TheXboxLife

If you thought Ubisoft’s Assassins’ Creed was full of stealth kills and awesome environments, then surely the millions who enjoyed the first will undoubtedly become obsessed with Assassin’s Creed 2.



The new game takes place in Renaissance Italy, Circa 1476, with you playing as the character Ezio Auditore de Firenze, whom is related to the first game’s character Altair. The story develops with Ezio becoming involved in the war between The Assassin’s and the Templar. You will be given missions of “hits” which will take you all over Italy, including such cities as Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome. Don’t worry gamer, there will be plenty of people for you to shank, punch, flip and kill.



Improvements made from the first game are seen immediately when traveling through Venice. Here, Ezio becomes very aquatic, being able to sneak around the city through the water. This environment will also come in handy when hiding from enemies. Scaling walls is also much improved, as Ezio is almost tarzan like, swinging and jumping from building to building. Game developers also included “white cloths” throughout the environment giving the player a much more strategic way of planning their next move. This way, when you’re on the run, you’ll be able to map out your escape in advance, which makes roaming around the cities much easier.

Where the game really gets new and improved is in the combat zone. Ezio is a master of blades, staffs and spears, with each weapon having it’s own special attack. This definitely brings some new flavor to the game, especially because Ezio is able to disarm his opponents, grab their weapons, and slaughter them. When without a weapon, Ezio is also equipped with two hidden blades, while Altair only had one. If you get good enough and time it just right, Ezio can take out two opponents at once in a single quick move.



Another improvement to the game was the computers AI. When fighting multiple enemies, you’ll have different fighting styles thrown at you. It’s definitely more challenging then the first game. What’s also great is Ezio, when without a weapon, has fists of fury with massive combos and head butts that will literally flip your opponent to their demise.

Throughout the game you’ll be able to make “sneaky attacks”, coming out from your hiding spot to gauge an enemy with your uber stealth skills. Be careful though, because making too much noise will up your notoriety system, which won’t allow you to blend into the crowd as much. When this happens, Ezio will be given different missions that will allow you to lower it. This will be done by bribing, killing witnesses and taking down “WANTED” posters.

Overall, this second installment is vastly improved and non-repetitive, unlike the first game which would get boring with the continuous “get a mission, kill, get a mission, kill” and so on. In Italy you’ll be enjoying missions that will change on the spot, which keep the game interesting and fun. The designers also did a fantastic job capturing the imagery and architecture of the Renaissance period in Italy. Also, be on the look out for Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous “flying machine”, which Ezio also gets a chance to play with.



The game will surely be a huge success, and a lot of fun for Assassin’s Creed fans. In the meantime, I’d check out some Renaissance history to prep you for this vastly improved game play and environment in Assassin’s Creed 2.