Assassin’s Creed 2 is the sequel to the widely popular Ubisoft hit of 2007. With Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood on the horizon it seems an apt time to decide whether this game is for you. Having not played the first I have no comment on improvements but this game is polished with beautiful environments, an engaging story and strong game play which should warrant a purchase.
One of the many delights this game has to offer.
Personally, I found the storyline of the game convoluted but interesting. With the entire premise of the game’s story centred around “genetic memory”, a concept loosely based in scientific fact, we follow Desmond who, due to genetic memory and the Animus, can now follow his ancestor Ezio Auditore. The basis for this game finds us in Renaissance Italy and the classic story of revenge follows in which we, Desmond and Ezio uncover more about the conspiracy of the Assassins, Templar’s and pieces of Eden. The delivery of all these story points, through Codex’s, Glyphs and missions, in regards the setting, is seamless. This is complimented by an array of colourful and likeable characters, giving a strong sense of immersion. Despite this master craft of story telling the game ends on a somewhat Uncharted plot twist, though the overall delivery prevents this from ruining the game.
Renaissance Italy lends itself perfectly to the setting of Assassin’s Creed 2 and gives the artists something to truly brag about. The beauty of the cities in which Ezio travels lends to the overall polished feel of the game. Each city feels unique, with the animated cityscape of Florence, the sprawling lush countryside of Tuscany and the sparkling canalled city of Venice, as well as many more. The character models follow suit with there being few flaws to the natural movement and overall lifelike interpretation of each character. Despite this, as with everything, the faces of the characters are pasty and not particularly fantastic, a point which is illustrated in the numerous close-ups of Ezio’s face. Although the “real world” outside the Animus does not compare with the beauty of Renaissance Italy the setting is apt, as the drab warehouse was used only as a temporary base of operations.
The beauty and life of a thriving city.
Now we all know that good graphics do not equal a good game. In fact it is the game play of Assassin’s Creed 2 that wraps up the package nicely. In general the game play is good but is not without its own share of faults. The main issue being that the game starts very slow. In fact until you reach Venice, about halfway through the game, the combat is simplistic and involves simply attacking and blocking until you win. However as the game progresses Ezio’s skills evolve through storyline and training so that combat is no longer arduous but fun. Although some combinations of techniques are more effective than others, a minor flaw, the complexity of combat is up to you.
The parkour of the game leaves something to be desired. Assassin’s Creed 2 strives for pseudo realistic parkour controls and suffers for it. The design of buildings, in most cases, provides only one potential path for climbing. Frustration levels rise as you realise the true path is on the other side of the building. This is rectified slightly as a skill makes you more mobile but this changes little in some cases. Poor controls can also result in Ezio face planting as he jumps right instead of left. Despite these flaws, the free running system is smooth and natural.
The actual story missions of the game remain fresh throughout. Indeed, it took this game for me to realise that “follow missions” could be done correctly. Rarely did I find myself dreading a mission type as they are encountered effortlessly and logically as the story progresses.
The combat is impressive, no need to run here.
As a free-roaming game, there are plenty of attractions to occupy yourself. There are a number of side quests, falling into 3 categories, consisting of beat-ups, assassinations and races. Collection falls down to the 100 feathers scattered throughout the world and glyphs which unlock a side story. You can even develop your ratty villa into a majestic town to rival Venice, which provides rewards ranging from a constant income to discounts. This in itself provides conflict as the money from side quests is made obsolete by the massive income provided by the villa. The repetitive nature of these side quests also plays against their validity as an attraction. Regardless, with the story stretching over ten hours and the side objectives adding even more, you will need to set aside a few days to see all this game has to offer.
As far as games go it is hard to miss with Assassin’s Creed 2. Despite its slow start the engaging storyline and seamless combat will make you forget it in no time. The minor flaws are shadowed by the strengths and with the sequel mere months away this game is well worth the purchase, and time which will doubtlessly be sunk into this game.
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Assassin’s Creed 2:Review
Assassin’s Creed 2 is the sequel to the widely popular Ubisoft hit of 2007. With Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood on the horizon it seems an apt time to decide whether this game is for you. Having not played the first I have no comment on improvements but this game is polished with beautiful environments, an engaging story and strong game play which should warrant a purchase.
One of the many delights this game has to offer.
Personally, I found the storyline of the game convoluted but interesting. With the entire premise of the game’s story centred around “genetic memory”, a concept loosely based in scientific fact, we follow Desmond who, due to genetic memory and the Animus, can now follow his ancestor Ezio Auditore. The basis for this game finds us in Renaissance Italy and the classic story of revenge follows in which we, Desmond and Ezio uncover more about the conspiracy of the Assassins, Templar’s and pieces of Eden. The delivery of all these story points, through Codex’s, Glyphs and missions, in regards the setting, is seamless. This is complimented by an array of colourful and likeable characters, giving a strong sense of immersion. Despite this master craft of story telling the game ends on a somewhat Uncharted plot twist, though the overall delivery prevents this from ruining the game.
Renaissance Italy lends itself perfectly to the setting of Assassin’s Creed 2 and gives the artists something to truly brag about. The beauty of the cities in which Ezio travels lends to the overall polished feel of the game. Each city feels unique, with the animated cityscape of Florence, the sprawling lush countryside of Tuscany and the sparkling canalled city of Venice, as well as many more. The character models follow suit with there being few flaws to the natural movement and overall lifelike interpretation of each character. Despite this, as with everything, the faces of the characters are pasty and not particularly fantastic, a point which is illustrated in the numerous close-ups of Ezio’s face. Although the “real world” outside the Animus does not compare with the beauty of Renaissance Italy the setting is apt, as the drab warehouse was used only as a temporary base of operations.
The beauty and life of a thriving city.
Now we all know that good graphics do not equal a good game. In fact it is the game play of Assassin’s Creed 2 that wraps up the package nicely. In general the game play is good but is not without its own share of faults. The main issue being that the game starts very slow. In fact until you reach Venice, about halfway through the game, the combat is simplistic and involves simply attacking and blocking until you win. However as the game progresses Ezio’s skills evolve through storyline and training so that combat is no longer arduous but fun. Although some combinations of techniques are more effective than others, a minor flaw, the complexity of combat is up to you.
The parkour of the game leaves something to be desired. Assassin’s Creed 2 strives for pseudo realistic parkour controls and suffers for it. The design of buildings, in most cases, provides only one potential path for climbing. Frustration levels rise as you realise the true path is on the other side of the building. This is rectified slightly as a skill makes you more mobile but this changes little in some cases. Poor controls can also result in Ezio face planting as he jumps right instead of left. Despite these flaws, the free running system is smooth and natural.
The actual story missions of the game remain fresh throughout. Indeed, it took this game for me to realise that “follow missions” could be done correctly. Rarely did I find myself dreading a mission type as they are encountered effortlessly and logically as the story progresses.
The combat is impressive, no need to run here.
As a free-roaming game, there are plenty of attractions to occupy yourself. There are a number of side quests, falling into 3 categories, consisting of beat-ups, assassinations and races. Collection falls down to the 100 feathers scattered throughout the world and glyphs which unlock a side story. You can even develop your ratty villa into a majestic town to rival Venice, which provides rewards ranging from a constant income to discounts. This in itself provides conflict as the money from side quests is made obsolete by the massive income provided by the villa. The repetitive nature of these side quests also plays against their validity as an attraction. Regardless, with the story stretching over ten hours and the side objectives adding even more, you will need to set aside a few days to see all this game has to offer.
As far as games go it is hard to miss with Assassin’s Creed 2. Despite its slow start the engaging storyline and seamless combat will make you forget it in no time. The minor flaws are shadowed by the strengths and with the sequel mere months away this game is well worth the purchase, and time which will doubtlessly be sunk into this game.