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Assassin's Creed II - The |OT|

D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
omg they snuck the real next-gen Prince of Persia into this game =O

all three of the seal missions have been un-fucking-believable. I want the next POP to control exactly like this, right down to the combat.
 
Rez said:
omg they snuck the real next-gen Prince of Persia into this game =O

all three of the seal missions have been un-fucking-believable. I want the next POP to control exactly like this, right down to the combat.
Ubisoft won't do that. Remember how much they freaked out when Splinter Cell Conviction and AC1 looked like the same game at one point? And they also radically redesigned Prince of Persia to avoid it being an AC clone as well.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
it's a shame. there's a place for a linear POP-style game paced in much the same way as Sands of Time but using this control scheme and combat mechanic.

I'd probably buy DLC that consisted of stuff like the seal-missions for AC2, but I'd really like to see it wrapped in a cool, unique narrative and setting.

edit: oh, and I'm really enjoying AC2 as whole! I played it for a disgusting amount of hours straight, so that alone speaks to the quality of it.
 

beelzebozo

Jealous Bastard
Rez said:
it's a shame. there's a place for a linear POP-style game paced in much the same way as Sands of Time but using this control scheme and combat mechanic.

I'd probably buy DLC that consisted of stuff like the seal-missions for AC2, but I'd really like to see it wrapped in a cool, unique narrative and setting.

edit: oh, and I'm really enjoying AC2 as whole! I played it for a disgusting amount of hours straight, so that alone speaks to the quality of it.

ubisoft, for all their faults, does not turn a deaf ear to quibbles from fans. particularly that developer group. i think there will be some significant changes to the next POP.
 

Az

Member
Got it yesterday, started playing and really could not stop. Went to bed at 2am and was late for work. Looks like it just keeps getting better and better.
 

megalowho

Member
The pacing in this game is so well done, there rarely comes a point where I want to put it down. Such a vast improvement as the last Assassin's Creed was one of the worst paced titles of recent memory for me. Between that, great platforming gameplay, an excellent cast of characters and the incredible ambiance and landscape diversity of renaissance Italy, I've been loving my time with AC2. Encountering some graphical glitches but it's been forgivable so far.

Just finished my first few missions in Venice.
Everything that happened outside of the Animus beforehand was awesome and really well presented. I had a feeling things might be going in that direction and had a shit eating grin as I climbed through Acre. Desmond is going to be a badass before all is said and done, and quite possibly fucked in the head - can't wait to see how his story unfolds. Love how unobtrusive it's been too.
 
V

Vilix

Unconfirmed Member
Terrordactyl said:
Alright this will be spoiler heavy "the truth" will be spoken of, you've been warned.
So I finished today, seemed to be pretty lenghthy, couldn't put it down though it was a great time. So the gist of the story as I understood is as follows: Assassins are direct descendants of adam and eve because they were looking out for mankinds best interests as a "free" being. Sometime after Adam and eve took the apple from the god's there was a war humans won and the god's could no longer retain human form. The Templars seem to have no "ultimate goal" in mind outside of power, which makes them pretty one dimensional and probably my biggest gripe with the story so far. I really like how mankind was seemingly in a future similar to what sci-fi depicts, it was a nice twist. So the god's purged the Earth when they lost and started over from scratch more or less, and somehow the assassins retained some god-like abilities? And now they are about to purge and start over again unless desmond and the other assassins can do something to stop this from happening? Do the templars realise what this means for them? Rodrigo thought he could become a god by killing one, is that what they all think? I assume so, they want absolute power, that is for certain.

Why does anyone think the next game will be japan? I didn't notice anything that would hint at it, but that would be pretty f-in' kickass IMO. I want more of the "present" time game play (technically its 2012 in the game right? Whoa just realised the connection there :lol) I really liked the mythology in the game and enjoyed this game so much more than the first.

I did the Ceasar shift for one of the glyph puzzles
the Tesla one: "He used it to develop a bottomless source of energy, Telefunken wireless station." Obviously the "it" is the apple and if you don't know what Telefunken is wiki it.

Actually, from what I gathered, the Gods, (probably Atlantians), while at war with their creations, humans, were all but whiped out during a solar flare. They didn't cause it. It just happened naturally. After the Gods eventually died off they some how are able to warn mankind, or more specificly, the assassin's, of another coming solar flare, and to use the technology they've left behind to stop it. And, yes, the next installment of the series will probably take place in Japan as some believe there lies the remains of a sucken city on Japan's most western island. Sorta like the legend of Atlantis
 
Vilix said:
Actually, from what I gathered, the Gods, (probably Atlantians), while at war with their creations, humans, were all but whiped out during a solar flare. They didn't cause it. It just happened naturally. After the Gods eventually died off they some how are able to warn mankind, or more specificly, the assassin's, of another coming solar flare, and to use the technology they've left behind to stop it. And, yes, the next installment of the series will probably take place in Japan as some believe there lies the remains of a sucken city on Japan's most western island. Sorta like the legend of Atlantis


wow. wtf.
 

Mana Sin

Member
Quick question about Uplay. Is there any point to buying the
Altair outfit
? What does it even do? I was under the impression that you could get
Altair's gear
in-game after getting all the
seals
,one of which is in the Uplay exclusive map? It costs 30pts and I only have 30 left after buying the map -.- I kinda want those additional throwing knives & that theme. Please help me choose, Gaf.
 
Mana Sin said:
Quick question about Uplay. Is there any point to buying the
Altair outfit
? What does it even do? I was under the impression that you could get
Altair's gear
in-game after getting all the
seals
,one of which is in the Uplay exclusive map? It costs 30pts and I only have 30 left after buying the map -.- I kinda want those additional throwing knives & that theme. Please help me choose, Gaf.
Just finish the game, you will have enough points by the end.
 

Mana Sin

Member
Lostconfused said:
Just finish the game, you will have enough points by the end.

I know, I checked the menu that shows how many points I have left to earn. I just want to know if there's any benefits to picking one over the other first. I'm still in
Venice, just about to join Antonio to raid something or other,
story-wise, so I think I have a bit to go... Throwing knives are really handy, but the outfit is sexy.
 
Mana Sin said:
I know, I checked the menu that shows how many points I have left to earn. I just want to know if there's any benefits to picking one over the other first. I'm still in
Venice, just about to join Antonio to raid something or other,
story-wise, so I think I have a bit to go... Throwing knives are really handy, but the outfit is sexy.
I would say save the outfit until the next playthrough or at least until after you finish the game.
 

sangreal

Member
Mana Sin said:
Quick question about Uplay. Is there any point to buying the
Altair outfit
? What does it even do? I was under the impression that you could get
Altair's gear
in-game after getting all the
seals
,one of which is in the Uplay exclusive map? It costs 30pts and I only have 30 left after buying the map -.- I kinda want those additional throwing knives & that theme. Please help me choose, Gaf.

I don't know anything about the uplay shit, but all of the seals are in the game, you don't need to buy a map

Also, there are two throwing knife upgrades in the game already which gets you 20 knives, which should be more than you'd ever need. And Ezio looks way more badass than Altair anyway, especially with
Altair's armor
.
 

Mana Sin

Member
sangreal said:
I don't know anything about the uplay shit, but all of the seals are in the game, you don't need to buy a map

Then what is the point of the Uplay map -.- 2000f and a story? How disappointing =/ I spent the last few minutes searching the end room for no reason then. This level is very buggy.

Spoiler'd just in case. At one point in it, you have to make a jump from a big rock-thing to a door that will close if you're too slow. Ezio decided he wanted to swim instead of grabbing the ledge, however instead of floating in water, the water disappeared entirely and I was stuck at the bottom with no hand holds to climb up. I hand to wall jump a few times until the game remember there was actually supposed to be water there.

It was massively annoying... not to mention that the game actually froze on me when I tried to fast-travel to the villa.


Edit: Okay, wtf. Ezio just fell through a boulder into a sea of blue, landed in invisible water floating in nothingness with a grass covered hill in the horizon.
 

X26

Banned
How do weapons work? Does the last one you buy of a certain type replace the old one, and you can't freeely switch them around?
 
X26 said:
How do weapons work? Does the last one you buy of a certain type replace the old one, and you can't freeely switch them around?
There are weapon racks in the Villa which you can use to switch your weapons.
 
Vilix said:
Actually, from what I gathered, the Gods, (probably Atlantians), while at war with their creations, humans, were all but whiped out during a solar flare. They didn't cause it. It just happened naturally. After the Gods eventually died off they some how are able to warn mankind, or more specificly, the assassin's, of another coming solar flare, and to use the technology they've left behind to stop it. And, yes, the next installment of the series will probably take place in Japan as some believe there lies the remains of a sucken city on Japan's most western island. Sorta like the legend of Atlantis

Yeah I know Yona Guni I read about it after seeing it on the wall or floor in AC1. But why besides it sinking would it be relevant. I guess I don't see the connection, or what would make it worthwhile to go to for a whole game. I personally think that it will be in many cities current and past. I assume that the tomb they found under St. Peters basillica belonged to Minerva, judging by the statues that means there are 7 more tombs. She told Desmond to find them, they aren't going to make 7 more games on this premise(I hope).

One thing I didn't understand was the
Altair flashback, wtf? who was the lady? why did desmond say that he wasn't going with Altair was he assuming control of the lady friend? Obviously the girl is mentioned in the codex when Altair said 'I will never have love again...or so I thought' something along those lines. Anyways maybe I missed something when I was playing that part.
 

Mana Sin

Member
28aj7zq.jpg


This is terrible. Has this happened to anyone else? Do I need to delete my install data and reinstall it?
 
Mana Sin said:
This is terrible. Has this happened to anyone else? Do I need to delete my install data and reinstall it?

I know the part you are talking about, I fell several times, at least 4 times, after past the very first time and falling at a later part. This has never happened to me, also I am on PS3, I did have the pause menu and map fuck up though, everything was blank and it said MAP NAME$ when I pulled up the map, had to exit to rectify this problem. That was just last night while I was searching for feathers 19 hours in, prior to that I've had no issues.
 

Mana Sin

Member
Terrordactyl said:
I know the part you are talking about, I fell several times, at least 4 times, after past the very first time and falling at a later part. This has never happened to me, also I am on PS3, I did have the pause menu and map fuck up though, everything was blank and it said MAP NAME$ when I pulled up the map, had to exit to rectify this problem. That was just last night while I was searching for feathers 19 hours in, prior to that I've had no issues.

I reinstalled the install data in hopes that it won't happen again. However, I will stay far away from boulders now.
 
Terrordactyl said:
One thing I didn't understand was the
Altair flashback, wtf? who was the lady? why did desmond say that he wasn't going with Altair was he assuming control of the lady friend? Obviously the girl is mentioned in the codex when Altair said 'I will never have love again...or so I thought' something along those lines. Anyways maybe I missed something when I was playing that part.
Lady's apparently from one of the sidequest portable games that nobody played. But really, you didn't get this? Desmond can only see through the eyes of his ancestors, so he was wondering why his viewpoint wasn't following his ancestor Altair. The camera then zoomed in on the woman's womb. Do you need it spelled out any more than that?

Also, I'm curious as to why everybody seems to be saying that
the assassins are descendants of Adam and Eve. Has anybody ever said that the assassins are superhuman versus just smart (with help from the pieces of Eden, as with other major human accomplishments)? What I got from the game was that Adam and Eve were the first (or the first escaped) humans, not specifically assassins.
 
Here be spoilers/dragons

Kobun Heat said:
Also, I'm curious as to why everybody seems to be saying that
the assassins are descendants of Adam and Eve. Has anybody ever said that the assassins are superhuman versus just smart (with help from the pieces of Eden, as with other major human accomplishments)? What I got from the game was that Adam and Eve were the first (or the first escaped) humans, not specifically assassins.
Well subject 16 mentions that assassins are who they are because of whats in their blood, which isn't right because its their genes but whatever. Unless of course its some thats totally different and is in their blood, but that would reading too much into that comment. And then all the paintings refer to a woman having intercourse with a "god" or some supernatural being. Which is kind of an old myth and is covered in the bible as well. I mean lets be honest eagle vision is beyond any human ability no matter what kind of training one might have had.

Also clearly in that video Adam and Eve moved pretty much like all the assassins. And being an assassin is hereditary for the most part so they might as well be assassins because odds are they did give birth to them.
 

sangreal

Member
Kobun Heat said:
Also, I'm curious as to why everybody seems to be saying that
the assassins are descendants of Adam and Eve. Has anybody ever said that the assassins are superhuman versus just smart (with help from the pieces of Eden, as with other major human accomplishments)? What I got from the game was that Adam and Eve were the first (or the first escaped) humans, not specifically assassins.

I'm guessing that viewpoint is coming from two places:
1) The assassin moves adam and eve are pulling to escape
2) I think one of the glyph puzzles mentions it.
 

conman

Member
Okay, searched the thread and couldn't find anything about other folks' experiences playing without the HUD/map. I'd been avoiding the thread up to now because I wanted to avoid spoilers.

First, I was a HUGE fan of the first game, and am a major proponent of playing that game HUD-less and map-less. I even wrote a freaking "guide" to prove to others that the game was designed with that in mind.

I put off starting AC2 until I had a bit more time, so I just got around to putting a few hours in last night. To my great disappointment, there's no way to play without a map. None. No more environmental clues. No more hint system. No more sounds or visuals to guide your investigations. Now you must use a map to find your destinations. If that's the case, then there's no reason not to also use the HUD since the map just requires an extra button press and accomplishes the same thing.

Now I'm feeling the same feeling that other gamers felt about the first one. Dull, mindless repetition. How stupid is it that now all you do is go to a dot on your map? The devs did so much right in the first one, but now the greatest aspects of the first one (exploration and a careful attention to detail) are completely gone.

I'll play the game because I love the fiction and the core mechanics and attention to historical detail, but I'll always feel that it's missing its soul. Where the first game was truly great and among the best games ever created, the second one is only "good."

I would love nothing more than to be convinced that I am incorrect. So if I'm missing something in the environments that does give you clues as to where to go (without consulting the map), someone please tell me!!
 
Zeliard said:
^ Pretty much everything glows and shimmers, doesn't it?
Well there goes my HUD free playthrough. Of course considering all the missions in this game i am not surprised. They don give you any detail to figure out what you are doing just tell you go there and put a marker on the map.
conman said:
I would love nothing more than to be convinced that I am incorrect. So if I'm missing something in the environments that does give you clues as to where to go (without consulting the map), someone please tell me!!
Nope that is the one thing they lost in this game.

Edit: Well there are still a few hints, clues here and there but playing this game without a HUD would be a lot more difficult than AC1.
 

Mana Sin

Member
Someone needs to take a pad and pencil along with their next play-through to copy down all of the hidden messages found in the glyph puzzles.
 

Zeliard

Member
Lostconfused said:
Well there goes my HUD free playthrough. Of course considering all the missions in this game i am not surprised. They don give you any detail to figure out what you are doing just tell you go there and put a marker on the map.

Not much different from other open-world games of this sort. There are so many more missions and side things you can go do and see than in AC1 that laying it out all by icons is really the only option they had.

If they hadn't done that, many people would have complained that the game is too directionless.
 

conman

Member
Lostconfused said:
Well there goes my HUD free playthrough. Of course considering all the missions in this game i am not surprised. They don give you any detail to figure out what you are doing just tell you go there and put a marker on the map.

Nope that is the one thing they lost in this game.

Edit: Well there are still a few hints, clues here and there but playing this game without a HUD would be a lot more difficult than AC1.
Arghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

I guess that's what happens when you cave to popular demand. Game's still "fine," but as a series it just lost me. I'm horribly disappointed.

There are plenty of ways they could have made this work. For a while there, I was convincing myself that banners were hung in significant places or that plants grew where a mission destination was. Then I thought that smoke was coming out of chimneys near mission destinations. None of those things were true.

They're also under-utilizing the Eagle Vision. Could have used it much more like in Batman to indicate destinations by color or something. I'm not looking to make the game more difficult. Just more immersive. Using a GTA-like map is an awkward convention that feels too "game-y." They're better than this... or at least they were with AC1.
 

daw840

Member
Alright GAF. I have a $20 gift card from Toys R Us from my MW2 purchase. I am planning on buying another game soon. Should I get this, or L4D2?
 
Zeliard said:
Not much different from other open-world games of this sort. There are so many more missions and side things you can go do and see than in AC1 that laying it out all by icons is really the only option they had.

If they hadn't done that, many people would have complained that the game is too directionless.
Really my previous post is all over place and i should have thought it through more. But I was agreeing with Conman. The first game could have been played entirely without a HUD but since most people didn't play it that way they found it too repetitive and boring. Well that and the whole preparation part for the assassination wasn't explianed well and a lot of people missed that one as well. So with the 2nd game now it was made to be more entertaining with the HUD on but now its missing some the things you need to play without a HUD. Which is a step down from the first game.

Edit: But I also think its the architecture and the lay out of the cities, some of them are a lot less distinct now and have less landmarks and reference points for navigation.

daw840 said:
Alright GAF. I have a $20 gift card from Toys R Us from my MW2 purchase. I am planning on buying another game soon. Should I get this, or L4D2?
Depends on what you want to play. You can rent AC2 and get almost everything out of the game in that time. But if the only shooter you are going to play is MW2 would you even spend any time on L4D2? Although personally I think its too hard to compare both of those games. But in my case i bought L4D2 on steam and i am waiting to buy AC2 until i can get it on steam.
 

daw840

Member
Lostconfused said:
Depends on what you want to play. You can rent AC2 and get almost everything out of the game in that time. But if the only shooter you are going to play is MW2 would you even spend any time on L4D2? Although personally I think its too hard to compare both of those games. But in my case i bought L4D2 on steam and i am waiting to buy AC2 until i can get it on steam.

Yeah. But I loathe renting games. I like to actually own my games and further my collection. How many hours are we looking at for AC2?
I mean, normal gameplay, not being OCD about it.
 

conman

Member
Lostconfused said:
Edit: But I also think its the architecture and the lay out of the cities, some of them are a lot less distinct now and have less landmarks and reference points for navigation.
I noticed that too. The color of the roof of the Assassin's hideout in each city was a key way to orient yourself in the first game. As were the shapes and colors of a the landmarks' roofs. I've only played the first city, but so far, the roofs are hard to distinguish. I can recognize the Auditore mansion because of the square shape, but otherwise, everything is very indistinct. The graphics and colors and details down in the streets are great, but those details are wasted since most of the action happens on rooftops.

Anyway, this is much less of a game than the first. Shows that they really played into the complaints of the majority without holding onto the things that appealed to their most dedicated fanbase. There's no reason they ccouldn't have designed the game with both types of players in mind. :(

I feel duped.
 
Kobun Heat said:
Lady's apparently from one of the sidequest portable games that nobody played. But really, you didn't get this? Desmond can only see through the eyes of his ancestors, so he was wondering why his viewpoint wasn't following his ancestor Altair. The camera then zoomed in on the woman's womb. Do you need it spelled out any more than that?

Also, I'm curious as to why everybody seems to be saying that
the assassins are descendants of Adam and Eve. Has anybody ever said that the assassins are superhuman versus just smart (with help from the pieces of Eden, as with other major human accomplishments)? What I got from the game was that Adam and Eve were the first (or the first escaped) humans, not specifically assassins.

Ok I guess I didn't notice it was zooming on her womb, makes a ton of sense now :lol.

Well I think Adam and Eve are portrayed as assassins in the truth video for one, and the assassins are all about free will. In the video they are running away with the apple like they are afraid of something, I think it feels like they are oppressed in some way and sought the power to stand on their own and live their own lives, when previously without the apple it wouldn't have been possible to stand up to the god's.
 
daw840 said:
Yeah. But I loathe renting games. I like to actually own my games and further my collection. How many hours are we looking at for AC2?
I mean, normal gameplay, not being OCD about it.
Well my playthrough was 20 hours long. So maybe 10-15 if you try to get through it as quickly as you can. More than 20 if you try to get everything you can.

conman said:
I feel duped.
Well that is being too negative. But I guess you kind of saw hints of it when Ezio didn't lose his finger and has to use the blade like a wimp with an open palm. Hell even with the Altair outfit he still holds like that.
 

daw840

Member
Lostconfused said:
Well my playthrough was 20 hours long. So maybe 10-15 if you try to get through it as quickly as you can. More than 20 if you try to get everything you can.

Thanks man. By get everything I was referring to all of those damn flag things in AC1. I refuse to go on collecting excursions like that.
 
daw840 said:
Thanks man. By get everything I was referring to all of those damn flag things in AC1. I refuse to go on collecting excursions like that.
There is only 1 thing like that and that is the feathers, there is 100 of them hidden in all the cities, well not hidden but all over the place. The other thing is the treasure boxes which you don't really need but you can get a map that shows all their locations and the other collectible is the viewpoints.
 

Spasm

Member
Lostconfused said:
Well my playthrough was 20 hours long. So maybe 10-15 if you try to get through it as quickly as you can. More than 20 if you try to get everything you can.
I started out fully OCD, and it took me 4-6 hours to get the Villa. Since then, I've cut back on being OCD, and have clocked 20 hours, and I'm on only on Sequence 5
out of what, 14?
.

The triumph of this game, imo, is that all that extra content they've stuffed in there doesn't feel forced, or boring. Main story + side-quests just all flows together so perfectly.
 
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