Let me start by saying that I despised the first Assassin's Creed, I really hated it with a passion. Check my post count and you will see the endless posts showing how much I hated that game, it was so repetitive and tiresome, a really mediocre game. As you can imagine, my expectations weren't high for AC2 and I wouldn't even have considered playing it, luckily it was bought for me as a gift. Let me stay this is one of the best games I have played this generation.
Firstly, this game is NOTHING like its predecessor, I repeat nothing! This game has removed the entire structure of the first game where you repeat a few boring tasks over and over again, instead we are now given a massive selection of varied missions that are actually fun and engaging. There is so much more variety in the mission types, the AI and just the way you can actually go about assassinating. It all adds to make the game feel much more complete. Gone are numbers of the first game and you actually feel like you are free to roam in a breathing world, doing what you want in any order.
Secondly, another aspect that got a huge overhaul was the depth of the character customisation. You can now customise nearly everything about your character. You can upgrade your armour, dye your clothes into different colours and purchase a variety of different weapons and upgrades. You can also visit doctors to buy health bottles and visit blacksmiths for armour repairs. These options take the form of shops which are scattered around the city and again, it makes the experience so much more fun and engaging!
The game however has so much more depth than this. You can also invest money into the cities to increase their value, where you can then return and receive money for your investments. You can visit art merchants and buy paintings and upgrade your villa. There is just so much to do and it really feels like there is an authentic economy in the game, with so much to buy and invest in.
Thirdly are collectibles, there is tons to collect if you wish, like feathers, video tape segments, seals and other sorts of items. These are optional and you are no longer forced to climb a tower and sync it, although it is fun to do so. Another improved aspect of the game is the notoriety meter. Depending on your actions guards will become more aware and cautious of your presence and will put up posters of you. To counter this you can explore areas to rip down the posters and lower your bad reputation. Its a really nice addition and yet again, adds to the world and makes it feel so much more real.
You can also swim in this game and ride boats, this is a really nice addition and adds some cool assassination angles. There are also some jaw dropping platforming segments that present themselves as hidden Assassin areas, these are focused on purely platforming and they are fantastic! These are probably my favourite parts in the game.
Unlike the first game there is also now a real story to get into with some memorable characters and a good plot. The cutscenes are well acted out and the voice acting is top notch! I'm going to stop now although I could go on for much longer, since this post is adding up and you guys will probably be put off by a wall of text but I really mean it when I say this game is fantastic! The world feels alive and there is so much more to do and see then in the first game. The scope of the game is HUGE and Ubisoft were really ambitious with this project, and its paid off big time.
There are minor problems like some screen tearing and some framerate dips when in large areas, but this is understandable since its so large in scope and detail. I also feel this game justifies its 9/10 unlike the first game which was massively over rated by Gamespot.
All in all, well done Ubisoft! Now, everyone else, buy this game! Its the best open world game this gen, far better than inFamous and GTA IV.
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