Support NeoGAF

[ultron87]

(Post 1st assassination in Venice spoiler)

Spoiler

So I just did the mission in Venice where you follow a bunch of the conspirators around the town as they discuss their plan to kill the Doge. At first I was okay with just following them because I might learn something and all the conspirators weren't present. But then the Spaniard (who as far as I can tell seems to be in charge) showed up and started strolling around town as well. I feel like Ezio could've saved himself a lot of trouble down the road by just running in there and making with the stabby stabby. I mean they weren't even guarded and they were all there in the open! And he probably could've gotten some clue thanks to his awfully convenient talking to victims post face stabbing ability.

Oh well, I think it's time for some flying machine fun!

 

[Falt]

From Start>Inventory>Outfits select the unequip option. On the 360 it's the X button, on the PS3 it's square. You'll go back to whatever armor you had on previously.

That did it, nice one!

 

[adamsapple]

(Post 1st assassination in Venice spoiler)

Spoiler

So I just did the mission in Venice where you follow a bunch of the conspirators around the town as they discuss their plan to kill the Doge. At first I was okay with just following them because I might learn something and all the conspirators weren't present. But then the Spaniard (who as far as I can tell seems to be in charge) showed up and started strolling around town as well. I feel like Ezio could've saved himself a lot of trouble down the road by just running in there and making with the stabby stabby. I mean they weren't even guarded and they were all there in the open! And he probably could've gotten some clue thanks to his awfully convenient talking to victims post face stabbing ability.

Oh well, I think it's time for some flying machine fun!

Spoiler

The Spaniard seems to be pretty good at running away from fights, Dante would have probably held off Ezio enough to give him time

 

[Amir0x]

Finally beat the game. Amazing experience.

The missing "DNA" memories... they going to be DLC? Seems like a large period of time just gone... and they were briefly discussed.

Not sure it'd add anything to the overall story, but it seems logical.

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

I love the Database entries in this game, usually I skip the codex's but this one is so well-written, informative and genuinely funny/snarky. Some hilarious lines in there.

How much further do I have in the main storyline btw? I just beat DNA Memory 10.

 

[Gram Negative Cocci]

I love the Database entries in this game, usually I skip the codex's but this one is so well-written, informative and genuinely funny/snarky. Some hilarious lines in there.

How much further do I have in the main storyline btw? I just beat DNA Memory 10.

Spoiler

2 rather short missions to go

 

[OmonRa]

Re: a certain game-stopper

Spoiler

"Some users have been experiencing issue during Sequence 11. What has been reported is that when you return to the present in sequence 11 IF you shut off your console when you start back up you are in the hideout and you can’t go back in the Animus.

We are aware of this problem, and we are glad to say that it will be solved through our upcoming patch."

NOTE: I will post more comprehensive information here as it becomes available.

 

[adamsapple]

how's about spoiler tagging that dude ?

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

Spoiler

2 rather short missions to go

wtf i thought there were

Spoiler

14 memories!

 

[Dartastic]

Re: a certain game-stopper

Spoiler

"Some users have been experiencing issue during Sequence 11. What has been reported is that when you return to the present in sequence 11 IF you shut off your console when you start back up you are in the hideout and you can’t go back in the Animus.

We are aware of this problem, and we are glad to say that it will be solved through our upcoming patch."

NOTE: I will post more comprehensive information here as it becomes available.

FUCK I JUST TURNED OFF MY CONSOLE AFTER GETTING BACK INTO THE VILLA

Edit - Phew, my game still works.

 

[adamsapple]

wtf i thought there were

Spoiler

14 memories!

you

Spoiler

skip some sequences in between due to problems in the Animus (i-e it'll be DLC worth moneyz >_>).

 

[Gram Negative Cocci]

That'll be some DLC I'll pay right now for! I need some more AC.

 

[PowderedToast]

Re: a certain game-stopper

Spoiler

"Some users have been experiencing issue during Sequence 11. What has been reported is that when you return to the present in sequence 11 IF you shut off your console when you start back up you are in the hideout and you can’t go back in the Animus.

We are aware of this problem, and we are glad to say that it will be solved through our upcoming patch."

NOTE: I will post more comprehensive information here as it becomes available.

that's pleasing to hear.

 

[The Wise Old Man]

Re: a certain game-stopper

Spoiler

"Some users have been experiencing issue during Sequence 11. What has been reported is that when you return to the present in sequence 11 IF you shut off your console when you start back up you are in the hideout and you can’t go back in the Animus.

We are aware of this problem, and we are glad to say that it will be solved through our upcoming patch."

NOTE: I will post more comprehensive information here as it becomes available.

Fuck yes! I'll be able to play the game again! My intense bitching at the Ubisoft forum paid off!!!!!!!

 

[MattPeters]

I can't seem to beat the assassination mission where

Spoiler

I have to kill 10 brutes in 1 minute

I've hired some mercs to help but I still can't take them out. Any tips?

 

[wouwie]

I really want to love AC2 (same with AC1) but i don't. After playing half an hour each time, i want to stop. The next day, i'm looking forward to booting it up again. That probably comes from the wonderful atmosphere this game has. But gameplay wise, it feels the same as AC1. My assassinations (and gameplay in general) feel mostly clumsy. I still don't get any sense of accomplishment and i still don't feel like at bad-ass silent assassin, who carefully plans each assassination, executes it and vanishes again. And lots of gameplay involves going from one place to another.

Thinking about why, i think the controls are the main problem in this game. Everything just feels too slow somehow. Also, my fingers hurt from pushing R1 nearly all the time.

Out of curiosity, i booted up inFAMOUS (an open world game that i really liked, much to my surprise) and boy, does it feel different... like day and night. The controls in inFAMOUS feel spot on to me. Cole feels more responsive and easier to guide. You feel in control. He moves fast without having to push an extra button all the time. Even the climbing seems better.

AC2 is a game genre that speaks to my imagination but somehow, the actual game still doesn't click with me.

 

[Gram Negative Cocci]

I can't seem to beat the assassination mission where

Spoiler

I have to kill 10 brutes in 1 minute

I've hired some mercs to help but I still can't take them out. Any tips?

Smoke bombs.

 

[Dartastic]

Just beat it. Best ending line ever before the credits...

Spoiler

"What...the fuck?"

:lol

Also, the scene during the credits is BOSS. Full on BOSS. I guess it's time to finish collecting those final glyph sequences... Wow, what a good game. Totally eclipses the first game in terms of quality. It's weird how that works; I hated the first one and now they've gone and made something that's one of the best games of the year. I can't wait for the inevitable third one.

 

[Dibbz]

My god I'm stuck trying to figure out a truth video puzzle

Spoiler

It's in Venice and it's the puzzle where your see Edison electrocute an Elephant. I have a wheel that I can turn and need to enter the password. I have numbers and then the red bit that I can move has symbols like |. ||. ||| etc. WTF do I do? I've been at it for too damn long.

 

[Irish]

Each "dot" represents a 1 and each "line" represents a 3. I believe the "||--" in the newspaper clipping corresponds to the number 2 on the wheel. If not, their should be a distinct number in one of the pictures that corresponds to the "||--".

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

I really want to love AC2 (same with AC1) but i don't. After playing half an hour each time, i want to stop. The next day, i'm looking forward to booting it up again. That probably comes from the wonderful atmosphere this game has. But gameplay wise, it feels the same as AC1. My assassinations (and gameplay in general) feel mostly clumsy. I still don't get any sense of accomplishment and i still don't feel like at bad-ass silent assassin, who carefully plans each assassination, executes it and vanishes again. And lots of gameplay involves going from one place to another.

Thinking about why, i think the controls are the main problem in this game. Everything just feels too slow somehow. Also, my fingers hurt from pushing R1 nearly all the time.

Out of curiosity, i booted up inFAMOUS (an open world game that i really liked, much to my surprise) and boy, does it feel different... like day and night. The controls in inFAMOUS feel spot on to me. Cole feels more responsive and easier to guide. You feel in control. He moves fast without having to push an extra button all the time. Even the climbing seems better.

AC2 is a game genre that speaks to my imagination but somehow, the actual game still doesn't click with me.

That's too bad to hear. I agree with you to an extent that the controls in Infamous or Uncharted 2 are tighter... originally I hated AC2 controls but I've come to appreciate them. The platforming actually requires skill unlike PoP or UC2. I will agree that holding down a trigger and a button ALL THE TIME is obnoxious; not sure how to fix that really though. I disagree about the game's gameplay mechanics though. I fucking hated AC1 but adore AC2. The main story isn't even all that interesting to me; like you said, the assassination missions can come off as a little wonky sometimes in execution. But the variety of mission types and incredible vast amount of shit to collect - there is just so much to do in this game. That combined with incredible aural and visual detail are why I love it. My fav open-world game.

 

[Dibbz]

The puzzle still makes no sense. I put ||-- as the number 2 and that means ||- is 1 but it still doesn't work. Does someone have the answer this is driving me insane.

 

[SlasherJPC]

The puzzle still makes no sense. I put ||-- as the number 2 and that means ||- is 1 but it still doesn't work. Does someone have the answer this is driving me insane.

There is a symbol and a number somewhere in those pictures. You have to then match that number and symbol on the dial. This give you the one number. The other two, if you look on the wheel to see what the symbol is, you will notice that the symbols are not there. So you have to scroll through the symbols and see which ones your missings on the keypad entry area that are are on wheel. Hope that helps explain it a bit more.

 

[Rad Agast]

My god I'm stuck trying to figure out a truth video puzzle

Spoiler

It's in Venice and it's the puzzle where your see Edison electrocute an Elephant. I have a wheel that I can turn and need to enter the password. I have numbers and then the red bit that I can move has symbols like |. ||. ||| etc. WTF do I do? I've been at it for too damn long.

The sequence is

Spoiler

. .. | |. || ||. ||.. ||| |||.

if I remember that one correctly. I can't remember the actual code but if you rotate the wheel one step at a time you should get it eventually.

Edit:
Removed an extra digit.

 

[Dibbz]

The sequence is

Spoiler

. .. | |. || ||. ||.. ||| |||. |||..

if I remember that one correctly. I can't remember the actual code but if you rotate the wheel one step at a time you should get it eventually.

OMG I done it. I lined up 2 with ||-- and just counted the numbers as I scrolled up or down to what I needed. Bullshit puzzle.

 

[Mana Sin]

If I remember correctly, there's

Spoiler

a newspaper with one of the symbols on it. I think it's '||..' Whatever it is, that's what you align two to.

I wonder if the patch will fix the double assassination glitch too. If it does, I think I'll go on a celebratory killing spree in Venice. >

 

[Rad Agast]

OMG I done it. I lined up 2 with ||-- and just counted the numbers as I scrolled up or down to what I needed. Bullshit puzzle.

Yep, they're not difficult really. You'll see two or three more which are very similar.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I was planning on holding out for the PC version, but after reading all of the glowing impressions I gave in and picked this up for the 360 last Saturday and I am glad I did. This game is absolutely amazing. I enjoyed the first game quite a bit, but Assassin's Creed 2 really improves on it in every way.

The timer in the options says I am about 13 hours into the game, although it seems like I have been playing it for much more considering it has dominated my free time for the last couple of days. I just made it to Venice (I mean Venezia!) and did a few missions there although I left a lot of side content undone in Tuscany and that smaller town in Rome. I have almost finished everything in Florence and only left a few treasure chests and assassination missions. I've also maxxed out my Villa (at least as far as I can at this point in the game) and damn if it isn't satisfying to get something around 10,000 coins every 20 minutes or so.

In fact, I am finding everything about the game to be extremely satisfying. I've even been enjoying the race and courier side missions which seem to not be very popular. It is crazy how much they have packed into this game without making it all feel too overwhelming. In terms of additions, I am particularly enjoying the assassin crypt levels as they make for some great platforming / puzzle fun. The gameplay in those is really what Prince of Persia (2008) should have been.

I still haven't finished the game yet and actually probably won't for a few days, but this game is quickly rising up in the ranks for my game of the year choice. 2009 has really been an amazing year for gaming. Stuff like Assassin's Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Beatles Rockband, Borderlands, Demon's Souls, Dragon Age, Infamous, Red Faction: Guerilla, Risen, Uncharted 2 and much much more have just made this a fantastic year for gamers. I still have New Super Mario Brothers Wii and Final Fantasy XIII to play before the year ends as well.

 

[Dibbz]

Just go platinum on it. The truth video is really interesting. Well time to head into the plot and spoilers thread.

 

[CheapChampagne]

That's too bad to hear. I agree with you to an extent that the controls in Infamous or Uncharted 2 are tighter... originally I hated AC2 controls but I've come to appreciate them. The platforming actually requires skill unlike PoP or UC2. I will agree that holding down a trigger and a button ALL THE TIME is obnoxious; not sure how to fix that really though. I disagree about the game's gameplay mechanics though. I fucking hated AC1 but adore AC2. The main story isn't even all that interesting to me; like you said, the assassination missions can come off as a little wonky sometimes in execution. But the variety of mission types and incredible vast amount of shit to collect - there is just so much to do in this game. That combined with incredible aural and visual detail are why I love it. My fav open-world game.

this. I seem to agree with you 99% of the time DA. :lol

 

[NZNova]

I can't seem to beat the assassination mission where

Spoiler

I have to kill 10 brutes in 1 minute

I've hired some mercs to help but I still can't take them out. Any tips?

Sic the mercs on them. Stabby stabby in the back while they are busy fighting the mercs. Don't fight anyone directly. Each kill should be from behind with the hidden blade and you'll do it in plenty of time. You don't need any other equipment to do it.

 

[Huggy]

Just beat it. Seem to be missing two mission sequences and four secret locations. At least there are spaces reserved for the locations, but not flagged.

I'll do the rest of the collectibles, was hoping that would unlock stuff though. That DLC option in the main menu probably has something to do with it (animus = coin-op).

 

[MMaRsu]

Sic the mercs on them. Stabby stabby in the back while they are busy fighting the mercs. Don't fight anyone directly. Each kill should be from behind with the hidden blade and you'll do it in plenty of time. You don't need any other equipment to do it.

Lol. Use three smoke bombs and stab them all in the face.

 

[NZNova]

Lol. Use three smoke bombs and stab them all in the face.

That works too. Mercenaries are cheaper than smoke bombs and last longer though.

 

[Square Triangle]

Lol. Use three smoke bombs and stab them all in the face.

That's all I did for the trophy.


I'm in the middle of the Carnival section, omg this game just keeps on delivering. I want to beat it but I don't want to be finished with it..

 

[renzengeki]

just finished the game 2 days ago and got platinum yesterday. and that was my 1st platinum trophy. i didnt really care about trophies back then. in fact im lvl 12 and i got my 1st plat trophy. i just love this game so much that i want to play it more even though i finished the game already. got all those 100 feathers etc. sweep 5 guards at the same time. and hell i finished the entire game without knowing you can sweep and throw sand at the guards. -___-

anyway i really like this game. one of the best games i played this generation along w/ uncharted 2 and batman AA, MGS4, Killzone, Infamous etc...

ubisoft really did a great job on this game. i cant wait for assassins creed 3.

 

[Massa]

just finished the game 2 days ago and got platinum yesterday. and that was my 1st platinum trophy. i didnt really care about trophies back then. in fact im lvl 12 and i got my 1st plat trophy. i just love this game so much that i want to play it more even though i finished the game already. got all those 100 feathers etc. sweep 5 guards at the same time. and hell i finished the entire game without knowing you can sweep and throw sand at the guards. -___-

anyway i really like this game. one of the best games i played this generation along w/ uncharted 2 and batman AA, MGS4, Killzone, Infamous etc...

ubisoft really did a great job on this game. i cant wait for assassins creed 3.

Hum... how do you do that? I just got to Venice, should I be able to do it already?

 

[Square Triangle]

Yeah..I don't know how to throw sand at guards, someone explain!:lol

 

[JdFoX187]

Yeah..I don't know how to throw sand at guards, someone explain!:lol

Bare handed, hold X and you'll pick up dirt. It takes a second and if they hit you at any time, you lose it.

 

[Square Triangle]

Bare handed, hold X and you'll pick up dirt. It takes a second and if they hit you at any time, you lose it.

Ah wonder why the game never tells you that, unless they do and I ignored it.

 

[Mejilan]

Just beat the game at basically 100%. Got the Platinum Trophy and everything. Villa shows 100% collection/renovation rate. Got all feathers, treasures, view points, side quests, etc. Hell, I even got enough uPlay points to redeem all rewards with some points to spare!

Yet I'm still irked by the "blank sync markers" for the corrupted memory sequences we don't have access to,

Spoiler

numbers 12 and 13, which apparently represent something like 11 years of Ezio's life. Or is that the DS game? I'll tackle that next.

Additionally, despite having done all of the assassination missions, courier missions, race missions, and beat up missions available on the DNA strands, those markers are also "incomplete." I am missing one item under Secret Locations, despite nothing showing up on any of my maps. Is that the third DLC map that came with certain EU SKUs? As far as I can tell, Secret Locations is the only marker that SHOULD still be unfilled. Also, I'm a bit buggered by the fact that the pistol and smoke bomb pouches never get upgraded.

Hmmm.

Edit - Endgame stats:
Synchronization: 99.2%
Time Played: 32:26:32
Distance Covered (m): 276,857
Deaths: 20
Favorite Weapon: Hidden Blade
Enemies Killed in Fight: 1,466
Enemies Assassinated with Hidden Blades: 747
Air Assassinations: 27
Double Air Assassination: 2
Disarms: 10
<Boring Navigation Stats Skipped>
Villa Restored: 100%
Villa Value (florins): 150,000
Villa Population: 3,600
Renovations.Shops/Collections/Equipment: 100%
<Boring Social Stats Skipped>

 

[LCfiner]

Ah wonder why the game never tells you that, unless they do and I ignored it.

you can go to the fighting trainer at the Villa and learn it plus some other moves for big weapons.

 

[VibratingDonkey]

So I poisoned a dude and tossed a bunch of coins around him. As he was wildly massacring the crowd of people flocking to pick up my loose change, the "Man of the People" achievement popped up. That was pretty good.

I got the "No-Hitter" fighting barehanded btw. Granted I had smoked and stabbed eight people before that, but still. Fighting barehanded is the shit. The combat eventually becomes real easy, so stealing people's weapons and bashing their faces in with them is a pretty good way of making it feel gratifying. Or stealing them and then tossing them aside, because I don't need weapons I'm such a gosh darn badbutt. I just wish enemies weren't so quick to pick discarded weapons back up. I want some fisticuff action!

Also, walking up and stabbing two dudes in the face never gets old.


The game is occasionally bothersome though. Do I really need to run fivethousand bazillion meters to get to a location and then search around for the target for two minutes? That stuff grew rather boring and tedious, but maybe I'm just doing it wrong by doing a bunch of assassination contracts after each other.

Locked up once and froze once. Both incidents occurred when the game was loading a new area.

Why is that after buying porn paintings or whatever, you go blind? It kind of makes sense to cover up a dye swap, but otherwise it's just annoying having the entire screen go white.

The camera can get kind of funky in close spaces during combat. As in I see nothing but assassin ass.

The tutorial for blending was bullshit. You were entirely reliant on a group of four people happening to walk by, and going the same direction as your target. Often this did not happen. And after this cheap tutorial you proceed to never ever use crowds that way ever again. Just hire a bunch of courtesans whenever the need arises.

"What are you doing up here?!" You mean "down there"? Because I am in the sea. You arse.

The AI is admittedly really, really stupid, but I don't really mind as it kind of feels like it works the way it's intended. You don't need to be super meticulous. Guards don't notice other guards disappearing or dying at all. Once I stabbed a guard, turned around and saw another guard staring me right in the middle of my face from two feet away. Then he turned around and walked away. Thinking about it though, that was probably the smart thing to do.

Automatic proximity-based lock-on targeting(tm) works fine most of the time, but does not always as it can not read my mind. However, it should be pretty obvious to it that when I'm within striking distance of a target and an ally, my aim is to lunge at the target rather than to to cause a mission failure.

 

[TheFreshPrince]

Does anyone wish the game allowed you to be a little bit more stealthy? I fell like most of the assassinations involve me walking up to or chasing the guy with him aware of my presence. For some of the missions, it seems impossible to stealth kill, especially the ones where

Spoiler

you infiltrate the Villa or duke it out at the Monastery with a small army fighting for you

. Why can't I sneak up on everyone???

 

[BrassMonkey1010]

Does anyone wish the game allowed you to be a little bit more stealthy? I fell like most of the assassinations involve me walking up to or chasing the guy with him aware of my presence. For some of the missions, it seems impossible to stealth kill, especially the ones where

Spoiler

you infiltrate the Villa or duke it out at the Monastery with a small army fighting for you

. Why can't I sneak up on everyone???

This is my biggest complaint with the game. I mean, its the same company that makes splinter cell, right? You think they would know how to add a basic stealth system...

 

[Sandman42]

This is my biggest complaint with the game. I mean, its the same company that makes splinter cell, right? You think they would know how to add a basic stealth system...

It sucks that you can't even crouch. Like c'mon man, how hard is that to implement?

 

[Ranger X]

The tutorial for blending was bullshit. You were entirely reliant on a group of four people happening to walk by, and going the same direction as your target. Often this did not happen. And after this cheap tutorial you proceed to never ever use crowds that way ever again. Just hire a bunch of courtesans whenever the need arises.

Certainly not the most fun mission ever but you had alot of standing groups and benches to blend with in case there was no walking groups around...
I also find it more fun to blend with those to complete this mission. You need to enter groups as fast as possible without running (so the awareness of the guards doesn't climb at full speed) so it "resets" guards awareness multiple times along the way.

.

 

[Ranger X]

Does anyone wish the game allowed you to be a little bit more stealthy? I fell like most of the assassinations involve me walking up to or chasing the guy with him aware of my presence. For some of the missions, it seems impossible to stealth kill, especially the ones where

Spoiler

you infiltrate the Villa or duke it out at the Monastery with a small army fighting for you

. Why can't I sneak up on everyone???

Because it's an action game with stealth elements and not a stealth game?
Bring me one article or marketing piece that says this one is stealth game. They didn't market it like that this time around. It's more "action" than AC1 that's for sure.

.

 

[Sai-kun]

Certainly not the most fun mission ever but you had alot of standing groups and benches to blend with in case there was no walking groups around...
I also find it more fun to blend with those to complete this mission. You need to enter groups as fast as possible without running (so the awareness of the guards doesn't climb at full speed) so it "resets" guards awareness multiple times along the way.

.

the courtesans were my fallback if there were no groups of people around [which wasn't often], and I LOVED just walking between people.

One time I used a group of people that went past two guards, poisoned each of them, walked away, got into another group, walked around a bit with them, until they went past where both guards were dead

 

[LiveWire]

If I

Spoiler

go to Rome

, can I still go back to

Spoiler

collect feathers, treasures and other items to get 100% completion

, or is that my last chance?