An ode to Assassin’s Creed 2
Assassin’s Creed 2 might be a perfect game.
It’s entirely not the kind of game I generally play. I prefer RPGs (mostly Japanese), and am just not very interested in combat-oriented games. Action-adventures like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Prince of Persia rely less on combat than they do on puzzle-solving and creative thinking, so they appeal to me in ways that, say, God of War or Devil May Cry don’t. But Assassin’s Creed 2 is special.
I watched the boyfriend play the first Assassin’s Creed game and while I loved the characters and the setting, the gameplay was too repetitive and the story too obvious and simple for my tastes. It was a fun game to watch someone else play but not compelling enough for me to pick up. When the sequel came out I expected the same, but I was wrong. Instead I fell in love.
The setting–the Italian Renaissance–is absolutely to die for. Walking through the streets of 16th century Florence, Tuscany, and Venice is an experience that can’t be adequately described. The graphics are stunning and each building you come across has a database entry–a little history lesson about the origin and construction of it, and the personalities involved in its execution. Now when I look at pictures of the real Florence I am thrilled with my ability to identify the Duomo or the Ponte Vecchio. It feels like walking through history, and that’s a feeling that until AC2 only movies had been able to achieve for me.
Most of the characters you meet, including yourself, are based on actual people in history. Your villain, Rodrigo Borgia, was about as close to a cat-petting supervillain we know. (This has made him ripe for a new TV series, which Genevieve Valentine hilariously dissects.) The story is compelling, smart, and slick, and I was often surprised by the twists and turns it took. Most of all, the game has personality. I love pretty much all of the characters; the women aren’t stupid and they have personalities, just like regular people!; and you, Ezio Auditore, are sincere and flawed in a way that makes me root for you even when you make mistakes.
The music is incredible. It’s beautifully evocative of the time and place while being subtle enough to immerse you completely in the game. Video game music is one of those things that’s usually inoffensive enough you barely notice it, or so awful you need brain borax to wipe it clean. This is neither. With what is essentially a tragic story, it manages to be both moving and inspiring. I hope that Jesper Kyd continues to work with the franchise until the very end.
As for the gameplay, it’s intuitive and interesting. I’m one of those all-thumbs gamers with crappy reflexes and an even worse track record of executing complicated-yet-badass moves. The good news is, I didn’t need any of that. You can button-mash your way through it, which I did sometimes, or you can actually learn the different techniques and have an interesting and responsive combat system, which I also did sometimes. You don’t need to be uber-l33t to play it (thank the stars), but if you are, you won’t be disappointed.
I’m an unlikely fan and yet I love it desperately. I love it so much, in fact, that I’ve resisted starting Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. I feel I have to wait for the glow of AC2 to wear off before launching into that sequel. I really can’t recommend it enough, to just about everyone, so if you’re shopping last minute and need a stocking stuffer, you won’t go wrong.
Uncategorized | Torie | 
December 24, 2010 1:00 pm
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