The game we all wanted
Assassin's Creed 2 despite being a nightmare to spell did not really spark my interest at first. The main reason for this is that I was so excited to play the first one and when I did I was hugely disappointed, the main campaign was a drag and those few good moments were not worth the grind. The thing was the game quickly picked up some buzz and after expecting a half arsed cash cow, I was pleasantly surprised.
The game starts you off exactly where you left off staring at the wall of your room when suddenly, well lets just say some shit goes down. Finally you get to do something with Desmond other than wandering around a room. This sets the premise for the rest of the game, while still not taking a huge role you suddenly realise why he was there in the first game. You are quickly back in the animus though, this time taking the role of Ezio a charmer and a womaniser who is a character you literally follow from birth. You also swap the holy land in the crusades for a blossoming renaissance Italy which looks stunning and it really can't be captured in screenshots.
The game works in the same way as the first which for you newbies means a large thriving open world split into several cities such as Florence and Venice. All over the world there are missions scattered about as you come to expect nower days and I am pleased to say these missions, from the core story to the side missions, are a lot more fun and diverse than the first game. The key thing is that these missions make you feel exactly how you want which is a complete badass. You will stalk your prey, mingle with crowds and secondly free run across the city to escape capture. The combat system is deep enough for you to master without being overwhelming and never gets boring.
The story in AC2 is a lot more fleshed out than the first story and actually makes the original seem better for it. You follow Ezio through his life you find his motivation for becoming an assassin in the first place and how he gets pulled deeper and deeper into the whole conspiracy pulling the games together. You will meet rich and interesting characters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and the Medici family. You also find a lot more out about Desmond and he quickly changes from a 2D character into a interesting part of the story. A new economic system also kicks in and it is surprisingly addictive upgrading you villa and buying new armour.
Assassins Creed is not perfect however some of the games new systems are not introduced particularly well meaning it took me quite some time to figure stuff out. Also with such a complex free running system you will often get caught on parts of the scenery. For example a couple of occasions where i was trying to be stealthy I suddenly ended up jumping across walls.
Assassins Creed 2 is perhaps the game we all wanted from the first although this is by no means an apology for the last game. Its brilliant world and fresh interesting story makes this game lots of fun despite its issues. This game stands on its own brilliantly but perhaps more importantly validates the series as a whole.
