Assassin’s Creed II
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Jul 6th, 2009 |
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- Explore the deadly, shadowed world of the assassin with new assassin Ezio
- Roam freely through the lush and dangerous world of Renaissance-era Italy
- Do whatever it takes to complete your missions in the game’s all-new open world and mission structure
- Thrive in an environment rich with power, revenge and conspiracy
- Practice your assassin’s art with all-new weapons and instruments created by Leonardo da Vinci
Product Description
The world of the assassin is one cloaked in shadow and steeped in danger. Ensnared in a web of revenge and conspiracy, the assassin embraces power at its most elemental, acting as the dividing line between life and death. As an assassin confronted by perilous new challenges and difficult choices, what path will you choose?FeaturesExplore the deadly, shadowed world of the assassin with new assassin EzioRoam freely through the lush and dangerous world of Renais… More >>
Nowhere near as fun as the original. Repetitive game play with a few refreshing exceptions. Same old viewpoint climbing and guard killing. This game is too short, the story is lacking, and the ending sucked. There is way too much jumping around and Super Mario stuff in this game and it makes it seem less realistic and less engrossing but if it wasn’t for all that jumping around and falling and having to start it all over this game would have taken like 3 hours to beat. The first Assassin’s Creed was one of my favorite games of all time but the second installment did not thrill me or capture and hold my attention like the first did. Disappointing.
Rating: 1 / 5
Just so you know, I really liked Assassin’s Creed. The first game was a joy just to run around in; especially exploring the various cities and countryside. That’s why this game was such a dissappointment; exploration is a tedious, frustrating experience and, because of the new monetary system, MANDATORY.
Firstly, story. I don’t know what game the other review sites are playing, but it’s not the one I’m playing. This story is a ridiculous stereotype of bad buddy cop and action movies with a healthy dollop of tired conspiracy thriller; EVERYONE is betraying everyone else; there, I just spoiled it for you. The characters are just as stereotypical: Ezio is basically a drunken, whoring moron who is too stupid to understand anything beyond drinking and violence but we’re supposed to excuse that because he’s handsome and physically able; the writing is just full of terrible garbage in a similar vein. All villains are either fat or old. Everything is a just a huge neon sign blaring WE CAN’T WRITE. I just cannot get across how really, really poor the whole thing is.
The health system has been re-worked so, rather then just regenerating health if you find a quiet spot, you actually have to break off from the mission you’re currently on and seek out street doctors to heal you. This would be fine if it wasn’t for the horribly oversensitive, paranoid guards in the game which pretty much attack you on sight now. Instead, it just ends up being a immersion breaking task similar to an annoying fetch quest. Happily you can buy some medicine vials to use on the fly though which aleviates the annoyance; of course, you still need to hunt up money to buy them.
The guards bring up my other big problem; I can’t explore anymore. They’re so senstive that even running by them will trigger a huge chase and they’re so numerous that you can’t get anywhere without having to deal with them. They make the whole game seem terribly claustrophobic and not free roaming and non-linear at all. The messy combat system is back simply with additional options making it even messier; lacking even a basic tutorial unmtil well into the game (other then control pop-ups hints which, if you stop to read, you’ll end up dead because they don’t appear until you’re IN a fight) fights end up being sloppy, button mashing dissappointments. Even with all the bizzare, rock-paper-scissor weapon match ups they’ve added, the only effective way to kill EVERYONE is still simply the same move as the first game; Counter Kill with Hidden Blades, which makes all the weapon buying in the game nothing more then decorations for your villa.
The free running system in this version is touted as improved; in reality it’s totally broken. You’ll find Ezio constantly veering over 45 degrees off your course to make jumps he doesn’t even need to do; he overcompensates ridiculously when jumping so you’ll repeatedly find yourself plummeting to the streets below, usually triggering yet another guard chase or need to find ANOTHER doctor, and Ezio’s feet are apparently magentically attracted to posts, probably so he can do that lame “crouch on a high place” pose as often as possible. I actually had Ezio TURN COMPLETELY AROUND at one point to hop onto a pole he had just passed rather then simply leap across a small alley to the platform on the other side. He’ll also frequently get hung up on regular six inch steps; the whole character will freeze and refuse to move at all as if he was on the edge of a steep precipice.
That’s not to say the game is devoid of improvements; the new Blending system is neat (and necessary since the guards are complete turds), buying new dyes, armour and weapons is fun and the graphics are as good as they were in the previous game; albeit very similar. There’s really no telling you’re in different cities then any from the first games at most points; Venis is beautiful tho.
When you do manage to explore, the game is as fun as the first with TONS of things to find but they’re hard as anything to find; most are sourrounded with a white glow that almost perfectly matches the sky and roof shingles; if what you’re looking for is on the roofs, either wait until night or you’ll only find it if you trip over it.
So, if you liked Assassin’s Creed for the exploring, this game pretty much kills it and the story is reason alone to never even look at the game case on the shelf. Yes, there’s lots of new things added to the game but it’s like a spaghetti sauce that started out good but then had way too many ingrediants dumped into it to try to make it better.
Rating: 3 / 5
I was sorely disappointed by Assassin’s Creed 1. After all the hype, after all the publicity, and after the pimple-faced kid at Gamestop told me it was a “Must Buy…” It turned out to be one of the most boring and uninspired games I’ve ever played. I’ve been entertained longer by Diner Dash.
So when Assassin’s Creed 2 started showing up on my TV screen, I thought, “Oh boy, here we go again.” I did lots of research, I read several reviews. Finally I picked up a copy for a discounted used price – knowing that my membership at Gamestop would give me some extra money should I decide to trade this one in as I did AC1.
The opening of the game was as I expected – the stunning graphics are evident immediately. The voice acting – as I have read – is superb. Finally I was at the controls of Ezio. Time to go killin’!!! Oh, no, wait… First I have to race someone to a rooftop. Okay, slice-and-dice time! No, hang on, gotta deliver some documents. Okay, now I have to… …deliver more documents. Oooh, okay – go rough up some guy who’s cheating on my sister. About this time I started to feel concern. This felt eerily like Grand Theft Auto IV. I was just waiting to have to take someone out on a “man-date.”
Then there’s a minor plot twist. Suddenly there’s a sword in my hand. Here we go…
…well, sorta. First there’s training (even though we’ve done this before) and a few more stupid races to do… And then next thing you know, you’re out and about, murdering at whim.
I CAN say that at this point – half-way through the main story – I don’t feel like I’ve done the same thing over and over and over. It’s not as repetitive as the first game, even though it’s still just traipsing around killing people for reasons you never quite feel like you understand… This game feels like an 80′s cartoon – the good guys verses the bad guys and though you never quite learn how the fight started or the actual intents of either faction, you’re told to root for the good guys, so there ya have it.
But the game still just isn’t INTERESTING. It isn’t FUN. There’s no real motivation to head off for the next mission except for maybe unlocking the next weapon. The variety of side-missions – though certainly more abundant then AC1 – still aren’t interesting. Running deliveries, racing people (who you never actually see racing – you just compete against an arbitrary clock) give you more to do, just no reason to do it. The assassination contracts are fun because, well, in case you weren’t aware – you’re an ASSASSIN. They’re the only side missions that actually relate to the overall objective of the game. They also aren’t dolled out to you by some lazy guy whining about his leg hurting so “please go do my job for me – oh and hurry ’cause I’m hungry…” There’s also the tomb challenges which are OK – basically the developers have chosen to show off how well their game engine can work as a platformer. Of course, if I wanted to PLAY Mario, I’ve have BOUGHT Mario…
The challenge of the game isn’t working your way through the story – it’s finding ways to do what you have to do CREATIVELY. Sure, you can whip out the $11,000 sword you bought and time a couple button presses (the counter-attack is still the only method that really works in a fight) to clean out the guards, kill your target and be done. Or you can try to get creative – leap across some roofs, stick some throwing knives into a few unsuspecting archers, flip on the “blue-tinted-night-vision-titled-’Eagle-Eye’” and stalk your target until the opportunity arrives for a signature flying assassination – easily the game’s most pleasing visual. But most times this won’t work. Your throwing knives cannot be aimed – you have to select a guard which only works 25% of the time. A guard will see you too soon – or more annoyingly – from behind their own heads. Or you’ll jump off a roof as the camera spins around and suddenly you completely lose your bearings and assassinate some innocent woman carrying a box… It just doesn’t WORK like you expect it to, like the demo’s show it working, and you ultimately just end up feeling disappointed.
A true Assassin collects intel, they stalk their target and infiltrate the enemy’s life. They spend indeterminable periods of time waiting for the right opportunity and strike when it’s least expected. Assassin’s Creed just doesn’t present this strategy. It puts your targets inside a building and you have to attack that building. You have to generate a strategy on the fly and hope that the game lets you pull it off. Ultimately, the game itself limits you from doing what you feel needs to be done. Why can’t I drop down from a ceiling to make a kill? Why can’t I dress up as a guard and infiltrate the enemy compound? Why the hell can’t I crouch behind short walls or boxes?? Why can’t a guy who leaps from buildings and scales vertical walls somersault over a guard and put a knife through his back? And why do they keep scripting the story so that the target knows I’m there anyways? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose??
A lot of people have recommended Modern Warfare in lieu of buying Assassin’s Creed. I think that’s ridiculous – they’re entirely different genres of games. But if you really want a GREAT sleuthing game, with deep strategy and variety, incredible combat, and that really lets you pick your own way through unsuspecting guards in a way that makes you anxious to play it again and again and again because there might be a strategy you haven’t learned yet, then you NEED to pick up Batman: Arkham Asylum. It is EVERYTHING that Assassin’s Creed needs to be. And if you’ve already played through that game twice as I have, well, then just hope that IT has a more successful sequel than Assassin’s Creed.
Rating: 3 / 5
There’s a lot right about this game. The story is pretty good (save the whole ‘matrix’ rip) and the graphics are great. It really does immerse you in Florence, Venice, and other locations in Italy. The only major problem with the game – THE CONTROLS ARE TERRIBLE!!!! I mean, really, really terrible. And of course it’s a game that requires a lot of finesse on the controls, which is near impossible to achieve. For example, the game requires you to do a lot of running jumps, but the control to jump is the same as the control to sprint, so you have to figure that one out. Same is true for the control to drop and the control to hang on – same button. The ‘free run’ concept is not well executed. You have many missions that involve a race situation, and while trying to speed through crowded street, you find your character running up walls, poles, etc, and grabbing onto ledges, despite your best efforts not to. You can not stop him from doing these things. Very, very frustrating. If the creators had spent half the time on the controls as they did on the story or graphics, it would be a great game. But sadly I’m left wanting to play and ending up incredibly frustrated.
Rating: 2 / 5
Overall 7/10 (The story was the most important to me)
Gameplay 9/10
Story 5/10
Graphics 8/10 (On a big tv you can see the seams)
Character Depth 9.5/10 (leaves you hanging on some part)
Let me start by saying the first assassins creed was and still is my favorite gme.This game however is pretty fun gameplay wise but is sericely lacking in the story department untill about halfway through the game.
The free runing is really good although it does have some problems where Ezio will jump somwhere other then where you planned and you will probably end up with half your health gone. The climbing works well and is improved over the original. But none of the free runing or climbing requires much thought. There is almost always a clear cut path or you just have to go around the corner. Inside the tombs there is an obvious criss cross patern or it shows you the path you need to take.
There are more types of quests but only a few types are enjoyable, (The beat up quests, the races, and some of the assassinations)unlike in the original where i wanted to do every single side quest. The beat up quests and the races are extremely enjoyable and you will want to do all of them that you find. on the other hand you have things like the courier quests which are just a complete pain. All of the main quest assassinations are enjoyable but only some of the side assassinations are fun while the rest are just tedious. Another pain is when you have to follow someone to a certain point withou being detected before killing them, if you bump into one person with a box you will most likely be starting over. Also I thought I had heard something about quests where you carried women home after they had been at the market all day but I guess Ubisoft just scrapped that.
The new weapons are pretty cool but you rbarely ever going to use any of the but your hidden blades, your sword, and your fists. You can only aqquire weapons when the game makers are ready for you to have them because you have to wait untill later memory blocks for most weapons to be available.
The villa is definitely the best part of the game It is fun to upgrade and get the money every 20 minutes and it is a nice safe place to hang around.I love how they took real paintings and told you the histories of them. But there just arent enough upgrades and paintings to keep you entertained.
Now I’m going to tell you about the story. The story is pretty pathetic. for the first half of the game its pretty much EZIO MAD EZIO KILL and the other half is crap about weird creators who want to save us or something. I’m not going to tell you the ending but (at least in my opinion) it was just stupid and worse then the first. The codex pages leave you wondering what happened after altair looked into the apple the last time or if he even did. But even though it isn’t a great story i still half to say I am definitley going to get the third to find ou what happens.
Also I have had a few glitches like when i got my head stuck in a gondola and it said it acted like i was walking even though the rest of me was underwater and i couldn’t get out. ANother time there was an archer with half his body in a building.
The biggest problem of all is that YOU CAN’T REPLAY MEMORIES.
Now that I’m done with the review part i’m going to tell you what ubisoft should release as downloadable content to fix at least some of these problems: More indoor maps, More side quest types as well as just more side quests, More addons for the stronghold including ones that increase its size and more paintings for it, more weapons and armour, and most of all a patch (thats free) That lets you replay specific memories. Anything else they can think of also.
Rating: 3 / 5