Assassin's Creed 2
He's back ... but no that's not him ... but if he's back he must be ...
Prepared to be confused all over again as we re-enter the mind of Desmond Miles and his far more interesting ancestors
So then, who's the the new guy?
His name is Ezio Auditore and like his ancestors before him, he is an assassin ... apparently. You'd be excused for thinking that some git has put the wrong game in your assassin's creed 2 box when you first begin. If it was for the gormless expression of Mr.Miles, argueably the games main character, you'd be wondering what the last game had to do with this one. Have no fear though, once "Des" plugs himself back in again (I can't believe I'm writing this) he is once again in control of one of his assassin ancestors, Ezio.
Even once you have been transported back into the 1400s, something still doesn't seem quite right, you play a character much different than previous moody hero Altair. You seem to be playing as some Italian show-off, who races across rooftops with his brother, climbs in (and even quicker out of) ladies windows and no trademark white hood in sight. Have no fear though, the story soon unfolds and once again you are donning that very hood and stabbing annoying guards with your hidden blade(s).
Even once you have been transported back into the 1400s, something still doesn't seem quite right, you play a character much different than previous moody hero Altair. You seem to be playing as some Italian show-off, who races across rooftops with his brother, climbs in (and even quicker out of) ladies windows and no trademark white hood in sight. Have no fear though, the story soon unfolds and once again you are donning that very hood and stabbing annoying guards with your hidden blade(s).
More of the same or something completely different?
Luckily in my opinion, Ubisoft have decided not to mess with success and have simply tried to address most of the complaints that people had about the first game. At no point in my time playing did the game feel like I was just repeating the same old stuff again and again, this time the story seemed to flow nicely along, granting me skills and weapons at a steady pace. Side-missions still exist in the form of "Beat-Up", "Courier", "Race" and "Assassination" missions which are pretty self-explanatry. These missions are not required to be completed at any point and even the Achievements/Trophies only require you to do one of each.
Graphics-wise the game looks much the same as the previous one with the exception of a few improvements here and there, the cities and the surrounding countryside is stunning to see and has obviously received a lot of care and attention. Animations seems to have been tweaked as well, with the old ones looking a lot smoother and a whole host of new "death" animations added - more on that later.
Graphics-wise the game looks much the same as the previous one with the exception of a few improvements here and there, the cities and the surrounding countryside is stunning to see and has obviously received a lot of care and attention. Animations seems to have been tweaked as well, with the old ones looking a lot smoother and a whole host of new "death" animations added - more on that later.
I've heard Mario is in this game, it this true?
The story in this game concentrates fully on Ezio and journey to get revenge and become an assassin in the process, fortunately you will only have to play as "Desmond" on 3-4 occasions and they are thankfully very short. Those who liked the baffling mystery behind the first game will be happy to know that there is still plenty to get confused by and discuss with all your friends.
Without giving too much away I can say that the game reminds me greatly of the movie "Zorro" and that Leonardo - not the turtle - Da Vinci and Mario - not the plumber - are important characters in the story. As with most game storylines, some will love it others will hate it, for me personally I though it was pretty good, the voice-acting was top-notch for the most part and the dialogue believable ... till you hear "Itsa Me, Mario" then you start to chuckle.
Without giving too much away I can say that the game reminds me greatly of the movie "Zorro" and that Leonardo - not the turtle - Da Vinci and Mario - not the plumber - are important characters in the story. As with most game storylines, some will love it others will hate it, for me personally I though it was pretty good, the voice-acting was top-notch for the most part and the dialogue believable ... till you hear "Itsa Me, Mario" then you start to chuckle.
Can you ever have enough ways to kill a man in a computer game?
Greatly improved is the sheer amount of different weapons in the game, from scimitars to longswords, from clubs to huge maces and from pikes to ... guns? Not only are there a lot of weapons in the game but there is many ways to kill your enemy with them, some quick and discreet while others are a bloody mess and very showy. The other new feature is the hidden gun that you get towards the end of the game, don't worry though it fits into the game nicely because it is quite limited, both by ammunition and the time it takes to fire.
The new dual hidden blade will certainly be a fan favourite, having the ability to one-hit-kill with each hand in just one second makes for a lot of fun. Add to that the ability to assassinate from above with the aforementioned device and you'll understand the joy. The addition of a customisable main character also means you can store weapons for use later or just to decorate your mansion with - yes I'm coming to that in a minute...
The new dual hidden blade will certainly be a fan favourite, having the ability to one-hit-kill with each hand in just one second makes for a lot of fun. Add to that the ability to assassinate from above with the aforementioned device and you'll understand the joy. The addition of a customisable main character also means you can store weapons for use later or just to decorate your mansion with - yes I'm coming to that in a minute...
How about a bit of town management for a change?
Before too long in the story you are granted the ability to upgrade the mansion and surrounding village that you live in. Don't worry, nothing too complex here but it gives you something to spend those leftover florins on. Traditional stuff here like "increase blacksmith rank to get a bigger discount" etc... but also things like fixing the well and repairing the church and adding a brothel mean that your village will soon be buzzing in no time. The mansion has plenty of space for you to store and display paintings, armour and weapons as well as a few other collectables.
Another interesting addition to the game is factions that you can hire that can help you in whatever mission you happen to be doing. Courtasans will lure guards away from a protected spot, Thiefs will cause the guards to chase them away from the area you're trying to reach and mercenaries will simply beat-up whoever you happen to not like. These make missions a lot easier on many occasions but are very fun.
Another interesting addition to the game is factions that you can hire that can help you in whatever mission you happen to be doing. Courtasans will lure guards away from a protected spot, Thiefs will cause the guards to chase them away from the area you're trying to reach and mercenaries will simply beat-up whoever you happen to not like. These make missions a lot easier on many occasions but are very fun.
Is it more like "The assassin's strike back" or "Desmonds trip to venice"? - The Verdict
The Good
The Bad
The Verdict
Even without playing the first game, you'll have a lot of fun with this. Many hours of gameplay will make you very happy and you may just have the Game of the Year in your hands...
- Even more amazingly detailed and large cities to explore
- Plenty of fun with even more weapon varieties
- Better story than the previous game
- A lot of replayability and customisation
The Bad
- Still has refresh rate and frame rate problems
- Unpredictable controls on occasion
The Verdict
Even without playing the first game, you'll have a lot of fun with this. Many hours of gameplay will make you very happy and you may just have the Game of the Year in your hands...
