Assasins creed 2

There are a couple of really big noticeable differences between Assassin’s Creed 2 and its predecessor that are evident to anyone who’s seen the trailer. For one, the setting has completely changed: 15th century Italy is the backdrop for this installment in what will undoubtedly be a long-running series. The Europe during the Renaissance is quite a different place—visually, culturally and politically—than the Middle East during the Crusades.

You will also play as a new character: Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young nobleman with a penchant for hoods and snuffing people out, much like his counterpart from the prior game. Ezio is out for revenge against the powerful players that rule the complex web of politics interwoven through the independent city states of Italy during that era. His family has been betrayed, and Ezio is out for blood.

That’s going to be one hell of a swan dive.


Through his mission of vengeance, Ezio will evolve into a master assassin. He’s already got a headstart, having more abilities than Altaïr did, not to mention an extra knife up his sleeve. He’s got new hand-to-hand combat moves as well, but, more importantly, he’s got some really smart friends on his side—namely, one Mr. Leonardo Da Vinci, who is to him as Q is to Bond, providing him with technology and gizmos that will help him slay his enemies with greater impunity.

During the demo, we saw an example of Ezio using a Da Vinci machine to sneak into a walled and heavily guarded fortress. Leonardo’s glider is based on a real machine that Da Vinci designed, but probably never actually built. In Assassin’s Creed 2, he does build it, and with the help of some assailants who light fires around the city of Venice to create updrafts, Ezio uses the glider to fly across the rooftops and into the guarded keep.

Those assailants that help Ezio on that mission are the thieves, one of three factions in the game with which you’ll interact and trade favors. The other two are the mercenaries, a group of bad-ass soldiers whose loyalties belong to the highest bidders; and the courtesans, voluptuous women who trade in information and “favors.” These factions each offer help to Ezio in different ways.

A number of elements from the original game will be returning, but in notably enhanced and improved ways. Ezio has the same ability to “free-run” around cities, climbing up buildings and traversing difficult areas with acrobatic moves, but now more smoothly and at a much faster pace. He has the ability to jump higher vertically while hanging and he can kill more easily from any perch. A move where Ezio reached up over a balcony railing and grabbed a guard, pulling him to his death, was shown off in the demo. “Kill anyone from anywhere” is a mantra the developers kept repeating to themselves as they worked on the game.

The ability to blend into a crowd is returning as well, but now you can disguise yourself as anyone, not just monks. How you make yourself look like a dancing courtesan at masquerade ball is still a mystery, but I can’t wait to see someone make it happen. Ezio can still chill on benches and watch the scene around him, but he is no longer undetectable there. Guards will notice you if you sit there too long. The same thing goes for haystacks: You will get noticed if you make a lot of noise—and soon find a spear being poked into your hiding spot.

This concept art shows off the detail and accuracy with which Venice is re-created.


One of the biggest complaints that gamers had about the original game was the lack of variety in the mission types. While Assassin’s Creed only sported three mission types, Assassin’s Creed 2 will sport 18 different types of mission. This should keep the action a lot fresher and make the world feel much more alive and diversified.

Considering Assassin’s Creed 2’s visual beauty and the promise of a much richer gameplay experience, our time seeing the demo was entirely too short. And with the new abilities and moves that Ezio has, the urge to get our hands on the game ourselves is overwhelming. As soon as we do, we’ll be sure to get back to you with fresh impressions of this truly awesome-looking game.
Xbox Game Facts