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: #21 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.

Assassin's Creed II Worth it or Not?
Did you like Assassin's Creed? Finding flags? Sitting on benches? Putting your hands together to become invisible to everyone? Well then I am sorry to inform you that Assassin's Creed II is not the game for you.
However, if you wanted to throw the controller through the screen every time you had to find flags or listen to unskippable cutscenes for every mission then your prayers have been answered!
And if you're one of those people who prefer numbers to words just look at the end)

In a rare case of a developer listening to consumer feedback (Well done Ubisoft :D) all the things that made Assassin's Creed a yawnfest have been removed and replaced with much better game mechanics.

Remember the pointless hub area around the Animus? Gone. Replaced with a few, interesting, story progressing segments of gameplay in the `present'. Remember having to gather intelligence before you could assassinate someone? Gone. Replaced with a much simpler, and fun, missions (something like sneaky stealing stuff as well as assassinations) that progress the story while building up to the main assassination but without feeling repetitive. Remember the samey cities you visited? Gone...in the past... :/ Well, the Renascence is a very interesting place to be. All the cities have different a different feel. Although you start out somewhere you will probably need a map to know where it is most of the game is set in Venice, the largest city in the game by far and with areas of the city being unlocked as you progress through the story.

A new addition is `glyphs'. Hidden on famous Italian landmarks throughout the cities you will visit, these are little mini puzzles which were left by the `previous user'. (If you remember the `redecoration' of the hub area at the end of Assassin's Creed, you'll know what I mean). Some are frustrating, but with a simple Google, you can pass through them easily. They are usually given themes and you could easily imagine you were playing "The Da Vinci Code: The Game". Don't take that as a criticism, it's just the way it's presented and shows the Templars as all powerful masters of the world does feel like it was taken from a Dan Brown book.

Speaking of Leonardo Da Vinci, the rumours are true! He is your bestest buddy and will make a load of things for you! These new weapons and skills are gathered by collecting pieces of a `Codex' (Yes, more gathering, but reasonably fun gathering). At the end of most story missions, you will be given a page of the Codex, written by Altair after the end of the first game. These all HAVE to be gathered (there's about 30, but like I said, you will get most from missions) in order that the story progresses.

Speaking of the story, don't be put off by the start; it isn't that weird for the rest of the game and if you want to know what I'm talking about, get the game. Oh, and also the end it a little off beat.

Unfotuanlty, there are still collectable items that don't have to be found but some are worth finding. For example, there are `Seals' that unlock Altair's armour (you don't wear the same thing as in the first game, but it is the best armour in this game). Each one is at the end of a free run maze. Not hard, but you could get frustratingly lost/stuck in some but, again, Google to the rescue. Oh, and the flags aren't back, but this time there are 100 feathers to find...for not a lot.

Overall, I would say if you liked the first (I did, honest) or just want to free run all over Italy and stab random people, then this is the game for you.

Parents!!!! The British Board of Film Classification exists for a reason and the big red 15 on the front of the box should give you a clue at what age group this is intended for. (If you hadn't guessed, it's for ages 15 and above)

Finally, the scores (I know this is like IGN, but I don't care :P)
Presentation - 8 - Good, in the day. Ugly at night. Good layout of the cities and surrounding areas.
Graphics - 8 - Not the best, by far not the worst and with believable city squares and excellent character animation it's not going to be like Terminator: Revenge of Renascence Italy
Sound - 9 - No more repetitive sound bites for each city, and Non-Player characters TALK to each other :O well, until you hear the same thing again. Oh, and the music that comes one when your being chased is the best I have ever heard. No jokes.
Gameplay - 9 - it's not Splinter Cell stealth, but close and flowing.
Lasting Appeal - 8 - With Downloadable Content on the way, which is reported to be up to 1 GB each, it could be worth keeping for a while. And I know I'm gonna try to get all the feathers :P

Total Score: 84/100

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.