Assassin's Creed 2

[PSI Wind]

The ending still blows major balls. 2012 reference, yippie .

Edited November 24, 2009 by PSI Wind FTW!

[Eternal EX]

Nah the ending was another cliffhanger ending like AC1, MEANING AC3 is coming!!! I'm sooo buying that when it comes out.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I still haven't gotten any answer on how good the map is compared to AC1.

[Eternal EX]

To answer your question CSS...the mini map is WAAAAAY better. I've gotten away from so many people and found so many things because of it. The main/big map has had an upgrade too. BTW the figurine is badass!!

[turbojet]

The ending still blows major balls. 2012 reference, yippie .

I think the storyline has one of the better takes of 2012 I have seen.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I got another question. How is the city layout? Are the sections of the layout more distinguished from each other so that you can tell where you are without the aid of the map?

That was one problem with AC1, most of everything looked exactly the same as each other, such as the buildings the centers, etc. and very few sections had something that stood out from each other. So unless you used a map to tell where you were (and you don't even have to be on a mission) you could think you're going one way, but you're really going somewhere else.

Are the buildings and layouts more distinguished from certain sections or are they still similar.

[Cake]

CSS, it all depends on your point of view. I've found so far that AC2's cities (which all look stunning btw) are comprised of a world below on the streets, and the one on the roofs. As the cities are based on their real counterparts, so included are their various landmarks. AC2 has this really neat feature that updates and adds key locations to your database, which you can go back and check on later. The game also gives you quite a bit of history on the buildings. The map is important, but locations are fairly easily distinguished without them.

EDIT: Just felt like adding; you'll even notice the difference in architecture between cities, since you're also climbing the buildings. There's enough detail to the point that I have a different method for climbing towers in Venice as opposed to Florence or Tuscany.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Cake

[Eternal EX]

NEW DLC COMING EARLY NEXT YEAR!! One is coming in jan and the 2nd in Feb. Edited December 1, 2009 by Shad X the darkness

[Paul Str337]

I’m really having fun with the game. I liked the first one but this is easily better in every way. In fact I’ve hardily spent any time on the story because I’ve been messing about too much raiding treasure chests, doing side missions, finding feathers and more importantly learning about “The Truth” which is easily the most intriguing thing about the game. No spoilers at all but I’m interested in how “The Truth” comes out.

[CtW]

Got the game before Thanksgiving and have been messing around ever since. I'm loving the upgrades. The double blades are just plain fun, and all the different weapons are great. It doesn't seem to have any affect on gameplay but my favorite feature is actually the shops where you can have your outfit dyed.

As for the DLC, it would be cool if they'd release some missions where you play as Altair back in the holy lands, but that would probably be too much work for a DLC release. By the way, does anyone have a link to the DLC story that isn't on Facebook? I forgot my password for the site.

[Eternal EX]

IGN.COM Here you go.

[Cake]

Hurray, beat the game today! What an ending, is all I can say. The last mission was pretty darned epic too, and there are a ton of questions... talk about a fun game though! Really glad I rented it, and I guess I'll leave it at that XP

[CtW]

IGN.COM Here you go.

Thank ya.

The new DLC looks pretty good. I wonder how it will be priced, the DLC packs seem pretty good sized.

Edited December 5, 2009 by Cipher

[Eternal EX]

NEW INFO ABOUT ASSASSIN'S CREED 2 DLC COMING IN THE FOLLOWING MONTHS

The first will be "The Battle of Forlie" and will cost $3.99 USD. The 2nd "Bonfire of the Vanities" will cost $4.99 USD.

And each one will be filling the missing memories

. Thats actually a really good price for DLC considering how much/big each pack will be.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

So I just got this game today, and let's just say that it's faring a little better than it's previous installment. Ezio has a much broader range of abilities compared to Altair, although I haven't gotten to many of his weapons (I'm still in the beginning parts). And I can customize my suit to whatever I feel like wearing, gain other bits of armor, etc.

To top it off, Ezio has one hell of a smart mouth.

"Your sister seemed to enjoy the 'handling' I gave her the other day."

I'm really starting to like the character. He's modest and a gentleman, yet at the same time he's quite a serious troublemaker.

Another prop I'll have to give AC2 over AC1 is that I really don't need the white robed men as I did in the last game. I can blend in with whoever I want, and that even makes it more enjoyable when I can steal money from these same people.

The city layout of Florence is much more ornate and distinguished. Unlike AC1 where most of the buildings were too much the same in a very large city, I can tell where I am at all times. And the map is more readable as well. Congrads on fixing that flaw Ubisoft!

The people who I can work with make this game a lot easier, and I don't always have to be anywhere near my foes if I want to get some place. I can hire some courtesans to woo over the guards, or theives to clear the guards from their post.

What's a bit more intriguing of this game is the massive historical references that are given to you upon looking at certain landmarks and reading up on important figures. If you're not one who enjoys reading summaries of historical references, I'm not entirely sure you're going to feel a plus from this aspect of the game.

I have to say tho that the parkour still feels a bit rocky so far. Not that I expect Ezio to be a superhuman when the point is that he is just as human as you and I, but when you grab a hold on a parts of the buildings, it just brings back the past game's problem with the parkour. If you want to grab another ledge nearby, there might be times where Ezio just stays where he is until you move the control stick to a different place. This really needs touching up.

On the bright side, the combat is much less restrictive than it was in the past. Even if you're unarmed, you can still hold you're own against multiple foes. I wouldn't recommend being unarmed against armed opponents tho.

The story is much more interesting, thanks to the characters being a bit more fleshed out and natural. I don't feel so bored in listening to all but one character in the game, and that helps draw you in to want to know the characters more (thanks to the data given to you on the characters). I found it quite shocking that Claudia actually beat up another girl for looking at her boyfriend and knocking her out cold...seriously, she looks way too sweet and innocent to do something like that, but like they say, it's those kind of people you should watch out for.

The music is another great aspect of the game. Jesper Kyd has never ceased to amaze me with his music, and his work in this game does well as it blends naturally with the setting and events that are going on in the game. If everything is calm, the music complements it, and if there is something dangerous approching you, the music serves as a bit of a warning.

And lastly, there's the scenery. Much more stunning and colorful than AC1, and not a tad out of place with realism. The building structures are ornate and beautiful and the flora is no exception. The people are dressed so formally as what you would normally see of people, and there's quite some work in making the NPCs a bit more different from each other.

While I can't say this game is a full masterpiece from my experience so far as there is much to do before my actual conclusion for this game, it is shaping up to be quite a good game compared to its predecessor.

By the way, did anyone else get a small chuckle at Uncle Mario's little gaming reference:

"You don't recognize me? It's-a me, Mario!"

I know I did. I wasn't expecting that.