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Assassin's Creed II - The |OT|
- Thread starter Costanza
- Start date
infinityBCRT
Member
Are you playing the PS3 version or 360 version?Pezking said:
I never really encountered the stick to walls issue. I understand trying to climb down (or even up) in a hurry can be a hassle at times but the best way to get down from a building in a hurry is to use the drop button to drop down, and then grab on to a ledge lower to the ground, and then hit the drop button again.
I guess thats indicative of who this game is aimed towards. Its obvious they didn't want people dying constantly by the amount of hit points you get by the end of the game (plus all of the health potions). The first game had much harder combat (especially against templars) so it was probably something they did intentionally. IMO I enjoyed the combat, theres still something satisfying about it just because you have so much variety.
Well I guess thats a result of a couple of things they did.
They broke down many of the assassination missions into parts because most people need direction otherwise they won't finish the game. I mean the fact that they are happy with a 40% game completion rate means that the completion rate for AC1 was probably terrible.
They made escaping way easier because in the first game you could be trying to escape for 10 minutes at a time and it kinda broke the immersion. You'd run around the city 5 times over trying to get away, and then you'd just slip into an extremely contrived gondala and the guards would walk right by you.
I'll say that the codex stuff is a little disappointing. That definitely lacked variety in trying to get them, but I am happy with the variety in the rest of the game. I think for the next game to have more depth they do have to focus on getting in more interiors which have actual stuff to do (like Gambling, sports, competitions, etc.).
Heh. Were you not compelled to do the truth or tomb stuff? I thought those were some of the most intriguing things in the game.
It does tell you that you need to collect all of the codex pages to unlock your final memories when you are first shown the codex room. Maybe they should have made it clearer the final memories = end of game, but thats how I interpreted it from the get go. I do agree that the variety was lacking though.
Rebecca interjects comments in your database and Shaun helps you with the Glyph puzzles. Thats where most of their characterization comes into play.
infinityBCRT said:
360, just like AC1.
Yes, I know, and I managed to do just that most of the time. But sometimes I just wanted to jump straight down (the extensive life bar later in the game let's you do that), and sometimes some unintentional automatic ledge-grabbing prevented me from doing that.
Well, no big deal.
Somehow, I enjoyed the combat in AC1 much more, and it didn't feel hard at all.
That's a good thing IMO. I liked the more linear approach in AC2.
Consider me one of them! :lol
I totally lack any sort of ambition for collecting non-story-relevant things in games. Be it red coins in "Mario", oder feathers in "Assassin's Creed".
Once again, I thought AC1 was already casual-friendly enough in that regard. And I really don't like my games too hard myself.
No, not at all.
I raided two tombs, and to my relief found out in time that they are completely optional. It felt like "Tomb Raider". *shudders*
And for me, the truth riddles felt awfully out of place. I didn't find them too clever either, so I gladly skipped them.
Yes, I noticed that but still thought it was optional for finishing the game.
Unfortunately, Desmond and that Kristen Bell-chick aren't that interesting either.
Soooo
Apparently thieves couldn't swim in the 15th century!!
Was just doing a mission in
I wasn't even bothered. As ridiculous as it was, I just laughed.
Apparently thieves couldn't swim in the 15th century!!
Was just doing a mission in
Venice and, after releasing a few people from their cage, proceeded to jump across the water. As I stood still and waited, one mis-jumped, fell in the water, and disappeared. I thought that was strange. Then the second did the same. Then another. Then the last. Mission failed.
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
The AI in this game is shitty, period. That goes for both enemy and friendly AI.Socreges said:
Sometimes the AI is stupid in a way that is pretty funny, though. Like, you can imagine a really dumb person doing something similar.cjelly said:
e.g., There was a guard standing next to a treasure box. I went to open it and he pushed me away. I stood there for a moment, thinking about the number of ways that I could easily kill him and get what I wanted. Instead, I threw down a smoke bomb (to which Ezio is immune apparently), took the treasure, and walked away. I thought he'd notice that the box was open, but he just retook his stoic posture and guarded it as before. :lol Durrr
I forgive the game for shit like this because it's otherwise so good and I so far haven't encountered anything game-breaking.
Another stupid thing. The "kill target without being detected" thing is meaningless. The importance is killing the guy without him thinking there's any danger beforehand, not with getting away without anyone knowing it was you.
ie,
Scenario A: Assassinate from above, in front of everyone else in plain view. Mission successful.
Scenario B: Throw smoke bomb to obscure yourself and therefore kill and escape without being seen. Or use throwing knife to kill without being seen. You have been "detected". Fission mailed.
This isn't so bad, but what's obvious here is that Ubi designed these missions wanting us to use the specific parameters that we were introduced (quiet kills with hidden blade [even in plain sight], kill from a ledge, etc.) instead of us using the tools we've been given and doing it however we'd like. As a consequence, they're just not realistic. And since my understanding of what it means to be "detected" is completely different, I'm left trying missions over a few times before I figure out what it is exactly that they want. Bullshit. Good thing the game is so pretty and fun to run around in or this shit would really annoy me.
ie,
Scenario A: Assassinate from above, in front of everyone else in plain view. Mission successful.
Scenario B: Throw smoke bomb to obscure yourself and therefore kill and escape without being seen. Or use throwing knife to kill without being seen. You have been "detected". Fission mailed.
This isn't so bad, but what's obvious here is that Ubi designed these missions wanting us to use the specific parameters that we were introduced (quiet kills with hidden blade [even in plain sight], kill from a ledge, etc.) instead of us using the tools we've been given and doing it however we'd like. As a consequence, they're just not realistic. And since my understanding of what it means to be "detected" is completely different, I'm left trying missions over a few times before I figure out what it is exactly that they want. Bullshit. Good thing the game is so pretty and fun to run around in or this shit would really annoy me.
I've been playing AC2 for the past week, considering I loved the first one, the expectations were high. The first game was rough around the edges and who could blame it? Just getting that tech to run properly and general ideas of the unique blend of genres that Assassin's Creed is.. that was a monumental effort all by itself.
AC2 seems to go right down the list on the underdeveloped concepts in the first game. Not much to do in the cities in the first AC? Here, have a whole slew of collectibles that are interesting and easy to organize. Here's some random thieves and messangers, secret tombes, and a relatively competent economy. Repetitive combat? Add an expansive arsenal of weapons and armor to collect and try out. Throw in some factions and a meter for how aware the guards are of your presence. And oh yea, all the things that made AC great are back in style for the second one, Italy is awesome too.
The only thing I still think needs work are the assassinations themselves. I've done only 3 so far, so hopefully that will change for the better. It's still heavily scripted and lacking in strategy. As far as I'm concerned, each should be on the level of Hitman. Each one is what amounts to an intricate puzzle that requires timing and planning ahead of time to get off just right. And I LIKED gathering information in the first game even if it did get old. But hopefully this is just the reflection on the main character who is still learning, not Altair-like just yet. Speaking of which, the difference between Altair and Ezio is very clear. One was a precision weapon that only had to be pointed in the right direction, top in the world at what he did. This guy is just kinda feeling his way through it, trying to learn as much as he can along the way and uncover some history that he's been oblivious to all this time. I'm just wondering if they're gonna pull the same exact twist like they did in the first, that would suck.
And why don't I ever seem to make it back out of the Animus to chat up the new folks? It's been one big block of Italy since the start.
AC2 seems to go right down the list on the underdeveloped concepts in the first game. Not much to do in the cities in the first AC? Here, have a whole slew of collectibles that are interesting and easy to organize. Here's some random thieves and messangers, secret tombes, and a relatively competent economy. Repetitive combat? Add an expansive arsenal of weapons and armor to collect and try out. Throw in some factions and a meter for how aware the guards are of your presence. And oh yea, all the things that made AC great are back in style for the second one, Italy is awesome too.
The only thing I still think needs work are the assassinations themselves. I've done only 3 so far, so hopefully that will change for the better. It's still heavily scripted and lacking in strategy. As far as I'm concerned, each should be on the level of Hitman. Each one is what amounts to an intricate puzzle that requires timing and planning ahead of time to get off just right. And I LIKED gathering information in the first game even if it did get old. But hopefully this is just the reflection on the main character who is still learning, not Altair-like just yet. Speaking of which, the difference between Altair and Ezio is very clear. One was a precision weapon that only had to be pointed in the right direction, top in the world at what he did. This guy is just kinda feeling his way through it, trying to learn as much as he can along the way and uncover some history that he's been oblivious to all this time. I'm just wondering if they're gonna pull the same exact twist like they did in the first, that would suck.
Mario looks too much like a bad guy
And why don't I ever seem to make it back out of the Animus to chat up the new folks? It's been one big block of Italy since the start.
Just beat the game. I enjoyed the first one overall, and this one managed to be marginally better - mainly by not resorting to force the same basic recon missions on you for every assassination.
One of my gripes was with the Assassin tombs, how some of you actually enjoy these things is beyond me. The parkour/acrobatics in AC2 are designed for quick traveling, not for precise, calculated movement. I was tearing my hair out during some of the timed parts because I was trying to make Ezio jump places I thought he should have been able to get to but wouldn't jump, or jumping somewhere I didn't want him to go. The second tomb - the art museum one - was the worst because I'd keep falling all the way down to the floor and having to repeat shit.
Also, random aside, did anyone else pick up on the fact that Cam Clarke(Liquid Snake) was the voice actor for Subject 16? The second I heard it, I knew it was him
One of my gripes was with the Assassin tombs, how some of you actually enjoy these things is beyond me. The parkour/acrobatics in AC2 are designed for quick traveling, not for precise, calculated movement. I was tearing my hair out during some of the timed parts because I was trying to make Ezio jump places I thought he should have been able to get to but wouldn't jump, or jumping somewhere I didn't want him to go. The second tomb - the art museum one - was the worst because I'd keep falling all the way down to the floor and having to repeat shit.
Also, random aside, did anyone else pick up on the fact that Cam Clarke(Liquid Snake) was the voice actor for Subject 16? The second I heard it, I knew it was him
I liked the first tomb the best. IIRC, there was no combat at all (maybe 2 guards, can't remember) and there was a looooong ways up. It actually gave me "ah shit that's a long way down" feeling when I was going to make a jump.
Timed ones sucked and even the untimed ones after the first were pretty forgettable.
Timed ones sucked and even the untimed ones after the first were pretty forgettable.
EXGN said:
I thought they weren't too bad, all things considered. I felt like I had enough leeway even with the sometimes-finicky movement to do each section after only a couple of tries.
Honestly, I found the "chase dudes over Hell's half acre" missions in the main storyline far more problematic and more often the places where the movement system broke down. With the tombs, it's usually pretty easy to do once you figure out the route, and the rest becomes minor execution stuff ("release X just after I make this jump," for instance): when chasing down poor Italian peasants who can apparently outrun and outclimb a parkour assassin every minor mistake you make causes you to lose a lot of distance/time, and it's infuriating.
@ EXGN
The tombs are excellent you just need to make sure not to hold RT + A down all the time, especially not in the timed sequences. Holding down RT is fast enough and it allows you to time jumps better and offers more control over Ezio. You can still hold down RT + A when you have to chase a target or when you have a straight path ahead of you but I wouldn't recommend it in the platforming sections.
It pays off to do that in the cities as well. Hold RT down and use A manually to jump for maximum control over your movement also don't hold A down while climbing or you can fall to your death. Actually don't hold A down at all except for chase sequences or escapes where you are following predesigned routes (white sheets).
If you don't follow one of the white sheet routes when you're escaping you should also not hold down RT + A but only RT because not all rooftops/buildings are designed to allow seamless free running.
The tombs are excellent you just need to make sure not to hold RT + A down all the time, especially not in the timed sequences. Holding down RT is fast enough and it allows you to time jumps better and offers more control over Ezio. You can still hold down RT + A when you have to chase a target or when you have a straight path ahead of you but I wouldn't recommend it in the platforming sections.
It pays off to do that in the cities as well. Hold RT down and use A manually to jump for maximum control over your movement also don't hold A down while climbing or you can fall to your death. Actually don't hold A down at all except for chase sequences or escapes where you are following predesigned routes (white sheets).
If you don't follow one of the white sheet routes when you're escaping you should also not hold down RT + A but only RT because not all rooftops/buildings are designed to allow seamless free running.
Frenck said:
Yep, to me the controls in this game are nearly perfect. When people complain about the controls, more than half the time they're the ones who erred. Once you understand the controls completely, you'll rarely make any mistakes. I had absolutely no trouble with the timed sections in the tombs; I actually thought they were overly generous with the time given.
DigitalDevil
Member
Tomasooie said:
especially the last one (the second in venice)
Zeouterlimits
Member
Started this today... I'm up to Venice
Really loving so far, it's a huge improvement over the first. Both the variety and probably more importantly Ezio's character/interactions being a huge improvement over playing as Altair.
where you kill the guards so you can light the fires so Leonardo's flying contraption will work.
Vaguely annoyed because before the mission where you scout the Cathedral I spent 15 minutes running and climbing around it in an attempt to get in (to the catacomb). I eventually gave up, went to the mission and groaned when I realised.
Vaguely annoyed because before the mission where you scout the Cathedral I spent 15 minutes running and climbing around it in an attempt to get in (to the catacomb). I eventually gave up, went to the mission and groaned when I realised.
I actually had the opposite experience with that area/mission. I found a way into that area by taking a gondola around the back and using it as a standing point for me to jump up to higher window ledge. I did the tomb and attempted to go back that way when the mission rolled around, but Antonio refused to get on the Gondola, so I eventually followed him to the scaffolding.
Marty Chinn
Member
Finally finished AC2 tonight and the game was a bit longer than I expected. It took more of my Christmas vacation than I had planned. I hated the first game because of the poor game design, and I'm glad to see that they improved the sequel. They didn't fix all the issues I had with the first, but there was finally some diversity to the game and it didn't feel like it was the same structure in each memory sequence. The game was certainly more structured around the storyline this time which I don't mind at all. I also loved the catacomb stuff as it focused a bit more on the platforming which I felt was missing from the first one. I also loved the setting and it was great to explore areas I was just visiting months ago and seeing them in reasonable accuracy in map layout as to what I remember roaming the streets of Florence.
What surprises me though is the number of people who think this game even touches GOTY quality. I just don't see it. It's a big improvement over a terrible game and I'd even say it's probably a solid B game, but a lot of the issues from the first game are still here, the game is far from polished with a ton of bugs, the graphics look pretty dated compared to other games, and the storyline was a bit of a mess even though I thought the ending was pretty intersting. Too bad that's at the very end though. It's a solid game and a huge improvment over the first, but GOTY quality? Not even close. Not with so many other games more worthy of that title this year.
What surprises me though is the number of people who think this game even touches GOTY quality. I just don't see it. It's a big improvement over a terrible game and I'd even say it's probably a solid B game, but a lot of the issues from the first game are still here, the game is far from polished with a ton of bugs, the graphics look pretty dated compared to other games, and the storyline was a bit of a mess even though I thought the ending was pretty intersting. Too bad that's at the very end though. It's a solid game and a huge improvment over the first, but GOTY quality? Not even close. Not with so many other games more worthy of that title this year.
How was AC a terrible game?
It was a damn good game that had some obvious design flaws. The core gameplay was fun and the world design was hailed as some of the best when it was released. It has a pretty good metascore too and somewhat of a cult following on GAF.
There was no other game this year that was so much better than AC 2 that it would be laughable to count AC 2 as a GOTY contender. Modern Warfare 2 received tons of backlash and the SP campaign isn't even as long as a single memory block from AC 2. Uncharted 2 is the obvious GOTY favourite but it doesn't offer remotely as much content and variety as AC 2. Left 4 Dead 2 doesn't even have a real SP campaign and it's more of an expansion pack than a full sequel. What other games are GOTY contenders ahead of AC 2?
Heck, the other games I mentioned above are easily as repetitive as AC 1 yet they get a free pass for being shooters. Shooters can have repetitive game design but AC 1 is a terrible game because it repeats the same kind of (mostly optional) investigation missions before each main assassination.
I would say that you couldn't get this much game for your buck outside the RPG genre in 2009. If a game as flawed as Demon's Souls gets a shot at winning GOTY then AC 2 should at least be considered a close competitor.
DjangoReinhardt
Thinks he should have been the one to kill Batman's parents.
I went through the first few hours of ACII the other day and that's enough for me. The game seems totally competent and the world of Italy is neat, but I couldn't care less about the story, particularly the non-Renaissance stuff. The various gameplay systems - combat, parkour, stealth - are all adequate. This seems to be a good game where nothing in it has persuaded me to keep playing. I "get" what they're doing here; it's just not my cup of tea.
Bitmap Frogs
Mr. Community
Oneself said:
Mind. Blown.
Got my 1000/1000 and finished up yesterday, I destroyed that shit in like a week. Awesome, awesome game. Great story, and while it does get bogged down in the middle with a little too many people, it had a great ending that actually pays off. Oh and that TRUTH shit had me fascinated from the start. After that first little creepy half second video played I was like what in the what is this... must find more glyphs!
The gameplay was pretty solid the first time around but I thought the addition of air assassinations and pulling people off ledges really made it shine (at least I don't think they were in the first game, I can't remember.... I don't think so though). Definitely felt more "assassiney" this time around.
The gameplay was pretty solid the first time around but I thought the addition of air assassinations and pulling people off ledges really made it shine (at least I don't think they were in the first game, I can't remember.... I don't think so though). Definitely felt more "assassiney" this time around.
Buggy Loop
Member
I have the CE and entered the codes for maps, but what are they anyway?
DigitalDevil
Member
mannnn.. just finished today. WOW! What a ride! Took me 26 hours, and I still have 68 feathers to collect (not gonna do it), and for some reason I'm still missing 1 blunt weapon? WTH? I can't find it at any of the stores. Dunno...
Finished this yesterday after putting it down for a while after I gave up a few hours in. This game starts extremely slow and made me not want to bother. Luckily though, I kept on and enjoyed it very much. Only took me 10-ish hours as I only got half of the viewpoints and mostly kept to the story. The combat and controls still leave a lot to be desired, but they didn't hinder the overall package that much. The assassin tomb sections were a nice change of pace from the usual gameplay. Graphics were great aside from some tearing, but I love the art direction. I'd give it a solid 8.5.
DigitalDevil
Member
Ridley327 said:
thanks!!!