Titles I Missed: Assassin's Creed 2 Review

I thought I would keep with the Assassin's Creed series to see what improvements could be made with the franchise and Assassin's Creed 2 (AC2 hereafter) doesn't disappoint.  With that, let's get to the meat of the review.


Story


I won't spend too much time on the particulars of AC2's storyline, but this game was far more immersive than its predecessor.  In this installment, you follow the story of Desmond Miles as he dives into the memories of another of his assassin ancestors, Ezio Auditore.  Ezio's story takes us to renaissance Italy which is rife with political treachery and civil unrest.  Suffice it to say that work is in great abundance for an aspiring assassin.  The greatest improvement about the story was how fluid the presentation was this time around, and how much better the voice acting was.  Gone are the lengthy (and un-skippable) post-assassination speeches, and cumbersome navigation sequences.  Instead, the story flows naturally through missions and through side quests.  


There were some parts of the story that seemed to drag a little as the game tries to familiarize the player with game controls and with the world that you are navigating through.  However, the pace picks up quickly and the momentum doesn't falter until the end of the game.  Desmond's side of the story  was a bit difficult to identify with this time around, and little time was played as Desmond in general.  Clearly, this installment focused more heavily on establishing Ezio's role in the series.  Overall, there were no issues with the story at all, and this installment was far more rewarding and exciting than the first title.  Supporting characters also play a far more important role in the plot of AC2, and at no point does Ezio just seem like a mindless and emotionless killing machine like Altair did in the first game. 


Visuals


The original AC was a visually stunning game, but AC2 definitely leaves its predecessor in the dust.  Every visual element of the game has received a graphical overhaul from environmental modeling to facial animation during cinematics.  The world that Ezio traverses is full of life and color that draws players into the story in a way that the first title could not.  Furthermore, each city that Ezio visits  has a unique look and feel to it.  The first two cities that you visit contrast so nicely that you really appreciate the work that the game's developers put into this title. 


There seemed to be a little bit of copy and pasting of architecture, but such things occur in real life, so it didn't really detract from the credibility of the game in any way.  Several other graphical tweaks really served to enhance this game in almost every way possible.  AC was a visually impressive piece of work, but AC2 seems more alive and organic. 


Gameplay


Gameplay was also greatly improved from the original title.  The biggest issue with the first game was with the side quests that must be completed before moving on to the assassination target itself.  In AC2, side quests are a supplement to the games action, but they serve a much different purpose.  AC2 employs an economy system that allows players to purchase new weapons, armor, medicine, and clothing throughout the game, and performing side quests is one way to earn quick cash.  However, the main missions will also earn you cash.  

Another nice thing about the side quests in this installment was that they didn't seem as redundant as those in the first game.  The categories themselves were varied and there seemed to be a staggered difficulty system as you completed more missions of a different type.  For example, as you complete more assassination contracts, the targets get more challenging.  It was also nice to see that the control scheme has been vastly improved from the original game.  Free running and climbing controls were still a little bit sketchy from time to time, but they were much smoother than in the original game. 

The combat system was much more responsive as well, though the original turn based defend and counter attack mechanic is still in place.  The developers added a wider range of weapons to this installment that make for some interesting combat animations, but in reality the standby weapons (sword, knife, hidden blade) will get you through most situations.  The most usefull addition to the combat system was the disarm counter move that allows Ezio to take a weakened enemy's weapon and use it against them!  It was particularly satisfying using this against battle axe wielding opponents.  Overall, the control scheme of the game has been tuned better, but there are still some improvements needed that I hope will show up in the next installment.

Final Impressions

Assassin's Creed 2 takes the standard that was set by the original Assassin's Creed and improves upon it in almost every way.  Renaissance Italy looks and feels as you would expect, and the characters that live there are more fleshed out this time around making for a more developed and intriguing story.  There were no noticeable hitches or spikes in difficulty throughout the experience that detracted from the game's progression, and AC2 serves to elevate the credibility of the franchise.  This installment took me roughly 14 to 15 cumulative hours to complete the game's storyline with a little bit of side questing and treasure hunting, and I was not left wanting for much.

I will be taking a short hiatus from the series as I tackle Batman: Arkham Asylum, but be on the lookout for my review of Assassin's Creed brotherhood in the near future.  I am also taking a little break from video reviews until I improve my mastery of the video editing software that I use.  My hope is that I will be able to post game footage with commentary soon as opposed to video of myself rambling about the games I am playing.  That's all for now, but be on the lookout for my review of Batman: Arkham Asylum in my "Titles I Missed" segment of The Novice Reviewer.