Image from GamespotThe original Assassin's Creed was one of the most successful launches of a new IP this console generation. It was best known for having absolutely gorgeous graphics that were beyond anything else at the time, but the gameplay left a lot to be desired. While most people would agree that it wasn't a bad game, the faults I heard about the first one really killed my interest in it.
With the release of Assassin's Creed II, the overall perception of the game was much more favourable. Everyone was hyping this up as one of the best games of the year. I figured that now may be the time to check it out. It also didn't hurt that I was able to pick the game up for $30 brand new during an EB Games sale.
Not knowing much about what I was getting into, I figured that the graphical fidelity would at least be on par with the stunning visuals of the first. To my surprise, the production values of the entire experience are top-notch. I'm completely in love with the soundtrack, which totally fits the renaissance setting. The voice acting is believable and extremely well done. If you want to go whole-hog in terms of realism, you can play the entire game with Italian voice acting. What impressed me most however, was the architecture and atmosphere of the various areas of Italy. It was a pleasure just traversing across the world, seeing everything there is to see. The level of interactivity between yourself and the buildings was also extremely well done. It feels like the developers put a ton of effort into creating exciting "lines" for Ezio to traverse.
Speaking of Ezio, I felt that he made a great main character. It can be really difficult to humanize an assassin, but Ubisoft Montreal did a great job of developing him outside of his ability to shank guys. The game starts off with Ezio as a free-wheeling young adult and chronicles his spiral into the assassin life. What keeps him from devolving into a heartless assassin is a clear and personal motivation that goes beyond killing people for the sake of killing people. He is backed up by an amazing supporting cast (which includes many real historical figures, including Leonardo Da Vinci) and one of the most interesting plots I've ever experienced in a video game. When you get to the end of this game...all I can say is, "Wow."
Depending on how you play the game, it can take you a while to reach the end of the Assassin's Creed II. There are a lot of great side quests to do and items to collect if you're an OCD gamer. Normally, I'm not. What makes collecting better in this game is that there are good tangible rewards for collecting the statues, raiding all six tombs and finding all of the glyphs to uncover "The Truth". Having done most of the collecting portions of the game, I felt like the overall experience began to drag and I ran out of motivation to do any more side quests. If you play the game straight through, you should get your fill no problem.
I really enjoyed this game, which is why it stings for me to mention the few things the game stumbles on. My biggest beef with the game is in the controls. In general use, I think handling Ezio across rooftops is fine. However, there are times during stalking missions or temple raids that require precision handling that just don't work. The game makes you feel like you're trying to colour in a drawing on a piece of paper using a paint roller. During my time raiding the temples, Ezio would constantly jump the wrong way or not respond the way I want him to, which would lead to probably two hours of frustration if I add it all up. The fighting engine of this game I can see being very divisive. While I think it worked as is, I wish it was a bit more involving when you get surrounded by guards.
As it stands, I thought Assassin's Creed II was an excellent game that easily stands tall as one of the best games of 2009. A few nit-picky gripes hold it back from reaching its full potential, but its definitely worth the price of admission. When the third game comes out, I'll be happy to pay in full to see where this story goes.
With the release of Assassin's Creed II, the overall perception of the game was much more favourable. Everyone was hyping this up as one of the best games of the year. I figured that now may be the time to check it out. It also didn't hurt that I was able to pick the game up for $30 brand new during an EB Games sale.
Not knowing much about what I was getting into, I figured that the graphical fidelity would at least be on par with the stunning visuals of the first. To my surprise, the production values of the entire experience are top-notch. I'm completely in love with the soundtrack, which totally fits the renaissance setting. The voice acting is believable and extremely well done. If you want to go whole-hog in terms of realism, you can play the entire game with Italian voice acting. What impressed me most however, was the architecture and atmosphere of the various areas of Italy. It was a pleasure just traversing across the world, seeing everything there is to see. The level of interactivity between yourself and the buildings was also extremely well done. It feels like the developers put a ton of effort into creating exciting "lines" for Ezio to traverse.
Speaking of Ezio, I felt that he made a great main character. It can be really difficult to humanize an assassin, but Ubisoft Montreal did a great job of developing him outside of his ability to shank guys. The game starts off with Ezio as a free-wheeling young adult and chronicles his spiral into the assassin life. What keeps him from devolving into a heartless assassin is a clear and personal motivation that goes beyond killing people for the sake of killing people. He is backed up by an amazing supporting cast (which includes many real historical figures, including Leonardo Da Vinci) and one of the most interesting plots I've ever experienced in a video game. When you get to the end of this game...all I can say is, "Wow."
Depending on how you play the game, it can take you a while to reach the end of the Assassin's Creed II. There are a lot of great side quests to do and items to collect if you're an OCD gamer. Normally, I'm not. What makes collecting better in this game is that there are good tangible rewards for collecting the statues, raiding all six tombs and finding all of the glyphs to uncover "The Truth". Having done most of the collecting portions of the game, I felt like the overall experience began to drag and I ran out of motivation to do any more side quests. If you play the game straight through, you should get your fill no problem.
I really enjoyed this game, which is why it stings for me to mention the few things the game stumbles on. My biggest beef with the game is in the controls. In general use, I think handling Ezio across rooftops is fine. However, there are times during stalking missions or temple raids that require precision handling that just don't work. The game makes you feel like you're trying to colour in a drawing on a piece of paper using a paint roller. During my time raiding the temples, Ezio would constantly jump the wrong way or not respond the way I want him to, which would lead to probably two hours of frustration if I add it all up. The fighting engine of this game I can see being very divisive. While I think it worked as is, I wish it was a bit more involving when you get surrounded by guards.
As it stands, I thought Assassin's Creed II was an excellent game that easily stands tall as one of the best games of 2009. A few nit-picky gripes hold it back from reaching its full potential, but its definitely worth the price of admission. When the third game comes out, I'll be happy to pay in full to see where this story goes.