Review - Assassin's Creed 2

Written by Larry Ragland Jr. Friday, 27 November 2009 20:12

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There have been many really good games to come out this year, particularly in the last few months or so. Certain examples would be games like ODST, Uncharted 2, Forza 3, Batman: Arkham Asylum and many others. With that being said I'd have to say that Assassins Creed 2 is not only an excellent game by any standard, but it's also my game of the year. If you even slightly enjoyed the first game your going to love the sequel. In every way possible it does what a sequel should do. It takes everything that was good about the original, expands upon it, and makes it better. It's almost as if the original was more of a tech demo for what was to come down the pipe later.

AC2 is a gamers game and isn't something that should be taken lightly. It has an excellent tutorial, showing the basic ins and outs of gameplay and gets you accustomed to the world your character, Ezio, lives in. However, as the game goes on, it is going to require a level of understanding and ability that isn't something that people who are intimidated by today's games will find welcoming. To be sure, it eases you into the gameplay mechanics but your simply not going to be able to "button mash" or slide your way through. It's fair but it's demanding, and you're going to have to put the time into the game in order to not only progress through it's levels, but to also get enjoyment from your endeavors. There are many ways you can play this game and it's for the most part, left up to you to decide how to go about things. My advice would be to sit down and really allow yourself the time and effort to get familiar with how the game handles.

Our story begins several hundred years after the first, during the Renaissance. You play Ezio, the son of a wealthy and powerful banker who has a secret. As things unfold you not only find out what this secret is but you set out to right certain wrongs and uncover the truth. What that truth is, what these wrongs may be are all up to you to find out as this game revolves around it's story just as much as it's gameplay, that and the fact that I hate spoilers. Needless to say, you are in for one wild ride that I'm sure your going to enjoy. Desmond from the first game, makes a return as well and plays a more evolved and interesting role than he did previously. Prepare to be shocked and surprised along the way and make sure you have your conspiracy goggles on because it ups the fun factor 10 fold. It's X-files-Angels and Demons time and the team over at Ubisoft has crafted a compelling tale that is just as fun to get wrapped up in as the gameplay is.

As I stated earlier, everything that was right about AC has been brought over, added upon and ultimately made much better. There are a few minor issues here and there, no game is perfect, but much like Uncharted 2 before it, it gets pretty damn close. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is that some of the load times can be annoying but as I said, it's a minor issue and in no way should have any sway over a decision to play this game or not.

We will start with the ability to blend in with your environment, effectively hiding your character in plain sight. It has been made much more usable and useful. Let's say you want to mingle in with a crowd to hide yourself in an effort to get away from someone (or something) or you want to use said crowd to get closer to your prey. In the previous game, only certain groups of people, namely monks, could truly be blended in with. You'd have to time it so as they walked by you pressed a button and bam, your walking with the monks, hands together in prayer as they are. Not the case here at all. Simply walk up to any group of people, be they standing still or walking about, and Ezio changes color signifying that he is blended in with the group. They all change color actually, letting you know how well hidden you are among the crowd. It's a very cool, very natural evolution of the concept, allowing you to maintain complete control over your character as you move about. You can jump in and out and in between different groups simply by moving closer to them. This is but one of many tweaks to the gameplay, some big some small, that really gives AC2 the feel of a completed idea rather than a concept.

Arguably the biggest gripe that people had with AC to begin with, has been dealt with as well. Gone is the repetitive nature of gameplay from the first game. There is a ton of variety in not only missions but mission types. I didn't feel the game was repetitive at all, to the contrary, if anything, I kinda felt like there was too much for me to do. Keep in mind that while most of the missions and side quests aren't mandatory they sure are beneficial. It wold behoove you to at least try some of them as the rewards are worth it.

Just as evolved and engaging as the story and gameplay elements are the environments themselves. Using actual people and places from the time period really goes a long way in making the world of Ezio a much more believable experience. The locations and the people within these locations, all fit the bill and that combined with superb voice acting (much of it in Italian) really is an amazing accomplishment when you consider the scale to which this has been accomplished. One thing I really enjoyed was actual information on key places and characters that are used in the game, as they are introduced. Actual historical information that has educated me on things about the Renaissance that honestly I might not otherwise have known, let alone shown must interest in to begin with.

There is much to be happy about when it comes to AC2. Like I said, this is a gamers game, any gamers game, so long as your willing to put in the effort to experience it. AC2 is a huge improvement over the original and I look forward to seeing what this franchise may hold in store for us in the future. The guys and gals over at Ubisoft have created a memorable experience to say the least, one that has set a standard in what to expect in videogames and has earned my nomination for game of the year. Not that it blows other runners up out of the water, it's just that damn good. It's a testament to the caliber of games we've been experiencing lately and I sure hope it continues for some time to come. AC2 has raised the bar. I can't wait to see what can top it.

9.7/10