Assassin's Creed 2
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Platforms: PS3, 360, PC
Release Date: 11/17/2009 Publishers: Ubisoft Developers: Ubisoft Montreal Genre: Action-Adventure, Open-World |
Assassin’s Creed 2 takes the formula of the original, expands upon it, streamlines it and turns a promising premise into a great game.
In Assassin’s Creed the player took control of Altair as he plunged into the animus, a matrix-like world, where he donned the robes of an assassin and took out multiple targets. The game was interesting and fresh with exciting free-running mechanics and a grand scale, but it was held back by less than perfect integration of its multiple gameplay systems into the larger game. The missions were stale and repetitive, the story was dodgy and confusing and overall, the game lost some of its appeal after doing the same thing over and over again.
Assassin’s Creed 2 is here to change that. While it looks similar at first glance, and it is, the work done under the hood has helped the franchise greatly. Missions are no longer “go here, kill this guy” affairs. They have a much more varied feel and the fact that the characters in the game now have personalities lends a sense of immediacy and discovery to the plot that drives you through the missions. As Ezio, you’ll meet some interesting characters and uncover their connections throughout the course of the story.
In Assassin’s Creed the player took control of Altair as he plunged into the animus, a matrix-like world, where he donned the robes of an assassin and took out multiple targets. The game was interesting and fresh with exciting free-running mechanics and a grand scale, but it was held back by less than perfect integration of its multiple gameplay systems into the larger game. The missions were stale and repetitive, the story was dodgy and confusing and overall, the game lost some of its appeal after doing the same thing over and over again.
Assassin’s Creed 2 is here to change that. While it looks similar at first glance, and it is, the work done under the hood has helped the franchise greatly. Missions are no longer “go here, kill this guy” affairs. They have a much more varied feel and the fact that the characters in the game now have personalities lends a sense of immediacy and discovery to the plot that drives you through the missions. As Ezio, you’ll meet some interesting characters and uncover their connections throughout the course of the story.
The first game had side missions and collectibles that were grew tedious and annoying, but the second iteration makes going out of your way not only rewarding, but addicting. Anything that you go out of your way to collect, whether it be pieces of “the truth,” feathers or all the weapons and armor, will add value to your villa, a small town that you can upgrade. The villa is no mere distraction though; increasing its value pays off big time and you’ll find yourself constantly searching out the secrets of the world to max out your villa so that it makes you increasingly wealthy.
Overall, Assassin’s Creed 2 adds an element to the original formula that spurs the franchise into the realms of greatness. That element is fun. Missions are no longer tedious and everything you do grants you rewards and a larger understanding of the story.
Assassin’s Creed 2 comes highly recommended to anyone who loved the first game as well as those that disliked it for the various reasons outlined above.
Overall, Assassin’s Creed 2 adds an element to the original formula that spurs the franchise into the realms of greatness. That element is fun. Missions are no longer tedious and everything you do grants you rewards and a larger understanding of the story.
Assassin’s Creed 2 comes highly recommended to anyone who loved the first game as well as those that disliked it for the various reasons outlined above.
