Now that the whole sci-fi twist and general back story is out of the way, Assassin’s Creed II is looking to focus on what the first game did best, providing an open yet focused role as an assassin. The story this time around is a little different. We know so far that players will take the role of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young nobleman who is not part of the 'Assassins’ to begin with. Fuelled by revenge after the betrayal of his family, Ezio enlists the help of others, including Leonardo Da Vinci, to learn how to become an Assassin.
Born free, as free as the wind blows.
Set during the Renaissance period in history, Assassin’s Creed II takes place in 15th Century Italy. During this time, Italy wasn’t so much a country as it was a bunch of regions and cities controlled by powerful families. Ezio is going to take up his gripes with a number of these families. From what we know so far, the cities of Florence and Venice will feature prominently in the game.
The vastly adaptable free-running mechanics will make a return, although Ezio will now have one up on Altair with the ability to swim, use boats, and later gaining the ability to fly. The structure of the game promises to be more open-ended, with players having the choice of when they want to do the missions. These missions have also disposed of the need to gather three pieces of intel and liaise with the handler. The developers are hoping that these additions and more will allow the players to truly play the game in whatever manner they choose.
To further immerse the players in the environment, the developers have tried to add an extra level to the dynamics of the crowd and random occurrences. Ezio will also have access to a range of new weapons, most notably, the double hidden blades. We quite enjoyed the combat in the first edition, and it seems the focus this time around will be on using the enemies weapons against them, as well as fighting a variety of enemies at once. PlayStation 3 owners will have even more weapons at their disposal, if they connect with the upcoming PSP version, as we reported recently.
Can't touch this!
It seems that the Renaissance was a much more colourful time than the 12th Century, so the drab environments of Jerusalem and Acre have been replaced by the more lavish and colourful surrounds of a vibrant Venice. Several animations and other adjustments have been added to the graphics, which hopefully will have the right amount of polish this time around. Furthermore, the developers are looking to have a ‘relevant’ overworld to the game that is actually worth spending time in.
Assassin’s Creed II probably isn’t going to do too much different to its predecessor, but a number of the areas that were previously criticised have been taken on board and considered by Ubisoft. The result will hopefully be a product that will be even better than the original, but one that may not be as fresh. Still, we’re very excited to be taking the next trip into the Animus and we’re really hoping to find out, just what is this Piece of Eden that everyone wants?
While you wait, why not check out the E3 trailer?
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