Assassin's Creed II

[illdog]

First things first, if you didnt like the original then im pretty sure you wont like this. So read no further naysayers.

I really like what ive played so far. Its more of the same really, the main difference being that instead of the main story being all about infiltrating camp and assassinating your target as one big mission this game is split into bite size mission chunks. I dont want to go into too much detail too early as its nice to discover the crack for yourself but im happy for it to stay this way, it makes it much easier to just pick up and play instead of dedicating half a morning to it. The addition of the markets in which you can actually buy weapons and armour make the city feel much more interactive, something i thought was lacking in the original. Oh, and it looks gorgeous, except for the faces of the characters which are just horrendous. Lucy looks like she's been given a Chelsea smile by the Krays.

Its not without its problems tho. When i say its more of the same, it really is more of the same, original problems incuded. I cant believe Ubisoft, makes of Prince of Persia, havent really improved on the free-running aspect of Ass Creed. Ezio feels as clunky as Altiar, he still climbs up stupid places amd stops at ridiculous moments. And his sprinting still seems very directional (if you know what i mean), like he runs towards the compass points - he just doesnt feel as nible as an assassin should. Also, i made the mistake of getting into a fight on a rooftop that had platform on it. I pushed the guard off the platform onto the roof but even tho the drop was less than a foot i couldnt walk off the platform myself because i was in fight mode. This allowed the guard to stab me about eleven times before i could get out of fight mode, walk of the tiny drop and resume ass kicking.

But again like the original, i can work around these problems easy enough for them not to hinder my enjoyment, id just rather they had been rectified. Ive only played for two hours so things may change, who knows.

[illdog]

Need to go back to the first. Another game I'm 50% through. This looks more varied, would you say so?

I think its going to be mate but i cant tell so much at the moment.

[David]

Is that Danny Wallace who's the twat in the apartment? I bet he's a secret Templar or something...

Also, Nolan North needs to play less main characters. All of them are shit compared to Nathan Drake.

[Dunkster]

My feelings are pretty mixed to say the least.

Don't get me wrong, it looks fantastic & the

cities are brimming with atmosphere. The missions can be

a tad irritating, I've had real problems with accuracy

in the platforming & the distractions when doing

assassinations can be a bit unpredictable. Why exactly

do Ubisoft penalise you for the slightest

misdemenour - like 'its mission over' for the

slightest mistake - ie the guards spotted you -

so start all over!?!

As I said, great presentation, but so far the

jury's out on the rest of it..

[David]

I made this post in the original Assassin's Creed thread:

I actually like it, although it does have it's flaws.

I think I'm about half way through right now, and while it's all starting to get a bit repetitive, I think that the whole assassination stuff and the free running is brilliant stuff. I just hope there is a proper sequel that could flesh out some more gameplay and features, making it less repetitive.

Well, it seems they have done just that!

It feels a lot more like a GTA game than the first one, so instead of having to investigate and do all that repetitive shit it plays a lot more like GTA in that you have people and they give you missions that have a bit of variety in them, at least so far. The story seems like it's going to be a lot better too, Ezio is pretty likable and you feel for him.

Seems like it will flesh out a lot more of the mystery in regards to the modern stuff as well. You get these weird glyphs on certain buildings and have to solve a puzzle. Solving them gives you about a 1 second splice of this video called 'the truth', so that might be quite exciting when you get all the bits.

As with the first, there's still a shit ton to do, what with collecting and climbing viewpoints and the like. Thumbs up from me so far.

[Hendo]

it looks gorgeous, except for the faces of the characters which are just horrendous. Lucy looks like she's been given a Chelsea smile by the Krays.

My mate pointed this out straight away - "she looks like the Joker!"

(Lucy tells you to sit down)

"Go on Hendo, sit down then! Don't piss the Joker off!"

I think it's brilliant. It's really sucked me in so far and Ezio is a much better character than Altair because Altair was an assassin by trade and just did what he was told because it was his job, whereas Ezio starts off as a spoilt, womanising prick and then becomes an assassin out of necessity. It all make sense too.

At the moment I've done all I can do in the first city and now I'm in Tuscany. There does seem to be a bit more variety in what you do, but I wouldn't be fussed if there wasn't - I wanted the same thing in a different skin and time zone and so I'm as happy as a pig in the smelly stuff.

Did Nolan North voice Desmond in the first game? Bloody hell he gets everywhere.

[David]

it looks gorgeous, except for the faces of the characters which are just horrendous. Lucy looks like she's been given a Chelsea smile by the Krays.

My mate pointed this out straight away - "she looks like the Joker!"

(Lucy tells you to sit down)

"Go on Hendo, sit down then! Don't piss the Joker off!"

I think it's brilliant. It's really sucked me in so far and Ezio is a much better character than Altair because Altair was an assassin by trade and just did what he was told because it was his job, whereas Ezio starts off as a spoilt, womanising prick and then becomes an assassin out of necessity. It all make sense too.

At the moment I've done all I can do in the first city and now I'm in Tuscany. There does seem to be a bit more variety in what you do, but I wouldn't be fussed if there wasn't - I wanted the same thing in a different skin and time zone and so I'm as happy as a pig in the smelly stuff.

Did Nolan North voice Desmond in the first game? Bloody hell he gets everywhere.

I wonder how it's actually possible for the facial animations to get worse than they were in the original? I think Nolan North did his voice in the original as well.

[Hendo]

Bloody hell, this is just as addictive as the first.

Currently pimping my stronghold so I can get mo' money.

I had a gander at illdizzle's achievement list to see how close we were in the game, and noticed a couple that he must have known about in order to get so quickly.

Pickpocket 1000 people in Florence.

And hide 5 dead bodies in bales of hay.

[illdog]

Bloody hell, this is just as addictive as the first.

This. I cant stop playing it, fucking hours fly by when it feels like ive been playing for half hour. So far its much better than the first one, even to the point wheras i would say if you havent playhed the first, skip it and start here. Even tho it has the same flaws overall its a far more comlplete experience. And its huge!

I had a gander at illdizzle's achievement list to see how close we were in the game, and noticed a couple that he must have known about in order to get so quickly.

Pickpocket 1000 people in Florence.

And hide 5 dead bodies in bales of hay.

I think its 1000 florins dude, i just did it whilst walking to my next checkpoints. And i did know about the hay one but i killed about 9 people right next to a cart of hay - it was rude not too!

.

People - buy this game.

[David]

Just did the first Assassin's tomb. Plays like Prince of Persia. Awesome stuff!

This is a really good game.

[retroed]

I never played the original. I started this a while ago and my impressions after the first hour of gameplay are good. It plays really solidly, the RT + A combo works well and looks mightily impressive when you pull off a string of amazing climbs and jumps. It looks very nice too. It does play very much like Prince of Persia, and that can only be a good thing in my book.

[Hendo]

Just did the first Assassin's tomb. Plays like Prince of Persia. Awesome stuff!

I've done the first 2 of these and they really are brilliant. Also I seem to have become an assassin for hire as I can do sub missions now, killing people for cash.

[TopGunKnacker]

i was in leeds on the weekend, finally got to play this when i got back on sunday and havent stopped playing it since! fucking brilliant. i wasnt much of a fan of the first game, felt like a half baked game built around a good idea. but this improves it in every aspect, even if the free runing improvements are minor, the story and characters and mission variation is tonnes better. finished it this morning, got a nice 940gs worth and im not bored with it yet, im completely bowled over. never thought id say it but could be my goty so far

[illdog]

I spend alot of time doing those assassination missions, they're brilliant. I pulled off a fucking gnarly double air assassination on two targets from a high roof and its touches like that that are making this game alot more special form the first. I like the thiefs that steal money and then peg it acros the rooftops, the addition of a sprinting tackle is genius and is an exciting way to finish of the chase.

Ive been building up the Villa, my stronghold is now at 72% but there's nothing else i can upgrade so i guess the rest is based on armour and weapons.

Speaking of weapons, clubbing people round the head with a mace is bloody satisfying. Theyve simplified the combat a little from the first one (or so it seems) and its to the games credt, i like the option to grab and then press X to slit their throat. I also dispatched three big fat well armoured guards by dodging their slow but powerful attacks and then wailing on the exposed ass with my scimitar. Oh, and the blowing sand in their faces trick is alos very helpful when surrounded.

My problems is not having enough time in the day, curse you work. Oh, and any control problems i reported in the first post (although irritating) are barely noteworthy due the the awesomeness of the game on the whole.

[TopGunKnacker]

fuck yeah the assassination mishes were awesome, i was gutted when they ran out yet another thing that totally improved the experience. lots of variety and lots of fun in those little o's.

lovin the glyph thing too, got to get a couple more though, cant wait to watch the whole video!

the ending is mental

[Hendo]

Right I've been blitzing all the side missions I can whenever they crop up but got stuck on an assassination one and hopefully someone has tips, or maybe I've not got the right weapons or abilities yet?

It's up against 2 groups of 5 mega-armored dudes and you only have one minute to take them all down. Right next to them is a group of mercenaries who I hire and they take some of the heat off but I can get as far as 6/10 before time runs out.

I'm using this big hammer thing, I have heard that you can get long weapons that sweep a few people up at once, should I be looking to change my weapon or come back at a later point?

Oh also got majorly stuck on one of The Truth puzzles:

It's the one where you've got 10 paintings and you have to choose 5 that "the power they wielded cut down their enemies".

Due to a couple of others like it, I'm guessing it's a visual thing (rather than having to know details of the people involved) and that you pick the people who have knives or swords in the paintings, but some aren't entirely clear. I'm confident that Perseus, King Arthur and maybe Alexander The Great should be in there as they clearly are holding something that cuts, but others aren't so clear.

Am I at least barking up the right tree?

I'm actually really enjoying The Truth puzzles, they're like a grown up Professor Layton.

[David]

You're on the right lines Hendo, I think I just did ones that looked like swords and got it right. Not sure exactly which pictures it is. The Glyph puzzle I'm stuck on is a right fucking twat. I really want that video as well...

[TopGunKnacker]

^yeah its swords in particular.

hendo i just assassinated them all from behind with the wrist blade whilst they fought the mercs

[Hendo]

Ah, I tried that but they were too wily for me and kept facing me. I've since learned the ability to snatch the weapon out of your enemy's hands and stab him with it, which should help, but I'm crap with the combat - I just mash X and hope for the best.

I've switched to a sword now which has the best stats so far.

Fully upgraded the villa town, and I'm continually looking for treasure, side-quests, paintings, anything really that adds value to the town.

[spatular]

is anyone new to this , or has everyone already played the original?

just wondered because it seems to throw you in at the deep by not really explaining the controls at all well, which has left me getting pretty annoyed with the free running, fighting and generally what the hell is going on at the start, getting used to it pretty quick now though. it's probably like that because it'd be too boring for people who've already played the first one and i should look at the manual, i just expect everything to be explained in game these days. or maybe it's dead easy and i'm rubbish, it's hard to tell.