Product Description

Renaissance Italy isn't the usual sort of setting for a video game, but then Assassin's Creed isn't one to play by the rules. Ezio Auditore di Firenze is yet another ancestor of modern day Desmond Miles - a nobleman out to avenge the death of his family in the guise of a shadowy assassin.

Like the last game you're given total freedom to explore multiple cities, but with greatly improved parkour skills and the new ability to swim. There's also a lot more variety in the missions you undertake - the main complaint with the original game- so you'll never feel you're just doing the same tasks over and over again.

Combat has also been completely overhauled, with dozens of different weapons and a new health system. With no less than Leonardo da Vinci acting as your very own Q style gadget master this stunning sequel improves on every element of the original.

• Renaissance man: Play as an all-new character in 15th century Italy, with new abilities, new weapons and a whole new world to explore.
• The spice of life: Massively improved mission variety, with new freeform mission structures and many more random events.
• Tools of the trade: All-new combat system lets you steal weapons from your opponents, use dual hidden blades and even an early form of pistol.
• Real history: Meet historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Niccol Machiavelli and Lorenzo de' Medici, all of whom can offer you their own unique brand of aid.
• Tourist spots: Explore real world locations including Rome, Venice, Florence and Tuscany, as well as specific landmarks such as the Grand Canal and St Mark's Basilica.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Released on: 2009-11-20
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Format: Unknown format
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .23 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Renaissance Italy isn't the usual sort of setting for a video game, but then Assassin's Creed isn't one to play by the rules. Ezio Auditore di Firenze is yet another ancestor of modern day Desmond Miles - a nobleman out to avenge the death of his family in the guise of a shadowy assassin.

Ezio is just as dangerous an assassin as his forebear

Da Vinci's glider is just one of the gadgets on offer

The level of detail in the graphics is astonishing

The canals of Venice come in very handy for stealth attacks

Like the last game you're given total freedom to explore multiple cities, but with greatly improved parkour skills and the new ability to swim. There's also a lot more variety in the missions you undertake - the main complaint with the original game- so you'll never feel you're just doing the same tasks over and over again.

Combat has also been completely overhauled, with dozens of different weapons and a new health system. With no less than Leonardo da Vinci acting as your very own Q style gadget master this stunning sequel improves on every element of the original.

Key Features

• Renaissance man: Play as an all-new character in 15th century Italy, with new abilities, new weapons and a whole new world to explore.
• The spice of life: Massively improved mission variety, with new freeform mission structures and many more random events.
• Tools of the trade: All-new combat system lets you steal weapons from your opponents, use dual hidden blades and even an early form of pistol.
• Real history: Meet historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolò Machiavelli and Lorenzo de' Medici, all of whom can offer you their own unique brand of aid.
• Tourist spots: Explore real world locations including Rome, Venice, Florence and Tuscany, as well as specific landmarks such as the Grand Canal and St Mark's Basilica.

About the Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Ubisoft's huge development studio in Canada has created many of the French publisher's biggest hits, including the Splinter Cell series, the modern Prince of Persia games, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Assassin's Creed, Naruto: Rise of a Ninja and the Far Cry sequels and spin-offs.

Manufacturer's Description
Discover an intriguing and epic story of power, revenge and conspiracy set during a pivotal moment in history: the Italian Renaissance.

The lineage continues as this new chapter introduces Ezio, inheritor of the talents and creed of the Assassins. His family murdered by rival families, Ezio resolves to learn the ancient art of the Assassin in order to seek revenge. He will not do so alone though, allying with historical figures such as philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli. You will also be able to master the art of the assassin with all new weapons and instruments created by the renowned inventor and genius of the Renaissance, Leonardo Da Vinci himself.

Experience the freedom and immersion of an all new open world and mission structure with settings such as the rooftops and canals of beautiful Venice. Your option in combat, assassination and escape are vast, with many new weapons, settings and gameplay elements.

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Customer Reviews

II times the awesome
There was a lot of hype concerning Assassins Creed 2. Along with some concerns; was it just more of the same? Would they fix up some of the problem areas? Could you actually swim?

I'm critical of games and movies. Very much so. So believe me when I say 'Get this, and don't look back.'
Assassins Creed was a good game with fun elements and some really great moments, let down by a few flaws and some slightly grating missions.
Its offspring is not only two in number, but twice as good.

*GAMEPLAY*
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The most important part for one an all. And the answer from the get go is; Yes. It is far superior to gameplay in Assassins Creed 1. Gone are the rinse-repeat missions, leading up to the actual assasination. Gone are the clunkier elements of the combat system. Experience an evironment where anything and everything can be used to your advantage. Experience combat where its not a matter of if you will defeat your enemies, but in what manner you bring about their inevitable demises.

*Combat*

Combat, first, as that had a few major flaws. The hidden blade is now a proper weapon in its own right. You can attack with it and, glory be, you can BLOCK with it. Counter kills are every bit as lethal and one-shot-kill as they ever were, with less frustration.

Fists too recieve a major upgrade. You can, if your fancy takes you, punch opponents into the floor. Also, while unarmed and grabbing an opponent, you can now lay three hits on them out of a choise of headbutt, knee and punch.
The best part of the upgraded unarmed combat is the ability to disarm guards. This is especially useful on two of the new enemy classes; Brutes and Seekers. These nasties are armed with two handed weapons and spears, respectively, and can be rather lethal. Disarming them not only robs them of their attack power, but also lets you use the special moves that come with the weapons. Also, the counter-kills for those two weapons, though they lose you the weapon, are very, very satisfying.

*Enemies*

The enemies themselves are more varied as well. Gone are the days of Guard 1, Guard 2, Guard 3, Italy sports its own army of foes for you to cut through. The basic armed soldiers are still there, ranging from basic Militia, through to armed Man-At-Arms, to the armoured and painful Elite units. Then come the specialists, all of whom require some extra attention in a fight; Brutes, Seekers and Agiles. These chaps add a whole new dynamic to every fight, as the Brutes and Seekers each have different special moves, and the Agiles are more than capable of outpacing you in free-running.

Not only is the combat more dynamic, but the guards are smarter too. No more blending in with a group of monks, despite being heavily armed. No more sitting on a bench and the guards magically losing sight of you. The seekers use their spears to prod about in haystacks, and guards will check the people on benches. Later on, of course, you pick up some moves that swiftly (and permanantly) put an end to such nosey individuals.

*Blending*

On the subject of blending in, there is a new system involved, notoriety. A bar around the symbol net to your health fills up as you perform illegal or noteworthy actions. When that bar is full, you are now Notorious. Guards will start top take notice of you, and react immediately to any wayward behaviour. They also poke around in haystacks more. By tearing down wanted posters, bribing heralds, or simply killing off the officials who give the orders, you can lower your status back to Incognito.

Blending itself is much easier, and much more believable. Simply stand in the middle of a group of citizens, go with the flow, and you are just another person. Nice and easy.

*Missions*
The missions are all very well done. The beat-up and delivery type missions have now been made sub-missions that you can choose to pick up or leave be as you choose. The actual game quests are much slicker than the clunky feel of the original, and the progression is smooth and seamless.

*Economy*
Thats right, this time around you get pocket money. Money can be aquired in various ways, all of them fairly easy and self-explanatory. You can use money to buy medicine (which you carry with you and use when needed to restore health), new weapons, new armour which adds to your health bar, and other things. No need to be poor but awesome, right? Rich and awesome is a win/win situation.

*STORY*
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The story progresses well from the last game, and goes much deeper. Especially if you hunt down all the clues and extras. No more random flag collecting, the collections are all tied neatly into the story. There are only about three or four incident where we are brought back to the present day, rather than the past, and the modenr sequences are all well done and serve a purpose. If you're like me, and really liked the plot laid in AC1, then 2 should have you on the edge of your seat.

*GRAPHICS*
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AC1 was very nice graphically from the get go. 2 has probably improved, but its so slick and smooth that its hard to know where to start. Needless to say, the attention to detail is breathtaking. As someone who has been to Venice, standing in front of the Doges palace was one of those 'ohmigod' moments that make this game so darn good.


So, what are you waiting for? Click buy, already! If you like swash and buckle, sneaking and stabbing, awesome vistas or just pure epic, this game will treat you well.

Astonishingly good
The original AC was a classic example of style over substance. Huge beautifully detailed and realised cities and free flowing gameplay crippled by incredibly repetitive missions, frustrating combat and a plot that only got interesting in the final mission.

Developers say they listened the the critcisms of AC1 and have worked to fix them.... and they weren't kidding.

Plot
Picking up straight from AC1 the plot gets going with a vengeance, the game is slow to start with, but this is a good thing as it develops the background of your character really immersing the gamer in the environment. By the end of the game you will be as motivated to complete your missions as Ezio (your character) would be. The plot is also immense, cleverly mixing up fact with fiction to sell you on what, as the game develops, turns out to be an epic storyline developing much more on what was hinted at at the end of the first game. It would be hard to say more without becoming spoilerific but the game builds to an excellent conclusion. With the hidden subplot called 'The Truth' hinting at even broader / more epic future installments that will clearly take the series in a new direction (although you'll no doubt be googling away to solve some of the rather frustrating mini puzzles in this...)

Mission types are also much more varied this time with plenty of side tasks to try out your new skills with all your new weapon/comabt/armour upgrades to accumulate. With the new assisination skills it's now actually possible to sleathily complete quests (side and main) without half an army chasing you across rooftops. You are also no longer "locked-in" to a scene when you get too close to a main target.

Graphics
AC1 was no slouch in the Graphics department, especially the environments but facial/character models suffered in comparison to Mass Effect, which came out at the same time. These have now been refined to an exceptionallevel of detail with NPC characters displaying fine subtleties of emotion and certainly equalling ME for 'realism'. Lorenzo Medici being the best example of this during the new fully realised cut scenes. This is backed up by excellent vocal work.
Other NPC characters all react and react realistically too as you wander the city and show enough variety to really make you think you are in a funtioning city. No longer will you hear the same 5 phrases over and over again.

City-wise the environmental graphics have also been given a polish, there is now a day/night cycle and the main cities of Florence / Venice are beautifully realised... (ever wanted to watch the Sun Rise over Piazza San Marco from the roof of Palazzo Ducale? now's your chance), with a lot more emphasis on the third dimension. (I actually wanted to climb the viewpoints this time unlike AC1 where it just became a chore...as with the new economy system you'll want to find the treasure chests to fund your next upgrade). Did I mention you get a villa you can rennovate and stock with classic Italian Art? you do. You also get to scale the interiors of some of Italy's finest churches.

If you haven't already guessed I was blown away by this game, how they managed to produce something this detailed in under 2 years amazes me, as does the fact my XBOX hasn't blown up trying to render it all. I clocked up 30 hours completing the main quest and most of the side quests but still find myself going back to find more unlockables.

Outstanding Game
Ok to begin this is the first assassins creed but it is bigger and better in just about everyway, the ground rules are essentially the same as the first but little tweaks just make it that much better. To begin, I will discuss the gameplay. This is much more open and free than in the first assassins creed, in the first it was gather information in a very limited number of ways then kill somebody, this time it is much more open with an increased number of mission types. The stealth mechanics are very clever allowing you to manipulate crowds for example by throwing money to move the crowd or by shoving people in it. The free running is much the same but I can't complain as I thought it was brilliant in the first game. The combat system is much the same with a few little added touches e.g. stealing enemy weapons to use against them. There is also the addition of money which was missing from the first game, this enables you to purchase all kinds of weapons and armours, just adds another nice little touch. One of the best additions is the addition of the ability to swim, which as anyone who played the first one knows that when free running drowning really ruins the feel. Graphically its better than the first which I find surprising as assassins creed 1 was very good graphically, but this just steps it up further making the game again more to enjoy. Although great graphics comes at a price apparently with drops in the framerates when there is a lot happening on the screen at that moment. The achievements aren't for annoying things like finding 100's of flags they are just for things that could actually happen in gameplay eg. Spend X amount of money here. The story is longer than the original also taking me around 15 hours to complete the main quests and is better with some very nice cut-scenes driving then game along.
Overall I would definitely recommend it to anybody because the numerous little improvements add up to a massive jump in quality and the frame rate issues are not a cause for concern when the rest is this good.