At the end of Assassins Creed we learned that Altair had gained possession of the Piece of Eden and taken control of the Assassins guild, Assassins were still in existence in modern times, Abstergo Industries was the modern face of the Templars, Lucy Stillman was ,in fact, an Assassin, and Desmond was picking up the odd skill from experiencing the memories of his ancestors. In AC2 things have changed. Desmond is on the run thanks to help from Lab technician Lucy, we meet more members of the Assassins guild and we delve further into Desmond's mind to experience the life of another of his ancestors, in the hopes that he can, through experiencing another assassins life, become one himself.
Assassins Creed II, much like it's protagonist Ezio Auditore has some large boots to fill but at the same time had the potential to improve on its predecessor. The original Assassins Creed had been criticised in some quarters for lacking variation in game play. Although the game had a brilliant fighting system, superbly fluid free running mechanics and a story that had you intrigued from beginning to end it lacked the variety in mission types needed to keep boredom at bay over the course of the many hours required to complete it. As riveting as it is to climb a hundred foot tower and then jump off the edge into a hay bale it tends to lose it's shine after the thirtieth or so!
Luckily where the original faltered, it's successor has excelled. It goes without saying that the meat and potatoes of this game is the assassinations of key Templar conspirators but the surrounding missions vary so much that it's difficult to get bored with. You are tasked with everything from escorting allies around the city to delivering letters, from time to time you have to free imprisoned rebels who will aid you in your cause, while at other times you must take out enemy archers in total silence so that your friends can take their place in the lead up to a target assassination.
Free running (parkour to those in the know) is just as fluid and enjoyable as ever. The inclusion of pigeon roosts as indicators of "leap of faith" points is a welcome improvement while the tried and trusted leap of faith from upon high is still in tact and as thrilling the first time you do it as ever. Oh and if you jump off a rooftop and find yourself falling into a canal don't worry! Ezio has had swimming lessons and can keep himself above water quite ably.
Fighting is very similar to the first outing with Altair, counters and dodging are still important to your survival during a fight with low level guards. Heavy duty soldiers, denoted by large swords or axes along with thick armour can't be parried as easily and must instead be dodged and then countered. There is a wealth of new weapons available for your journey through Italy, and while you can probably complete the game with the basic weapon load out where's the fun in that? There's no greater feeling than taking on a group of guards bare handed, disarming the first to attack and then dispatching him with his own weapon. Your favourite counters are all included in this sequel while a few new animations are included for good measure.
During your more stealthy missions you'll find dispatching multiple targets easier thanks to the second hidden blade newly developed by Leonardo Da Vinci from plans drawn up by your predecessor Altair. You can take down two guards at a time with this new upgrade both on your feet and from the air. New stealth kills are avilable too, you can now kill a target from a cart full of hay or grab them from a ledge below and hurl them to their deaths.
Now the down sides, although there really is only one worth a mention. Horse riding still feels awkward at best and at worst is horrible. Unlike Rockstars' Red Dead Redemption Ubisoft seem to have reached a certain level of functionality with your steed and then decided it was good enough to move onto other things. Fair enough, unlike the first AC you won't need the horse for many areas, in fact you can't ride in the cities at all, but it still feels like while everything else is nicely polished the horseplay is lacking that same sparkle.
Speaking of sparkle, the graphics in this game seem a step above the previous entry in the series. Maybe it's just the re-cap but the graphics from AC1 seem a little more jagged. That point not withstanding, Assassins Creed 2 is a beautiful game to behold. The Cities are all reproduced in stunning fashion as you can see from the screen cap at the start of this review. Voice acting is strong throughout with the exception of Shaun, played by Danny Wallace, who isn't horrible by any means but can be slightly inconsistent from time to time. Desmond/Ezio 's lines are delivered well which helps to make him, once again, a believable character who is very easy to empathise with. Believe me, there's plenty to empathise with him over.
Assassins creed 2 has managed to improve on the formula of the original, continuing what was already a very interesting and original story and further developing Desmond from a gateway character, who seemed to be there only so we could play as his ancestors, into a more complete character who is becoming just as interesting to play as in his own right.
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