and see the game over screen. It kind of reminds me of the movie "A Sound of Thunder" except without the time traveling.
Besides, I'm sure Ubisoft told her what she can and cannot talk about. Needless to say, I'll buy a 360 just for this game. It's basically a better looking Prince of Persia, but I don't mind that at all. This game will be awesome.
mentat @ Dec 14th 2006 2:31AM
With the exploration of genetic memory as a plot the 'intuition' mechanic makes a whole lot more sense. I'm hoping that the gameplay will not just happen during the third crusade, but go through different timeframes such as in the movie 'the Fountain'.
It'd be interesting to see different environments that 'le Parkour' would have application in. Taking somewhat from the plot of 'the Fountain' there could be historical, modern, and futuristic, with a different assassin archetype in each.
If you've seen the chase sequence at the beginning of Casino Royale you've seen an example of le Parkour in action. If you're interested to check out more run a search online (Google or YouTube) for 'free running' or 'le parkour'.
Borat @ Dec 14th 2006 2:45AM
@Rare Hare,
Believe me, I am not prejudiced against Muslims...because I am one (though not really a practicing one). I doubt people will care, because the game looks awesome. But, the younger gamers have an attitude towards certain issues. For ex., I doubt it if many would play a game with a male homosexual character as the lead, especially the way people use the phrases "that is so gay, faggy", etc. And whether you admit it or not people are uncomfortable with Muslims to a certain degree...and there are people who may not like the idea of playing as a Muslim who assassinates Christians.
In any case, I don't want to bring more attention to that fact. The majority isn't that idiotic nor would they care.
NeverEnder @ Dec 14th 2006 3:02AM
@ Rein
You're assuming that the game runs chronologically. Maybe the death screen or the level that was presented could be a later level and the game is segmented and the story revealed in a more mysterious fashion. I'd personally think that would be more interesting than a journey from A to B. It will be interesting to see the kind of cues that games can take from good writers or good movies in terms of plot development. Does the plot drive gameplay or the gameplay drive plot? Fundamentally the people that write games are developers, and the focus is mostly on gameplay, but I'd love to see a good writer (maybe Alex Garland?) take on a video game.
This was a huge digression from the topic of discussion.
Subcon @ Dec 14th 2006 3:03AM
the concept of looking into an ancestor's past sounds very interesting since it reminds me of how Eternal Darkness (one of my all time favorite games) plays. Your always travelling back into the past to an ancestor or someone connected to the story line to uncover what is going on in the present. this game is yet another reason why im definately considering getting a 360.
DeejayKnight @ Dec 14th 2006 3:07AM
I feel pretty bad for Ms. Bell right now. You'd think that the NDAs that they HAVE to sign would have them thinking about these kinds of things before they open their mouths :(.
Luckily, though, the short glimpse of the menus during the X06/E3 demonstration gave away the 'futuristic' feel, so it's not too much of a surprise. Still, it's annoying that she gave it away - especially for those who haven't seen much about the game or the devs that put tons of effort into their game.
Oh, well. I'm psyched for this game anyways, so it's a guaranteed purchase!
Nad Stretep @ Dec 14th 2006 3:39AM
This game looks beautiful. I have been replaying PoP lately and this seems like the logical successor. Truely a must have.
Sri Lumpa @ Dec 14th 2006 4:00AM
Subcon I totally agree with you. It seems like they will do a Eternal Darkness type of level progression with the genetic memories of different people (or the same person with many assassins ancestors, who knows) instead of chapters in a book.
I am also looking forward to this game.
Dukrous @ Dec 14th 2006 3:57AM
So basically...we have some future company doing historical research using current people to find genetically encoded memories of some assassin in the Crusades era. Does that sum up the game?
Cause that sounds like a much more enjoyable game than killing in the Crusades.
Dude @ Dec 14th 2006 4:13AM
That look on her face...
The way she's sitting uncomfortably...
And the way she's pulling her finger!
One too many sprouts for thanksgiving???
MonocularJack @ Dec 14th 2006 4:54AM
And this folks is why you don't share any more than you need to with the hired help. Actually she probably ended up having to do voice work for the bits that actually explain the whole twist but the nerd working with should have thought more NDA and less on her chest. They were all tripping over themselves to have an attractive girl in the studio that someone forgot to tell her not to blab the details.
Wonder who's ass got chewed 10 minutes after that aired.
James Parker @ Dec 14th 2006 6:20AM
Unfortunately some stupid people will see having a Muslim character as a bad thing. When GTA:San Andreas was first shown, there were plenty of posts on message boards saying things like "Rockstar have really dropped the ball on this one, I'm never going to play a game were the character is black" (although with many more spelling mistakes).
But screw them, if they're that narrow minded they don't deserve nice things!
Pat @ Dec 14th 2006 5:20AM
She's waaaaaay too cute to be mad at. If you ARE mad, it simply means you have a heart of stone. Look at that picture. Feel better?
Justin @ Dec 14th 2006 6:58PM
I only kept reading the comments to see MJ's response to being owned
I was sad =(
defferoo @ Dec 14th 2006 6:51AM
hmmm... interesting story. i've seen her at my school because they seem to like to film at UCSD... so did she KNOW that she was ruining the story? or did she think she was doing us a favor by giving it away?
Patrick @ Dec 14th 2006 8:18AM
Ohhh Veronica Mars...
Sooo hot.. want to touch the hiney... Aroooo!
Rare Hare @ Dec 14th 2006 8:27AM
Borat:
Point taken and agreed with. But I've got a feeling that as long as there are no flight simulations present, we shouldn't encounter any problems with Republ... er, nervous citizens.
hegemonyhog @ Dec 14th 2006 8:39AM
"So why is it that man, though being the most advanced being on the earth is one of the most helpless in infancy? A turtle has enough "gene memory" or "instinct" to survive on its own after birth but a human isn't self reliant until years and years later."
You just answered your own question.
The reason animals tend to be born more self-sufficient that humans is that their brains go through less development than a human being's do in order to reach adulthood. Because an animal's brain undergoes vastly less development and change between birth and adulthood (and subsequently less physical growth/change), an animal can be born relatively more mature. In other words, a less developed brain can develop more quickly without requiring a larger brain pan in an animal than in a human.
Human gestation and physiology requires that the baby be born virtually helpless, because in order to birth a human capable of physically and mentally operating with any degree of independence, you'd have to have a two year-old. Show me a woman physically capable of birthing a twenty pound baby.
Sidebuster @ Dec 14th 2006 9:21AM
From what I read in a magazine (Possibly EGM) that His Creed may be Muslim, but their agenda is to end the war by any means. Even if that means killing other Muslims. They aren't just out to kill Christians. They are out to stop the Crusades.
Also,OMG ASSASSINS CREED OMG **head explodes**
cowboy_ein @ Dec 15th 2006 1:21AM
You know, I've wondered this for a while now if it wasn't something weird. The menus for the game, if you've noticed, look like something out of Metal Gear Solid 2, it just seemed out of place and oddly futuristic. My original theory was time travel though, so *shrug*. Go check out the videos and pay attention to the menus and such, I can't remember if it was loading screens too. Plus I always thought the flicker effect in the debut trailer was sort of odd, or just an artistic touch.
Monkeypox @ Dec 14th 2006 10:39AM
@hegemonyhog:
Thanks for that, kept me from having to type it all out. No one has been able to disprove Lamarck's theory, it's just that Darwin's has gained a great deal more favor. Darwin also, however, left open the possibility of certain aspects of "genetic memory" in his own theory (which, by the way, is still just a *theory*) as something of a supplemental factor to evolution.
matthew @ Dec 14th 2006 10:14AM
I was wondering if you guys were ever gonna comment on the ending of the video from the game playing on the 360 that I sent. GT said it was a brand new video when I saw it and sent it. Leave it to Veronica Mars to steal my sharing thunder.
Jarvis Slacks @ Dec 14th 2006 10:20AM
Nice. She just ruined the game for thousands of people. The cool thing is, Ubisoft might as well start giving out secrets and demos, since there is no way you can fix this. Doesn't she have to sign papers to keep her mouth shut? The game looks sweet, but I need to see alot more screen shots to be super impressed.
Ian O'Rourke @ Dec 14th 2006 10:24AM
She hasn't given anything away you can't read in numerous magazines. The first game is essentially the genetic memories of some guy in the future that you are playing through.
By the third game, of a planned trilogy, you are playing an assassin in the future, no doubt the one whose genetic memories you are mining in the historical episodes.
Simon @ Dec 14th 2006 12:30PM
She's somewhat cute and I like Veronica Mars, but if I would be near that character (VM) for more than 5 minutes I would punch her in the face.