I first played Assassins Creed II before this. I was told that the second game improved on the first in every way. When I played the game, twice, I cannot agree. As wonderful as the second game was, the first game in many ways is more beautiful in terms of gameplay, with a richer sense of atmosphere and genuine suspense. Ezio was an adventure hero, he's Errol Flynn but Altair as tough as he is, is not as large a figure. He's a ghost, a dealer of death, he's not attractive and not charismatic. In fact in this game, he's fairly hard to like, the kind of boldness I like to see in characterization.
I like the quietness of the game. It's fun to walk among the crowd and see activity as an observer. It's fun to sit and eavesdrop. The side missions you do as part of the investigations add to that immersion to your surroundings. There's real suspense in this game, and that suspense if you play it goes far in keeping the repetitive gameplay going. And its right for it to be repetitive. Altair is a career Assassin, not a guy with a civilian life like Ezio, for him commitment and duty means doing more or less the same things daily and his competence requires that there be few surprises and things he's not ready for.
The design in this game of the Holy Land is incredible. Damascus' rich district even outshines Florence, Abul Nu'quod's palace is perhaps the most beautifully designed structure in the franchise's history and Masyaf itself is a joy to be in. Especially when you jump down all those hills and get to your horse after every mission.
The game's characterization is focused. It's Altair, Al Mualim and Malik and the Targets. The great achievement of the Assassin's Creed Afterlife chamber is that it allows your opponents some time to take stage and paradoxically you are free of any hatred for these guys, you think of them not as villains or boss fights but mostly just people. It's the main offset to this otherwise violent game.
Some of the levels in this game are still the best in the series. The Assassination of Sibrand on the Acre docks, hopping across that deadly water, the sense of vast space, its unforgettable.
The purest game...
I first played Assassins Creed II before this. I was told that the second game improved on the first in every way. When I played the game, twice, I cannot agree. As wonderful as the second game was, the first game in many ways is more beautiful in terms of gameplay, with a richer sense of atmosphere and genuine suspense. Ezio was an adventure hero, he's Errol Flynn but Altair as tough as he is, is not as large a figure. He's a ghost, a dealer of death, he's not attractive and not charismatic. In fact in this game, he's fairly hard to like, the kind of boldness I like to see in characterization.
I like the quietness of the game. It's fun to walk among the crowd and see activity as an observer. It's fun to sit and eavesdrop. The side missions you do as part of the investigations add to that immersion to your surroundings. There's real suspense in this game, and that suspense if you play it goes far in keeping the repetitive gameplay going. And its right for it to be repetitive. Altair is a career Assassin, not a guy with a civilian life like Ezio, for him commitment and duty means doing more or less the same things daily and his competence requires that there be few surprises and things he's not ready for.
The design in this game of the Holy Land is incredible. Damascus' rich district even outshines Florence, Abul Nu'quod's palace is perhaps the most beautifully designed structure in the franchise's history and Masyaf itself is a joy to be in. Especially when you jump down all those hills and get to your horse after every mission.
The game's characterization is focused. It's Altair, Al Mualim and Malik and the Targets. The great achievement of the Assassin's Creed Afterlife chamber is that it allows your opponents some time to take stage and paradoxically you are free of any hatred for these guys, you think of them not as villains or boss fights but mostly just people. It's the main offset to this otherwise violent game.
Some of the levels in this game are still the best in the series. The Assassination of Sibrand on the Acre docks, hopping across that deadly water, the sense of vast space, its unforgettable.