Assassin's Creed 2

Yeah, think I'll be doing a couple of game reviews. Also, I now have the N7 Collector's Edition of Mass Effect 3 (just casually :D ) and will be doing a review of that when I'm done. May take me a while, given I'm in uni.

Assassin's Creed 2 is a bit of an Action/RPG type game. It follows on in some respects from the first, but establishes a quite different setting; Italy, rather than the Middle East. And it can get quite exciting and interesting - you get to interact with some famous faces such as Da Vinci, which puts a bit of a spin on it.

If you're not familiar with the original - the basic idea is that you are an Assassin. You are trained and taught in the ways of the Assassin, to try and get revenge on the people that killed your father and brother. And it's not a short list. On the way, you start to learn about some bigger things - things that can influence people, supernaturally it seems - and an ending leaving you going "WHA-?" Seriously. It's a curveball coming in from left field with a fake moustache on.

There's some interesting new possibilities added with the addition of the double hidden blade, the glider, smoke bombs, and a pistol. Trying to get all the upgrades for your castle is quite interesting, as well as acquiring the different armour and weapons. It's also a bit of a challenge trying to find and complete all the parts left for you by Subject 17 (though not as hard as some are to get to in ACB. Gah!). There are also a lot of great locations available, which are interesting to explore.

The story is also quite intriguing - and unique from the position that it is, in actuality, two stories (both Desmond, in the modern world, and Ezio, in Renaissance Italy) that are woven into one. Though Desmond's contribution is quite sparing, it's still an interesting dynamic to work with, particularly when it comes to the twister ending.

All in all, a solid game. It got my knowledge of Italian up a bit, and made me want more - I'm currently working through Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, but it now has second priority to ME3, so don't expect that review any time soon.