Genre: Action-Adventure, Stealth
Year: 2009
Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal
Published by: Ubisoft
Platforms: PS3, XBOX 360, PC, OS X, PS4, XBOX One, Switch
#166
Feeling Like: My name is Ezio Auditore da Firenze. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
I used to try and dip my toes into a wide variety of genres. Anytime I read or heard about a release that was garnering attention, I’d purchase it almost immediately. This was foolhardy – I wasn’t made of money and oftentimes I’d find myself soon disinterested. Would I trade the game in, or sell it to somebody more eager? No, I’d let it sit on my shelf for more than a decade and then finally get rid of it for a fraction of the price. Charlie Munger I am not.
I don’t like stealth, though there are some exceptions I did enjoy, such as the dope Mark of the Ninja. The trick is to make stealth an advantage, not a requirement; I am so impatient with instant-fail stealth sections of games that I will literally cheat to bypass them if I can.
Assassin’s Creed 2 didn’t have many of those frustrations, if any. I don’t recall cursing at the screen when I failed to keep my distance from a target, or getting spotted during an eavesdropping session. Maybe I did, but the mechanics and design were so solid that I don’t think I even noticed.
It was a massive jump from the first Assassin’s Creed. I never played that one, but I recall Dobbo showing it to me on View St. and there seemed to be a lot of riding around on a horse in a desert setting. Not my favorite.
Switching to the Italian Renaissance period was smart on both a visual and gameplay level. It’s impressive to see how well the graphics hold up; oftentimes I’d find myself sauntering through the marbled streets, admiring the architecture and towers that I would momentarily scale. The parkour is not even sniffing at realism, but who cares? If I want a beautiful view of canals, bridges, townsfolk and churches, I want it in a few seconds; this is why I play video games in the first place.
I couldn’t make hide nor hair of the interconnecting stories, about how I was actually in modern times and with the help of some zany computer, my consciousness was zapped hundreds of years in the past to my ancestor who was an assassin fighting the Knights Templar. Sure, I’ll bite. Corrupt religious organizations always make great villains. If you’re ever uncertain of this, just read one of the Kingsbridge novels by Ken Follett.
I have all the time in the world for Ezio. One of the cooler video game protagonists, he’s at the center of a revenge plot, a revolution and hobnobbing with Leonardo da Vinci. Yes, it’s batshit but if you’re even slightly entertained by the notion, you’re in for a treat. da Vinci is your Q, he builds gadgets and vehicles for you to traverse and slink your way through hostile territory, or hide amongst the masses in disguise. Think of Ezio as an Italian Batman. In the year 1459.
I have seemingly discussed a lot of open world adventures that were released around 2008-2012 as of late. I don’t know why I played so many, I’m not a particular fan of this style of game but I also don’t want to experience any major FOMO, particularly back when I was stupid and buying every highly reviewed game as I already mentioned. Once you get into the rhythm though, it really does feel like a new world. You’re crafty enough where if you feel like just hopping across rooftops and soaking in the view, you can. If you want to hunt down feathers for upgrades, you can. If you want to open up the map and just hunt down the hundreds of instances of treasure, you can. If you want to further the plot, or help out the innocent, or find something for Leonardo to tinker with, you can.
I tend to prefer direction and instruction, maybe I don’t trust myself not to waste time if I’m left to my devices. But it’s also just a game, there’s no pressure or incentive to finishing it, except to enjoy yourself. Assassin’s Creed 2 has a terrific balance of that, I never once felt intense pressure to do anything but what I wanted.
And that opening them, my goodness. As I get higher on the 500, I tend to lean on the soundtracks more and more. It’s not a coincidence. While I’m not musically inclined at all, when it comes to video game tunes, I am an addict. Assassin’s Creed 2‘s soundtrack is sublime, it establishes the mood perfectly and to play it on mute would be akin to watching Luke gaze at Tatooine’s two suns without John Williams’ score behind it.
Leaping from rooftops into bales of conveniently placed hay, stabbing unaware cronies with my hidden daggers, flying across courtyards with a makeshift hang glider and getting into a fist fight with the Pope are just a few of the several reasons as to why Assassin’s Creed 2 is the best in the series, or at least the best one I’ve played to date.
The 500 