
Assassin's Creed II takes place in an open world and features nonlinear gameplay, allowing the player to free-roam the city at will. An article published in Game Informer reveals that Assassin's Creed II will grant the player the ability to swim and use the canals of Venice as hiding spots and will allow the player to drag city guards into the water as a means of assassination.[1] At E3 2009, it was also confirmed by the creative director that Ezio (the character that the player assumes control of during gameplay) will be able to "drive small boats." Historical figure Leonardo da Vinci is recreated within the game, as an aid to the player who provides a host of weapons and contraptions available for use.[1] At one point in the demo, the player can access Leonardo's flying machine which he actually built, keeping airborne using thermals from fires lit by friends gathered prior to the events in the demo.[1] The game will also feature a host of new mission types for the player to complete.[1]
The health system has been adjusted to allow for a more dynamic and participatory experience, meaning that the "memory sync" system used in the first game only helps to recharge health up to a certain point.[1] More grievous injuries will require a trip to one of the many street-side doctors, who can help return Ezio to full strength.[1]
As well as using water as a hiding place, the player can utilize a broader array of scenery as cover and can now blend in with any crowd rather than a group of scholars dressed in white, as in Assassin's Creed.[1] Like in the 2006 video game Hitman: Blood Money, there will be a notoriety system, and the player will become more notorious as Ezio completes more missions, however Ezio's infamy can be reduced by bribing, removing wanted posters of him or assassinating witnesses.[1] Also, a day and night cycle has been added to the game, giving the sense of a passage of time but additionally certain missions will only be able to be performed during the day or night.[1] The game will also feature some sort of economic system that makes it possible to hire services from non-player characters, or "factions": Thieves, Prostitutes, and Mercenaries. Each faction has their own advantages. Thieves will help the player fight enemies and do certain activities like distracting guards, stealing money, and setting up fires for the use with the glider. Mercenaries will help in fighting and can also fight some people without involving the player himself in the fighting. Prostitutes act similarly to the monks in Assassin's Creed in that they can cover the player's presence from the guards. Additionally, they can distract guards. The player can find faction members inside cities or by going to the leader of a faction. Hiring them costs the player money, and if the faction members were recruited with help of a faction leader, the leader will require a favor from the player in order for the player to get any associated reward.
The trailer, which debuted at E3 2009, displayed many new things such as improved parkour mechanics. The main reveal of the trailer involved Ezio withdrawing his hidden blade to access a rudimentary gunpowder-based mechanic on his wristblade to take out a target from a distance. It has also been confirmed at E3 2009 that Desmond himself will "do more than just walk" in this game. Another feature, as seen in the gameplay video, no cover is safe, as guards can search them. To counter this Ezio has the ability to assassinate the incoming guards before detection, and placing the bodies in his former hiding location (he drags them into haystacks, places dead enemies on the bench he was sitting at between two allies etc.
Besides the main city of the game, the player can access hidden locations such as catacombs and caves, the contents of which have been compared by the developers to the Prince of Persia series. Exploring these locations rewards the player. It has also been said that the player can choose to throw money to the ground, which attracts the attention of nearby civilians, creating a distraction, and throw smokebombs in order to elude guards that are chasing him. Additionally, the eagle vision from the first game has been improved, now giving the option of remaining in third person with eagle vision initiated, allowing the player to spot targets while moving.
Combat
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Ezio can use various types of weapons, like swords, daggers, halberds, axes and spears. The player can buy his own weapons from shops all over town, from blades to bullets. Ezio, unlike his ancestor Altaïr , the protagonist from Assassins Creed, can disarm his opponents with various attacks and counter-attacks. He learns his fighting skills from his uncle, Mario Auditore. The combat skills include boxing, Sang-raa and Krav Maga[citation needed].
As the player progresses throughout the game, Ezio will get stronger and more skilled. He figures out more skills and ways to kill and disarm his opponents, and builds more muscle as he finishes fights and assassinations.
Plot
While not much is known of the plot yet, it has been confirmed that the player will assume the role of a young nobleman-turned-assassin named Ezio Auditore da Firenze. In an interview with Patrice Desilets, the game's creative director, it was revealed that Ezio's father, a banker,as well as two other unnamed people have been executed; thus, the essence of the plot is to get revenge on the rival families that murdered him whilst Ezio watches over his mother and sister.[13] Like Altaïr in the first game, Ezio is an ancestor of Desmond Miles, the modern day bartender who was captured by Abstergo, with Ezio himself being a descendant of Altaïr.[14]
The game takes place in 15th century, Italy during the Renaissance, approximately 295 years after the first game.[15] Like Assassin's Creed, characters based on historical figures will be present in the game including Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolò Machiavelli, Caterina Sforza and Lorenzo de' Medici.[15] Unlike Altaïr, whose ring finger was amputated in order to accommodate use of his hidden blade, Ezio has not; bearing a ring displaying his family crest. This was made possible by just one of numerous technical advances made by his close friend – Leonardo da Vinci – who helps Ezio throughout the course of the game.[16]
Cities mentioned as being in the game thus far included Venice[1], Florence[1], Rome[1], the Tuscan countryside[1], San Gimignano[17] and Forlì.[17] Specific landmarks include St Mark's Basilica[1], the Grand Canal[1], the Little Canal[1], the Rialto Bridge[1], Santa Maria del Fiore[17], Santa Croce[17], Palazzo Vecchio[17], Ponte Vecchio[17] and Santa Maria Novella.[17]
Development
Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot officially confirmed that Assassin's Creed II was in development on November 26, 2008 during the company's financial performance report.[18] This was followed by Michael Pachter speculating in GameTrailers' "Bonus Round" that game would change its setting to the events of the French Revolution, which turned out to be false.[19]
A promotional video was released by Ubisoft on April 6 showing a skull, some hidden blade designs, and Leonardo's flying machine on a scroll.[20]
On April 16, Game Informer magazine released details of the game, including pictures of Ezio,[14] a new teaser trailer[21] was released, and the game was "officially" announced by Ubisoft.[10]
In an interview in May 2009, Sebastien Puel stated that the development team working on Assassin's Creed II had increased to 450 members, and the development team's size had tripled since the first game.[22]
On June 1, 2009, Ubisoft released a new 4-minute cinematic Assassin's Creed II trailer at E3.[23] On June 2, 2009, Ubisoft revealed the first live gameplay demo lasting 6 minutes at the Sony Press Conference.[24] GameTrailers features an exclusive developer walkthrough from E3 2009. In an interview with GameTrailers Ubisoft Montreal creative director Patrice Desilets stated Desmond would be doing more than walking around and discovering clues.[25]
It was announced at the Assassin's Creed panel at Comic Con 2009 that a mini-series of three episodes would be released showing the events leading up to the game and the history of Ezio and his father.
It was revealed that the humorist Danny Wallace will be voicing a new character in Assassin's Creed II by the name of Shaun Hastings, a sarcastic historian assisting Desmond. The character's face will also be modeled after him[26].
The game was originally due to be released at the same time on all the three platforms, but Ubisoft announced on September 24, 2009 via Twitter that the PC version would be delayed to the first quarter of 2010 in order to have "a bit more time for the dev team to deliver the best quality game".[9]
Limited editions
Several different limited editions of Assassin's Creed II will be released. The "Black" limited edition release is packaged with an Ezio figurine who is garbed in an upgraded black Assassin cloak which Ezio earns in the advanced stages of the game. Included are 3 bonus missions and a "conspiracy book" giving details of the plot. An additional DVD containing the game's soundtrack, behind the scenes information and more will also be included. The "White" limited edition release is packaged with one bonus mission, and an Ezio figurine in his standard white Assassin cloak.[27] "Master Assassin's Edition" is the North American limited edition, which will include the white-cloaked Ezio figurine, two in-game maps, an art book and an additional DVD containing the game's soundtrack, behind the scenes information and more. [28]
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