Assassin's Creed 2 is the sequel to Assassin's Creed, a game that got a 9 out of 10 on almost every single gamer rating system. AC2 (Assassins Creed 2) starts out almost immediately after the first game. You take control of Desmond moments after Assassin's Creed ends, and he's lying in his room when Lucy enters in a panic, covered in blood. She has just minutes to get Desmond onto the Animus, the machine that can visualise his genetic memories. This time, though, instead of heading back to the Third Crusade, he wakes up in Renaissance-era Italy. He is literally born as the new character Ezio Auditore. Also a young 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.At one point in the game, the player can access Leonardo's flying machine which he actually built, keeping airborne using thermals from fires lit by friends gathered previously in the game. The game will also feature a host of new mission types for the player to complete.
Much has been made about the new setting of ACII, and as anyone who played the first game would expect, the environments look stunning. More than 30,000 images were taken of the real buildings in Italy, many of which have made it as textures in the finished game. The buildings are also much bigger than before, such as the Duomo in Florence, and many of the characters actually existed in the time the game is set. No attempt has been made to hide the seedier side of 15th-century life, either. Characters swear at each other and use extremely crass terminology, and you can hire prostitutes to distract enemies if you so desire. Assassin's Creed II is set for release on November 20 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and in 2010 on the PC. And when it comes out Xtreme Gaming Zone will have a full review for you.
-Q
