Not Casual

I thought by now I’d be a better Assassin.  I imagined a stealthy sneak up to my target, a quick jab of the knife and away.  Apparently though I’m still missing vital organs, because my targets always seem to have time to launch into a final monologue…

Assassins Creed 2 does not start well.  If you’re familiar with the first installment in the series you’ll remember the rather slow “near future” bits in and around the Animus, the method by which our hero accesses his ancestors memory.  For some reason someone’s decided to start the game with half an hour of this, resplendent with cut scenes that do little to explain the bulk of the actual game we’ll be playing.

Eventually we get to play with the main character, Ezio Auditore da Firenze.  He’s a young Italian Noble, living a carefree life during the Renaissance.  Anyone expecting the action to pick up here will be sadly disappointed.  Not for Ezio the immediate assassin action of the games predecessor.  This time you’ll have to contend with a further hour of dealing with domestic disputes and carrying around boxes full of memorabilia for your relatives.

While this section does introduce you to the main players in your family, and the basic game concepts, I came away feeling that I wanted something more.  It’s at this point I had to stop playing for the night (Modern Warfare 2 was demanding some time).  Yes, Assassins Creed 2 is a slow starter.  It had me worried.  Very worried.  I needn’t have been…

A big story point thrusts you into the life of revenge and assassination, suddenly you get to do what you’ve been waiting to do since you put the disk in the drive.  While it’s clear that Assassins Creed 2 inherits a lot from the first one it’s a more polished gaming effort.  Instead of improving the already impressive graphics from Assassins Creed the developers have worked on getting rid of the main criticisms of the first game.

Gone is the overly repetitive gain information, then assassinate routine of the first game.  Introduced is a nice narrative path, with plenty of side quests should you want to take a break from the main quest chain.  The game does well to guide you through the game, but always presents plenty of other options for those just hoping for a quick hit during a short session.  Set piece missions introduce new elements and help freshen the feel of the game (the coach journey to Venice is particularly memorable).

Hidden collectables (glyphs and feathers) appeal to those who want to collect things, and are placed in a very Crackdown type fashion.  There are people out there who will spend hours just hunting these things down.  A nice touch with the glyphs are neat little mini puzzle games that kick in before you can unlock the glyphs secret.

Combat is fluid, and while it’s extended from the first game it’s not become overly complicated.  The free-running aspect of the game tends to be smooth, but it’s not easily mastered and you’ll probably find yourself leaping to your death every 20 minutes for a good hour or so…

Ultimately whether you like the game will depend a lot on how you like your games to be paced.  Like the first one Assassins Creed 2 welcomes a slower, more patient approach.  I loved the first one for the almost roleplay like behaviour it promoted.  Sure you could charge through town stabbing everyone, but it felt so much more rewarding slowly walking through the crowds taking in the sights, and slowly homing in on a target.  Assassins Creed 2 invokes those feelings in me once again, and I love it for that…

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