Player Frenzy

Assassin Creed 2




Synopsys

Assassins Creed 2 is set during the Italian renaissance and will follow Ezio another descendant from Desmonds past. Much like Altair you will start with nothing and learn to become a Master Assassin.

Much like Assassin Creed 1, you can pretty much go almost everywhere you want, climb any building and tackle side missions in the order you want. The similarities end there. This is not Assassins Creed 2, simply more of the same; it’s a whole new experience. Every inch of this game has been updated. The fighting system, mission system, story, etc... Are these improvements enough to call this game Action Adventure game of the year?

Gameplay 8/10

In the first iteration of the game you can go anywhere you want and climb any building, the climbing and jumping mechanics are a little bit freaky, do not be surprised if Ezio decides that he will not make the jump in the direction you intended. The fighting system is a lot better and much cooler than the previous game with stealing weapons, dual hidden blades or poison (by far the most creative way to kill someone). The only issue is, you never really feel outmatched, even against 20 soldiers, you have enough health and with the counter action, you are almost unbeatable. The whole money system ties in well with shops and with the story. Once you have built your Villa for maximum money making, the system is pointless; you will never feel like your scrap for cash. Where this game shines is the mission setup, unlike the first game where you played the same thing 12 times, most missions are different and involve different actions and skills. The game will take about 16 hours to complete with enough of the side missions done to say you’re satisfied, if you want to complete everything, slap on at least another 8 hours. After so many hours of playing, you will look at buildings in real life and see how you would climb them.



Story 10/10

This time the story is much better explained and you are not pulled out of the animus as much as in the first game. The fact that almost every inch of this game is pulled from actual history just proves how much effort was put in by Ubisoft Montreal. The character development is much more a key component of the game. The betrayal and revenge element really dive you in to care about the characters. The game also has an excellent cast that portray the characters greatly.

Graphics 10/10

In a word Lifelike, I am not sure that’s one word, but it actually describes the graphics in this game. You will see Italian renaissance from every detail of the game, from the photorealistic buildings to the paintings you buy for your villa. It is that amazing. The characters move like real humans and interact to your movements, do not be surprised if you stop on top of a viewpoint just to look at the city below.



Overall 9/10

This game is very good game, I even say it’s probably the best game Ubisoft has ever produced, alright Sands of Time was better but this comes really close. Anyone who plays this game will not be able to say it’s bad. It is an excellent example of a solid Single Player Game that does not need a multiplayer to be worth all of the money. Granted not all the stuff that was added was particular useful but there was so much added compared to the first game, that you cannot put it on the same level. You have to wonder what more can they add for the next title, hopefully WW2, which would be amazing.

9.25/10