8/10

 

 

                        About two years ago, Assassins Creed one was released on next gen consoles.  The game quickly won over thousands of people with its unique style of gameplay and storytelling.  But alas, we were left with a cliffhanger at the end of the game.  And that is where the second one picks up, directly after the first game.  As you escape the facility that once imprisoned you, skills from the precious game are recalled and needed to get through the area.  Afterwards, the real game begins.  The main antagonist this time is Enzio (I can not pronounce or spell his last name, so bite me). His quest is not of redemption; like that of his predecessor, Altair.  No, no, Enzio is on a quest of revenge. How this comes about?  You’ll have to play the game and see (no spoilers for this one, it’s that good of a game). But as you begin to play AC2, you’ll notice that it’s an entire learning experience again.  The reason for this is due to the fact that Enzio does not have the training Altair had.  He is new and fresh to the world of the assassin, and so as he learns, so do you.  But this game doesn’t spoon feed you the whole time.  Instead it guides you as you go along and helps you acquire skills that are needed to traverse through the game.  And still with most of these hints and tips, the game is still quite challenging. At times, you’ll fell overwhelmed by the enemy AI and your little tricks from the first game won’ always work this time round.  Fortunately, you’re able to do a whole lot more and then some in AC2.  You’re now able to assassinate people while hanging on a ledge, while hiding in hay piles or roof top stands.  You can now hide your bodies so to avoid detection.  You can hire groups of allies to distract guards to give you access to certain areas with ease.  The amount of stuff crammed into this game is amazing, but it never once gets stale or repetitive.  And even when you’re not out assassinating your targets, there is a plethora of side missions to take in.  My two favorite are hunting down hidden glyphs that are throughout the game that contain puzzles that if solved will tell you more of the truth (trust me, find the glyphs, the truth will blow your mind for a loop). And the entering of the Assassin’s Tombs.  There are six in total and finding them all will allow you to unlock Altair’s armor.  The game also added a shop addition, where you can buy weapons and armor rather then receiving.  This helps mold your character into the play style your comfortable with.  If you want to counter more, some weapons are better then others, if you want more power, you have mace’s now (yes, basically every medieval weapon you can think of is in this game) and so on and so forth.  There is even a currency and real estate system in this game.  The designers pulled out all the stops in this title, even redoing the battle system.  Now, some enemies can not always be blocked, so you must rely on strafing and dodging as well in order to defeat soe of your tougher opponents.  Bottom line, this is a truly great game and out shines the first entry in the series.  At times, it can be frustrating, but if your willing to muck through the mundane parts and stick with it (it is gonna be awhile before you beat this game, but maybe that’s cause I hunted down all the view points and secret glyphs and tombs).  All I can say at the end of the day is; I can’t wait for Assassins Creed 3.  Where we gonna go next fellas?  Modern day?

 

 

PROS

1. Superb storytelling and gameplay. You’ll feel as if your actually there with Enzio the way the game plays out and the ending is a complete shocker.
2. Combat has been revamped and it does wonders.  You fight more smooth and fluidly and the AI challenges you constantly making you rethink your fighting strategy.
3. The final fight between you and the end boss is awesome.  A knockdown, dragout, bare knuckle fight.  Winner takes all!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

CONS

1. Camera angle can be irritating at times, especially if your making your way up a really high tower and cant see if there’s a ledge above you.
2. Controls at times can be too sensitive or non respondent.  Many a time I found my self jumping in a direction that I didn’t want to because of the slightest movement of my thumb.
3. The aiming system needs to be greatly improved, especially for the throwing knives and the gun.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 27th, 2009 at 10:28 am and is filed under Game Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.