Too busy to devote 12+ hours a day to your gaming habit? Here's a review that's sensitive to your needs: Short and focused on just the things that a busy gamer like you really needs to know.
Reviewed On: Xbox 360. Also available for PlayStation 3 and PC. Alternate versions with different gameplay available for DS and PSP, and coming soon to iPhone.
In a Nutshell: Basic sandbox game with a main quest line, side mission opportunities and the chance to wreak general havoc if you are so inclined. You play an assassin in training running around Italy in the 1400s (the game bounces around years). Your primary weapons are blade-based (knives, swords, throwing knives, etc.) or big heavy hammers. You will not be sniping or going rogue with a sub-machine gun in this one. You also won't be seeing well in some areas, as light sources are kept strictly period (windows and torches on the wall). You will defy gravity on a regular basis, climbing and leaping across rooftops and reaching the tallest buildings in multiple-bounds.
In many ways, Assassin's Creed II reminded me of the Grand Theft Auto series. From the convenient map to the "find the hidden object" task (in this case, feathers) and the ability to just generally go rogue, there is very little difference. Even the storyline progression greatly resembles many of the GTA games. I mean that as a compliment.
The story itself is compelling once you get past the first hour or so of training/setup, and the visuals - particularly Venice - are stunning. It's just too bad that The Truth™ you work so hard to seek is... asinine. While the game does strive to keep certain elements "period," there are plenty of unrealistic/anachronistic touches to be seen. For example, I seriously doubt diving 40 stories into a bale of hay would end well. It is awfully fun to do, but kids, don't try this at home.
Note: Characters speak a mixture of Italian and English. To see full-conversations in English, turn on sub-titles. You'll see the Italian followed by a translation. If you've always dreamed of cussing in another language, this is the game for you!
Learning Curve: Gamers with sandbox experience will get more out of the game faster, but anyone can pick the game up and make good progress quickly. Combat can be achieved through button mashing, with those who have the patience and time to train picking up more stylish ways to finish missions. You are allowed to have one active item in your primary hand at all times, selected by going to a special screen.
One notable issue I encountered time and again: my mapped target changing when I didn't change it. This led to unintentional assassinations of innocent people, which in turn lead to the game resetting my life. I also encountered one move that I simply can't master, and at this point, will not even try. That prevented me from doing a few side missions (and missing out on an achievement), but it did not stop me from beating the game.
Oh, and pick pocketing is totally easy now, unlike the first time. Get rich or die tryin'!
The Save Game: The game auto-saves early and often, which is the good news. If your character so much as sneezes, it saves. My only complaint is that you are constantly saving over the same game. In other words, if your game becomes corrupted, you don't have a backup to load.
This didn't cause a problem for me, but it is a risk. As I have mentioned previously, Halo 3 did the same thing - and my game save did get wiped out. I abandoned that game rather than redo the 11 hours of lost game play. This is simply not acceptable. I have a hard drive and a memory card, please let me use them.
Family Factor: Not for the little ones. This game is all about stabbing folks and running them through with long blades. (I also found tossing them off the roof to be effective.) Your hands will literally have blood on them during the finale, and your outfit will look like it was used to wipe the floor of an abattoir. (Oddly, you stay relatively clean for most of the game.) Lots of cussing, most of it in Italian. (Again, turn on subtitles to see what they are saying in English.)
Buy, Rent or Skip? Buy. The sheer volume of missions and time required to really enjoy the game (and finish it) over a busy gamer's schedule would easily eat up $60 in rental or monthly subscription fees. If you can find it used, pick it up there - while it is a great game, it may not have a ton of replay value. (I'm done with it, myself.)
On a Personal Note: I started Assassin's Creed (the original) and barely made it to the second Holy Land before giving up and moving on to the next candidate. Early visuals from the sequel made it extremely attractive to me (I love Italy), but my previous experience left me hesitant. Everything that I hated about the first game has been fixed here, and the story is, at least in my opinion, much more compelling. I had a blast playing the game, and honestly thought I would be diving back in to Venice (so to speak) upon beating it. Alas, Borderlands caught my fancy, and Assassin's Creed II is heading to the bone yard.
For the record, stick with the game DURING the final credits (no running off for bathroom/snack breaks) to really, truly finish the game and get the final main story achievement. This will also open the main game lands back up for you, sans the finale location - so if you want to go back and collect every feather and treasure, you can.
More Busy Gamer Reviews:
Comments (1)
fantastic review!!!
Posted by steph | January 20, 2010 5:37 PM
Posted on January 20, 2010 17:37