This ass is better than the last.
| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 3 | 9.30 |
| Overall | 9.30 |
|
Lets cut to the chase on this one, yes this is a sequel that improves on the original in every way. This is basically the game the first one should have been. Everything from the story to the variety of gameplay has been improved to provide one of the best sandbox game experiences of the year. The first game was lacking in content to say the least. It had the same massive world to explore, the same controls, but outside of the assassination missions the quests stunk. This game has many side quests but unlike the first game they are actually optional and they are fun. The reason being that 80% of the side quests are optional assassination missions. What a concept, have assassination missions in a game where you are an assassin, genius! The rest of the missions are the usual race or fetch quest. There are more main quests this time around but after a while you start to see that many of them fit into certain categories like follow the guy or go here and kill someone. There are some stand out original missions but not as many as I would have hoped. Besides the normal side quests there are all sorts of hidden secrets in the world like the gylphs which gives you puzzles to complete. This is unlike anything in the first, its basically logic puzzles built into the computer interface of the animus. My favorite new addition by far are the tombs. These are optional areas that you may enter, six in total. Inside you get a trap filled, platforming, light puzzle solving and sometimes action filled level. It is the closest thing this game has to a sort of "dungeon". It is pure gameplay, they are all designed well and I actually wish there were more focused designed levels like these throughout the game. Assassin's Creed 2 also adds money to the mix. Money can be used to distract guards, to pay for a whore escort, to hire thugs and of course to buy weapons and items. Eizo has his own villa and city which he can upgrade by paying for renovations which leads to a cash inflow for your city, putting money in your pocket. It's not as complex as it sounds, you just buy stuff in a simple menu but it gives an added objective to work toward to. Everything about the game is great I just felt like the magic was gone. When I played the first AC it felt brand new, no game really played like it. The way Altair moved, the way he instantly climbed any building, the ease of how he hop across rooftops, that feeling of freedom was amazing. The game itself had issues but that core gameplay was incredible, it was so good that I loved the game in spite of it's flaws. Now there are other games that control like this, that have combat like this, it just did not impress me as it once did. If you never played the first game then you are in for a treat cause it will blow you away. For me though it felt way too similar to the first game. The combat is still the same timed button presses style combat with added moves. The added moves are nice which adds a tiny but of depth to it but it still feels way too simplistic. This year Batman came out with a combat system that was similar but offered some depth cause of the scoring system. I felt that in this game you can use the same tactic on almost every enemy, all fights felt the same. There are only three enemy variations for the entire game and some tactics work on all. AC is also known for it's stealth elements, if guards spot you doing something wrong they will chase you and you must hide. The problem is that the guards suck at giving you a challenge. So they chase you, keep running and you will easily get away. If not just fight them, its not like they will put up a challenge. You can't have an alert mode where the player feels no danger, it destroys the purpose of stealth. Maybe I am not remembering correctly but the first game did not feel like this, I felt I had to hide in that one. Overall it is a very easy game. As you can see form the score I gave the game I do think it is excellent. It is well worth buying as it provides 25+ hours of great entertainment. Maybe I expected more, I don't know. I went very easy on the first game cause it was original, now I am going hard on this one cause I have played games that now do what this one does and some do certain aspects better. For some this will be their GOTY and it is not a bad choice. For me this will be one of the best games I have played all year and that is as far as I will go. |
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Posted by Dvader Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:16:49
Recently Spotted:
robio (2m)
Yeah vader, you suck.
Maybe I need to play a bad game, I have been playing so many 9 level games I don't know what to score them anymore.
BTW Ratchet > AC2. (Dont kill me)
Oh shoot.
We should force him to play Tenchu Shadow Assasins, he will go so hard on it, it will get a 9.0