Where the original Assassin’s Creed suffered under the weight of its own artificially-stunted ambition, the second is an altogether more assured beast, confident to chop, change and embellish in all the right areas. Gone is the weight of graphical expectation and rushed development that forced Ubisoft Montreal to balance financial security with inspired design, and in its stead stands a gloriously unfamiliar facsimile of Renaissance Italy – extolling all the virtues of open-world diversity from atop a solid perch of logical upgrades and supremely-polished climb-and-crime mechanics.
And what a setting it is. Too often blockbuster videogames toe the line of cliché and stereotype without so much as a nod to originality or historical insight. Assassin’s Creed II, however, manages to pack a heady reverence for both – blending the real-life traits of characters such as Leonardo da Vinci or the Medici family into semi-plausible plot devices where necessary, whilst simultaneously providing access to a wealth of historical material through varied side-quests and set pieces.
Indeed such is the profusion of content that it almost falls into apologetic over-compensation. Every conquered tower viewpoint – which still form the core of city exploration and the finest moments of graphical awe – signals a batch of gameplay icons added to a localised mini-map. There are 66 of these in total, allied with numerous treasure charts that gradually reveal the location of collectible feathers, glyphs, paintings and hidden tombs equivalent to entire Sands of Time levels – along with statues, armour sets, weaponry, codex pages and chests – and that’s before getting into the usual races, fetch quests, combat and delivery missions, secret locations, gondola rides and thievery.
The annoying part – for those of us that couldn’t care less about shooting pigeons or picking up flags instead of cracking open a new title – is that each of these supposedly-superfluous activities is a masterclass of incentivisation. Without ruining any plot points, there are many compelling reasons to succumb to Pokemon fever in little Italy, each one leading the player along a trail of mystery and puzzle-solving breadcrumbs that gradually explore facets of assassin Ezio’s back-story and the series as a whole. It’s a grand manner in which to flesh out your universe, and more games of this ilk could do worse than to follow suit.
Somewhere in the middle of all that – provided you can actually spot the flashing icons – are a series of story missions that represent a huge improvement on the original’s repetitive formula. Ezio himself is a much more charismatic and charming lead than brooding Altair, and whilst finer plot points are inevitably lost amidst the cacophony of additional content this second chapter still manages to tie everything together succinctly – driving forward with brevity and entertaining dialogue that compensates for the somewhat ham-fisted approach to Italian regional dialect.
Ezio’s upgraded athletic ability takes principle lead as the story arcs from one moonlit rooftop to the next, but as a remaining core gameplay tenet, assassinations are no longer the protracted affairs that they used to be. The frequency at which they occur offers bountiful opportunity to employ the array of upgraded weaponry and environmental manoeuvres to your own desires. Those of you that enjoy surveying and scheming from high will still be in your element, but the knowledge that fists and a sword can tidy up all but the most monumental of foul-ups is refreshing comfort for those more averse to replaying any given section.
Almost inevitably though in this post-Arkham world, combat is the weakest link in an otherwise sparkling chain. Enemies cluster around but attack in solitude, and whilst Ezio is perfectly capable of dispatching a multitude of foes with barbaric precision, the staccato nature of the animation is decidedly at odds with what is at all other times an incredibly graceful protagonist. Nothing in the mechanics is bad, and there is a definite enjoyment to picking people out one at a time for punishment, but the niggling feeling that conflict should be more Bayonetta and less Tekken prevails until the credits roll.
But when they do roll, the overwhelming sensation is of a series that – after stumbling on the initial foothold – has found an assured but refreshingly lesser-travelled path. As a continuation of a storyline, and more importantly as the evolution of a series on a faltering start, ACII is a considerable success – and the adventures of Ezio Auditore di Firenze certainly deserve to be remembered amongst the year’s best.
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5 Comments
I’m Playing AC2 at the moment, and its really beautiful, and massive and everything you could want in ‘that type of game’ but i still find it, like the original very dull and repetitive. The tomb levels are frustrating but fun, but there is only 6 of them! It’s good, but of the two festive games i got over NY (and a new Xbox due to 3 red lights…) Borderlands is winning.
I’m with mike, it’s a little repetitive but i absolutley love it. There just feels to be enough side quests to keep me occupied for hours, and as you’ve said the tombs and the hidden glyphs are just pure brilliance.
I don’t really mind the repetitive nature of some missions as I feel that they are generally well-balanced and work with Ezio’s story. Let’s just hope Ubisoft doesn’t tip this the other way with the upcoming DLC.
The DLC chapters were chopped from the original game, so they should hold to the same production values and structure at the least.
I would be angry at them for doing it, but when you’ve got a game that drips content anyway, it’s difficult to hold a grudge!
Just started playing this – with my new PS3!
After getting extremly bored of the flag collecting and awkward combat of the first I can def say this is a Major improvement!
I find the new side quests are more part of the story and not some random side addition and yes Ezio is a better character. I also love the story continuation from the first at the start which helps you have more interest into what you are actually doing.
I am only near the start but cannot wait to get to double blade kills etc!!
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[...] has one title managed to put right so many blemishes in one iteration, and for that reason alone, Assassin’s Creed II firmly [...]