Plus XP

The first Assassin’s Creed was a title I had mixed reactions about – the game boasted impressive graphics and complex climbing animations, alongside a brilliant concept and some clever mechanics. However, after playing it for a while, I couldn’t help but feel the game lacked variety, with its repetitive missions, easy combat and basic objectives – in a way it felt as though the game’s engine was more advanced than its actual gameplay. Although it was enjoyable in many ways, it had plenty of flaws and really felt as though it needed work.

So, with the announcement of Assassin’s Creed 2, my curiosity got the better of me. Would the title take the good aspects of the original and flesh it out into a good title? Or would it simply be more of the same disappointment?

The game had perhaps one of the longest queues at Eurogamer, and being a long demo I could see why. Taking control of Ezio, you were let loose upon the streets with a mission to hunt down some archers in order to allow an ally to replace them in for some pre-assassination preparation.

My first impressions of the game were that it was indeed much more colourful than the original, the Italian setting giving much more allowance for attractive settings as opposed to the dusty areas of AC1. The controls felt very similar, allowing for the usual parkour, although I must admit I was a little rusty. One of the biggest additions is water, which has been added perfectly, allowing Ezio to swim – something that was clearly lacking in the first. The water looks good, and you can even take control of a small boat to sail on if you wish.

Ezio has access to a much larger range of weapons this time – alongside the normal hidden blades (he has two, rather than one), he is able to purchase new weapons, such as daggers and halberds. The demo allowed me to use a dagger, and by grabbing an enemy it was possible to cut the enemies throat, which reminded me of Metal Gear Solid 3. However, I found it tricky to get the hang of, and found it very difficult to actually assassinate any archers without getting spotted, ending up resorting to melee combat – whether or not this is simply due to the lack of a tutorial I do not know, but I didn’t feel as though I were doing anything largely different to my experience with the first game. I recall AC1 having the ability to move low profile and hide your face, which I couldn’t seem to do this time, hopefully I just didn’t know how to, or it just wasn’t implemented into the demo. The combat itself seemed similar to the first, and I liked the fact that Ezio can taunt, his personality a lot more fun than Altair’s was.

Money has now been implemented into the title, so it is possible to purchase items and hire assistance, although I didn’t get much of an opportunity to use this. However, this hopefully means it will now be possible to shut beggars up with coin rather than a kick to the face, assuming they’re still around – the amount of time’s I found myself screaming “JADE RAYMOND DIDN’T GIVE ME AN OPTION TO GIVE YOU MONEY YOU DAFT SOD” were more than they should have been in an ideal world.

One nice thing I did notice was that I didn’t hear any repetitive audio clips – although over the general noise of the expo, I may have missed it – I only hope they remembered to give more than ten lines of random dialogue this time whilst wandering the streets!

To be honest I was a bit disappointed with the demo as it didn’t feel as though it gave me an opportunity to really experience the title’s potential and new features – save for the addition of water it was all fairly simple stuff. That’s not to say the game won’t have the features; only that the demo didn’t allow me to try them out. Having completed the first, most of it was rather standard gameplay and I can only wait to play more of it until I can see how good it really is. The game will supposedly allow for almost triple the amount of different side-missions, and should flow better than the first game in terms of plot. The title is said to allow for customisation of Ezio’s appearance, the use of Leonardo Da Vinci’s various contraptions, and many other little additions such as a notoriety system and more weaponry. Also, it’s going to incorporate a day and night system – so there should be plenty of opportunities for night-time assassinations!

Talking to the game’s representatives, I was told that the full title will cover much, if not all, of Ezio’s life – covering his birth, aging and education on his way to becoming an assassin. This aspect interests me greatly, and I believe he will be a much deeper, more likable character than the egotistical Altair was at times. Obviously I didn’t get to see any of this, but it sounds good.

From the small chunk that I played, Assassin’s Creed II looks as though it will take most of the good qualities of the first and add to it with new features such as water and money. However, I think we’ll need to wait a bit longer for a real analysis, since I know there is much more to experience than I actually managed to get my hands on.

-Leon