Assassin's Creed II Official Thread (DLC Details)

The XB360 CE is still sitting in the shrinkwrap because I flatly refuse to play this until I can dedicate some serious time to the game.

That time is fast approaching and I cannot wait.

Awesome, awesome impressions by the way. This franchise could become something pretty damn special.

I started doing some assassination contracts last night. I love those. I kinda hope that there aren't a limited number of them. It would be great if the game would dynamically generate random assassination missions to carry out. I'm savoring all of the little things you can do in the game and have spent very little time doing the main story missions.rragnaar

My exact thoughts. After my first assassination contract, I thought to myself, "Please have these randomly generated after beating the game." They are indeed a lot of fun. I am also savoring the small things about the game. Recognizing and appreciating every little detail of it. I've been in Florence the majority of the game thus far, and haven't even touched the other city until just last night. What I usually do is mix up the main quests with the side missions. Makes the experience great because there's a lot of variety.

EDIT: Is it just me, or does this game do a great job at making you feel like a badass?

[QUOTE="rragnaar"]I started doing some assassination contracts last night. I love those. I kinda hope that there aren't a limited number of them. It would be great if the game would dynamically generate random assassination missions to carry out. I'm savoring all of the little things you can do in the game and have spent very little time doing the main story missions.LikeHaterade

My exact thoughts. After my first assassination contract, I thought to myself, "Please have these randomly generated after beating the game." They are indeed a lot of fun. I am also savoring the small things about the game. Recognizing and appreciating every little detail of it. I've been in Florence the majority of the game thus far, and haven't even touched the other city until just last night. What I usually do is mix up the main quests with the side missions. Makes the experience great because there's a lot of variety.

EDIT: Is it just me, or does this game do a great job at making you feel like a badass?

No B, It's not just you. I love how each little step makes you a bit stronger. The armor shops and such are a great add-on, which help you feel like your getting stronger and stronger. And the first assassination in a group, where you just pounce on the guy, never gets old. So many great side missions, I'm dying to find a "tomb".

Is it just me, or does this game do a great job at making you feel like a badass?

LikeHaterade

I've been going through the main story, and damn, mixing history with it's own brand of fiction makes for one hell of an intriguing story. Speaking of history, Shaun Hastings is definitely the standout character in the game. Sure, he's a douche, but he's grown on me. Danny Wallace does a great job creating an authentic sense of enthusiasm and rude, sarcastic humor.

Also, the Assassin's tombs are fun stuff. Great linear platforming with quick bits of puzzle solving at times a la Prince of Persia.

No B, It's not just you. I love how each little step makes you a bit stronger. The armor shops and such are a great add-on, which help you feel like your getting stronger and stronger. And the first assassination in a group, where you just pounce on the guy, never gets old. So many great side missions, I'm dying to find a "tomb".

btaylor2404

Heya there B!

Great game isn't it? I was seriously worried it would suffer the same problems as the first, but the variety they've included makes me never tire of it and there's always something new to do, new weapon to attain, new move to learn. I love the combat, it's deep and complex, yet easy to implement even in large crowds and looks incredible. Yea, check out the tombs, they are very, very cool. Looking forward to getting Altair's armor.

I'm LOVING it. First Batman, now this. Ahhh, it's good to be a gamer nowadays.

Italians never talked like that. This game is great but the voice acting sounds like an episode of the Sopranos. There's even a character who introduces himself like this: "It's-a-me Mario!"... I'm not kidding. This is stereotypical as it can possibly get. Black_Knight_00

Actually, that was supposed to be a reference to Super Mario who just happens to talk in a stereotypical manner >__>

Anyways, is it really that bad? I don't know if I would compare the Sopranos considering that show is supposed to be about Italians-American where in AC2, they're supposed to talk like local Italians...who speak English...err...

I wouldn't know much though since Ezio sounds Italian to me ( using Fabio as a reference :lol: ) but when I looked up the voice actor, it was Roger Craig Smith, the voice actor for Chris Redfield in Resident Evil 5 :lol:

[QUOTE="Black_Knight_00"]Italians never talked like that. This game is great but the voice acting sounds like an episode of the Sopranos. There's even a character who introduces himself like this: "It's-a-me Mario!"... I'm not kidding. This is stereotypical as it can possibly get. martialbullet

The XB360 CE is still sitting in the shrinkwrap because I flatly refuse to play this until I can dedicate some serious time to the game.

That time is fast approaching and I cannot wait.

Awesome, awesome impressions by the way. This franchise could become something pretty damn special.

Grammaton-Cleric

This game continues to be amazing. They've really packed it full of stuff to do. I bought all of the upgrades for my Tuscan Villa last night, and started working on exploring the other town in the countryside. The poison blade is a lot of fun. I love jabbing someone with it and just walking away and watching them flail around. At this point, I have no complaints about this game, it is everything I hoped it would be and a bit more.

Finally had a chance to sit down and give the game some serious time...

...amazing.

I've never made my love for the original a secret; regardless of the flaws, I thoughtthe first game was brilliant and would lay the foundation for something even better and I'm so glad I was correct because ACII is that rare sequel that is not only better than the original but is so vastly superior that it fully eclipses its predecessor. I love the original AC but frankly, I doubt I'll ever play it again because everything it did right is present in this game along with so much more.

! Beware...minor spoilers abound. !

I'm only a few hours in but the first thing I loved was that the game literally picks up from the last moment of the original, with you staring at the cryptic writings in your cell. Once you escape and unite with the Assassins you progress through what is one of the lengthiest tutorials I've ever experienced. To be honest, I was itching to get to the meat of the game but the gradual manner in which your character comes into his own is actually pretty slick. While many of the tasks you are initially assigned would seem laborious, the mechanics and structure of the game makes them quite painless and mostly a joy to play through.

Whatever complaints critics had about the first game lacking mission variety is utterly gone here; the sheer breadth of tasks is staggering and yet the entire experience has a more cohesive feel. You'll get an assignment and arrive at the destination quickly, everything feeling far more concise than before. Those long stretches of expanse that plagued the first game are not present here, instead affording you the opportunity to move through a living, breathing organic cityscape. The platforming remains as compelling and well-implemented as before but the speed has been increased and the overall feel and movement tweaked, making it faster and more responsive. I've heard people claim that AC makes climbing and traversing the environment too easy but I think the engine manages to balance ease of use with more advanced scaling techniques and rarely have the controls or the camera been an issue during my play time.

The combat is simply deeper; the base foundation is the same but the ability to fight with your bare hands, with the sword or various other weapons, along with the ability to disarm, rewards the strategic player. Much like the combat in Batman: AA, ACII can be mashed to some success but those who glean the deeper nuances of the mechanics will be able to accomplish so much more. Also, the sword combat feels a bit faster and allows for a more frantic pace when attacking and defending. I also love the ability to fight with the hidden blade; dodging a sword strike and thrusting the hidden dagger into the skull of a guard is deeply satisfying.

Also, the ability to swim is simply awesome. During my first assassination, I was forced to flee and as I ran across a large bridge I realized I was now waterproof and, with the guards on my heels, I leapt into the water via an elegant dive and lost my pursuers beneath the waves, emerging moments later with adrenchedclothing effectthat would make Uncharted 2 proud.

As to the visuals, they are among the best this generation. The character models aren't the highest detail we've seen but when taken as a whole, this game looks amazing and features a scale that is almost unrivaled. It's also important to note that I'm playing the XB360 version and the game runs at a locked and stable 30fps, with nary a hitch. I've also only experienced slight screen tearing in a few of the cinematics but thus far not at all in the game. The whole thing seems to run smoother and better than the original, which was gorgeous but sometimes ran sluggish. That sluggish feeling doesn't persist in this sequel, which is a good thing.

Three hours in and I had to literally make myself stop playing last night. I've only begin to scratch the proverbial surface but what I played was everything I had hoped a sequel would be. It's been a great year for games but even among these many great titles, ACII is a serious GOTY contender in everypossible way.

Like Batman: AA, this is a game I want to savor and enjoy, extracting every nook and cranny from the experience. Despite my love for the first, I was never compelled to nab the flags or fight all the Templars where by contrast I think I'll more than likely hit 100% completion when all is said and done.

Quite possibly the most improved sequel of this generation. (Though Uncharted remains in the running for that crown as well)

Wow, it is definitely worth it to get each seal from every Assassin's tomb as soon as possible...

[spoiler] The reward is Altair's armor, but it's not Altair's orginal white armor, it's a sleek black one (that looks more like Ezio's dyed black :lol: ) that increases your health to it's max and armor that doesn't break! Good thing beacuse I sure didn't want to spend any money on upgrading and maintaining armor :P And it's appears the UPlay reward for Altair's wardrobe is the real original. Guess I might have to get that one after all. [/spoiler]

I wonder what the reward is for collecting all the feathers? But for the moment, I'll be finishing the story and then on to searching for glyphs.

Well they gave AC1 similar scores and that ended up being a repetition (IMO).

I hope that AC2 is better and actually deserves those high scores, but I'm going to wait until user reviews are in.

Well they gave AC1 similar scores and that ended up being a repetition (IMO).

I hope that AC2 is better and actually deserves those high scores, but I'm going to wait until user reviews are in.

Bedizen

Actually, AC1 got very mixed scores where by contrast ACII is getting almost universal praise.

As I and others have stated, repetition isn't a problem in this sequel.

This game continues to be amazing. They've really packed it full of stuff to do. I bought all of the upgrades for my Tuscan Villa last night, and started working on exploring the other town in the countryside. The poison blade is a lot of fun. I love jabbing someone with it and just walking away and watching them flail around. At this point, I have no complaints about this game, it is everything I hoped it would be and a bit more.

rragnaar

[QUOTE="rragnaar"]

This game continues to be amazing. They've really packed it full of stuff to do. I bought all of the upgrades for my Tuscan Villa last night, and started working on exploring the other town in the countryside. The poison blade is a lot of fun. I love jabbing someone with it and just walking away and watching them flail around. At this point, I have no complaints about this game, it is everything I hoped it would be and a bit more.

Shinobishyguy

I took very few rests in order complete the story, and its....pretty good I guess. I was expecting something more climatic at the end, but it's only a few steps better than the end of AC1. I sort of have an idea of what they're going for in the game, but it would have been better if they expanded upon it like making more use with the Pieces of Eden.

[spoiler] So Ezio goes into the vault meeting what seems to be a hologram (AI or some memory?) of Minerva, one of the first people on earth. They have greater knowledge and technology so advanced, the humans of earth (that she says, they created) could not handle it. So Ezio thinks she's a goddess, Shaun says she's one of the first civlizations, and Minerva herself in a way says she's something else. Not only that, but the biggest, craziest thing is that she's clairvoyant(?) So apparently, she knows Desmond and the ability to looks into his ancestors past and so she sends the message to Ezio. Now his part is done, the sun is about to explode or something, and the Templars are somehow involved in this. I'm still absorbing it all... Oh, and finally fighting as Desmond. [/spoiler]

The last part, I hope to see more in the next game.

Assassin's Creed's fiction is somewhere between the lines of science-fiction and fantasy/supernatural and it's indirect way of revealing things makes it so it'll keep people guessing. For AC2, it left off with more questions than answers. In a way, it's sort of like Lost. I just hope there's full closure to the conclusion of Assassin's Creed.

So with all that's been done, I'm sure enough to give this game a solid 9 if not better.

spoiler text

martialbullet

SPOILERS (sorry,couldn't get the tags to work)

Minerva might be clairvoyant, but judging from the Codex pieces, the "apple" had the ability to reveal the future. Altair speaks of a vision of steel towers consumed by fire. Whether he was referring to a solar flare (unlikely) or nuclear holocaust is uncertain. In fact, through Altair's glimpsing of the apple, he builds what becomes Ezio's pistol, presumably from some vision of the future.

To the Templar role...this is speculation mixed with what the game tells us:

So Minerva's race (call them forerunners)creates man (that's the importance of the missing link file from Subject 16..man did not evolve).It appears from Subject 16's ramblings and the papers on dormant neurotransmitters that man was created to be controllable and that this neurotransmitter releases some kind of control hormone in response to Eden pieces. Altair surmises that the Creed is essentially a rediscovery of an ancient discipline forged to fight an ancient threat. Given the words of the creed - Nothing is true; Everything is permitted...that suggests the Creed originated as a mental discipline to fight the mind control triggered by pieces of Eden and is what allowed humanity to rebel in the first place.

My guess from subject 16's animus session is that Adam and Eve is the story of two of the original Assassin's stealing the "apple," a piece of the forerunners technology, so that they might free other humans from the forerunners' subtle manipulations. It's not the only piece they salvage, but seems to be the most important as Altair claims it to be a codex or primer of sorts into everything the forerunners knew. As this war continues, the forerunners are so occupied in fighting the original assassins (Minerva says as much), they lose sight of the trouble brewing with the sun. Solar flare, polar shift, and one buried ancient civilization later, the forerunners are diminished and man is left unexpectedly free to rebuild. But they still have the pieces of eden...so what do they do? Bury it? Altair claims that he could not find a way to destroy it.

Here enter the Templars..the faction of humanity that seek to use the pieces of eden much as the forerunners did. The files suggest that the piece of eden they had was passed around strategically to manipulate world events Hitler had it, Kahn had it, etc). Also, much like the forerunners were, in the fight against the present day assassin order, the Templars are oblivious to trouble again brewing on the sun. Anyway, I'll be anxiously awaiting the sequel...hope it doesn't go all 2012 on us.

SPOILERS

[QUOTE="martialbullet"]

spoiler text

Ish_basic

SPOILERS (sorry,couldn't get the tags to work)

Minerva might be clairvoyant, but judging from the Codex pieces, the "apple" had the ability to reveal the future. Altair speaks of a vision of steel towers consumed by fire. Whether he was referring to a solar flare (unlikely) or nuclear holocaust is uncertain. In fact, through Altair's glimpsing of the apple, he builds what becomes Ezio's pistol, presumably from some vision of the future.

To the Templar role...this is speculation mixed with what the game tells us:

So Minerva's race (call them forerunners)creates man (that's the importance of the missing link file from Subject 16..man did not evolve).It appears from Subject 16's ramblings and the papers on dormant neurotransmitters that man was created to be controllable and that this neurotransmitter releases some kind of control hormone in response to Eden pieces. Altair surmises that the Creed is essentially a rediscovery of an ancient discipline forged to fight an ancient threat. Given the words of the creed - Nothing is true; Everything is permitted...that suggests the Creed originated as a mental discipline to fight the mind control triggered by pieces of Eden and is what allowed humanity to rebel in the first place.

My guess from subject 16's animus session is that Adam and Eve is the story of two of the original Assassin's stealing the "apple," a piece of the forerunners technology, so that they might free other humans from the forerunners' subtle manipulations. It's not the only piece they salvage, but seems to be the most important as Altair claims it to be a codex or primer of sorts into everything the forerunners knew. As this war continues, the forerunners are so occupied in fighting the original assassins (Minerva says as much), they lose sight of the trouble brewing with the sun. Solar flare, polar shift, and one buried ancient civilization later, the forerunners are diminished and man is left unexpectedly free to rebuild. But they still have the pieces of eden...so what do they do? Bury it? Altair claims that he could not find a way to destroy it.

Here enter the Templars..the faction of humanity that seek to use the pieces of eden much as the forerunners did. The files suggest that the piece of eden they had was passed around strategically to manipulate world events Hitler had it, Kahn had it, etc). Also, much like the forerunners were, in the fight against the present day assassin order, the Templars are oblivious to trouble again brewing on the sun. Anyway, I'll be anxiously awaiting the sequel...hope it doesn't go all 2012 on us.

SPOILERS

spoiler textmartialbullet

Yep. The things in this game are actually worth collecting. Unlike that silly flag hunt in AC1, these things reveal more story, and some of the most interesting tidbits are in the codexes and the glyphs. Other games should take notice: this is how you do collectibles - tying their existence into the story itself and rewarding players with with slick items and a deeper narrative experience.

And as an aside...I can't express how cool it is to walk up to an unsuspecting group of guards, drop a smoke bomb, then set to work with your hidden blades while they're blinded and coughing up a lung...

I can't imagine what they're gonna do with AC3 gameplay wise, with where the story is at.

I got this game on Thursday and I've put in about 25 hours worth. Such a great game, you can lose yourself for hours in it, like I have. I still have about 6 missions left til I complete the story, but i'm enjoying the micro-management of the villa, clothes, armour etc and the side missions too.

The cities look amazing and the double air assassinations are very cool.

As all the reviews said, they've addressed the problems of the first and built more into it. I'm glad I held off getting MW2 for this, this has been worth the wait.

Yep. The things in this game are actually worth collecting. Unlike that silly flag hunt in AC1, these things reveal more story, and some of the most interesting tidbits are in the codexes and the glyphs. Other games should take notice: this is how you do collectibles - tying their existence into the story itself and rewarding players with with slick items and a deeper narrative experience.

And as an aside...I can't express how cool it is to walk up to an unsuspecting group of guards, drop a smoke bomb, then set to work with your hidden blades while they're blinded and coughing up a lung...

I can't imagine what they're gonna do with AC3 gameplay wise, with where the story is at.

Ish_basic

SPOILER

There's this one glyph I just got where Joan of Arc apparently owned the 25th piece of Eden in which it was taken by executing her and somehow ended in the hands of Rasputin...guess we know why he was killed as well :P

I also just now started reading the codex pages which really fleshes out Altair's character a lot. Finding out the somewhat depressed and hardened Atheist side of Altair really surprised me. Now about his lover...

/SPOILER

Haha. That sounds like that badassery we were talking about. =p

:lol: this is exactly how I feel about the italian accents :lol:

I'm surprised that more people aren't playing this. The game is great. I'm getting close to the end now. I've seen almost all of Venice, I've got the pistol, and I've got Altair's armor. I love it. I spent a fair chunk last night doing assassination contracts in Forli and Venice. Can you continue to explore the game and find glyphs after you've beaten it? I've been moving slow with the story, but I'm interested in finishing it up.

I'm surprised that more people aren't playing this. The game is great. I'm getting close to the end now. I've seen almost all of Venice, I've got the pistol, and I've got Altair's armor. I love it. I spent a fair chunk last night doing assassination contracts in Forli and Venice. Can you continue to explore the game and find glyphs after you've beaten it? I've been moving slow with the story, but I'm interested in finishing it up.

rragnaar

Likewise rragnaar. If only this thread had the same attention as MW2. =p

I'm not sure about the glyphs. I still haven't beaten it. I'm still savoring the game.

I'm surprised that more people aren't playing this. The game is great. I'm getting close to the end now. I've seen almost all of Venice, I've got the pistol, and I've got Altair's armor. I love it. I spent a fair chunk last night doing assassination contracts in Forli and Venice. Can you continue to explore the game and find glyphs after you've beaten it? I've been moving slow with the story, but I'm interested in finishing it up.

rragnaar

I've played this quite a bit but I'm purposely avoiding progressing through the story too quickly because I love the side missions and the upgrades. The sheer variety of the missions is staggering, making this perhaps the most varied sandbox game I've ever played. I hope you can continue to explore the game and the interface isn't as cumbersome to do so as it was in the original.

Personally, this is my GOTY and easily ranks in my personal top five for this generation. The platforming mechanic is this game is so much better than anything else out there that it's mind blowing. There is quite literally nothing else on the market like ACII; even the original is left forever in its exhaust.

Can you continue to explore the game and find glyphs after you've beaten it? rragnaar

But the bad thing is you can't replay memories :(

I've played this quite a bit but I'm purposely avoiding progressing through the story too quickly because I love the side missions and the upgrades. The sheer variety of the missions is staggering, making this perhaps the most varied sandbox game I've ever played. I hope you can continue to explore the game and the interface isn't as cumbersome to do so as it was in the original.

Personally, this is my GOTY and easily ranks in my personal top five for this generation. The platforming mechanic is this game is so much better than anything else out there that it's mind blowing. There is quite literally nothing else on the market like ACII; even the original is left forever in its exhaust.

Grammaton-Cleric

Quite the opposite for me, the story was so intriguing that I just couldn't stop playing through it. If Lost and The Da Vinci Code had a baby, this would be it.

I think overall, AC2 is great game, but there are still a considerable amount of problems I have with it.

While the platforming mechanics are some of the best out there, the "automatic" direction still needs a bit of improvement. Even the slightest curve of the left analog stick (and/or a sudden move of the camera at times) may lead you to land on a platform you didn't intend on landing. Races and chases really put light on this issue where even a small mistake could possibly end the sequence.

Another problem I have are some of the mission gameplay formulas. Here's one I had posted earlier in another board:

* Slight Spoilers!*

There's this one mission where I needed to find a way inside the "Impenetrable Palazzo" and assassinate this man before he escaped on his boat. So in order find some way inside the building (which is surrounded by water), I climbed all around the surface. Eventually while at the top, I spotted below an open door right next to a boat and dropped down.

At the exact moment I landed, I surprisingly stumbled onto the target (who was just about to get on the boat) and immediately stabbed him. Once the screen confirmed that I killed him, it proceeded into the cutscene of his final words before his death. Mission accomplished, right? WRONG! After the cutscene, the screens says he's escaped.

What. The. ****.

Apparently, once he had set the tip of his foot onto the boat, it was mission failed. I can think of a few problems with that. Why did I have to go throught the confirmation and cutscene if I failed? Was the game not fast enough to realize this or something? And why the hell should it be friggin' mission failed just because he set one foot onto the boat? That just physically makes no sense. I was already there...there was no way he could have escaped...and I killed him. *sigh*

For a game like Assassin's Creed where much of the action is shown and done physically, this just doesn't fit in...and it shouldn't. That kind of formula is outdated. What is this? GTA3?

*/ slight spoilers*

Some other things include shoddy enemy/friendly AI and it's not so natural "living" open world.

Still, with all that, AC2 is easily one of the best game this year. The pros definitely outweigh the cons.

[QUOTE="Ish_basic"]Yep. The things in this game are actually worth collecting. Unlike that silly flag hunt in AC1, these things reveal more story, and some of the most interesting tidbits are in the codexes and the glyphs. Other games should take notice: this is how you do collectibles - tying their existence into the story itself and rewarding players with with slick items and a deeper narrative experience.

And as an aside...I can't express how cool it is to walk up to an unsuspecting group of guards, drop a smoke bomb, then set to work with your hidden blades while they're blinded and coughing up a lung...

I can't imagine what they're gonna do with AC3 gameplay wise, with where the story is at.

martialbullet

SPOILER

There's this one glyph I just got where Joan of Arc apparently owned the 25th piece of Eden in which it was taken by executing her and somehow ended in the hands of Rasputin...guess we know why he was killed as well :P

I also just now started reading the codex pages which really fleshes out Altair's character a lot. Finding out the somewhat depressed and hardened Atheist side of Altair really surprised me. Now about his lover...

/SPOILER

Spoilers

yeah, who was that girl in the flashback...Altair's lover and a templar, apparently. Desmond makes it seem like I should have known her, but I can't place her at all. Been a long time since I played the original, though.

/spolier

And the codexes are indeed a huge source of information...so for people collecting them, but not reading them...read them.

I'll be looking forward to the DLC when it hits. Especially Bonfire of the Vanities. I'm interested to see how they're gonna work this. I'm guessing Savonarola will be a key figure, but book burning strikes me as more of a Templar trait, yet Savonarola was a huge enemy of Borgia, who would later order his execution. In any case, I'm really enjoying watching how these games frame history into the context of the Templar-Assassin war.

yeah, who was that girl in the flashback...Altair's lover and a templar, apparently. Desmond makes it seem like I should have known her, but I can't place her at all. Been a long time since I played the original, though.Ish_basic

The very brief clips of "The Truth" sequences are very intriguing! I cannot wait to find out what those are all about. =D

begin venting

Things that suck about AC2:

- The whole upgrade your villa mini-game is pointless, except for the additional shops, and even those are pointless.

- The economy is pathetic. I'm not saying the inventory is bad, I love all the weapons you can get, but the fact that your practically showered with money the whole game makes it way too easy to acquire weapons that you should actually have to save up for.

- Too easy. I don't like games that are ridiculously difficult but making it too easy is even worse. It diminishes the sense of accomplishment when you just breeze through a game. AC2 is that game. I've only died from falling a couple times and I blame that squarely on controls crapping out on me. I've never died in combat.

- Greater weapon variety and disarming people are great but combat still sucks. Sword fights and brawls consist of too much button mashing or waiting in blocking position for the moment to counter-kill.

- And is it just me or did enemy AI get a helluva lot stupider. In AC1 running from the guards was a challenging and slightly terrifying experience - probably how running from guards should feel like. In AC2 however, all I have to do is quickly get up to the rooftops and I lose them immediatly.

- Vistas look great but up close the graphics look worse than the original, but this could because I played the original on computer

Otherwise this is a great game and am enjoying it (Venice is awesome!). The only other criticism is it feels too similar to the original. It has a "been-there-done-that" feel; the same feeling I felt when playing through L4D2.

/venting

I am really digging the Tomb levels so far.

Cant find another one after the second tomb level though. I thought Florence had all six of them. Can anyone help?

begin venting

Things that suck about AC2:

- The whole upgrade your villa mini-game is pointless, except for the additional shops, and even those are pointless.

- The economy is pathetic. I'm not saying the inventory is bad, I love all the weapons you can get, but the fact that your practically showered with money the whole game makes it way too easy to acquire weapons that you should actually have to save up for.

- Too easy. I don't like games that are ridiculously difficult but making it too easy is even worse. It diminishes the sense of accomplishment when you just breeze through a game. AC2 is that game. I've only died from falling a couple times and I blame that squarely on controls crapping out on me. I've never died in combat.

- Greater weapon variety and disarming people are great but combat still sucks. Sword fights and brawls consist of too much button mashing or waiting in blocking position for the moment to counter-kill.

- And is it just me or did enemy AI get a helluva lot stupider. In AC1 running from the guards was a challenging and slightly terrifying experience - probably how running from guards should feel like. In AC2 however, all I have to do is quickly get up to the rooftops and I lose them immediatly.

- Vistas look great but up close the graphics look worse than the original, but this could because I played the original on computer

Otherwise this is a great game and am enjoying it (Venice is awesome!). The only other criticism is it feels too similar to the original. It has a "been-there-done-that" feel; the same feeling I felt when playing through L4D2.

/venting

MrWednesday14

The Villa mini game isn't pointless. It earns you A LOT of money that you can spend on upgrading and buying new weapons. Also, if you are so upset about being showered with money then maybe you shouldn't have upgraded the Villa. Try upgrading all your weapons and armor using the money you get from completing missions.... it would take you quite sometime.

I NEVER lose guards when i climb onto rooftops, so that statement is just plain false.

Also, the enemy AI is better this time around. They dont simply forget about you if you go hide in a haystack like they did back in the original AC. Running from them is also a ***** because they get reinforcements and you sometimes have 10-15 dudes chasing you.

The PS3 version's framerate is an absolute pain in the ass. Stutters all the time. Especially when you are being chased in the city streets. It doesnt get any better when you are on rooftops. Vysnc issues, jerky framerate...it gives me a headache just running around on rooftops. Even some cutscenes have tearing and framerate issues. VERY disappointing because otherwise it's a stellar looking game!

I am really digging the Tomb levels so far.

Cant find another one after the second tomb level though. I thought Florence had all six of them. Can anyone help?

S0lidSnake

Playing tons of Assassin's Creed 2. So much to do in this game. Big improvement over the first in terms of content. Not much improvement in terms of combat and actual killing aspect. I find that you can basically run full speed at your target and quick kill them, then run away from the guards quickly almost every time. They need to start making it harder to kill these targets. I have played so many open world games this year that the wow factor of the first game is not there, when that came out I was just amazed at the world and the ease your character had moving around it. Now every game is like that (Infamous, Prototype) so its not as impressive as it once was. Batman had way better combat.

dvader654

The combat got a pretty significant overhaul considering how many moves were added along with the ability to fight bare-handed, disarm, and the different enemy types. You can no longer use counter and expect to slay every enemy on screen and the ability to pick up and use different weapons adds quite a bit to the experience. I actually think this and Batman are about even in terms of combat, but for different reasons.

As to scaling and moving, ACII still schools every other open world game out there with its fluidity and organic design. InFamous came close but still feels like it operates on rails and Prototype doesn't even deal with physics or reality.

I agree it's a bit too easy to kill targets but conversely the game gives you plenty of options to be creative in those kills, which is always appreciated.

My only complaint is that the game is really really easy. Aside from that, this sequel is everything I wanted it to be.

Once you get the upgrades, the armor and the good weapons you become god-like. The ability to carry so much medicine was probably a mistake, though to be fair it has saved me a few times.

They should have included a hard mode where one hit kills you and vice versa for the enemies.

Reagrdless, it's my personal GOTY. The only reason I haven't beat it yet is because I'm going for 100% on my first try.

[QUOTE="dvader654"]

Playing tons of Assassin's Creed 2. So much to do in this game. Big improvement over the first in terms of content. Not much improvement in terms of combat and actual killing aspect. I find that you can basically run full speed at your target and quick kill them, then run away from the guards quickly almost every time. They need to start making it harder to kill these targets. I have played so many open world games this year that the wow factor of the first game is not there, when that came out I was just amazed at the world and the ease your character had moving around it. Now every game is like that (Infamous, Prototype) so its not as impressive as it once was. Batman had way better combat.

Grammaton-Cleric

The combat got a pretty significant overhaul considering how many moves were added along with the ability to fight bare-handed, disarm, and the different enemy types. You can no longer use counter and expect to slay every enemy on screen and the ability to pick up and use different weapons adds quite a bit to the experience. I actually think this and Batman are about even in terms of combat, but for different reasons.

I'd say Batman:AA has a more polished combat system and gameplay even though it's quite basic compared to AC2. AC2 is still good, but I found myself just sticking to the regular hidden blade as it's the only weapon that can instantly counter kill any incoming attack. I really didn't find any reason to use the rest of the melee weapons other than seeing the various kill animation performed (The hammer is my favorite :P). Even Altair's sword (which stats show it to be the strongest weapon in the game) doesn't match the efficiency of the hidden blade. On a similar note, has anyone used brooms for combat? It carries the attributes of a hammer and it's friggin' hilarious taking out a fully armored Brute with just one counter attack.

martialbullet

I think the only reason Batman: AA (Probably my second favorite of the year) seems a bit more polished is because the game is much smaller in scope and execution. As open world games go, I think ACII is incredibly polished.

I think the combat between the twois a toss up. What they accomplished in Batman:AA was brilliant but the combat is incredibly streamlined, not allowing you to pick the attacks. In ACII, you can use a very narrow set of tactics and be successfulbut the ability to expand on those tactics, even if the effect is purely visual, is pretty awesome. Regardless, I can understand why some would preferthe combat in Batman because what it lacks in variety it makes up for in fluidity. Both games are, in my opinion, two of the best titles of this generation.

I think the only reason Batman: AA (Probably my second favorite of the year) seems a bit more polished is because the game is much smaller in scope and execution.

Grammaton-Cleric

Yeah, Compared to batman, ACII is huge! It's easily the most ambitious game I've played this year. No wonder it took them 450 people to make this game, they have included tons and tons of things to do in this game. it's almost like GTA in that regard. I didn't think much of the game's scope until I finished a mission, and like five different things popped up: You have this much money, a trophy is unlocked, your villa now is worth this much, you have some assassination contracts, this is your next mission and it went on and on. I said to myself, how did they manage to include all those things in one game!

Yeah, the combat isn't perfect, but it's a huge improvement from the first game. I'm actually enjoying it this time around. As for Batman, i practically button mashed my way through the game on Normal difficulty and didnt learn the combat till I started playing the challenges. So while Batman's combat engine might be better/more refined, the game doesn't really make good use of it in the story mode.

After a horrible intro, most boring first two hours I've played this year, I am addicted to this game. Yeah, the framerate is a pain in the ass, but the story is so good and the side missions are so well thought out that I keep playing even though the choppy framerate pisses me off everytime it drops. The tomb levels were done by the Prince Of Persia team I believe, and man, THIS IS how you do platforming! Naughty Dog, take note! I have become somewhat of a collection whore in 2009, i collected all the emblems in RE5, all the shards in Infamous, everything in Batman AA, all the treasures in Uncharted 2, but this is so much better! I loved upgrading the Villa, love the tomb sections, viewpoints were my favorite thing to do in AC1, the treasure maps have made things even more frustrating for me (lol since I go nuts everytime i see the treasure sign on my map. :P ), random assisnation contracts, codex pages, gylphs puzzles, amazing story, PHENOMENAL soundtrack, I'm in love with this game. Speaking of story and soundtrack, they need to make a Assassin's Creed movie. This is better than any Renaissance movie I've seen by hollywood. Add the scifi twist, and this becomes a movie I'd gladly pay $10 for!

The chase sequence with Da Vinci was fantastic too. One of the best chase sequences I've played in recent years.