Assassin's Creed II

[krele]

Hey guys. Recently there was a talk about ubisoft's new DRM here, especially about ac2... So it made me wonder did any of you actually play it, even though it uses such a bad DRM technology...

I did, and I must say the game is brilliant! Especially the story, I must admit, even though at first I hated ubisoft for their drm, I sort of respect them now... Sure, the drm they made was the dumbest mistake they could've done... But looking from the other perspective, they made an awesome game, and wanted to do everything they could to protect it. Even though they lost their reputation with the drm, they certainly did get it back from AC2... At least they did from me... I've just finished the game few hours ago... So I'll just write what I feel about each aspect of the game =)

Graphics (9/10):
Many people said that AC1 had better graphics than AC2... That's bullcrap! The game has the most beautiful scenery, and explains it pretty well how Europe (Italy, to be accurate) looked like in times of renaissance. Shadows are done pretty well. First game that utilized shadow maps that run very well on real time. Scenery is pretty awesome as well. Ubisoft also proved they CAN develop an engine with dynamic paged geometry. Particles are pretty good, but sometimes can get annoying... Flames are realistic but are nothing special... Game is overrun by shaders, which ISN'T a bad thing! Water isn't geometrically dynamic, but wave shader suited the ambient pretty well... Especially in Venice! You can actually tell the difference when you're wet from rain or from taking a dip on your armor/clothes/cape... Even though it's nothing to cut your veins for, Ubi made an awesome job to make one dynamic, breathing world, worth experiencing.

Gameplay (9/10):
Assassin's Creed 1 offered hours of fun gameplay... It's sequel only adds on! You're an assassin, you free run on the rooftops, seeking your next target. Being stealthy, hiding in shadows, but unleashing your fury of light. Lurking and blending in hundreds of civilians, you slowly come near your target. Slicing him to bits, breaking his bones, slashing his neck, crack his head open, slaughter him like a goat... Whew... I'll just say that killing are very brutal (*cough*war hammers*cough*). Once you kill your target, you try to escape the guards. Suddenly you find out the crowd you used to creep in turns to be a stampeding obstacle... Rushing through the crowd is most certainly leading you to death... Rather jump and climb on top of the nearby building and free-run your way out. Free running is done pretty well, but it can get annoying. Most of the time the system is pretty accurate, but because of complicated controls you will end up falling from 50 feet high rooftops... Most of the times by your fault, but sometimes because of the environment. On rare occasions you will slip and fall... Not a problem, but can annoy you if you fall once you're so close on catching your target thief. On rainy days, or when you're wet from swimming, this will happen more commonly... I usually chose to run in the district until I'm dry, than risking death and restarting from the last checkpoint... Ubi tried to make free running realistic, and they succeeded in my opinion... But sometimes it just gets too annoying... You'll end up succeeding the most difficult jumps, and failing something you can easily manage to do in real life... Combat is okay, but in my opinion, you're too underpowered after so many guards you've slain... You feel like you don't get more powerful after time passes by... But you do get wider arsenal of weapons, armor and abilities... Meh, you're still underpowered when confronted by 3 brute guards... That is, until you obtain Alta'ir's (main character from previous AC) armor and sword ;). Because of this, you're going to do your best to pull off stealthy assassinations. There are so many ways of assassinating your target without being seen. From hiding in haystacks to throwing a dagged right between their eyes. After some time, you get to own a city with your family's villa. You can upgrade the town, and gain money as the time passes by, and visitors pay a visit to your villa. To upgrade the city, you will need money. From robbing people to punishing unfaithful husbands, florins will slowly cascade into your pocket.

Story (10/10):
I won't spoil you the whole animus aspect of the game, so I'll just get straight to the point of the main gameplay. In AC2 you play as young nobleman Ezio Auditore. You're mad at people that deceived your family, so you seek revenge. On your adventure, you find out it wasn't only a person is responsible for your family's breakdown, but a whole army of them. One by one, they fall on their knees asking for mercy, but your heart full of hatred know only of revenge. As stated on the opening of the main menu, the story was written by various people, of various religious faiths and beliefs... But to keep from spoiling the story for you, I'll just let you know it dwells much deeper than anything I can describe ;).

Physics (6/10):
Physics in AC2 aren't really good... Ragdolls are bad... But it's still fun to laugh at *bonks* you hear and see when throwing bodies (or your enemies!) off the rooftops. I'm a big fan of Euphoria physics, and in my opinion Ubi could use it for some elements of the game. Overall, physics made the game lose the balance of reality that makes this kind of game special.

Sounds (9/10):
Sounds are epic... There's nothing much I can write here, because there is no new technology for sounds in gaming for like 4-5 years?... But on the second note, I really liked EVERY sound I heard... Jumping into the water from 100 feet high church, on a sunny day... And then hearing an awesome *wooosh* sound when dipping in the water... Made me cry in despair 'cause it's raining outside...... On the third note, speech is pretty cool, characters merge Italian and English language, just like people spoke in the era the game is fitted in... Don't forget to turn on subtitles though!

Overall, Assassin's Creed 2 is the game I'll definitely remember for a year or two... Might actually collect all the feathers, climb all the towers, and all the other sidestuff you can do... Or let's just say I'll wait until the third installment is out... Probably in fitted times of Baroque! *Hopes*