Assassins Creed

If you like a good story line, and you like to play puzzle games, well then these two titles are a definite must for you. Both games launch you into an underground world of conspiracies and betrayals all aimed at taking control of the world. In this world, the Assassins are made out to be the demons and outlaws, while the Templar control everything they can get their hands on.

Assassins Creed launches you into Altaïr’s world as a Assassin during the times of the Holy Crusades. The game starts off by you trying to retrieve an artifact that the Templar are after in Solomon’s Temple. You fail to uphold the Assassins creed (the Assassins follow a strict code of honour called the “Assassin’s Creed”, which consists of three basic rules: 1) Do not harm the innocent; 2) Hide in plain sight; and 3) Do not compromise the Brotherhood) you end up killing two of your brothers in the process. His life is spared to deliver a message to Al Mualim (The Teacher in Arabic) and from this point forward, your journey begins. To fast forward a bit (and spoil some of the game) you end up being striped of your rank and have to redeem yourself for your actions back in Solomon’s Temple.

The gameplay itself becomes repetitive. The first few kills seem unique and get you excited but once you progress in rank and gain new skills and weapons, the game stats to get boring. What manages to keep a players moving forward and intrigued is the storyline. There are several ways that it keeps you hooked and wanting to find out more.

Overall the storyline was great. Gameplay was 3.5 out of 5 stars only because it became repetitive. The AI could have been better and there are things that the developer could have done in order for it to become more challenging for players to hide and deceive the enemy, but I guess that might have turned off some.

Overall game scored a 4 out of 5 stars. The gameplay despite being repetitive and becoming easier to complete, kept me intrigued and interested in progressing the story along. The detail behind the construction of the environment was also a hit. Digging around the net I had discovered that the developers went as far as digging up old records and city maps of the locations from that era to put the player into that particular time as much as possible. Great game and a great story.

Assassins Creed 2

Game two continues the offline story of Desmond Miles as he is launched yet again into the world of his ancestors. This time around however you’re not only just reliving what happened in the past but also learning the different moves and skills through a process called Bleeding. You start off as an infant and “grow up” technically with your ancestor. This allows for Desmond to learn everything that Ezio learns as he progresses through his memories.

The biggest difference is that everything takes place between Florence, Venice and Tuscany during the fifteenth-century. No longer are you part of the order from the beginning but rather you are introduced and eventually accepted into the order after completing a series of assassinations that bring you closer to the truth about the murders of your father and brothers. As time goes by and you complete more missions, you acquire more skills and weapons which help you to defeat your enemies.

One of the most significant changes in the second game is that you manage, with the help of your sister, a small city. Rebuilding structures, upgrading shops, purchasing weapons and art, all increases the value of your city and boosts the amount of income that is brought in. This income eventually helps you to purchase more stuff which ultimately increases your overall value.

The difference between the first and second game makes it more interesting to play. The cities are more interesting, the assassination styles are a bit bit more developed, although I did find that it was repetitive again in some cases. Again however, the game managed to keep me interested and wanting to know more and more.

Overall with the improvement to the gameplay, the addition of managing a city and the second hidden blade (yes I said second blade) the game has managed to captivate and keep my interest for a very long time. A 5 out of 5 star game in my eyes.

Now for the kicker … as many fans already know, there will be a third Assassins Creed coming out late 2010 which will keep us in Florence and launch us no doubt into another epic series of historical events which the general world most likely missed out on.