Assassin’s Creed 2 has taught us one thing. And that is games can be based on historic events other than World War II, and (gasp) be successful. AC2 is a mixture of historically accurate (and inaccurate) people and places, with a fictional narrative. More importantly AC2 is even better than its predecessor. The original Assassin’s Creed was by no means bad, but it was establishing a new IP. Ubisoft have taken what they learned from the first title and improved on it in almost every aspect resulting in a well crafted and pretty compelling action/adventure game.
AC2’s plot unfolds and develops in a fantastic way. Sadly the opening doesn’t really live up to the rest of the game’s narrative; which is a shame, and I really hope it doesn’t deter anyone from playing further. You start as Desmond Miles, while an assistant named Lucy is breaking him out of a high-tech lab. There’s quite a complex story behind this, but it’s told in a boring manner that’s hard to follow if you have no prior information about the game.
Lucy and a gang of underground workers strap Desmond to the familiar Animus machine, where he’s able to relive the memories of his ancestor, Ezio, who lived in Italy during the 15th century. You play most of the game as Ezio, as gains notoriety as an Assassin against the Templars, while the whole time Ezio’s DNA is being merged with Desmond’s in the Animus. This is where the story really begins to captivate the audience. The locales, some situations, and people are based on historical facts. If you know about 15th century Templar Knights, you might find yourself predicting who will come up next in the lengthy adventure. If you don’t, it doesn’t matter. The story itself is fictional. Ubisoft did do a great job of keeping the player on the edge of their seat, so to speak, at the end of each mission and sequence. It really evolves into one of those games that you just can’t put down. You keep telling yourself “just one more mission”, but the more you play it, the harder it is to stop.
For those who prefer action over story, Assassin’s Creed has a distinct Prince of Persia feel about it, and that’s by no means a bad thing. There is plenty of action to say the least. You’ll spend much of your time scaling walls, navigating roof tops, and leaping between ledges, just like the Prince does so often. The controls for climbing are pretty basic, as you run into a wall, or to a ledge, Ezio will either climb it or jump. The simple nature of the controls keeps everything fast paced, just as one would expect it to be for an assassin running above the city.
Ezio also turns out to be much better at his job than Altair. Ezio and his two hidden blades, for example, can (and need to) be used for quick and silent assassinations on two targets simultaneously. If things go bad and stealth goes out the window, then it’s up to Ezio and his trusty sword, along with a range of other weapons. Using a lock-on combat system you can aggressively attack, or hold back and wait to dodge or counter. The latter is by far the most effective tactic, as the polite guards generally only attack one at a time, at least in the early stages. For this reason running in swords blazing does tend to get a bit tiresome. Finding ways to avoid hordes of enemies, and mastering silent takedowns are much more rewarding, when possible.
AC2 addresses a major flaw from the first Creed by including a range of different missions. The main story has you running across the vast open world to the next memory icons, and has a very 15th century GTA meets Zelda feel to it. As well as these there’s a range of things to do outside of the main story. So much so that it’s almost impossible not to get sidetracked at some point. You can earn money to spend on whatever takes your fancy, including rebuilding your hometown of Monteriggioni. Once Uncle Mario (and the Super Mario Bros references are great) introduces you to your heritage most of Ezio’s non-compulsory activities are monitored at his villa. This includes collecting feathers and statues, while finding viewpoints will open up more of the world and increase what you can discover. In total there are six assassin tombs to uncover, which act as dungeons full of puzzles to conquer and guards to avoid (although why all these tombs are filled with guards we don’t know). These provide some nice linear platform levels, as generally there is more than one way to go about things in the main story missions.
The different tactical options allow everyone to play to their strengths. While moving throughout the city you can, like me, choose the faster, but most dangerous, route and run across the rooftops, risking being spotted by guards and having your notoriety levels raise. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy you can hire a group of prostitutes to tempt guards in your path, or walk slowly and try to blend in with the crowds. There’s a range of different, and rather cool ways to assassinate people, but there’s an equal number of ways to move around to get yourself in that perfect position to make your move.
The notoriety meter, new to the series, measures how likely the guards are to attack you, based on your recent actions. As you kill and steal the meter fills. When you have a full meter guards will immediately suspect and attack you. When it’s empty most of the time you can walk right past without raising suspicion. This is combined with an action meter above the guards’ heads. As it fills with orange they become more curious as to what you’re up to, this will happen when you’re seen being socially unacceptable - like climbing rooftops; turning red indicates that they'll attack. When being pursued by the law Ezio can hide in safe zones, such as bails of hay, as long as he’s not seen entering them. Or he can try and blend in with the crowd. It’s a very realistic portrayal of stealth, as it goes beyond the traditional set-up of being hidden if you’re out of the enemy’s line of sight. Of course, you can always choose to stand your ground and fight when being chased. At first there are normally only two guards, so if you’re fast enough Ezio can take them down before reinforcements arrive.
AC2 is set in 15th century Italy. The environments and cities look amazing. The beautiful country sides, artistic flair and a wide array of tones immerse the player in the game. To put it simply, the visuals are stunning - fitting considering the historical context behind the game’s setting. The voice acting is great, and really helps to absorb the player into the stunning cities of Florence and Venice. The background sounds are also right on the money, as is the ambient music which is there right when it needs to be.
Assassin’s Creed 2 is a major improvement over its predecessor in practically every way. The story is deep and engaging enough to become a Hollywood movie, but unfolds perfectly as a videogame. The game play has the right mix of platform elements, side quests, stealthy assassinations and melee combat. To top it all off, it doesn’t feel linear, leaving the way you tackle tasks up to you. AC2 is visually great and a pleasure to the ears, and really immerses the player in 15th century Italy. It’s a huge step forward for the franchise, which has quickly become one of the more mature series with platform elements. One thing is certain, this game leaves you wanting more much like the first did, but more so. Ubisoft did a great job of crafting a terrific sequel. If you haven’t picked this one up already, head to a retailer and grab it today.
Graphics | Audio | Gameplay | Replay | Genre | Final |
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