Assassin's Creed 2 detailed

By Tom Bramwell Published 14 April, 2009

Florence, Venice, da Vinci, flying...

Assassin's Creed is set in 15th-century Italy and stars a young nobleman-turned-assassin called Ezio Auditore de Firenze, according to the Game Informer preview teased last week.

The preview, which has been scanned elsewhere, reveals that Ezio is another descendent of the line that gave us Altair and the present-day Templar prisoner Desmond, and collaborates with Leonard da Vinci, Machiavelli, Caterina Sforza and other real-life figures in a similar city-hopping action-adventure that takes in both Venice and Florence.

However, Ubisoft Montreal has sought greater variety this time around, so while players will obviously undertake assassinations, they will be organised by a broader network of contacts, and, in addition, there will be 16 unique side-mission types, which sometimes blend into one another GTA-style.

Ezio has various new abilities over and above Altair, able to spot optimal free-running routes thanks to white cloth markers, fight with his bare hands, disarm enemies with one button and use their weapons against them, and attack with two hidden blades rather than one. Free-running will be smoother, and Ezio can swim, and use the water as a haybale-style hiding place.

He can also hide in any crowd, rather than just fall in amongst the monks, but a new notoriety system will make it harder to avoid detection if Ezio's been kicking up a fuss. On the plus side, it will also alert you to previously inaccessible mission, and you can dial down notoriety by assassinating witnesses, bribing officials and destroying wanted posters.

City environments will also be interconnected by more elaborate countryside rather than the barren Kingdom area that split the first game's cities apart, so there will be lots of extra missions and story content to uncover beyond the walls of Florence and Venice. Ubisoft has also hidden more objects around the world, and each will have in-game benefits.

The story isn't explained in any great detail, for obvious reasons, but we are told that da Vinci is a friend of Ezio's, and - in Game Informer's phrase - "is to Ezio what Q is to James Bond", even providing the use of his flying machine according to a boxout.

There's no update on Desmond's status at Abstergo in the present day scenario, but given the ending of the first game there's plenty of potential, and the preview assures us that the Assassins and the Knights Templar continue to battle it out behind the scenes during the Renaissance...

For more on Assassin's Creed 2 then, look out for the latest issue of Game Informer. We'd also expect more details at E3.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • gilroyneil #1 3 years ago

    Pants officially creamed

  • muscleblade #2 3 years ago

    Sounds really good. Hope the graphics is as good as they where in AC. I also hope the gameplay is a lot better than in AC.

  • DFawkes #3 3 years ago

    I for one love the sound of this, though I'd have been fine with a new couple of new cities. Sounds like a lot of variety, though 2 hidden blades? Sounds like adding one for the sake of adding one, though I suppose if a guard notices and blocks one like they did in the first, you can follow through with a second :)

  • AphoticCosmos #4 3 years ago

    Sounds great! I can't wait to see some of those crazy Leonardo inventions brought to life.

    EDIT: Also, I'm pleased that Ezio will be able to swim. Altair was just a tad incompetent in that respect TBH.
    Edited by 2 at 14/04/09 @ 08:50

  • Meho #5 3 years ago

    Ezio has various new abilities over and above Altair, able to spot optimal free-running routes thanks to white cloth markers

    So the game that played itself is going to play itself even more??? Shit, sorry, couldn't resist...

  • asphaltcowboy #6 3 years ago

    Sounds. Awesome.

  • Doctor_What #7 3 years ago

    "given the ending of the first game" What ending? It didn't 'end' it just 'stopped'.

    They really need someone with some idea of narrative control and pacing at the helm on this. I loved the first game, but the story was awful.

  • Benno #8 3 years ago

    i dont like the sound of these " mirrors edge" free running routes

    I prefer the open endedness of it all, still looks awesome though

  • tesco #9 3 years ago

    Just hope it isn't a MASSIVE disappointment like the first. If it survives longer than 24 hours without being traded in then its an improvement.

  • AusFreelancer #10 3 years ago

    Been waiting for this....AC is the only current gen game I've finished....bar COD4 - then again that was short 'n sweet.

  • hiddenranbir #11 3 years ago

    he can swim he can swim!

  • ChthonicEcho #12 3 years ago

    The idea of a game set in a renaissance sounds extremely intriguing, but since Ubisoft is developing the game, it'll be yet another infuriating experience playing an unfinished game that might have turned out stellar.

  • Krusty #13 3 years ago

    Bought the first one recently for a tenner on Steam... some nice ideas, but very dull after a while.
    Wondering if they can keep it interesting this time...

    Oh, and what EG, no Jade?! Show the dog the rabbit!!

  • UncleLou #14 3 years ago

    Cut the crappy sci-fi subplot, don't base the game around formulaic achievements, get some inspiration from Hitman.

    In fact, change everything except the engine.

  • El-Dev #15 3 years ago

    The first one was the most boring and repetitive game ever made.

    About a month after it was released I was in a Game in Belfast and it had an entire stand of pre-owned copies for sale.

    Hopefuly this one will be better as it had some good ideas in theory.

  • polaris70 #16 3 years ago

    Hell yeah! with this and Mass Effect 2 and Modern Warfare 2, it's going to feel like 2007 gaming heaven all over again :)

    Assassin's Creed 2 does sound like Ubi have taken the criticisms of the first game in hand (although I enjoyed the game), especially the side missions and making the countryside more important. The Kingdom looked gorgeous in AC1 but with little point to it. Can't wait for this and I actually liked the story from the first game.

  • Zebula77 #17 3 years ago

    Lots of mixed views on this game. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I was looking for hidden flags and templar knights long after I finished the main story. There were flaws to be sure, but I'm loving the sound of this.

  • CARL05 #18 3 years ago

    I enjoyed AC, I just hope that this game is a bit less repetitive and has some replayability. I loved the story though, can't wait to see what happens to Desmond!

  • MuppetThumper #19 3 years ago

    Ubi has hidden lots more stuff to find. fun.

  • ronuds #20 3 years ago

    The 1st was... meh. A tad boring, but I've been looking forward to the sequel because I liked what they were trying to do.

    I'll cross my fingers!

  • metalangel #21 3 years ago

    The walls of VENICE?!?

  • bad09 #22 3 years ago

    Oh man that sounds sooooo wicked!!!!!

    I'm half tempted to rebuy the first one cheap and replay to get me ready for this baby! I know many thought it was rubbish, and I can see why TBH, but somehow for me it just..felt so good, my favorite game of 2007! :)

    / heads for the roof and disappears into the city....

  • the_mtfr #23 3 years ago

    Setting sounds familiar to Lionheart - Legacy of the Crusader (http://ww w.mobygames.com/game/windows/li...).

    A few more games and da Vinci will turn in his grave. But maybe before he died he foresaw this and conceived a machine that would prevent him from turning around in the grave.
    Edited by 1 at 14/04/09 @ 19:07

  • MiY4MOTO #24 3 years ago

    I can't wait for this! It definately has to be my "most wanted" game now.

    Personally I loved the first one & couldn't get enough of it. One of my favourite games of this generation.

    And regards swimming, in Altair's defense he was clad in chainmail... carrying a broadsword. I dare say that would drag you down a little... ; )

  • zedzee #25 3 years ago

    It makes sense. The Moors, when they attacked and occupied Southern Europe (Italy) did so much f**king that they turned the population's hair black!

    So this lineage makes perfect sense and is accurate to history.