Assassin's Creed 2

Awesome. Pure awesome. I'm about four hours in.

The game seems to fly by and I can’t get enough. The combat starts off both fluid and clumsy. It’s nice because you have access to all the abilities of Altiar had at the end of AC. However, you’re an unskilled fighter so you are clumsy as can be. The game starts with a fist fight and if you know how to grab, counter and all that then you’re free to do so. It’s set up so that you will lose, so you’re free to do whatever you like. Also, contrary to how the previews put it you are able to free run from the beginning. If there is more skill to be had, I haven’t found it.

Combat is also more interesting since you can hire mercenaries to help you. Big battles occur with some frequency and you usually have the option of helping out or continuing. When you’re fighting the big battles you have the opportunity to instant kill anyone who’s back is turned to you, which will save your allies if you choose to help out.

There are multiple weapons (22 in all, I believe). They are categorized so that you can only carry one of each type (sword, dagger, knives, etc) and the rest you store at your home base, which is far more extensive than the last time. The weapons all have different powers, speed and deflection ability. For instance the stiletto is terrible for deflecting attacks but extremely quick.

The streets are littered with doctors, tailors, blacksmiths, banks, and some other stands. As you go more things are unlocked for purchase. The doctors (so far) carry medicine for healing wounds, artists sell paintings and “treasure maps” that I haven’t tried purchasing. Blacksmiths sell armors and weapons, as well as repair them. The stronger your armor, the more life you have. When your armor breaks or deteriorates your total health is reduced.

Now there are groups of people you can just hire any time to help you get around. Thugs, “Courtesans”, and thieves can be given some cash to walk with you for portable cover or distract guards into leaving their posts. The system is very useful for getting rid of stationary guards. Or being ‘guided’ into a protected area.

New is that you can use the blend ability anywhere you want. Just find a small group of people (usually only works with 4 or more) and walk near them without interacting. You basically become invisible and so there are portable hiding spots everywhere. However, don’t pick the pockets of those in your hiding group because they’ll call you out or start a fist fight. Speaking of picking pockets. It’s very fun. You can also loot bodies. If people see you, they start to fear you even more.

The new notoriety system is, in my opinion, pretty poorly implemented. Like every game where you have a public opinion about you, word spreads instantly of your deeds and wanted posters appear out of nowhere, even if you knock off a completely unsuspecting guard. This is the only real complaint I have about the game. To ‘clear your name’ you can either bribe the heralds, kill officials (which somehow doesn’t create more notoriety), or remove wanted posters (if you’re seen, you don’t lose any of your notoriety, though, and guards will attack you). But seeing as the pace of the game (being that you don’t hang around for weeks) doesn’t allow for the people to casually forget who you are, it’s a forgivable problem.

Guards are now smarter. They'll take a moment to notice you and the game helps you out with this. There are chevron-shaped indicators. If they fill with yellow then you have been recognized. Red means you'll be attacked. It's fight or flight, however you'll have to act all non-chalant. Blend, casually walk away, turn a corner and high tail it. If you don anything 'suspicious' like, say, climbing a wall or jumping in a cart of hay, then they'll be onto you and you're going to have the same choice. Fight, or flight in hopes of becoming anonymous.

Your options for going anonymous depend on how high your notoriety is at the time and what your offense was. While “notorious” you have to haul ass out of their search zone, find cover, and wait. They'll search beyond the zone and if they don't find you, you're free, but while you're still in that bubble they won't give up at all. They'll walk up to the hay bale and say something like, "He could be in here!" and start stabbing away. Ezio will escape just as the swords begin the stabbity and get wounded and be discovered. Lower notoriety and offenses will have a smaller bubble and the guards won’t be as interested in locating you. They probably won’t probe for you as much.

Unlike the first game AC2 actually encourages you to collect all the goodies. This time, however, it’s not flags. Now you’re looking for relevant items that either unlock weapons or part of the story. For instance, you must find pieces of a codex, each piece is translated by Leonardo da Vince. These allow you to get new weapons or attacks. However something with that system too seems off. You don’t seem to be able to just find one and carry it off to Leonardo. However, that may be something that I haven’t found at this time.

Gone, too, is being assigned to kill specific people and the main quests are more story driven. Ezio chooses (you don’t) his targets and how you go after them is your business. Charge right in or gather intelligence, whichever you prefer. There isn’t ever a wrong way to do anything, more like a ‘hard’ way. The story just flows.

The graphics seem to be about the same as the first game. However the draw distances have been modified slightly so when on the peaks of buildings. The buildings themselves are a bit plain, with the focus of the details being the background and countryside. Not sure how I feel about the trade-off. However, the game doesn’t suffer due to it and it’s not something you need to notice.

So far I’d say that AC2 is about as close to a 10 as any game I’ve played. I don’t foresee any reasons to reduce this except, perhaps, if it glitches out, or I can finish the main quest in under 12 hours of dedicated play. The missions are a bit more open. I’ve intentionally left out a lot of elements so that you guys will be able to enjoy the game more completely. It truly is a sequel that is leaps beyond the first in a series.

Yes, because I can

I periodically make some long-winded write-ups of various games. So I figure, why not share them with anyone who cares to look? I'm pretty impartial and have some refined tastes in gaming and entertainment. I can be entertained by some crap games and find those "A+" titles to be pretty boring (ODST, anyone?).