http://assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/assassins-creed-2/#/trailer/

Didn't see a thread for this already, but it looks like they're actually putting content into this unlike the first one which was most people's biggest complaint.

10/6/2009 9:03:07 AM

I'm looking forward to it. So many games coming out, so little time.

10/6/2009 9:11:31 AM

Hope they spoil it 10 minutes into the game like last time as well

and I hope they kept in the "listening" missions

oh oh, and having to find 4,330,127,159 random flags around the area which makes no sense

10/6/2009 10:28:26 AM

The first was repetitive, but I only had one real complaint. While going from one city to the next you had to stop and tiptoe -while on horseback- to avoid raising the alert.

Defeated the whole point of traveling on horseback to begin with, you want to get from A to B at a decent speed. Slow tiptoe? Ok. Normal horse trot. Send out the goon squad. Decent gallop? Tactical nuke from orbit.

You could walk faster without raising suspicion. At least the enemies couldn't overtake you in 2 seconds like they could in Far Cry 2.


[Edited on October 6, 2009 at 10:40 AM. Reason : -]

10/6/2009 10:34:59 AM

Yeah, but I didn't think alerting anyone between the cities was that big of a deal...they would quickly lose interest.

Or if you want just jump off the horse and kill them all, it was so easy just to counter kill everyone

10/6/2009 11:01:37 AM

Hahaha I would see the big groups of marching soldiers and I would just plow through them on the horse for the fun of it.

10/6/2009 11:40:33 AM

The first one was a solid rental. I expect as much from this one.

10/6/2009 12:50:44 PM

I just hope they fix the one problem that made the combat system boring -- the whole "click attack when your sword strikes the enemy's sword" thing was an awesome idea, and would have been plenty exciting if they hadn't just allowed you to do it by just tapping the attack button as quickly as possible and getting lucky after a couple swings. Basically if they just add a tiny bit of "you can't counter this swing because you fucked it up and hit the button too early" buffer time after a person hits the attack button, it'll be perfect.

I didn't mind the repetition that much, but I understand how it could turn people off, and adding more content is never (well, rarely) a bad thing.

10/6/2009 1:04:06 PM

Here is the E3 Q&A posted in their forum.

----

07/07/09 Q&A Update

Gameplay


Will certain buildings be accessible from the inside?

Yes, some of them will be accessible from the inside.


Is the flying machine a one shot experience in Assassin’s Creed 2?

We have a lot of ideas around the flying machine and other new types of gameplay we are developing for the game. The Italian Renaissance was such a cauldron of creative minds that any game designer’s dreams could come true in Assassin’s Creed 2! More specifically, on the flying machine, we’ll adjust our plans depending on the feedback we get from playtests.


How many hours of gameplay can we expect in AC2?

We have greatly increased the scope of the game since the first installment of Assassin’s Creed, so just completing the core of the game will be longer than the 20 hours it took in the first game.

Moreover, we have developed several different optional gameplay that will add a lot of depth to the whole experience and will also extend your gameplay time in a very significant and meaningful way. As for the exact number of hours it will require it’s still too early to say!


How will combat work?

Many new skills concern the fighting system – without naming all the new possible moves, Ezio can master a great amount of new weapons: long pikes, axes and warhammers to name just a few. As those are heavy weapons, Ezio won’t have to carry them all the time: he will now be able to disarm his enemies and use their weapons against them. He will also use his hands more efficiently when fighting, performing various punches, kicks, grab movements, head butts & spectacular grabs... Holding your enemy by the collar and hitting him with your forehead is quite soothing…If you happen to be burning with vengeance like Ezio is.

One hidden blade is fun but two is better. This time, Ezio will have one hidden blade on each arm. Imagine all the possibilities in new assassination moves, counters and upgrades using two hidden blades. My favorite one is the double kill, which gives you a great sense of power. Finally, we’ve added a lot of new assassination moves. You can pounce on your enemy from virtually anywhere in the city: rooftops, hiding spots, water, ledges etc …

These are just but a few of the new skills Ezio brings to the table; he has many more tricks up his sleeve…


How will you improve the crowd interaction for the second game and the role of the NPCs for blending/stealth/attack…?

In Assassin’s Creed 2, you have been betrayed by the ruling Italian Families – you will have to learn how to interact and use the ‘common people’ or, like we call them in the game, “the underworld”, to get your revenge. So you can generally consider that the crowd is on your side (except of course if you behave too badly!). First, any crowd NPC can help you to hide – just go into a group and press the blend button to enter a crowd and lower your chances of being noticed by guards. The crowd can help you to stealth through the city but aren’t 100% stealth proof as guards have various awareness levels depending of their class. We have also added a new “notoriety system” where your actions in the city will impact your notoriety and how you are “wanted” in the city.

You can use certain groups to perform specific actions. Those specific groups are called factions. There are a few factions in the game. There will be the thieves, the courtesans and the mercenaries. Through the game, you will meet various faction leaders. For example, Antonio of the thief guild will ask you to do certain missions for him. Once you gain Antonio’s thrust, the members of the thief guild will be fully operational to give you help and perform specific tasks. Each faction possesses their own unique skill for Ezio to use and manipulate his enemies with. For example, the courtesans will be able to go seduce and distract groups of guards letting Ezio sneak pass them unnoticed.


The entire game play/mission structure in Assassin’s Creed 1 was semi-linear and kept the same structure through the 9 assassinations. Will Assassin’s Creed 2 feature more missions and a wider variety in the structure and how the story unfolds?

The game structure and the mission system were the most crucial elements we wanted to improve on. We are redefining the overall mission structure to give gamers a more fun, rewarding and unpredictable experience throughout the game by adding a lot of variety in missions types and changing the way the story and the missions unfold.

There are no more patterns of missions to perform but rather a story that develops through a great amount of mission giving characters. Some characters will give you an assassination mission, others an escort/protect mission while some will give you a chase mission etc… There is no limit to the types of challenges we will give players. We invested most of our development time in ensuring that there is a huge amount of variety and depth in the missions required to finish the story. But we also want the player to have a real freedom and opportunity to explore and ‘use’ the world we have created at their own pace. Cities are now filled with a ton of missions that the player can do if she chooses: for instance, you can now decide to get rid of witnesses if you feel you are becoming too notorious after a not-so-stealthy assassination, or help thieves pursued by guards. These tasks are optional but will bring you interesting rewards if you accept to fulfill them.


******

Game development

On which platforms will Assassin’s Creed 2 be available?

Assassin’s Creed 2 will be available on PS3, X360, and PC. We will also release another Assassin’s Creed game on PSP: Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines.

When will it be released?

November 17th 2009

Is the PC version going to be released at the same time as the PS3 and 360?

Yes, we are planning to release the three versions at the same time.

Are there any achievements?

Yes there will be achievements and trophies in Assassin’s Creed 2.

Regarding the inclusion of Far Cry 2's vegetation system; will the game actually provide plenty of opportunities to show off this technology?

Even if our engine is different from Far Cry’s Dunia Engine, we were able to expand the features behind the Anvil/Scimitar to add the vegetation technology from Far Cry 2. Therefore you can expect amazing Tuscany landscapes!

*****

Web Q&A

Story


How is Assassin’s Creed 1 linked with Assassin’s Creed 2?

Assassin’s Creed 2 is the sequel to Assassin’s Creed. The events in the present start right where the first game left off but the Animus will plunge you into a very different & fresh historical period. Overall we are building on the strengths on the first episode, its unique sense of freedom and immersion and adding a lot more depth, variety and scope to the core gameplay.
Storywise, Ezio is a descendant of Altair and the connection between the two games will be revealed through an encoded book very much like the one Leonardo Da Vinci is famous for writing.

What is the storyline of the game?

Once again, Desmond will be exploring his DNA to relive an ancestor’s life, however this time it with a very different goal and it’s a very different kind of ancestor. Ezio Auditore Da Firenze; a nobleman who lived at the end of the 15th Century in Italy is our new hero. His family is betrayed and murdered by the ruling families of Italy, and Ezio must uncover the arts of his ancestors in order to avenge their death. To his allies, he will become a force for change - fighting for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a boogey man – dedicated to the destruction of the tyrants of Italy. Through Ezio’s quest for vengeance, Desmond and the present day Assassins will uncover the crucial piece of the conspiracy that was hinted at in the first Assassin’s Creed game. The Templar/Abstergo plot is bigger than could have been imagined with consequences reaching to every detail of modern life as we know it.

Will there be an opportunity for the Desmond/future timeline to have more of a role this time? Will we be able to play as Desmond?

Yes, Desmond is back. He is helping the 2012 Assassins fighting the Templars by retrieving some vital information hidden in his genetic memory. But his role will not stop here and you will see that gameplaywise, Desmond has more tricks up his sleeves than what you saw in Assassin’s Creed…

Will there be any templars to kill in AC2? or some descendants of the templars ?

The main plot in Assassin’s Creed is a struggle between the Assassins and the Templars, so they are still in the game, and you’ll be able to fight them.

Is the franchise still planned to be a trilogy on X360, PS3 and PC?

Yes, that still is our vision. However, we want to continue extending the universe we’ve created. There are still many more stories we want to tell about the Assassin’s Brotherhood.

What about the cryptic signs that Desmond sees at the end of Assassin’s Creed? They didn’t refer to the Italian Renaissance, was that on purpose?

Those symbols were left by subject 16 who was previously kept captive by Abstergo. The symbols on the walls weren’t necessarily meant to hint at the location of the next game, but rather the global and timeless nature of the threat our heroes are facing. Having said that, I must admit we were really excited to see the amount of speculation and questions it raised amongst fans!

10/6/2009 1:52:07 PM

AC2 for the PC got delayed to the end of the November.

10/6/2009 3:40:09 PM

^Thats odd because Call of Duty: Modern Combat 2's PC release also got delayed. I wonder if thats intentional to drive console sales over PC sales.

10/6/2009 4:14:06 PM

I guess I should finish the first one.

10/6/2009 7:41:38 PM

Quote :

"an escort/protect mission"

Oh boy. I've never enjoyed an escort/protect mission in any game. I can already see the idiot jumping in front of a soldier swinging his sword.

Quote :

"a chase mission"

Also not looking forward to that either. I like games that let you play them on your terms. You could sneak up and wait for the opportune moment, or rush in and take on everyone. In a chase mission you're pretty much limited to the rush approach. Plus the whole guy got away, restart, restart, restart thing.

I hope the new escort and chase missions don't represent a large portion of the gameplay. The rest sounds like it would be interesting though.

10/7/2009 9:53:35 AM

Quote :

"What about the cryptic signs that Desmond sees at the end of Assassin’s Creed? They didn’t refer to the Italian Renaissance, was that on purpose? Those symbols were left by subject 16 who was previously kept captive by Abstergo. The symbols on the walls weren’t necessarily meant to hint at the location of the next game, but rather the global and timeless nature of the threat our heroes are facing. Having said that, I must admit we were really excited to see the amount of speculation and questions it raised amongst fans!"

dang that is a lame cop-out.

10/7/2009 11:49:00 AM

Quote :

"I've never enjoyed an escort/protect mission in any game."

10/7/2009 3:50:02 PM

Just started playing the first creed. Got it off steam for 5 dollars.

So far its worth every penny.

10/25/2009 7:27:17 PM

I, for one, loved the hell out of the first one. I do hope they have a more in-depth story arch though.

10/25/2009 7:42:17 PM

Awesome preview

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/preview-assassins-creed/58153?type=flv

Looks like 5x the game as the first one.

10/26/2009 7:29:12 PM

Will I be lost if I did not play the first?

10/26/2009 10:41:27 PM

almost certainly

I guess you could get a summary though if you don't want to play the first. I've seen it for like $10 though and I thought it was a fun game.

10/27/2009 12:18:22 AM

I replayed the first one recently. The missions leading up to the actual assassinations can be repetitive and tedious, but it's pretty fun once you're ready to kill your target.

^^ I can pm you the relevant info if you want, or otherwise have any questions.

10/27/2009 3:01:01 AM

I was way too hyped on the 1st, so I will let this one come and I will play it, but that is all I will think about it

10/27/2009 9:24:35 AM

^^I didn't mind the repetitive side missions, but that's probably mostly because I did them in between rounds of random guard slaughter wherever there were guards to be found.

Again, hopefully they realize that the combat element of "hit the attack button when your sword strikes the enemy's sword" was a good idea, but that they made it far too easy because of one critical mistake, and thus put in some mechanic that says "if you fucked up the timing, you don't get to do the cool cinematic finishing strike this time just by mashing the attack button as quickly as you can and getting lucky".

Then again, this ease of traditional fighting was also why I would amass a lot of guards and then add additional elements/goals to the combat, like "kill all these guards by throwing them into merchant stands and scaffolding" or "kill all these guards by tossing them into a nearby wall and then stabbing them with the hidden blade" or "lead all these guys onto the roof of that cathedral and then toss them off of it" or my favorite "run and hide around a corner, and then hidden-blade the shit out of whoever gets there first".

10/27/2009 3:02:22 PM

I bought the 1st one the other day when it was $5 on steam. I've enjoyed it so far. Sneakin up on guards on the roof tops and hittin em with the hidden blade is pretty fun.

10/27/2009 3:05:34 PM

Hidden blade is always fun, but I feel like a goddamn ninja as I run across rooftops and throw shurikens at guards. Good times.

Although I have to say that combat was too easy imo, especially once you gained all the counter abilities. I abused the shit out of counter-attack, and would often stand in the middle of a crowd of guards and let them come at me, staying in the defensive stance the whole time. Swing your weapon at me? Left + right mouse to counter. Break my defensive stance? right mouse + space bar to dodge. Grab me to throw me? Right mouse + shift to break their grip. I might as well have set the defensive stance to toggle so that I didn't have to hold down the right mouse button all the time.

I don't want combat to be difficult to the point of frustrating, but it would mix things up if guards didn't come at me one at a time. If one guard is grabbing me from the front, the guard behind me should step in and take a shot. If I'm surrounded, I ought to feel screwed. I wonder if this is something they'll address in the next one, and if having two hidden blades will factor into that.

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 4:42 PM. Reason : blah]

10/27/2009 4:40:56 PM

^There were in fact a few moments where, out of a group of 4-10 guards, one of them actually would decide to hit me in the back while I was swordfighting his teammate.

Though if I stuck mostly to grab-throws and hidden-blade kills, they would all keep their distance out of visible terror. That was one of my favorite parts about it, actually -- that the guards would display visible terror upon seeing the dismemberment of their friends.

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 4:45 PM. Reason : I used "actually" three times in one sentence... :shame:]

[Edited on October 27, 2009 at 4:47 PM. Reason : ...and then twice in the first sentence, too. :doubleshame:]

10/27/2009 4:44:47 PM

Yeah I love when that happens. But even after they decide to run away, I still chase them down and then pounce on them with the hidden blade. I feel like a tiger chasing after its prey.

The counter attacks that you perform seem to be kind of random, but my absolute favorite is when you're using the short blade, then shove it into a guard's skull to lobotomize him. He'll even twitch for a little bit after he hits the ground.

10/27/2009 4:53:53 PM

I don't remember many of them very clearly, but one that I do remember loving was where he stabs them in the foot with the short blade, then rakes it across their throat as they're kneeling down to grab their foot.

In fact, basically every animation for the short blade looked better than the ones for the sword. And there was also the fact that in the middle of a sword duel with the person directly in front of you, you could seamlessly wreck the person standing directly behind you with a throwing knife.

10/27/2009 4:57:43 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOmFEVCwmeE

what's up with the black and white editions?

11/4/2009 12:20:18 PM

11/4/2009 1:22:17 PM

Initial Impressions after ~2 hours of play:

-The disguise system is vastly improved, I'm digging being able to hide in any crowd instead of trying to hunt down a group of monks. Hiring whores and groups of thugs has added a fun new dynamic to the game play.
-They've done quite a few things with unarmed combat, the first 30-45 minutes is completely unarmed, and a majority of the time after that all I've had is a single hidden blade. There was a 5-10 minute window with the standard sword, but Enzio is eventually disarmed in a cut-scene.
-I'm looking forward to items DaVinci starts banging out as well as the disarming system. Overall I'm enjoying the game but the action is definitely much slower getting started as compared with the first game.

11/16/2009 9:47:09 PM

Dammit why can't the pc version be released sooner?

11/16/2009 9:53:33 PM

Hey it's already out you've just gotta know where to look

11/16/2009 10:24:43 PM

Haha, I haven't been playing the torrent game in years. Besides, I like Ubisoft's stuff enough that I'm willing to show them patronage.

11/16/2009 11:26:07 PM

Doesn't the PC version come out in March of next year? I'd imagine that any torrent out there would be some sort of leaked alpha version.

Wonder why it's taking so long? I guess they figure that releasing the PC version at the same time would cut into their console sales? Hope it's not due to technical issues and that they don't botch the port like Aspyr botched Star Wars Force Unleashed.

11/17/2009 7:23:57 AM

Anybody played it yet? I'm getting it later tonight. I can't wait to play the shit out of this.
Double hidden blade looks effin sick.

11/17/2009 8:43:33 AM

^^I can only assume that the pc version takes longer because they have to make sure the game works on a wide variety of hardware combinations. Compare that to consoles, whose system specs are pretty much fixed. However, you'd think that they'd try to have all versions ready at the same time.

On the other hand, they probably want to release whichever versions are ready right now in order to cash in on the holidays market.

11/17/2009 9:43:12 AM

I'll be getting it after work tonight and playing for a few hours at least.

11/17/2009 10:12:14 AM

too...many...games.....

11/17/2009 12:58:36 PM

^I know dude, 3 games I've been dying to play all released within 90 days of eachother, between this, Borderlands, and Modern Warfare 2, I dunno how I'm getting shit done @ work.

11/17/2009 3:23:14 PM

I have a clear slate for this and MW2. I got rid of every other game

11/17/2009 3:26:34 PM

I put MW2 down for now. I picked it up today during my lunch break, can't wait to crack it open tonight and jump right in.

11/17/2009 4:19:25 PM

I'll wait for the PC version. The only thing I'm really interested in right now is how much the escort missions suck and what percentage of the game is wasted in that endeavor.

11/17/2009 7:09:33 PM

saw my roommate playing today, I think it's really awesome that it is in real cities, I recognized a ton of places in Florence that I had been to before just watching him

11/17/2009 9:20:18 PM

I've been playing it for about 1.5 hrs now. Game is awesome and I haven't even been armed with a weapon yet. The free running is improved from the first one but he still jumps in the wrong direction every now and then.

11/17/2009 10:00:02 PM

^Nah you just have to be perfect with it like me.

lol But yeah this is the best game I've played since Modern Warfare 2

11/18/2009 12:45:11 AM

So there are 6 platformer type puzzles that you complete to unlock homeboy's armor for Assassin's Creed I and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Between the camera getting in its own way and the occassional lack of precision with free-running, I'm thinking they'll prove more of a pain in the ass than anything, but we'll see.

11/18/2009 3:13:14 AM

oh btw, did anyone else get an "additional map" included? When I opened the case, there was a little flap with a redemption code. In the game menu, under extras I can enter the code and it says that a new map has been unlocked. I'm not entirely sure what the map is for though. I haven't gotten far enough into the game yet to actually reach the unlocked part (I have just completed the first chapter and ****SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER**** gotten the brothel where the servant girl takes the mother and sister ****END SPOILER****)

Since it is extra content it can't have anything super important to the story of the game. I suppose it could have a bunch of side missions. Oh and, to note, I really like the side missions where the sole purpose is to just go kick some guy's ass. This game does remind me a lot of GTA (not a bad thing) given all the different types of side missions and the notoriety system.

11/18/2009 10:02:01 AM

I just found out today (after going to pick it up) that the PC version won't be out until next March. SO PISSED!

11/18/2009 10:57:24 PM

^^It shows a map on the paper and I think it's in Florence I'm not sure. You have to put the code in on the extras menu and there's like a hidden door in a palazzo house or something like that.

11/19/2009 9:07:19 AM