Assassin's Creed II

By Alec Meer Published 27 October, 2009

Death in Venice.

Here's a sequel that takes precisely zero time to prove it's not simply a repeat of its forerunner. Remember all those super-long, super-serious conversations between unsmiling men? From the very off, Assassin's Creed II features gags, flirting and urgency. Even Desmond, the glowering buzzcut bloke whose ancestors' memories the Assassin's Creed games document, gets to grin, joke and make eyes at a lady. What, what, what? Light-heartedness in my gritty historical stealth game?

It's an immediate improvement. It's also makes AC2 fresh enough that most of the backlash against the first game is washed away. "By trying to innovate in all directions, we all recognised that AC1 had its shortcomings," observes the sequel's producer, Sebastian Puel. "I think what was interesting to see was this love or hate kind of thing from reviewers and on the forums - some saying it was the best game of the year, and others that they were very disappointed.

"So we started AC2 listening to those comments, but there were things that we perfectly knew ourselves. The main, main focus starting AC2 was saying we have something that's very strong at its core, but we certainly have to add a lot of variety to that. So we took each part of the game and said 'how can we bring more depth to this?'"

By doing so, what's returned is the reason we all got excited about Assassin's Creed in the first place - free-running through a gorgeous, centuries-old city. AC2 really, really wants you to have fun - and that's why new lead character Ezio, a 15th century Italian nobleman, begins the game as a callow youth interested only in hedonism. "It is a good life we lead," his brother observes, as the two of them gaze across a sunlit, Renaissance skyline. "The best," rejoins Ezio, before heading off to do naughty things with a human female. It's a far cry from the scowling monks and restrictive rules of the first game's opener.

'Assassin's Creed II' Screenshot 1

Enemies evolve somewhat over the course of the game, gaining better weapons and armour to counter your own upgrades. They're still goons, of course.

"The time period is warmer, the place is warmer," agrees Puel. "Maybe we wanted to take ourselves less seriously a little bit, we had to step back and say, 'this hero, he has to have some panache', and not always be mysterious, not talking too much as Altair was, much as we loved him... We need to have a hero who is more Italian. Even though he is still an Assassin, and even after he loses some of his family and become very focused, we wanted him to have a lot to say."

As Puel hints there, this contentedness doesn't entirely last - conspiracy and family tragedy quickly blight Ezio, removing characters you'd presumed were there to stay and thus, harrowingly effectively, shaking both his and your confidence in the state of affairs. In a Batman-esque montage, he dons his Assassin uniform and embarks on an urgent pursuit/flight across the great cities of Italy.

A big part of maintaining that urgency is that the game doesn't jump back to Desmond, skulking in his Animus memory virtualisation device, anywhere near as frequently as first time around. Even when it does, it's no longer the austere white room and cryptic scientists of before. It's a cartel of young, sparky folk in a stylish office. The Animus, in its (self-consciously described) 2.0 form, is no longer a frightening upside-down bathtub that takes four hours to extricate yourself from, but instead a comfy-looking red recliner chair.

If it all seems a little bit too Apple Store, there are hints all is not as it appears. You have no reason to trust these guys - who claim to be working for the contemporary Assassins - while their nominal leader, a preening Danny Wallace lookalike, is a bit rude to you for no good reason. Early on, in his escape from his captors in the first game, Desmond gets to do a spot of fighting of his own at last - so hopefully he'll get to bop Nasty Danny Wallace on the chin at some point.

But, for all this background 21st century conspiracy gunk, the spine of the AC series, this is very much Ezio's game. His choice of mission types jumps from the first game's five-ish to around 15, many of which will evolve into other forms as they go along - so the plague of repetitive mini-games shouldn't be troubling us again.

Side quests are picked up from folk on the streets as and when you like, and now have a benefit beyond eventual progression or collector-mania: cash. Ezio's forever in need of the stuff, to spend on doctor's bills, armour repairs, new weapons and clothing, and even paintings with which to decorate his Villa, a sprawling home/base he inherits a few hours in. Cash is easy enough to come by - gained from missions, from hidden chests, and from pickpocketing folk in the streets.

It's almost an RPG. What stops it is that there isn't really much choice in terms of upgrades - just gradual replacement of old things with better things. Though he does, to some extent, get to pick and choose what weapon types he wields on a given mission - even if the definition of 'assassin' is perhaps stretched by running around with a big hammer. [Stretched in a good direction, if you ask me. - Hammer Ed]

'Assassin's Creed II' Screenshot 2

AC2's massively bigger than AC1 - comprising three larger cities, a couple of villages and swathes of countryside.

So, a little bit GTA, a little bit Elder Scrolls - but, most importantly, a sense of stuff to do, stuff worth doing, rather than just trying to summon a sense of pride about a completion percentage on a menu screen. And even that sense of completionism is overhauled, in the form of aforementioned Villa. It's Ezio's home, but it's also a reflection of how he's doing. Any armour and weapons he's bought are on display there, while his bedroom is filled with portraits of men of import he's assassinated.

Outside the main building are stores, taverns and even a brothel - he can pour cash into any of these to renovate them, which both makes them more impressive and adds a bunch of handholds to their exteriors, so he can climb them in search of secrets. The more he renovates, the better the place looks and the more it comes alive - so it's a living reflection of how well you're doing. Oh, and Leonardo da Vinci eventually turns up and starts hanging around. Apparently he's there to help, not just to sponge off your riches.

It's a game that's both familiar and immediately, obviously bigger and fresher. It's quite the accomplishment in so short a time. Has it had long enough to gestate, though? "When you're creating stuff it's never enough - certainly, you are always begging for more time," says Sebastian Puel. "Sometimes I surprise myself with the amount of stuff that has been done to the game. I'm really proud of this one."

Assassin's Creed II is due out for PS3 and Xbox 360 on 20th November and PC in Q1 2010.

Picture of Alec.

About Alec Meer

A 10-year veteran of scribbling about video games, Alec primarily writes for Rock, Paper, Shotgun, but given any opportunity he will escape his keyboard and mouse ghetto to write about any and all formats.

Read more articles from Alec by visiting the Alec Meer archive page.

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Comments (54) Latest comment 2 years ago

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

  • cianchristopher #1 2 years ago

    It does look good, of that there is no doubt....

    But, I'm not gonna fall for the same shit twice Ubisoft....

  • TheGoose126 #2 2 years ago

    Loved the first game, it was style over substance but so what!

  • sirtacos #3 2 years ago

    Didn't like the first game at all, but this one looks like it could actually be fun to play.

  • Madafunkola #4 2 years ago

    Between this and L4D2 I won't need to leave the house until xmas...

  • rotmm #5 2 years ago

    I'm with Goose here. Loved the first one. It was a real chill-out game.

  • Widge #6 2 years ago

    Sounds good, although I've not finished the first, barely started it.

  • chudders #7 2 years ago

    I enjoyed the first one too, although I could understand the criticisms. If this improves on every shortcoming of the original it could be very good indeed. We'll see.

  • Eraysor #8 2 years ago

    I really liked the Desmond bits in the original, they were a great change of pace. Hopefully this one still lays on the awesome conspiracy theory shizzle in the background.

  • mkreku #9 2 years ago

    I loved the first one. I guess I suffer from ADD or something because the repetition never really got to me. But it's good that they've tried to make it more varied! And I love that it sounds even more RPG'ish now!

  • ZuluHero #10 2 years ago

    ...But can i follow the story to this without having played much of the orginal? It sounds really good to me, but i don't want to be confused plot wise :(

  • smernicki #11 2 years ago

    didn't play the first one although this sounds like it is shaping up quite nicely

  • the_dudefather #12 2 years ago

    I loved the firstone, except for the repetitive dialogue and ending (or lack thereof)

  • kangarootoo #13 2 years ago

    Really sounds like this will amplify the good parts of the first one, whilst removing the chipped edges.

    I feel a secluded weekend is likely to occur somewhere around the 20th.

  • Zebula77 #14 2 years ago

    I thought the first one was wonderful, actually. Didn't really find it all that repetitive (tho I certainly welcome added diversity and variety). This preview sounds very promising, indeed.

  • KTroopA #15 2 years ago

    AM GET.

    1st game was good but had a few faults, still i enjoyed it through to the end. i hope they have given more controls on the way u can kill this time. before seemed a bit random, but if i can nick someones axe and make him eat it up the arse. then gold :D

  • Wander #16 2 years ago

    I agree with cianchristopher

    I was so disappointed with AC1 that the brand is broken for me.
    Besides, will I of had enough of MW2 by the time ACII is released? I doubt it.

    It just doesn't blip on my gaming radar, which could be abbreviated to...err perhaps not.

  • Darren #17 2 years ago

    I'm unsure about this game as I found the original a pretty but nevertheless pretty boring experience overall, all style and very little substance. The fact that the PC version has been delayed to 2010 is, perhaps, good news for me as I had no plans to buy the game this year anyway. I'll wait and if it does turn out to be good and worth playing this time round then I'll pick it up cheap in the New Year.

  • ZuluHero #18 2 years ago

    @Wander

    not all of us are interested in MW2 though ;)
    Edited by 1 at 27/10/09 @ 14:08

  • spekkeh #19 2 years ago

    I love Death in Vegas. I love Jade Raymond. Not too sure about this game though.

    I wish somebody would tell me if you can enjoy the story of the game if you haven't played the first one. I have no interest in that game whatsoever, but this looks genuinely good.
    Edited by 1 at 27/10/09 @ 14:31

  • asphaltcowboy #20 2 years ago

    Loved the first one, despite it's flaws. Sounds like they're going to be addressing all the issues, so bring it on I say!

  • Lionheart #21 2 years ago

    Yay more Horse Riding V_V

  • muscleblade #22 2 years ago

    I rather buy this than MW2 tbh, but i will buy them both of course. And L4D2.

  • bad09 #23 2 years ago

    I've just found out my PC plays the first so I'm currently playing through the directors cut before sinking my teeth into this.

    Can't wait to see it Friday! :)

  • Gazza_UK #24 2 years ago

    God dammit i just know that while im playing this my friends will leave me in the dust with MW2, probably end up with some laser guided bee gun while im still on a pea shooter again

  • Dave797 #25 2 years ago

    No doubt it looks fantastic as did the original but with the slightly more modern time period and the new mission variety this by the sounds of it could be epic. As long as I can still swan dive from from the tops of building in to hay I'M IN!

  • Burkey123 #26 2 years ago

    Loved the first one. This one sounds a lot better though. Definitely be picking it up.

  • mungolikebeans #27 2 years ago

    Still nothing about whether the actual assassinations will be better, more tactical etc....? The first game was disappointing the most when it came to assassination time (the whole point of the game...?)

  • oupe #28 2 years ago

    The last page looks like somebody is describing Fable 2.

  • bad09 #29 2 years ago

    Who cares about your console war donnie when there is a PC version to piss on both ;)

  • Miths #30 2 years ago

    ""The best," rejoins Ezio, before heading off to do naughty things with a human female."

    Otherwise known as a "woman" in games like this that don't have elves, halflings, dwarves and assorted freaks to add to the species and gender confusion :p.

  • coomber #31 2 years ago

    Miths - just beat me to it.

    And to the 'tard who wrote this article, how about having the odd paragraph without a spoiler of some kind? You may have written something that DIDN'T make you look quite as much of an arse-clown as the "female human" comment, but there was no way I wanted any more of the game ruined for me. Well done.

  • Les #32 2 years ago

    Although I don't care too much for stories in games, the pseudo-SF in part I really put me off. Even if it had actually been good gameplay-wise, I probably would have let it pass based on that. Stories don't add much in general but they can destroy a lot IMO.

    If I'm not mistaken that setting is also the basis for part 2.

  • Gazza_UK #33 2 years ago

    I went backpacking through Florence and Venice, cant wait to go OMG im stabing someone where i was eating a sandwich a couple months ago!!! ! !

  • paulf #34 2 years ago

    if you can skip the cutscenes I'm sold, I really wanted to like the first one, and loved parts of it, but let me be an assassin and run around not have to go to the animus and listen to rubbish dialogue

  • wonton #35 2 years ago

    I played the first one for a few hours before the repetition got to me.

    Althought they seem to be making a big effort to fix this, so very interested to see how the game design pans out.

  • ybfelix #36 2 years ago

    while his bedroom is filled with portraits of men of import he's assassinated.
    --------------
    this is creepy

  • jimbo118 #37 2 years ago

    Looks like they've remembered to add the fun this time.

  • kangarootoo #38 2 years ago

    @ybfelix

    When you think about it, being a professional assassin is bound to make someone a little bit bonkers.

  • SirJohnny #39 2 years ago

    I know that Italian is not exactly the easiest language to speak correctly, but that strange italianized English with actual Italian expressions scattered here and there sounds so....clumsy.
    Looking at the latest media I have to say I found the dubbing ranging from hilarious to atrocious. Not a single Italian speaker would like it!

  • Iain815 #40 2 years ago

    The only game where I'm genuinely interested in where the story is going.

    Bring it.

  • patchbox360 #41 2 years ago

    mmm.. jade raymond, where the hell is she gone

  • the_mtfr #42 2 years ago

    Death in Venice? Heh, somebody at EG has been reading :)

  • patchbox360 #43 2 years ago

    killzone 2 was the beginning of the end and uncharted 2 is The End - the console war is over, everyone can now relax

  • Scimarad #44 2 years ago

    I loved wandering around and exploring in the first game but I thought the game-play was incredibly repetitive. If they've really improved that element then it sounds like a winner.

    Of course, what I really want is a fantasy RPG with a setting like this but without Oblivion's cloned dungeons.

  • Gazza_UK #45 2 years ago

    On vg247 they said that they are looking into AC III's location, one of which may be Feudal Japan. THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!!!

  • Skorms-Boss #46 2 years ago

    @spekken

    won't know if the story's that inportant until we've played it all of the way thru

    as for me, I can't wait, got it preordered and the 20/11 booked off from work!

  • Lee_Morris #47 2 years ago

    This games always had a ton of people around it but from what I saw the game seemed really sterile. There was one point what about 6 people were around protagonist and they were all very nicely waiting for him to finish the sparkly choreographed fox trot with 1 guy. I know it was like that in the first but I was hoping for a little more progress.

  • kangarootoo #48 2 years ago

    "and they were all very nicely waiting for him to finish the sparkly choreographed fox trot with 1 guy. I know it was like that in the first but I was hoping for a little more progress."

    What is progress though? If everyone jumped on you all at once, it might be more realistic but would it be more or less fun?

    Nobody complained when the enemies in Bruce Lee films showed the same behaviour, because it still worked as entertainment, and THAT is what is most important in a game.

    Edit: I just realised I am wheeling out a bit of a strawman on you. I concede that progress could take many more forms than just making all the enemies pile onto your head. My bad. So what are your thoughts, what would you have liked to have seen?

    Second edit: Batman AA springs to mind actually (in part answer to my own question). Its counter system worked simply but effectively, and allowed you to deal with multiple attackers AND be entertained by some theatrics at the same time.
    Edited by 2 at 28/10/09 @ 12:55

  • glaeken #49 2 years ago

    I really did not get on with the free running and platform elements of the first game as I found them far to uninvolving. It was much too close to having an auto pilot play the game for you for me. Nothing I have read so far indicates any of that has changed so I will probably give this a miss.

  • kangarootoo #50 2 years ago

    For me, I thought the free running was done well in AC1. Imagine the results of having to press a button at the right time, every single time, to maintain your momentum across the rooftops?

    Mirror's Edge would be the result, and whilst that game was many things (several of them good), it was not the high speed momentum building SPONTANEOUS free running experience it was sold as being (save for those that practised the time challenges over and over, which is hardly spontaneous).

    Running across the rooptops in AC felt spontaneous, and rushed, and above all it felt like I was a nimble assassin. If I had been falling down into an alley way after botching every 3rd or 4th leap, it would have been none of those things.

  • jedman #51 2 years ago

    thanks a lot for the, I would say rather rather huge spoiler in this article. THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE!!

  • BabyJesus #52 2 years ago

    I will wait this one out.

    The first AC burned me bad, reallllllly bad.

    /spits on steelbook collectors edition

  • Bigglesworth #53 2 years ago

    @ cian / Wander / BabyJesus
    Blimey, you guys must both have resigned yourself to a life of bachelorhood after breaking up with your first girlfriends then, eh? Oh well, more time to play the games that have treated you good in the past =)
    Edited by 1 at 29/10/09 @ 11:07

  • kongzi #54 2 years ago

    It all sounds promising, but this still could both ways for me. I had fun with part 1, but when I replayed it it really threw up all it's ugliness right in my face. It was basically a stealth game where the stealth didn't work and a too easy, boring, fight system. A lot of the assasinations really didn't work as suposed to. You could prepare them all the way only to have it all ruined by some drunk that pushed you into a guard.. bam! major fight, the target doesn't run, but rather stays to fight you. So when you've killed all his guards one by one (still not prompting him to flee) you took him out, fell asleep trough the boring coversation, yakketiyak.

    So, it's not a day one purchase, per se. I'll wait how the reviews turn out first, have a play at the store and decide then.. otherwise i'll wait for it to become budget (since that's usually like 2 months anyway)