Introduction to Games Design
Video Game Review: Assassins Creed 2
Assassins Creed 2 was developed in 2009 by Ubisoft Montréal for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC/Mac and is a sequel to the 2007 video game Assassins Creed. It is an action adventure game with the player controlling the character of Ezio a 16th century assassin on a quest for revenge.
The game takes place in an open world with nonlinear game play, allowing the player to roam freely within several regions throughout Renaissance Italy such as Venice , Florence
Assassins Creed 2 uses the game play mechanics established in the original game with great emphasis placed on traversing the large detailed levels in the most organic ways possible through the use of the popular modern sport parkour or free-running. This ability is the main ethos behind the development of the game and has lead to a world that rewards feats of acrobatics with a sense of speed and agility that is found in few games. The quality of the level design is also matched by the level of realism on display, with the 16th century cities been accurately recreated showing the detailed architecture of the period.
In addition to the free running mechanic the game also features a series of logic and code breaking puzzles which the player must first discover by exploring the landmarks and environments. These puzzles are very varied and are sufficiently unique that while not directly enhancing the game play they do enhance the overall quality of the game by adding a more cerebral aspect to the game.
The game also features a relatively advanced NPC A.I. These NPCs are designed to react to both physical interactions with the player and to observations made within their eye line. This level of observation on the NPCs behalf means that the player must be wary of being spotted while attempting missions using stealth, another of the games major game play mechanics. The NPC A.I is also used to form dynamic crowds which react to stimuli from the player.
The game also has various vendors which provide the player with access to health potions, ammunition and poisons.
When pursued by enemy bots the route planning can be a little haphazard with the player been able to easily lose most forms of pursuit by taking to the roofs where the player can exploit their ability to move faster and jump further as well as the A.I making mistakes that leads it to dead ends or a fatal drop.
While the movement mechanic for the game is very fluid and easy to pick up, the same cannot be said for the combat system. The combat in the game is slightly counter intuitive relying on timing and disarming your opponent more than simple button mashing. While this system, once mastered, matches the rest of the games style it could be off putting for gamers used to more hack and slash titles.
In conclusion Assassins Creed 2 is a step forward in the realms of immersive game play, featuring well rounded characters, a coherent plot and a well polished playing environment. These features do well to cover the slightly repetitive and slow paced nature of the game, which could lead some players to become frustrated.
In conclusion Assassins Creed 2 is a step forward in the realms of immersive game play, featuring well rounded characters, a coherent plot and a well polished playing environment. These features do well to cover the slightly repetitive and slow paced nature of the game, which could lead some players to become frustrated.
