I enjoyed Assassin’s Creed but like many of you I found the game incredibly repetitive. I found that if I only played the game for no more than 2 hours at a time that I could avoid the repetitive feelings, but clearly that is not how any game should be designed to work. Thankfully Ubisoft (as all great developers do) went ahead and listened to their fan feedback and the result is a much better experience from beginning to end. With the addition of a new mission structure, extra side quests and more customization options Assassins Creed 2 surpasses the original in every way.
Assassin’s Creed 2 follows Ezio on a classic tale of revenge. Unlike Altair (main protagonist of Assassin’s Creed) Ezio is not an assassin when we meet him. He is a young adult with very few cares, a big ego and a passion for the ladies. I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn’t played it; I’ll just suffice it to say that a catastrophic event occurs which propels Ezio into the life style of an assassin. Although the story of Ezio is a fairly simple one the tale of Desmond Miles (who is not featured quit as frequently in this game) is where the real story lies. Desmond’s story picks up where the last one ended and to not spoil anything for you I will just say that there are some interesting twists and turns before Assassin’s Creed 2 reaches its conclusion.
From the first time Ezio scales a wall you will feel right at home with Assassin’s Creed 2. The gameplay for all intents and purposes is almost identical to the original. Ezio scales walls, assassinates targets and fights off enemies just as Altair did. The biggest change from original to sequel is the difference in the mission structure. Instead of doing some pointless and irrelevant recon, Ezio’s missions are more structured and follow a progressive story. The new progressive story telling makes for a much more compelling and much less repetitive game experience as a whole. Throw in some new side missions and extra content in the form of tombs to plunder and a villa to resurrect and Assassin’s Creed 2 is the game that Assassin’s Creed should have been.
Although Assassin’s Creed 2 surpasses its predecessor in almost every way the series still possess one glaring weakness. As long as you are careful about your leaps of faith and other urban spelunking activities there is a good chance you will never even sniff death while playing Assassin’s Creed 2. Just like Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed 2 is way too easy. Although combat has a little more depth this time around, an actual challenge never presents itself.
Assassin’s Creed 2 is what all sequels should be; better than the original. Ezio’s quest is everything you loved about Assassin’s Creed without all the repetition you hated. As long as Ubisoft can find out how to make the game more challenging, Assassin’s Creed 3 should be a complete experience. For now though, if you can get passed the lack of difficulty then Assassin’s Creed 2 is a must play for any gaming fan.
You said pretty much everything I would have, from it's good points to that one glaring weakness, you also said it all very well. Good review.
Always complain about it being easy, well go turn off all of the HUD, and disable all of the places to hide etc. off of the map and then see how hard it is.
One of the many things I love about this game is the fact that you won't get stressed. All of the missions are fun. I HATE when you get stuck at one spot on any game because of poor development. EX unlimited spawning in COD4. Complete bullshizit. Not once did I feel like throwing my controller into the TV while playing this game. It's a fun experience.