Assassin’s Creed 2 Is A Great Game

At Steam (http://store.steampowered.com) the Assassin’s Creed (AC) series is on sale on a ‘on and off basis’ – just check the specials from time to time. I picked up the PC versions of Assassins Creed 2 (AC2) with 66% off and the newer Assassins Creed Brotherhood (AC:B) with a 33% discount.


I am writing this article because

• AC2 is a great game, which shows true brilliance in some areas
• AC2 also has some major flaws, which take some time & tricks to overcome and let you truly enjoy the game. I will help you there, bc I think it’s really worth it
• If you are looking for help re the AC game controls or using a wireless controller, please scroll down to ‘Game Controls’ or until you see the picture of the XBox controller

AC2 surprised me in more than one area. Sometimes a movie, book or game just has “something special” about it. Be aware that AC definitely is a game for adults and you need to be able to enjoy a bit of history, plot twists, conspiracy theories, attention to detail etc. The opening disclaimer is there for a reason:

Inspired by historical events and characters, this work of fiction was designed, developed and produced by a multicultural team of various religious faiths and beliefs.

I will NOT go into the details here, because the discoveries, surprises and revelations are a big part of the fun. This game is not a pure action click-fest …. Although at first glance the gameplay might looks like that.



Just to give you some indication if this game is for you: I only play a few games per year. Titles I enjoyed are Guild Wars, Mass Effect 2, Baldur’s Gate, Morrowind, Fallout I & II, X-Com (1994 original), Syndicate, Privateer, Elite, Bards Tale (1985 original) … yes, I am that old … and yes I somehow missed Deus Ex?!


Back to AC2: I really encourage everyone to NOT google/ research the AC storyline and elements of the story. Even when playing the game, just sit back and enjoy the unfolding of the story elements. Things will become clear the more you play. In the end, it really is about the greatest story of mankind. If you get stuck at a certain point, just find a solution for that specific problem / area / puzzle. Resist on reading up too much. After finishing AC2, read all the details here:
http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/Pieces_of_Eden


Just as a site note: I did not play AC1. It got good reviews, but it seems AC2 was a big step forward and I just didn’t want to go back that far.

Just FYI – According to Ubisoft AC:B sold more than 6.5 million copies and the entire series sold over 28 million copies. Just do some maths how much revenue that is …


Nothing Is Perfect! So What’s The Catch?

• DRM copy protection
• Game controller compatibility issues on PC
• Poor/ no PC tutorial.
• Very ‘unique’ game controls

DRM (Digital Rights Management)

I make this quick. AC2 has a DRM copy protection that requires a permanent & stable internet connection AT ALL TIMES! Also all your games are saved online. This caused lots of tech hassles / frustrations for many players with firewalls, virus scanners, disconnects, lost saved games, playing on laptops …. I had no big drama myself, but for many reasons I am absolutely against this form of DRM: Control over your PC, “your product”, your saved games, can’t play when net down…. research for yourself.

At least Ubisoft listened and removed the permanent connection requirement for the sequel AC:B. Also they included the add-on “The Da Vinci Disappearance” for free. The add-on needs to be activated online, but it’s free.


Loosing Saved Games
I highly recommend to un-chech the "Synchonize saved games" box. The check-box in under "Setting" in the Game Launcher. It's not in the game itself. I lost a 5hr gaming session, before finding outthat this is a common issue.


Game Controls On PC– What A Mess!!!

From the 1st second on AC2 screams in your face: “This Is A Console Game” and “Lazy Software Conversion To PC”. There is no real tutorial and the game tells you things like ‘press the green button on you game controller’ <- Nerd Rage: Dude, I don’t have a fu$#%’g game pad. Well, get one ;-)

I played about 50% of the game with mouse (5 buttons) and keyboard. It’s absolutely possible, but I would not recommend it. Get a wired (!!) XBOX controller for PC. It’s about 30$ and it’s worth it for this game alone. I am a PC-only gamer and never used a gamepad before. Trust me on this one, get it.

If you want to plug & play, get the wired controller. Might be the better option for future games as well! I got the wireless XBOX controller, because it was on sale … now I know why … it does not work with AC2. The buttons are not mapped correctly and some buttons don’t work at all. This can be fixed. You need to download 2 files and copy them into the AC2 game directory. Find the details here:

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1183634

Ok, now you are ready to play. It will take a few hours – yes hours – to get used to the controls and find out the details. Only after you master the controls, this game becomes true fun. I will only touch the basics, but this will hopefully save you time and frustrations.


Control Concept
Each button maps “a part of your body”. Depending on the situation the same button performs a different action. For example when
In front of a shop “Head” (Yellow Button – Y) activates “talk to shop owner”.
On a view point / tower “Head” (Yellow Button – Y) activates “scan environment” (updates map).

There are 2 types of activities / actions

• “High Profile” actions, which attract attention from guards and might put you into trouble (running, stealing, climbing up buildings …)
• Normal: Walking, fast walking, shopping, …

The standard mapping of the XBOX controller is

Right Trigger – High Profile action (hold trigger for running)
Left Trigger – Lock target
Right Bumper – Weapon Wheel
Left Bumper – Contextual Cameras (don’t worry about that)

D-Pad – most of these are not available at the beginning of the game
Up - Hidden Blade(s)
Down - Fists (Unarmed)
Left – Use Medicine / Healing
Right - Main Weapon/ Sword

Face Buttons:
Y - Eagle Vision/ Talk (‘Head’)
X – Attack (‘Armed Hand’)
B – Grab/ Interact (‘Free Hand’)
A - Fast Walk, Sprint, Jump (‘Legs)

Left Stick – Move Character
Right Stick – Move Camera
Back Button – Map
Start Button – Menu (Inventory, Database, …)






Movement
In AC2 the character (on foot) has 4 movement speeds. This is important, because some missions are races on a pretty tight timer limit.

• Walk: Move left stick
• Fast Walk: Move left stick and hold Green A Button , rarely used
• Run: Move left stick & hold right trigger. Press (once and release) the Green A Button to jump/ climb onto building. I use this in most of the action sequences
• Sprint: Move left stick & hold right trigger & hold green A button. I don’t use it much, but this is very important for races and jumping/ swinging over multiple bars/ beams The disadvantage is that when you meet an obstacle you immediately start jumping, bc you hold the A button. Fast! Use in open field areas (outside cities) and your own town/ villa Use during races when there are no obstacles in the way When jumping between multiple beams, this is the only way to not disrupt the “continues” movement/ jumping, especially when there is one (or many) beam(s) overhead. The ‘normal’ “press Green A Button once jump” will get you stuck on the overhead beams and you will need to initiate a new swing/ jump.
  

When you are hanging still on a beam without swinging

• Press Red B Button to drop down (don’t want that in most cases)
• Hold Right Trigger and hold Green A Button to initiate swing
• Hold Right Trigger and hold Green A Button and Push & hold left stick forward to start swing and jump off forward

Climbing Down – Free Fall
When hanging on a roof / tower edge, press the Red B Button to release and initiate a free fall. Press the Red B Button again to grab the wall and stop the fall. On very rare occasions there is nothing to hold on to …


Fighting
It’s “ok’ish”, but the relatively low difficulty makes advanced tactics and special moves unnecessary. Also targeting & movement are not very accurate.

Hidden Blade

• Your main weapon
• Very fast

Hidden Blade In Group Fights

• In a fight, just keep pressing the Blue X Button every time you hit the enemy to line up combos. This is sufficient to survive most fights.
• Instant kills ‘Counter Attack’ and ‘Grab Finishing Move’ not possible with Hidden Blade

Hidden Blade Assassinations

• The tutorial mission for assassinations is ok
• When hidden from an enemy an assassination can be performed with the hidden blade by
• Target enemy by pressing left trigger once
• Press Blue X Button once. This only works if the position is suitable. If not, the assassinate option is not displayed in the top right corner of the screen
• Depending on your position a different type of assassination move is performed
• Standing on building / hanging on wall above target -> Air Assassination. Very useful to get rid of guards in front of doors. Best position there is to free fall down from the roof until reaching the ‘stone symbol / decoration’ above the door.
• Pull guards from roofs and balconies from underneath
• Assassinate from hiding out of hay stacks

‘Counter Attack’ and ‘Grab Finishing Move’

• Don’t work on strong enemies / bosses
• Equip Sword (press D-pad right)
• Not possible with Hidden Blade

Counter Attack

• Hold right trigger to block incoming attacks
• Just before the enemy hit lands on you, press the Blue X Button once (while holding Right Trigger) -> instant kill with cool animation

Grab Finishing Move

• Press the Red B Button once (don’t hold / let go) the moment the enemy starts an attack / swings arm backwards -> grabs enemy into a hold / lockdown position
• Press the Blue X Button once to perform instant kill

Hope this helps.
Enjoy the game.