Assassin's Creed

Reviewers think giving a good grade to AC will help them score with Jade Raymond

I think I probably will pick this up though. Even if the game ends up being kind of boring or too easy, getting a chance to walk and climb around, exploring those environments is pretty irresistible.

Picked it up on my way home. Just checking mail and such then giving it a try.

Talk about your positive reviews...
http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/212960/assassins-creed-2/

i dont believe shit anymore

anyway:

I think I probably will pick this up though. Even if the game ends up being kind of boring or too easy, getting a chance to walk and climb around, exploring those environments is pretty irresistible.

― Jeff LeVine, Tuesday, November 17, 2009 4:08 PM (50 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this. venice looks incredible.

anyway, i still think the futuristic framing device of this series is incredibly stupid and it kinda makes me hate it

anyway, i still think the futuristic framing device of this series is incredibly stupid and it kinda makes me hate it

This is basically why I stopped playing the first one.

They start with a chunk of lame framing device before you get to the goods and it is actually worse than the first time round. However, I just did the tutorial and then played about 40 minutes; just messing around, getting viewpoints and the like and it is a HUGE improvement on the AC1. I haven't been accosted once, avoided some thugs and guards by jumping in the river and swimming away, and had to visit a doctor as health doesn't auto-regenerate. Also, I accidentally pick-pocketed a guy because I was using the fast walk button, which is also pick-pocket if you get close to someone. He got mad and I had to fast walk away before he figured out it was me. So far so good. Might even have to play this instead of going back to Dragon's Age, which I really didn't expect.

and had to visit a doctor as health doesn't auto-regenerate

oh rly that will make it significantly less easy?

I think so, especially as it seems guards and thugs hang out near doctor's offices.

A few more hours in and I am loving this game! Kept the free-running from the first and polished every other single thing. That you actually care a little for this guy and his story is such a huge improvement on the prick that was Altair; I want him to succeed, and since you don't start as a gimped version of a badass - you're a kid, learning as you go - the learning of new moves and techniques makes sense. I haven't thought once of putting Dragon's Age back in which really surprised me.

But the first one reviewed really well too!
― Jeff LeVine, Tuesday, November 17, 2009 6:52 PM (5 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

word of mouth is at least pretty strong w/this one tho :)

I bought it, just too addicted to MW2 to start

did u even get uncharted 2 yet?!

For whatever reason, I can't get excited about Uncharted 2. It just doesn't look like something I want to spend time with. I went back and forth for a while, but...

you are nuts.

I'm with Jeff on Uncharted 2. I like stabbing and punching and general melee better than shooting things. Why I liked Prototype more than Infamous as well.

By the way, I've made it to Venice in AC2 and it just keeps getting better and better. Might be my Game of the Year, especially if it finishes well (the first didn't, so I'm not counting on anything yet).

Better than Arkham Asylum?

I think so; I haven't come across a stage as bad as Croc. Controls aren't quite as perfect, but I rarely have problems (maybe three or four infuriating moments in 10+ hours). I really didn't like the art direction of Arkham Asylum - too many character models looked like He-Man figures.

They're both quite good though; the level of polish and world immersion are really spectacular.

Have you tried Dragon's Age yet? That's the other game I really wanna play. (I've been playing Brutal Legend recently -- very meh.)

I put Dragon's Age on hold for AC2; it's really good, but to be honest it feels a little, "been there, done that." I happen to love what it does so I love it despite the familiarity. Also, my saves all got corrupted and I had to start again after twenty hours. A little too soon to be starting over.

I watched vid's of the Brutal Legend cutscenes. I love the sense of humor but really dislike RTS; nice but no Psychonauts or any of his Lucasarts stuff.

do you still need to hold R1 and the bottom button all the time in AC2?

R1 is still the aggressive stance modifier, so yes, you use it a great deal. If you're holding it all the time than you're doing it wrong.

Started in on this tonight. A strange game to play back-to-back with Call of Duty, as they couldn't feel more different. I'm definitely enjoyed the totally laid back pace (so far), maybe partially just because of that change. To go from such an over the top, hyper-kinetic gameplay, to this calm, understated thing is a real change of pace. An interesting example of the range of experiences currently available in big games. The only turn off so far is some of the facial animation (particularly noticeable with the women characters), it really looks surprising ass. The city atmosphere and pulled back stuff is great though.

Cutscenes all look like ass. Luckily, you don't spend much time watching (as opposed to playing) the game.

Finished this - about 20 hours of trying and 4 hours of dicking around. Definite GotY candidate.

I've been playing through the first Assassin's Creed on and off for the past couple of weeks (onto Memory Block aka Level 6, I think I'm near the end). My kids are getting annoyed with me wanting to systematically get every viewpoint then every Save Citizen before doing the investigations. I'm sure if they knew the word aspie I'd have heard it by now.

still kinda want to play this b/c I love the milieu, but discouraged by how boring everyone makes the game play sound. At least it's cheap now.

I like the throwing knives and the stealth/hidden blade take-downs but the sword fighting gets really old really quickly. You can take on 8 guys at a time doing pretty much nothing but timing the counter-attack button. The free running stuff pretty good but how many thousand year old roofs can you jump between before it feels a bit samey no matter how nice it looks?

I was really enjoying it but I think I've got to a point where I'm doing it for completeness and to see where the stupid modern day 'science' bit of the story goes.

Just finished. It got a bit harder towards the end having to fight multiple bosses, and multiplied cheating big boss - but was essentially just hitting the same buttons over and over. Shitty ending as well. I can't see me going back to it to collect the remaining flags as things. Might pick up the sequel at some point when it's really cheap.

the whole ending sequence of that game is so terrible. the second one is a considerably better game. they really stripped out most of the weaker content from the first one and replaced it with mostly high quality new stuff, and even improved the parts that did work. the only exception is that the sword fighting is still as crappy as ever, but you can at least just avoid it for the most part. there was an interesting interview with the lead developer recently where he admitted that the fighting was sub-par and they wished they had time to change it.

the 2nd one is kinda mind bogglingly full, there's so much stuff to do it's kinda tiring and it's v. historically intricate

really enjoying it but it can be a bit much for extended play

Ugh. I borrowed this from a friend along with his Modern Warfare 2. I played the hell out of MW2, and figured I'd have plenty of time for AC2 before RDR came out. Then my Xbox RROD'd, RDR came out, and I have no idea when I'm gonna get to AC2. Maybe in a few months. :/

you really should put some time aside for this, it's great!

does anyone know if I can view the artworks I've bought?

They are hanging up in the villa - you can click on them and get a bigger view and artist info.

thanks ezs

woah, the assassination of the crazy monk surrounding by archers was wicked good

is it just me or did everyone assassinate every minstrel on sight?

also it's kinda ridiculous that they have this amazing engine, open world, 720p, stable framerate, ai running routines etc but the map screen crawls along at 5fps wtf

i never finished AC2, it gets kind of repetitive. also their DRM bullshit turned me off.

Really enjoying this. I switched off the Italian dialogue when I realized I couldn't hear the jokes from the ambient dialogue.

I'm kinda curious what they'll do for the next historical period: Revolutionary-era France? Dickensian London?

Both of those would be great settings, which is why I'm kind of puzzled that the next one is continuing the adventures of the Italian guy from #2. The "more of the same" approach and the weirdly gratuitous addition of multiplayer was giving me a kind of Bioshock 2 vibe, but from all the stuff about the series' creator leaving Ubisoft it looks like he was the director on Brotherhood too.

you can change the language in this thing? sweet, no more stupid ass accented english, if possible, please.

but i'm enjoying the hell out of this!

gameplay is mostly great, but sometimes i have no idea what's going to happen either in free-run or with the fighting. i really don't understand the framing device (didn't play the first one; how exactly is there a hard drive with this dude from the 15th century's memories on it?) but the 'glyph' puzzle elements are really involving and freaky. i love all the classic conspiracy shit and am lol'ing at how they roped in all this cultural stuff and built all of these famous buildings just for a sandbox parkour game.

it's got a lot of info that's pretty, i dunno, dangerous, ideologically. at least for a video game. i love the notice at the beginning of the game that the developers 'come from many different faith backgrounds' or some dumb thing by way of apology.

yeah the research and history is ridiculously involved and intricate

the best bit about this game is when you scale a tall building and fill in another wee bit of the map: love the way the camera swings round as a snippet of ~evocative~ music plays

the one thing that's a little disappointing to me, for all the ooh-dangerous religious and historical mumbo jumbo, is the absence of islam. no surprise, these days, but come on, you're an ASSASSIN fighting TEMPLARS. and they've just translated that into a rebels vs. the squares fite.

like, "your father... was an assassin." "fuck, what about christmas?"

First one had loads of Muslims iirc

oh, didn't know that!

ok the basilica san marco in venice is legitimately beautiful

took a loooong time to get into but i'm really loving this game now. much more varied and interesting than the first one