Assassin's Creed 2: Review

15 Jan, 2010

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Welcome to Assassin’s Creed 2, the long anticipated sequel to Assassin’s Creed that left us wanting more when we finished it so long ago. If you don’t know what I am talking about then close this review immediately and go and rent the game and experience awesomeness. With that said…. Let’s get right into it.

AC2 throws you into the action right away with the breakout of returning character Desmond from the “prison” you were in from the previous game. After this scene is done you are once again asked to go back in time using a similar machine that was used in the first game. This time the setting for your adventures are in a beautifully rendered Renaissance Italy in the 15th century and your “subject” that you control with your mind is an assassin named Ezio. Just like any other assassin were born just like you and me and Assassin’s Creed 2 wants you to know what it feels like to be an assassin as a baby. Yes… your first moments of playing Ezio are learning the movement as him as a baby. The game jumps around a bit after this to show you a different Ezio as he was when he grew up and its right after that the story comes into play.

I won’t divulge much of the story so that you the reader can enjoy it but what I will say is that something does happen that puts Ezio in an extreme situation. After this happens the game goes in full swing and this is also the part where you learn the controls as you go. For returning players a lot of the controls will feel mostly the same but tighter this time around. Ezio has most of the same skills that his predecessor Altair had but in AC2 they seem more fluid and smoother to work with. The layout is still open for the player to explore the world around them and pretty much anything is climbable as well. I think what I appreciated this time around was how Ezio reacts to the environments that you throw him at and it makes it fun to run at full speed from rooftop to rooftop or through the streets over things without worrying too much about controls.

AC2 even threw in a new feature this time around with the way you handle your “hometown”. While you are at your place of solitude you can not only upgrade the city you are in but in doing so you can get an “allowance” that allows you to purchase upgrades to armor, healing items, and of course new weapons. This adds a new feature to the game but if I was going to be honest here the upgrade to the buildings kind of seems pointless and not needed but I suppose offers a nice distraction.

While all of this is adds on to the game let us talk about the main attraction of AC2… the stealth and actual assassinations. AC2 still allows you to hide in the same spots as in the last game like hay and the rooftop garden spots but they also offer some great new ways to “blend” into the crowds to help you either escape or get near your target to eliminate them. If you played the last AC you noticed that no matter where you went there were people just walking around going about their day to day business. In AC2 these become your ally and an important part of the game. Now when you see that group of people walking and talking together you can walk right in the middle of them and join the party and basically become invisible to anyone that would be looking for you at the time. If that’s not enough there are allies all over the place. Apparently, back in the 15th century there were scoundrels on most rooftops and prostitutes around every corner. This turns out to be a good thing because you can hire the scoundrels to help you in any fight or to just distract guards when you need to get into a building they are watching over. Same goes with the prostitutes. Nothing distracts guards more then a beautiful woman blowing kisses and being suggestive to let an assassin do his work. Between just these two allies it is easy to execute an assassination and slip back into the crowd where no one is none the wiser.

Next let’s talk about fighting, weapons, and armor. As you go through the game there are a few instances where you are taught different moves that will help you survive the onslaught of many guards at once. These come in various forms such as the quick assassination to the defensive maneuvers that give you a one up on your opponent for a clean kill. These kills are varied with the numerous amounts of weapons you have to choose from. There are throwing knives, daggers, swords, and even an added bonus of a makeshift gun that you acquire at one point. If you find yourself in a fight with a weapon that isn’t working well and you kill a guard that has a weapon you prefer you can pick it up and use it against his friends to finish the job. Of course there is always the opposite thing to do which is to high tail it and run which is as easy as turning the other way and dashing or even throwing down a smoke bomb to make your getaway easier. Weapons and armor can be purchased and repaired in all the towns which is handy and as you find special items, which we will get into in a minute, you have access to better items at the local shops.

Speaking of buying new items and finding special items let’s get into how these add onto the game itself. As we talked about earlier, upgrading your hometown will give you an allowance that should do you quite nicely but if you want to be greedy or just have fun, or just find yourself in need of a quick buck then pick pocketing is also available. It’s way easier this time around and to be honest with you, not really necessary unless it is to get an item away from a person. Money this time around seems bleak at first but within an hour of playing the game you can see the benefits of concentrating on your city and soon money is basically 20 min away since that is when your allowance comes in. Moving on to other items in the game, for those of you that played the original AC you will remember finding the flags all over the place. This time around it’s not flags but feathers. As a person that took the time to find every damn flag in the last game I told myself right away that this time around I would not because although it might be fun for some of you.. for yours truly, it is not. What was fun in this game was trying to find the hidden “glyphs” around the world. Not only because it was challenging but by finding them it opened up something new and intriguing. Let me explain, in the game you get access once again to “Eagle Vision”. While in this mode you can see important things in the game in a different aspect. Enemies become bright red, allies are blue, and feathers and these glyphs are a bit easier to see. When you do find one of these glyphs you enter a mini game that has you look at puzzles that explain something much deeper in the back story. I found these not only challenging but so interesting I wanted to find the rest of them. Again, not an easy feat but the payoff in this case is worth it in my opinion. Last but not least and one of the coolest features in my opinion is by collecting certain items from “secret” locations you can acquire Altair’s armor from AC. This was no easy feat but was well worth the work when it was all said and done. Overall there are lots of secrets and side things to do besides the main quest and for the hardcore gamer it should provide hours of hunting for all these things in AC2.

So let’s button this up and let me give you my best opinion of the game. Visually, this game is amazing. I just love the feeling of running through the streets or climbing these towers so I can get a real good look of the entire city. Next is the game play and although it is very tight and works great there was still a few camera issues in the game but they are so far and few between it doesn’t take away from the overall feeling of the game at all and as for the fighting and constant running and climbing to get away or to somewhere.. well, this game really makes you feel like you are Ezio and an expert assassin by the end of the game. Like we just discussed there is lots to do even after the game is done so gamers can keep coming back and back until they discover everything there is to be found in the game. Last but not least is the story. I couldn’t wait for this game to come out because the first one left me wanting more. The story is interesting, clear, and at times an eye opener. In fact, the ending of the game almost blew my mind and right after it almost did so and the game ended, I said out loud at the EXACT same time as Ezio says it on the screen the final 3 words of the game. You will know what I mean when you complete it.

[rating:4.5]

As with any review I write I dedicate my desktop wallpaper for that month to the game I reviewed and share it with you. This wallpaper I found on Deviant Art and I think the artist did an excellent job at it.

Till next time my friends… Game on!