PS3 Review – Assassin’s Creed II
Those that thought the first title was large in scale haven’t seen anything. The areas have been designed with care, and it doesn’t feel like there is too much wasted landscape, which was a problem with the original. There are small towns, large cities, and rolling countrysides that even include large farms. The design and attention to detail gives this an authentic 15th century Italian ambiance. Additional improvements include the new day and night cycles. Viewpoints are still heavily featured in the game, in which you climb to the top of a very high structure and synchronize the map so that you can reveal landmarks and items in the area.
Enemy AI has seen a great boost with the sequel. There are quite a few varieties and classes of bad guys, and some of them will track you down. Some of them are geared for speed, while others are tanks. Often they will keep tracking the area you were last spotted in, so you must keep out of sight once you break that line of sight. Seekers, as they are called, will rustle through nearby hiding places looking for you, so don’t expect that haystack to be safe haven all the time.
Notoriety in 15th century Italy is very much like the star system in Grand Theft Auto. If you are up to no good or hanging out where you aren’t supposed to be, your notoriety will increase, and when you reach the “notorious” level, the guards will chase you immediately when they spot you. Removing posters from the walls, bribing town heralds and taking out corrupt officials all lower your notoriety. Keeping your notoriety low makes it much easier to traverse the cities.
To avoid scuffles with guards, it’s never a bad idea to have some hired help. You can hire a group of four people to help out on your treks through the urban areas of Italy. There are three types groups to hire: thieves, mercenaries, and courtesans. The courtesans work hard at the world’s oldest profession and provide a distraction for easier entry to any guarded location. Thieves will provide various shenanigans to get the guards’ attention, while mercenaries will fight on your behalf. If there aren’t any groups available, then blending in with a crowd can be a great way to avoid detection.
In addition to the numerous weapons and armor available, Ezio has a few customization options available to him. There is a selection of dyes which, although they serve no gameplay function, can be purchased to change the color of your assassin garb. Armor and weaponry can be purchased through the shops with the exception of the Altair armor. Not all the customizations affect you directly, however. As the story unfolds, you begin to help revitalize a Villa. Early in the game, you will visit the Villa in Monteriggioni and establish a good reputation. Working with an architect, you will fund various projects to rebuild torn down establishments and refurbish the ones still open. Funding the town’s projects as will allow you make money off of them. Other things contribute to the value of the town, as well, such as buying paintings from an artist, pieces of armor, weapons, and finding many of the hidden items. Additional items are available via transfer from Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines on the PlayStation Portable.
28 Responses to “PS3 Review – Assassin’s Creed II”
Ooh I really want this so bad, I can only get it for Christmas though, I can’t wait that long
i have this on my gamefly Q, cannot wait to give it a go.
I’m on the fence about this game because the first one was to boring for me. This review makes me lean towards jumping the fence and getting it.
So THAT’S why you’ve been playing this non-stop.
I completely agree with everything in this review. A great game with tons and tons to do. They really have fixed all the problems the original had, with a variety of side missions, new moves, new weapons, and collectibles that actually reward you for finding them. Keep an eye out for those feathers!
Same here, I’m on the fence about this title, but this review has me wanting to play it.
Sounds like they fixed all the problems I had with the 1st one.
This game looks SOLID.
I won’t buy this game. They should have supported the first title more.
Downloadable content with some of the improvements, including some free DLC or at least trophy support like dozens of titles with less than half of a quarter of the sales this game got.
I don’t like Ubisoft much anymore. Prince of Persia was great but now they’re just 2 devs 1 cup and I’m really not into that.
LOL @ 2 devs, 1cup. But despite all the praise. Does the game feel as repetitive as the original, nothing in the review leads me to believe it has broken away from it’s repetitiveness, which was my main complaiont with the first one.
Awesome game, great story, great atmosphere! Surpasses pretty much every aspect that failed on the first game by far! Is abit like Hitman/Thief/Back to the future and GTA combined!!!
~funkyellowmonkey(ps3 id)~
well l was going to pass on this but since you said it impreoved from the 1st game, l may rent this game after all
Awesome review probably won’t play this till Christmas, but this review is making me anxious.
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Might just pick this baby up on Black friday. I skipped out on the first one, but this just looks too good to ignore. Variety is king here, and Assassin’s Creed 2 looks to deliver this in aces of spades.
I wasn’t going to buy this but Amazon@$49+$10 coupon put a gun to my head…and I’m glad they did.
This is a huge improvement over the original game with so much added you’ll be playing it for a long time. I’d give it a 10/5 if I could. Great game. Much applause for the developer. Keep up the great work!
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it still boggles me that a week before this was released, everyone was saying how they weren’t going to get it because it looked just like the first game and that it probably was going to be the same….
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UHHH…. Not to impressed with the first game. But im hoping 2 will be better, havent gotten it yet, i know im extra late.
Not a fan of this game. I was bored the whole way through and can’t recommend it to anyone but those who somehow enjoyed the first AC.
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Watched my brothr ply this, ‘n the graffix r awesoooome!!!!