Assassin's Creed II

[mmosu]

Anyone interested in the upcoming release of Assassin's Creed II needs to read this:
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/103/1037168p1.html

You're welcome  ;)

[spaceboy]

yes mmosu - I know a few of us are...JRD is awaiting this one but his w@&k schedule may prevent it at first... :(

Although i had my issues with the first one, all I've read on this seem to fix those so yes, this one is on the docket.  I particularly like games that bring me to places and environments I can't visit (mythical, historical, or just due to $$$).   That's one of the major things that appealed to me about the first one so much.   

[mmosu]

Me too Space,
AC was my first PS3 game, so it was a cool moment when I first emerged on horseback through the mountain pass and saw the massive walls of Damascus for the first time!  It was at that moment I realized that this was gaming on a whole new level.  And yes, everyone who played it knew there were some downfalls and drawbacks to the gameplay, but it was a good first effort on what was (at the time) a new system, and it gave us a glimpse at what would be possible in the future.  It appears from all sources that I've seen that the devs have done an excellent job of listening to player feedback and making changes accordingly.  This should definitely be one to watch for  :-X

[spaceboy]

I actually bought AC after having the PS3 for a bit but by then it was a Greatest Hits.  I didn't have my PS3 when AC came out.  My experience was similar though to yours with Bad Company (and FC2) and really again with AC.

Btw, I just saw a great advertisement for AC II in my Playstation Mag.   The pages appear to be stuck together and the front says "The first one is always the hardest"  When you rip it apart you've just ripped off someone's head and it says "Congratulations on your first kill"   Pretty cool.

[Art Blade]

cheers for the link, mmosu  :-X

I loved AC, only collecting all those flags was too much, I didn't get all. But the way of climbing, jumping, silent kills with knives... great game, and yeah, Damascus was outstanding  :)

[mmosu]

I gave up on the flags too Art.  Fortunately it appears there will be no more flag hunting in AC II.  In it's place though are apparently a series of feathers to be found, which unlike the flags from before, actually unlock stuff in the game.  So there is more motivation to hunt aside from simply appeasing your inner completist  ;) 

[Art Blade]

 ;D thanks for that info mate  :-X

[Fiach]

Never finished 1, probs wont get 2.

[spaceboy]

Here's some pre-order bonus info:

Amazon:  $10 off a future video game purchase (code delivered after payment/shipment).  PLUS I found this coupon code on the internet for an immediate $5 off.  AMZNACII    I got it from this link:  http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/183110?r1=1

Gamestop:  You get a free area to roam in...the Palazzo Medici.  The pic looks beautiful of course but from what I understand it is for roaming and no extra missions.  Here is a link http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/23/gamestop-offers-palazzo-medici-with-pre-order/

The Palazzo sounds great to have, but I went with Amazon.  Basically I like the $$ deal better....base price of $55.99 less $5 coupon code with free shipping and no tax - out the door at $50.99 plus $10 to spend in the future.  Free shipping means no release day delivery, but that's ok ...

Ok, I've committed - now I'm getting psyched!

[Fiach]

Yeah I would plump for the Palazzo myself, I like having "lairs" to hang out in :)

Unfortunately its released the week after Dragon Age Origins a top Bioware RPG (they did KotOR and Baldurs Gate etc.) So its kind of a big RPG event for fans of the genre.  :'(

Its definately on my christmas list, trying o get a handle on this "naughty or nice" thing first thoug :)

[Art Blade]

I'm looking forward to AC2, and I think it's great that there are so many cool releases, around this time :) There were periods of nothingness, lol

[spaceboy]

actually Q1 2010 is going to be hell/heaven for me in regards to games.  MAG (Jan), Heavy Rain (Feb), Just Cause 2 (Mar), Bad Co. 2 (Mar), God of War II (Mar), Red Dead Redemption (Apr).  yikes.

This year still has ACII, GOW I&II Collection, and Ride to Hell in Dec.

[Fiach]

Heavy Rain is going to be awesome..... or very poo, But I cant wait to try it out.

Anyone play Omikron : The Nomad Soul or Farenheit, they were made by the same people and they were very good, but pretty niche games.

[Art Blade]

@spaceboy: did you forget about CoD4.2 aka modern warfare2 ? :)  ;D

[JRD]

yes mmosu - I know a few of us are...JRD is awaiting this one but his w@&k schedule may prevent it at first... :(

Although i had my issues with the first one, all I've read on this seem to fix those so yes, this one is on the docket.  I particularly like games that bring me to places and environments I can't visit (mythical, historical, or just due to $$$).   That's one of the major things that appealed to me about the first one so much.

You bet I am waiting for AC2... not so soon though as it will surely need a powerful PC/laptop I don't have  :(
AC came with my GPU and it was a delightfull pleasure to see it running maxed out in a 29' monitor  ;D ;D ;D ;D
I really hope they can fix some annoying things in AC1 like no save, somewhat annoying battle system, no day-night cycle and, above all, no sandbox... I tryed do some assassinations in different ways, but it ended up doing the same thing over and over.
This time they promisse more action and freedom and I really enjoy the plot...
Wait and see!!

[mmosu]

Yeah JRD, I think a lot of your gripes with the first one are the same gripes that everyone had, and they seem to have addressed them.  From what I've seen there does appear to be some sort of day/night cycle, and the combat system is supposed to make more sense and seem more organic than the "block and counter" system that there was before.  For instance, you can steal your opponents weapons and use them against them.  ;D  You also have to think about who your opponent is - for example, there is a class of enemy that is a kind of heavy soldier who is covered in thick armor.  The hidden blade and smaller swords won't do anything against him, but if you can dodge his attack and wrestle his axe away from him, then you can split him open like a ripe melon  :-X

[Art Blade]

And I hear you can swim now  :) Unlike AC1 lol, I often suckered enemies into a position where I could push them into the sea  ;D

Oh, and there is a kind of HANG GLIDER  ;D ;D ;D

[spaceboy]

@ Art - no I hadn't forgotten MW2 but I have never played a COD game so I'm going to pass.  I've got a solid online shooter in Uncharted 2 right now that'll tied me over until January - That's when MAG hits (256 player online war shooter) and of course Bad Co. 2 in March.

As for ACII yep, you get to swim and use DaVinci's flying machine - although I'll bet their not as ubiquitous as the hang gliders in FC2 (probably just one or two missions you can use it - but we can always hope).  I just can't wait to run around Renaissance Italy.

Here is an excerpt from wikipedia:  (highlights courtesy of ME)
"Assassin's Creed II takes place in an open world with nonlinear gameplay, allowing the player to free roam within the four cities: Venice, Rome, Florence, and the Tuscan countryside and acquire weapons which the character may buy from vendors at will. Also available is colored dye used to change the color of the player-character's outfit. An article published in Game Informer revealed that Assassin's Creed II will grant the player the ability to swim and use the canals of Venice as hiding spots and will allow the player to drag city guards into the water as a means of assassination.[1] At E3 2009, it was confirmed by the creative director that Ezio will be able to "drive small boats". A young Leonardo da Vinci is present in the game, as an aid to the player who provides a host of weapons and contraptions available for use.[1] At one point in the game, the player can access da Vinci's flying machine which he actually built, keeping airborne using thermals from fires lit by friends gathered previously in the game.[1] The game will feature a host of new mission types for the player to complete."

[PZ]

You make this one sound really cool, space!  :-X

[spaceboy]

well i hope it lives up to the hype.  By all means the first game was a great world to run around in and with improvements in the gameplay and mission structure - this one should rock!

Here's another link with a good interview with a dev;

http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/212767/assassins-creed-2-blending-fiction-with-history/

[JRD]

ACI wasn't a truly open world game as you could walk only on districts you have unlocked and the Kingdon was just a big (although beautyfull) corridor with little to do but collect flags and kill templars.
Nevertheless I've never seen such interactions with the scenario... you can climb about everything and paths doesn't seem to have been placed there for you to climb... devs did a great job on that one, pretty smooth indeed!
And it is the most alive gameworld I ever set my virtual feets on  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Go Desmond, do something now this time, you F%$#  ;)

[Art Blade]

Yeah, alive it was  :) And I spent countless times either on rooftops to kill from above or sitting on benches to become one with the crowd and invisible to the pursuers  ;D

[mmosu]

Agreed, it did always feel very alive to me too  :-X

The Da Vinci angle is a nice touch too.  He is the one who is supposed to have redesigned the hidden blade so that it's use doesn't require removal of the middle finger like it did in Altair's day (and thus removing the only outward visual cue that screams "I'm an assassin!").  Makes me wonder what other mechanical marvels will be availible for our use throughout the game!

[mmosu]

Random story of the day with loose tie-in to Assassin's Creed:

So I was needing to get rid of many of the old textbooks from my undergraduate years as they serve me no purpose anymore and are taking up space in my daughters already small room.  So I decided to gather them up and take them to a used book dealer to see what they would give me for them.  There were about 36 books in all that I needed to unload.  So when I got to the store and piled them all up on the counter, they told me they would take a look and have an offer ready in about 10 minutes.

So I told you that story to tell you this story:  I was wondering around the stacks waiting on my "offer" to be ready when I happened to look way down at the bottom shelf of the aisle I was standing in.  And what do I see but a book entitled Assassination.  It was a short history of many of the most influential and historically important assassinations throughout history.  Well of course I had to thumb-through this one.  Did you know that Assassin's Creed is historically accurate? (well, at least in part)  As I was looking I stumbled on a chapter about the assassination of William de Montferrat during the crusades, who, if anyone recalls, is one of your earlier targets in Assassin's Creed.  The assassin was listed as an unknown member of the "assassin's guild", and the year of his death conincided with the time period that the game is supposed to be set in!  How friggin' cool is that?!  :-X  The chapter also talked about the assassin's guild in general.  I think everyone here would be familiar with the myths about assassin's who would ingest hashish before going out and murdering their target.  Turn's out this was a lie developed by Europeans to explain away the fervent devotion to their cause and the, at times, suicidal determination of their enemy. 

So I thought that was a neat little find!  ;D  And after all that effort and time spent, I was awarded $16 as the price for selling away my first four years of higher education  :'(  Oh well, still worth it, raised a few bucks for me to blow on Borderlands!  ;) 

[Art Blade]

hehe, nice one, and thanks for sharing :) I think I'd have cut a deal like "16 bucks? I was expecting something more... substancial. Tell you what, if books are worth so little, I take only 15 bucks but you put in that assassin's book. Deal?"  ;D