4/5 Stars
More is... more, in Renaissance Italy's very own murder-em-up
The second installment in what has been confirmed to be at least a trilogy, Assassins Creed 2 is a worthy successor to the first, and manages to show a real development in gameplay and storyline. With more to do than ever, and bolder characterisation, the creators have built upon the framework laid out by the first game.
Naturally, as a sequel this game continues where the first left off. As Desmond, imprisoned and subjected to the task of combing through your ancestors' memories, the end of the first game left with a puzzling cliffhanger. In this game you will get to further explore the mysteries of the Templars and Assassins, and more mysteries are presented for you to solve. The new assassin, Ezio, resides in renaissance Florence, and has a few more tricks up his sleeve than Altair, including a lot more choice in combat situations, and a few more gadgets, some provided by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci, who provides some of the games highlights with his inventions.
Gameplay in the first game was criticised for it's repetitive nature, which has been greatly improved here. Although there are some repetitive missions, these are mostly in the form of side quests, and nearly all the main missions are unique, with Ezio performing a range of challenges to work through the game. There are also several set pieces, one seeing you flee from soldiers whilst riding a horse drawn carriage, whilst archers shoot blazing arrows across your path. Exploring the various locations is also more interesting, with a range of landscapes, and now the ability to swim, and various treasures to find around the wonderfully designed cities. New to this game is areas with a more platforming edge- reminiscent of Tomb Raider, as you shimmy along ledges and climb through dungeons.
The voice cast in the game really help to bring the characters to life, and much more effort has been made in creating enjoyable characters to complement the plot, really helping you become immersed in Ezio's world. The graphics are also superb. Textures on buildings are almost photorealistic, and it's always a pleasure climbing up a huge building and looking off into the distance- cancel that holiday to the mediteranean, the view just won't be the same from ground level!
A big step up from the first game is a real sense of progression, that your character learns and grows with you, obtaining new techniques and items throughout the game, either as part of the story, by training, purchasing new items, or just from playing around and finding new ways to use your existing skillls. The money system also works well, allowing you to upgrade Ezio's weapons and armour, but also to invest it in paintings and buildings for your villa, which in turn brings in more money.
Unfortunately though, after time you realise the environments, although impressive, just don't offer the range of opportunities in comparison to their size. Although searching out treasure brings rewards, it can get very repetitive, and sub quests unfortunately lack the variety of the main quests. The game also manages to equip Ezio so well that, even when surrounded by multiple enemies, it's generally quite straightforward to either run or pick them off one by one. A little more work on the guards AI would have been nice, as fights often degenerate into standing around waiting for them to attack you, and then countering, one guard after another. Clambering across the rooftop is also extremely easy, although some effort has been made to make it slightly less straightforward than in the first game. Perhaps a Mirrors Edge style momentum based system would have made this more interesting.
What's your opinion? I'd love to hear about it so comment below!
Thanks for reading! Andrew
Brilliant review. I wish it was in an italian accent though.... ; )
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