What the original Assassin’s Creed should have been

by Leon Somi

Fun factor: Fun

Worth to: Buy

The next chapter in Ubisoft’s medieval franchise that proved a great financial success, attempts to iron out all flaws to create a game that not only looks good but plays even better.

Viewed by many as a fantastic concept that failed to materialize, Assassin’s Creed back in 2007 was liked but never loved by the game industry. Whilst the original lacked variation, it more than made up for it by producing an incredible 3D playground for all to explore. With its back against the wall, Assassins Creed 2 had a lot of ground to cover if it was to turn an idea into an enjoyable game, but have they managed to do this? Thankfully yes, but not without some minor problems.

Tying up loose ends

Having ended the first very ambiguously, Ubisoft thankfully corrects this problem by continuing straight after the original’s end, tying up many unanswered questions you may have had two years ago. Assassins Creed 2 disappointingly starts with a whimper with the game’s tutorial guiding you through the basic mechanics in a bordering monotonous tone, however fret not, once the basics have finally been learnt, you will soon be jumping, diving and slashing your way through Venice, Florence and its many other cities.



The game continues its path surrounding the ongoing war between the assassin’s (good) and templar’s (bad), with prisoner Desmond breaking out from the grasp of evil, joining the assassins in pursuit of ending the war. Desmond like before is once again transported back in time through his ancestor’s memories, with the central idea of becoming an assassin himself. A focal point of the story is main protagonist Ezio Auditore da Firenze, in which his revenge tale has you traversing the 15th century Renaissance period killing hundreds of men on the way. As a whole Ezio is a very likeable and charming lead, with you often feeling as passionate for revenge as he is, leading to a consistently amusing tale throughout.

Like its predecessor Assassins Creed 2 looks stunning, in particular the wonderful landscapes themselves and Ezio’s fluid and dynamic animations, both of which prove the sequel is still a fantastic visual treat. However like the original, blemishes are apparent when it comes to the visual department, with pop-in a frequent nuisance, facial animation horrifyingly ugly at times and the occasional freeze or animation blips that randomly emerge throughout the experience suggesting the game isn’t as flawless as it could be. Despite the cities looking fantastic, not much can be said about the environments outside the city walls, with open fields often looking baron from life or detail, leaving a “what could have been” feeling.

Cinematic the game may not be, nevertheless the magnificently composed soundtrack throughout the campaign is often soothing for the ears and pulsating for the heart, with the agile races a particular highlight. Ubisoft’s decision to mesh together the English language with little bits of Italian really combines well in delivering an authentic experience, in particular the voice acting of Ezio’s character providing a strong performance. In spite of all these positives the game’s audio can tend to completely disappear in some parts, whilst not a frequent occurrence it is noticeable and often irritating.

An assassin’s varied night out in Venice

Building on the original, Assassins Creed 2 expands on all accounts rendering the first “almost” unplayable. Most importantly the missions are surprisingly varied which includes side-missions that are this time mercifully optional. Similar to the Grand Theft Auto series, the core missions are quite diverse and enjoyable leaving aside repetition on almost all occasions.



The combat has also seen minor improvements. For example fighting hordes of enemies at once can provide some difficulty, however this is countered with the large increase in weapons that certainly help you in your time of need, with new items such as spears and the all new gun attachment proving an excellent addition to the series. Further enhancements such as hiring factions for distraction or combat and the all new notoriety meter, which in essence is a “wanted level,” all add up to an impressive virtual world.

Two years have passed since the original came to our shore and times have changed within the genre. It is noticeable whilst playing Assassins Creed 2, especially in terms of the somewhat sluggish controls, with combat and platforming especially highlighted in this instance. This is most evident with Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum’s intuitive combat system,which was in fact inspired by the original Assassin’s Creed. Comparing the two it becomes very noticeable that Assassins Creed 2 is often sluggish and laborious. Another important ingredient of the franchise that lacks polish is the platforming, with often moments of despair flooding your brain when it comes to accurately jumping around in a city. This can often be ignored with the game encompassing a flexible amount of variety; however when you come across the new side-missions that have you explore tombs, you may find yourself giving up at the most fiddly of parts.

Once again Assassins Creed 2 improves on its predecessor in terms of game length, with a massive amount of side-missions that include races, beat up events, assassination contracts and tomb exploration which all provide a robust and lengthy experience. The game even tailors to all the kleptomaniacs out there with a host of content such as feathers, glyphs, codex pages and treasures to find, with some really worth looking into. For an adventure game Assassins Creed 2 really does try and tempt you to get the most out of the experience, providing you with just over 30 hours of gameplay, which is a fantastic achievement considering current gaming standards.

Summary

Assassins Creed 2 is an enjoyable experience that not only takes into account all the problems of the original formula, but expands in literally every way, delivering an action game that is one of 2009’s main highlights. Nonetheless the nagging feeling that this is the game we should have received back in 2007, leaves a bitter taste that does its best to upset what is overall a delightful game.