Ben-DutkaYou can't expect Assassin's Creed II to sell as many copies as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 , which launched during the same week. But at the same time, Ubisoft's excellent sequel continues to sell well and both gamers and critics alike have embraced it.
During a recent VG247 interview with ACII scriptwriter Corey May and producer Sebastian Puel, they talk about the perceived slowness of the storyline's beginning, as well as how hard they worked to make the sequel significantly better than the original. When asked how they feel about the widespread acclaim and praise, May said it felt like a "twelve" on a scale of 1-10 but at the same time, they have to start thinking about the dreaded "what now?" question. Interestingly, when asked about the criticism leveled at the start of the plot, where the player actually sees Ezio being born and doesn't really get into the story for quite some time, May had this to say:
"I think it was necessary to spend time with Ezio as a carefree adolescent, unaware of his heritage. And it needed to be more than a token five minutes. So in that sense I disagree. But I fully admit that we could have refined the sequence so that it either moved faster or provided the player with more action-oriented activities. This would have likely made a big difference. But at the end of the day I think the idea of the beginning of the game is important. So, if I could do it again I’d try and 'sharpen' it but I wouldn’t cut it. Ezio’s origins are an integral part of his adventure."
In terms of the stiff competition ACII faced, Puel believes the game simply offers something entirely fresh and new in comparison to other titles currently available. He says that the "non-linear, open-ended" feature sets it apart, and the "systemic gameplay and vast playground" effectively separates it from the likes of Modern Warfare 2 . As far as the narrative, Puel simply says, "like everything else in the game," they wanted to "address and modify what people didn't enjoy in AC1 and amp up what they did." He goes on to say they wanted the protagonist to have more of a personality – and Ezio is certainly more of a "face" than Altair – and he makes a few more interesting comments, too. The entire interview is worth a read but it only verifies what I've been saying all along: ACII is a relatively unique experience that will offer something entirely different in relation to MW2.
I already knew ACII was a lot different than MW2. They are two compleatly different genres.
Apparently you get thumbs down for knowing that before this article. How dare you?
Ummmm….spoiler alert? Maybe I'll come back and finish this article after I get it around Christmas.
I stopped at the seeing him being born and young. I didn't know that yet.
Ditto, Hopefully I get this game for Christmas
Last edited by BlackBriar on 12/7/2009 11:31:54 PM
Too busy enjoying L4D2 with friends to care about this boring adventure.
Last edited by LimitedVertigo on 12/7/2009 11:31:06 PM
HA thats hilarious!
AC2 is boring, but L4D2 is not?
im sorry but not in the slightest, most absurd world is that even remotely true.
seeking revenge for your executed and framed family, and under covering a conspiracy dating back to adam and eve is the complete opposite of boring.
…Because shooting the same zombies with kids shouting all over is so much better!
I think those troll kids are more on the 360 version still.. meh more FPS FTW BRO! L4D2 and Modern Warfare 2 can go to the same fu**ing hell..
Last edited by Oxvial on 12/8/2009 12:31:35 AM
The gameplay in AC bores the living hell out of me. Huge letdown and I see that trend continuing with the 2nd version.
In regards to L4D2, just like the first one I play with several friends (as I do with a majority of my multiplayer games) so no kids screaming. Actually it's the most fun I've had this year online, always a different gaming experience when we boot up the game and try to survive the horde.
in combat wise ill agree.
i wish they would take the combat out of assassins creed altiar cronicles which is on the Iphone.
you can actually do normal light and heavy combos in that game.
your enemies dont block every single attack like they do in AC2.
in AC2 you can only take out enemies that are alerted, is to either counter, dodge, use poison or smoke bomb, or score a lucky hit.
its really slow and boring.
everything else is very well done.
that and the sensitivity of the controls are the only 2 things i would change.
I too still busy enjoying Uncharted 2 with friends to care about this boring adventure.
AC2 was launched a week after MW2 not the same day.
Fixed. Sorry, I had Uncharted 2/Brutal Legend on my mind, for some reason.
??
MW2 released on november the 10th and AC2 released on the 17th in the US.
anyway bar infamous this is the best game released this gen.
very few games keep me coming back, time after time wanting to finish everything.
in fact the only 3 games to do that this year are AC2, batman AA and infamous.
everything else, i finished the storyline than sold it.
now that i think about it, i did like ezio more than altair…
i like altair better! Altair is the pure badd ass, who thinks he knows it all but quickly starts to realise he needs to take a step back and reflect, and becomes even more powerful at that point.
But Ezio is all aboiut revenge and nothing can stop that feeling, and he simply is an assasination machine. I will say i like playing as Ezio better hes a more fun character, but Altair just felt powerful!
There were a few control niggles here and there but putting those aside I would take AC2 over MW2 any damn time. I think it's my favourite game of 2009.
I especially love the fact that there is no multiplayer so all the trophies are attainable by everyone.
Come to think of it , there's nothing on the market that's an alternative to the Assassin's Creed franchise .
umm who cares if it offers something diiferent that MW2 really? i mean, this is why gaming is so important and fun, all games are different. Just like uncharted 2 is different than AC2.
If your trying to say AC2 is a better experience thats your opinion and well respected. Personally though just like in the first AC i had to take a long break from it because it almost hits a wall in the story as your assasinating all these victims. Dont get me wrong i actually am really enjoying it, and there is much more depth to the story and Ezio himself which i love. But MW2 offers something AC2 doesnt… MP, which is an intrigual part of my gaming. im a bigger single player gamer, but playing with my friends is second to none, and MW2 offers an experience that you dont get from a lot of games. So what if the campaign was short, i was upset at first but a lot happened in that span and it was fun! Now after that was finished theres a whole lot of MP to be played!
Both games are great but since they are completely different games who's to say which one is a better game! its pure opinion, and preference at that point.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 12/8/2009 4:06:07 AM
its something different and i will be getting it along with uncharted 2 soon when i get the money makes a change from playing mw2 all the time and they are both supposed to be epic games
Yawn is how I feel about this game.
AC2 is cool game from start to finish. its all in the story mode but once you beat it there isnt much else to do… unless you left all side missions like i did then you can go back and do those. Besides that its cool but once you beat it its a dead game… as you may heard there is DLC to come for those maps you cant get to so that will bring it back to life, plus as you play you get schooled on a bit of history from the 1400's and i wont tell you all somthing for who have not played the game yet…. 🙂 anyway its a kickass game for the most part.
Been playing ACII like mad most of this week. I can still see some flaws, the combat is basic indeed and the lowliest guard can somehow block 95% of a master assassins attacks but at the same time that means no one is a complete pushover, it could just be done more fluidly.
But overall II is the game the 1rst should have been. The interiors mix it up a bit, theres just enough stuff to upgrade, the side missions arent as repetitive with the exception that Ezio seems to come across every cheating husband and bf in italy. I think the 1rst side mission in III should be tailing a cheating gf, just to balance it out.
Personally, I hate it that game designers feel their games have to start with a "bang" to placate the "attention-deficit" kids.
That usually results in either too steep a learning curve or that well-worn cliche of removing the character's abilities after the first scene.
I much prefer it when a game starts slowly, training the player in each element of gameplay and presenting a story which builds over time to a proper climax.
RPGs and adventure games tend to get it right.