Assassin's Creed 2

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Fairweather Pure
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Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

The more I hear about this sequel, the more I am looking forward to it. I tred to play the first one on 3 seperate occassions, but I could never really get into it due to the slow pacing and repetition. I would almost always rather be playing something else a little more exciting.

Anyway, the developer seems to have taken many of the complaints to heart and have integrated some terrific changes into the sequel. The fighting is going to be more involved and your character finds schematics throughout his journey for da Vinci to create for you.

Anyway, here is some music from the soundtrack, which should be nominated and win some awards. It's rather epic IMO.



The song is called "Ezio's Family".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0i6YFrS ... PL&index=2


Here is another similar but still amazing song called "Heart".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq2PfOYP ... re=related
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Ubi made a small prologue movie called Assassin's Creed Lineage. Great production values and really well made.

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct2kbLBuSOg

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-SwPocA ... re=channel

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLzWYMFQ ... re=channel
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Winnow »

I'm liking this game so far.

The character models aren't top notch, but the city is amazing.

Fighting feels clumsy so far but climbing around stuff is a lot of fun. I think with time, the controls will be second nature.

The game is extremely polished. They've done a lot of research on the city and history.

The story is excellent so far. It feels like I'm in a Shakespeare play or something. They do an excellent job of introducing new characters and the story seems to be well thought out. The game flows well.

The UI is unique and there is a lot of options to check on bios, city districts, etc.

I like the time period better than the first Assassin and it looks like they've made everything better in the 2nd. It's a no brainer for those that liked the first Assassins Creed and I think it may pick up a few new people.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Winnow wrote:I'm liking this game so far.

The character models aren't top notch, but the city is amazing.

Fighting feels clumsy so far but climbing around stuff is a lot of fun. I think with time, the controls will be second nature.

The game is extremely polished. They've done a lot of research on the city and history.

The story is excellent so far. It feels like I'm in a Shakespeare play or something. They do an excellent job of introducing new characters and the story seems to be well thought out. The game flows well.

The UI is unique and there is a lot of options to check on bios, city districts, etc.

I like the time period better than the first Assassin and it looks like they've made everything better in the 2nd. It's a no brainer for those that liked the first Assassins Creed and I think it may pick up a few new people.
How about the repetitiveness issues that people were complaining about from the first? Have they increased the amount of activities to do?
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

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I've hear they've addressed that and then some. The people that are playing it now have nothing but good things to say about it.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Sweet. I absolutely loved the first game(played it through 3 times) and am really looking forward to this one.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

PS3 owners are complaining about pretty bad screen tearing (up to 10% reported by some) and an average of a mere 1 FPS less than 360. I was going to ask you if you noticed, but I see you have the 360 version and are already playing it!

Impressions? Mine should be here in the next couple of hours but I won't be able to play until late tonight (if at all). I'll just get this and L4D2 installed and updated on both xboxes and get to them when I can.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Funkmasterr »

I got this last night, too. I was actually kind of disappointed that I'm playing the dude and doing missions already but I'm not in my Assassin clothes and don't have weapons. That being said I've had a lot of fun with the little I've played, everything looks/controls great like I expected.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by miir »

Fairweather Pure wrote:PS3 owners are complaining about pretty bad screen tearing (up to 10% reported by some) and an average of a mere 1 FPS less than 360.
LOL, you really need to take a break from that neogaf site.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

Neogaf is reporting the same thing? Must be something to it then.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

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Hehehe
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

This game is somethin else. I've got about 3-4 hours in now and haven't even left Florence. So much stuff to do.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

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I just read this has an unlockable premium theme?!? Fucking sweet if true!
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Sadly it isn't a premuin theme if you're referring to the uplay thing. It's just an old-style theme. It is a nice background though just no friend backgrounds.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

http://www.lensoftruth.com/?p=16415

Lens of Truth comes through again. Choose 360 if you have a choice!
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by miir »

Fairweather Pure wrote:http://www.lensoftruth.com/?p=16415

Lens of Truth comes through again. Choose 360 if you have a choice!
ROFL, those guys are TOTALLY FUCKING OBSESSED with tearing.
I'm willing to bet that 58.324% of the people who buy the game don't even know what tearing even is, 39.821% don't give a flying fuck about a little bit of tearing... which leaves 2.855% who might actually care. The percentage of those who actually own both consoles is rougly 21.731%
:)

With the rollover screencaps, I think the PS3 actually looks better.
According to the votes on the site, the PS3 has a slight edge but it's so close you could call it a wash.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

I personally think that both images have qualities i like. For example i love the lighting in the ps3 shots and the textures in the 360 one. As far as tearing goes, I just had to look it up. I had no ideas what tearing was. IMO this is a non-issue until you start noticing it on the screen. I believe that you do see a lot of it in AC2 on the 360 when you're syncronizing from the tower vantage points though.

*edit* fixed the opening line. it was 4am and I was giving the new baby his bottle =)
Last edited by Animalor on November 18, 2009, 8:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

I played about 30 minutes last night. I'm impressed by what I've seen so far. Your climbing is faster than the first one, which makes free roaming that much more enjoyable. The controls feel a little clunky, but I'm sure I'll get used to them again in no time.

Did I unlock, like 60 gamer score in the first 15 minutes?!? That has got to be a record for me, or at least tieing with Prince of Persia!
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

This game is just... wow. So. Good. It's engaging, fun, polished, and just epic. When Enzio reaches in his father's trunk and holds up the Assassin's outfit, the music swells, and I believe I felt the exact feeling that the developer was hoping for. "You have no idea who you're fucking with. It's fucking on."

It's like the first game was a rough draft and this is a novel.

I remember discussing on another thread about Game of the Year where I commented that I do not think sequels are desrving of the title. This game is making me eat my words. I guess if a sequel is so much better than the original it's like an entirely new game, they absolutely deserve it. There is just so much to do in this game. The developers really did take all of the valid complaints of the first one and improved on everything possible. I have never seen such a 180 in a franchise before.

We'll have to have a GotY discussion thread soon since we're past the mark of the major new releases. This game makes my short list for sure.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Winnow »

Fairweather Pure wrote:
We'll have to have a GotY discussion thread soon since we're past the mark of the major new releases. This game makes my short list for sure.
This might be one of the toughest years ever to choose a GOTY.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

I've been playing this non-stop (other than eat, sleep and when my daughter isn't awake/at school). It's freaking excellent.

There only area where repetition seems to creep in is in the free roaming sections between memory sections and the Races, extra credit assasinations and mail deliveries. Thankfully those are not in the main storyline.

Things I love:
The Story
The RL section before entering Venice. I'm not spoilerizing anything. It's awesome.
The Glyph puzzles
Upgrading the Villa (I just with there were more you could upgrade)
Gathering the Seals

Fair is right. Compared to this one, Assassins Creed 1 feels like a tech demo.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Completed the story. The game is fantastic and doesn't let you go. You can go from memory block to memory block and forgo any of the city exploration and still have a great time.

You will however need to collect all of the codex pages from the cities. You can safely ignore this until the story requires it however and at that point, they're all highlighted on your map do you can go get them easily then without even needing to explore.

Quick advice: The battle trainer in the villa has a few advanced techniques to learn. Make sure you pick those up.

The achievements in this one are a lot easier overall than the previous one. The battle ones are the harder ones to tackle. I'm short the No Hitter one(kill 10 enemies without being hit in the same combat session). It would be easy except that the cheapo guards that guards don't stick around if you counter a lot and run away. I saw a way to do it online that I'm going to try this morning and should be able to complete the game with it.

I personally plan on completing all the races, side missions and getting all the treasure chests even if there aren't any achievements attached to them.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

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Total time to complete?
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Plowing through the story I'd estimate that it's roughly 15-20. I doubled that pretty easily exploring, grabbing all the treasures etc etc.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

So while on an Assassin's Creed high, I went back to AC1 and finished the Achievements. 1000/1000 on both AC games now =)
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

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I just got the villa in AC2. Holy crap, this game just keeps giving and giving! There is a lot to do!
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

I really wish that there was more to do in the Villa. More upgrades and more unlockables. Being able to correct or collect statues along with paintings would've been fantastic. More upgrades in the villa would've been really sweet too. I finished upgrading the place relatively quickly and I finished the game with 600k florens on me.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

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Word on tne street is that AC2 sold 1.7 million units in it's first week. Holy shit! Unlike MW2, I think the sales will be cliser between the 2 consoles. (360 will have more though)
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Bought Bloodlines on the PSN a few nights ago. Considering this is on the PSP, it's quite an achievement.

What you'll read in most reviews is pretty dead on. The AI is pretty bad. Guards are overly sensitive, combat is pretty much on AC1/AC2 standards, the free-running seems a bit sloppier than on the consoles too. Altair tends to get caught up on angles a lot more than the console versions. Not having the 2nd stick for camera control is probably the worse aspect of the game though. You have to use LB and the face buttons to move the camera.

Towns are segmented and divided by load screens. This really cuts down on the sence of grandeur that makes Assassin's Creed what it is.

The story is pretty straight forward as well. 1 main objective, a few side missions per city quarter. Nothing overly deep, complex or convoluted. There are cut-scenes where you see Altair write the codex pages you find in AC2 which adds a cool bit of continuity. They have an upgrade system in place that allows you to have more HP/Sync, better crits, more knives, more sword damage etc.

Compared to it's big brothers, it's an ambitious attempt at replicating the experience. While it does succeed on quite a few points, it falls just short of capturing the true AC feel. I'm also feeling that this was rushed to meet the AC2 launch and try to capitalize on buzz. Additional polish and tightening of the controls might have made this one a serious contender. Considering the platform it's on, what they have created here is impressive. (Even more so when you look at the DL size. Only 500MB).

At the end of the day however, Only the most hardcore AC fans should bother with this one. There's a lot more AC than AC2 on this one, the story expands on the Altair/Maria relationship and if you didn't care for the Altair segment in AC2, this won't be appealing in the least.

I don't regret the purchase but I have no problems imaging that a lot of people would.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by miir »

I tired it and just couldn't get beyond the infuriating camera control issues.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

The way I deal with the camera is tapping the LB every time I wanna see what's in front of Altair, it recenters the camera. The face buttons are only used when I wanna see around something.

But yeah, it's pretty bad.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Finished Bloodlines. Even for hardcore fans, it doesn't add anything particularly interesting to the Lore. Might have had more impact if Ezio had actually followed the templars to Cyprus in AC2.

Bloodlines actually creates more plot holes than it solves.
[Show]
The game seems to infer that Altair leaves Cyprus with Maria to go east towards india and such. Also the game sets things up and leaves off with Maria no longer being a Templar and hooked up with Altair. If this is the case, then the cutscene in AC2 where he chases her around Acre while she was a templar and impregnates her at the top of the tower doesn't make sense anymore. It's all nitpicking but annoying nonetheless.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Aslanna »

Animalor wrote:Ubi made a small prologue movie called Assassin's Creed Lineage. Great production values and really well made.
This is also included on the AC2 disc if you have a YouTube phobia. Along with a Making Of feature.
Animalor wrote:The achievements in this one are a lot easier overall than the previous one. The battle ones are the harder ones to tackle. I'm short the No Hitter one(kill 10 enemies without being hit in the same combat session). It would be easy except that the cheapo guards that guards don't stick around if you counter a lot and run away. I saw a way to do it online that I'm going to try this morning and should be able to complete the game with it.
Yeah the hardest part was trying to get 10+ enemies to follow me at the same time and be all there when I turned around. Once that happens it's fairly easy if you use smoke bombs. I probably had the hardest trouble with the sweep 5 at one time since they kept hitting me while I was trying to power up the move. I couldn't really get that one with the smoke bomb because everytime I threw one I wouldn't do the special attack but instead just stab the enemies.
Animalor wrote:I personally plan on completing all the races, side missions and getting all the treasure chests even if there aren't any achievements attached to them.
Me too! Although I hate the race missions so don't really look forward to those. And I have 65 more feathers to collect which will take forever even with a map.

Anyway, other than the 100 feathers and the associated cape trophy I've completed (finished?) AC2. Overall I enjoyed it but, as usual, here are my annoyances:

I'll start off by saying FUCK BARDS! Honestly those fuckers always get in the way. Eventually I just started punching, stabbing and poisoning them ("Sing and dance now you poisoned freak!"). Those retards carrying boxes are stupid as well as they purposely steer right into you so if you're running they drop their box and that brings attention to you. For those I just stopped moving completely if I couldn't avoid them and let them pass.

While mostly the camera control was fine it also could have been a bit better as a few times I found myself unable to put it, and keep it, how I wanted even if I wasn't moving.

Also, similar to Infamous this game has 'magnetic' objects meaning if you get anywhere close you end up on top of the object which I found maddening especially if I was in a race or being chased and trying to escape. Sometimes when I was trying to jump to a specific spot he'd totally jump somewhere else and I'd typically plummet to my death.

Your map disappears in Detective Mode. Er. Make that Eagle Vision. In some missions you had to locate people in a large area with Eagle Vision but you had to keep switching back and forth to make sure you were still in the correct area because you had no map on the screen. I didn't really see the logic on that design decision.

The Villa was nice but I wish they could have worked in a way to make it useful even after the main story was finished. Not sure how but maybe in a simple Animal Crossing sorta way. Just without the weed pulling. Oh and a way to turn off the announcement that the chest is at max capacity. Because at a certain point you don't have to bother emptying it anymore.

And speaking of the Villa is there really no way to select armor or weapons other than going back there or was I missing something obvious? I had the Altair armor from completing the 6 seals thingie but in order to complete the other sets I bought the pieces as they became available and every time I did it auto equipped them. And sometimes I'd have a looted sword equipped and would have to go back to the Villa to change it. The only screen I saw that had an "Equip" feature was the one for the Cloaks.

If you didn't play the first AC, like I didn't, the beginning, and parts throughout the game, are rather confusing as there's not a whole lof of recap that happens. They could have thrown together a simple storybook or something. I'd be fine with mostly text just so I had some sort of idea WTF was happening.

In some aspects AC2 seems unfinished. For example the flying machine. No game should have a missable trophy like that. You only have the single mission and that's it. I think originally they were going to feature it more but ran out of time. Or decided not to bother. However they should have removed the trophy/achivement or replaced it with something else like 'Codex Monkey: Collect all 30 Codex pieces'. Also some areas remain "Restricted" even after you liberated their city from the evil dictator and everyone loves you. I think that's just in Venice so it was probably overlooked.

I think that's about all I can remember offhand. Not anything really major as far as complaints go mostly just nitpicking. I'd still recommend this game to most anyone else. I'd probably give it a 9/10 and I personally enjoyed it more than Uncharted 2 even if it wasn't as pretty.

Now that I finished it I need to look for ways to entertain myself. One fun thing is seeing how many citizens you can knock down while on horseback before you wipe out. I think I've managed to get 12 down on the ground at the same time. Anyone else have any ideas for things to do once there's nothing left to do?
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Apparently there's DLC coming to fill out memory blocks 11 and 12 (or is it 12 and 13) that will feature the flying machine more.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

Whenever I see a thief or messenger I have to drop whatever I'm doing and hunt them down. That is my game within a game. It has cost me missions and god knows how much time, but I have to do it. I can't help myself :(
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Aslanna »

Animalor wrote:Apparently there's DLC coming to fill out memory blocks 11 and 12 (or is it 12 and 13) that will feature the flying machine more.
12 and 13 were missing.

I'm not particularly interested in more flying machine missions. I just didn't like how if you didn't do it while playing the game through story mode you couldn't get the trophy after the fact as you could all the others you may have missed. At least not without replaying the game from the beginning. That's really for any game with missable achievements. That's the main reason I look over trophy guides before I even begin playing a game.

One nice thing that would have solved that, and isn't available, is a way to redo a mission. They are all viewable in the DNA screen so why not let players actually replay certain ones? Just make it so it doesn't reward any Florins and boom. Good to go. I think that would have added some more replayability as well.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Funkmasterr »

Aslanna wrote:
Animalor wrote:Apparently there's DLC coming to fill out memory blocks 11 and 12 (or is it 12 and 13) that will feature the flying machine more.
12 and 13 were missing.

I'm not particularly interested in more flying machine missions. I just didn't like how if you didn't do it while playing the game through story mode you couldn't get the trophy after the fact as you could all the others you may have missed. At least not without replaying the game from the beginning. That's really for any game with missable achievements. That's the main reason I look over trophy guides before I even begin playing a game.

One nice thing that would have solved that, and isn't available, is a way to redo a mission. They are all viewable in the DNA screen so why not let players actually replay certain ones? Just make it so it doesn't reward any Florins and boom. Good to go. I think that would have added some more replayability as well.
I missed an achievement in the first game for a similar reason. I missed some dialogue opportunity with the girl and that was all.. just one. I agree that it is extremely stupid to at the very least not allow you to go back and replay them if you are going to add trophies/achievements of that nature.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Aslanna »

Done! Those treasures and feather collections were just tedious and the feathers would have been about impossible without maps online made by others. Between the two that was 430 items to find. Crazy! If there is another sequel I hope they don't get carried away like that again since it doesn't really add that much to the game. Free money from the chests is nice but most will probably never need it if they focus on Villa upgrades first.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

Finished this and added it to my finished games list. I can't say enough good things. I'm really curious what in the fuck they plan on doing with the 3rd one of the series. Talk about taking a left turn out of nowhere!
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Aslanna »

This is also another game I'd add to Rental vs Buy recommendation. Mainly because once you finish there's really not anything left to do. You can't even replay single missions unless you start all over. The only saving grace is that to complete every mission and collection it will take about 40 hours so that's not too bad as far as value for money goes.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Canelek »

I finally took the cellophanje off of this (PS3). :)

I had a chance to play a little bit yesterday and am at the "coutesan training" after the "public trial".

Great story! I am enjoying this quite a bit and may actually play this through. I especially like throat-punching people. :D
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Aslanna »

The best one is the double throat stab when you go running up to guards. Once you get the hidden blade thingie that is.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

No. No. No.

The best is when you go palms up and stab someone in the eyes repeatedly with both blades!
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Canelek »

Cool!

I need to get a little more familiar with the controls to get the "scripted" finishers down. I was able to snap someone's neck once, which was neato. I am bummed I lost my sword to that armored guard at the "trial". I thought I could take him...

I also like the faster climing compared to the first one. I plan on going back to play that when I finish AC2--if for no other reason than to play through the story.

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Very well done lighting and city ambience, at least in Florence. I likely will not do race missions though, as I suck at those things, in most games.

Once again, the story is pretty captivating so far!
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Animalor »

Smoke Bomb -> Hidden blades -> Kill 15 people while they are coughing.

WIN!
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Canelek »

Just about to head back to Florence to deliver a codex to Da Vinci. Bought some armor, filled up the medicine and throwing daggers.... fun fun fun!

I particularly liked Uncle Mario's introduction, "It's me, Mario!". I was fully expecting Luigi to enter the scene at that point, and perhaps Donkey Kong.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Canelek »

Man, that who Pazzi/Templars assassination plot vs. Medici(or something like that) at the wedding was pretty tight! I just finished off that whole scene and murderfaced di'Pazzi, after a rather annoying chase over rooftops, where I often crashed to the ground giving chase.

Seems like a lot of random shit to collect. Think I will pass on those things and just focus on main storyline.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Winnow »

No need to start a new thread.

I Played a little of Assassins Creed: Brotherhood today.

Initial thoughts.

Best series besides Mass Effect going.

I had just finished playing Red Red's new Zombie game when I stuck this disk in my Xbox.

Now, Rockstar is pretty good at making environments, dialog, and animations so when I am blown away by Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood right after playing the Latest Red Dead, it's saying something.

Amazing attention to detail. This game sold 1 million copies in Europe the first week. For this game to be out only a year after AC2 and be this good is quite an accomplishment. After initially saying there would be no Assassin's Creed Game in 2011, Ubisoft has since reneged and said there would be one.

I didn't finish AC2 but ACB catches you up on the story quick enough and it's outstanding database for people and places is always there to help.

AC Brotherhood is better than Red Dead in just about every way. I think Rockstar still has the edge in some cut scene character animations and dialogue but, with the knowledge that Red Dead is head and shoulders above most games out there today, AC: Brotherhood tops it easily.

Rome looks amazing (and huge). After the opening scenes, I've spent time in the villa so far just taking in the scenery and doing small quests.

If you liked AC2, don't skip this one. The most impressive comments are coming from those that have played the Multiplayer part of this game. They say it's unique and excellent.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has sold more than a million copies in Europe in less than a week, making it Ubisoft's fastest selling title to date in the continent. The entire Assassin's Creed franchise is said to have sold in excess of 20 million games, with a target of 30 million by the end of 2011. A "fourth game" is due for late next year according to Geoffroy Sardin, chief marketing and sales guy for the region.

While the yearly Call of Duty scares a lot of releases well into Q1 of the next year, Sardin says Black Ops hadn't hurt chances for Brotherhood. The latest main entry in the Assassin's Creed saga entered at number 2 in the UK charts in the week of its release. With 60% of players playing the multiplayer mode, more multiplayer DLC is in the pipeline. The first Animus Project DLC is free and scheduled for December 14.

What's next for the main storyline? Ezio's role seems played out, but Sardin hints: "If you’ve read the comic books you will see that we took Assassin’s Creed to the USSR, or Caesar’s Rome – that’s a good example of what we could do in the coming years in the next video games." The key word is example.

A new entry is rumored to be set 200 years later and not to be set mainly in a wartime environment again. That doesn't stop people from expecting the French Revolution or American Revolution era, because of hints in the game. Perhaps the next game will go to different places because of the many temples they have to find? With the series running up to a December 21, 2012 date in the fiction, and the money it's generating, I wouldn't hold my breath for the final game to hit next year.
More free DLC for AC Brotherhood as well:
Ubisoft has announced the first bit of downloadable content for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood today, and it's the free multiplayer-oriented "Animus Project Update 1.0."

The update will bring a brand new game mode called "Advanced Alliance," a more difficult version of the game's "Alliance" mode. It will support three teams of two players a piece.

Also being added is a new multiplayer map, "Mont Saint-Michel," which is set on the island of Normandy in France. Ubisoft describes the map as offering "breathtaking scenery sure to enchant all. Its particular topography of narrow streets, high-perched bell tower and multi-leveled architecture is perfect for hunters to surge from out of nowhere to execute their prey."

The content will be out on December 14 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
I might pick this game up for the multiplayer.
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is Must Player Multiplayer

Halo, Call of Duty, and Gears of War may be the "go to" games for the XBOX LIVE faithful, but on the rare occasion something so special and unique comes along that it positively demands you put aside your favorite first person shooter and succumb to its charms. For me, Lost Planet was one of those games. For others, it was Chromehounds. Now, it's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

In Brotherhood's devilish multiplayer mode, you begin by choosing a persona: Priest, doctor, courtesan, executioner, engineer--there are sixteen character models in all. Then, as with Call of Duty, you customize abilities, perks, and kill/loss streaks depending on what you have unlocked. Again, like COD, you unlock more as you rank up, and you rank up by earning bonuses and completing challenges. (An example of a challenge would be "Needle in a Haystack" - "Perform 3 kills from inside a haystack" +750XP.)

Brotherhood's multiplayer is a cat-and-mouse game, and you are both the cat and the mouse. At the beginning of the match you are given a target to assassinate... whilst another player sets about assassinating you. The higher your rank, the greater the chance you'll have multiple pursuers. Your target will be one of the personas, say, the doctor. Trouble is he is a doctor in a sea of doctors, as the character models are duplicated by aimlessly wandering NPCs. Kill an innocent NPC by mistake and you are penalized.

A compass on your screen indicates the direction of your target, and grows larger as you close in for the kill, but you mustn't alert him to your approach or he'll be warned and attempt to flee (or stun or poison you). You must balance the need to assassinate your target quickly with staying out of sight--both from your target and your own pursuer. Running along the rooftops is an expedient way to locate your target, but a harlequin sprinting from railing to railing is likely to be noticed. You could hide amongst a mob, or in a bush, and indeed stealth is rewarded, but I've gone entire matches without a kill to my name using this less risky strategy.

The free-for-all mode is called Wanted, but team based Manhunt and Alliance modes are also available. Manhunt has teams playing either as hunter or hunted. As a hunter you earn points through kills, and as the hunted you earn points by hiding, escaping, and stunning your opponents. When the round ends, teams switch roles. Alliance pits three teams of two against each other. Because Brotherhood has a party system, two friends can play public matches cooperatively in this mode. If you're a Gears of War fan, this is your "wingman."

Of the abilities I have unlocked so far, Disguise has proved the most entertaining. Chased through the streets by my enemy, I turned a corner and triggered the ability that lets me change my character model. Then I turned around and walked right past him; he was none the wiser. (The compass disappears during chases.) The disguise only lasts for a few seconds, and there's a long cool down, but when I hit level 32 or complete the "Cloak and Dagger" or "Clairvoyant" challenges, my disguises will improve. ... I didn't even need my disguise to escape another pursuer when, playing as the nobleman character, I stepped into a gathering of noblemen NPCs. My would be attacker proceeded to kill the citizen I was standing next to. He lost me as a contract, and I was rewarded +100 points for scoring the "Lure" bonus.

This is the beauty of the game--you must be a real sleuth. You must study how the NPCs behave so you might recognize irregular behavior and pinpoint your human target. You must mimic the NPCs, so you don't give yourself away. Yet, at the same time, you must be ready to drop a smoke bomb and sprint from an attacker. Feelings of doubt and paranoia are ever present. Also, the feeling of pure exhalation when you pull off the perfect assassination. Truly, there is not another game like this.

The maps of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood must be praised. There are eight in all (with a free ninth map forthcoming) and each is beautiful. They are smallish, because the game only supports eight players at a time, but they are gorgeously rendered. I particularly love the nighttime carnival atmosphere of Siena, and the background music in Castel Gandolfo. It's so nice to play a game that is not set in war torn Afghanistan.

One aspect of the multiplayer I dislike: the lack of host migration. A disgruntled player could quit the match at any time, throwing you back to the menu with nothing to show for your efforts. This probably happens once every ten games, only enough to be a mild annoyance, but it's something Ubisoft should nonetheless address.

Then, when you've had your fill of the multiplayer, the game offers a lengthy and satisfying single player campaign--the best yet of the franchise. So don't doubt that you'll get your Lira's worth from Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. And if you need even more incentive to buy the game, keep this in mind: If you don't... I'll kill you.

edit:
Winnow wrote: I think Rockstar still has the edge in some cut scene character animations and dialogue but, with the knowledge that Red Dead is head and shoulders above most games out there today, AC: Brotherhood tops it easily.
I wrote this after pausing AC: Brotherhood right before the first sex scene. I take it back. AC Brotherhood beats Red Dead in every way including character animations.
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Fairweather Pure »

Winnow wrote:No need to start a new thread.
Too late!

http://www.veeshanvault.org/forums/view ... rotherhood
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Re: Assassin's Creed 2

Post by Aslanna »

Call me a crazy person but I bought the Ezio Collection during the last Ubisoft PSN sale (and I think there's another one right now), and am playing through AC2 again. Reading back up on my post I feel most of the criticism I had are still valid this time around. Mostly the controls are a bit on the garbage side where Ezio doesn't always do what you want him to do.

I am undecided if I'll go for the platinum... Depends on how motivated I am to collect all those damn feathers! I probably will though because it's not THAT hard to Platinum this game just a bit on the tedious side. Brotherhood and Revelations on the other hand, even without the multiplayer trophies, might be a bit much more than I want to bother with. Brotherhood is probably easier than Revelations though if I had to guess.
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