Assassin's Creed 2

[Powerslave]

Ass 2 ass Creed

[ManaByte]

I wouldn't be surprised if the spinoff retail game that comes out later this year actually has both dlc packs on it.

No they save that for the Platinum Hits version. Most Platinum Hits on 360 include all the DLC.

It's stupid to put AC2 DLC in a spinoff because you can't guarantee that purchasers of that kept AC2.

[Ichirou]

Just finished the second DNA segment in Assassin's Creed 2.  Good stuff.

[Raban]

Ass 2 ass Creed

I used think Demi was the King Troll of EB, but I think you've got him beat. Every single post you make is completely pointless and stupid.

[brawndolicious]

I wouldn't be surprised if the spinoff retail game that comes out later this year actually has both dlc packs on it.

No they save that for the Platinum Hits version. Most Platinum Hits on 360 include all the DLC.

It's stupid to put AC2 DLC in a spinoff because you can't guarantee that purchasers of that kept AC2.

I'm pretty sure I heard that that spinoff is going to be a retail game actually.  It'd be similar to how Halo3 ODST had all of the map packs.

[Powerslave]

Every. single. post.

[Raban]

Every. single. post.

Yeap. I crown you King Troll. Be proud.

[ManaByte]

I wouldn't be surprised if the spinoff retail game that comes out later this year actually has both dlc packs on it.

No they save that for the Platinum Hits version. Most Platinum Hits on 360 include all the DLC.

It's stupid to put AC2 DLC in a spinoff because you can't guarantee that purchasers of that kept AC2.

I'm pretty sure I heard that that spinoff is going to be a retail game actually.  It'd be similar to how Halo3 ODST had all of the map packs.

ODST had a multiplayer disc and Halo 3 was not needed. It's different than including DLC for a different game.

[pilonv1]

Finished it up tonight. Enjoyed it but not as much as others seemed to or quite as much as the high review scores.

...

Like I said I enjoyed it. Just had a lot of issues and it sort of surprises me because I would think you would hear more carping since the actual gameplay part of the game still has a lot of issues that are irritating. Certainly better than the first and the best compliment I can give is that it makes me want to go back and play the first and endure what I consider a mediocre game just so I can get the backstory. The game works best when it has the mythos going and you have to figure out how to infiltrate some tall building and pull off a kill. That works.

I just wish the rest of the game mechanics and other stuff was as compelling and well thought out as that. They added a lot of stuff to this game and activities and tools you could use to try to stem the complaints from the first game that there wasn't a lot to do but I still think the fundamental problem is that this stuff hasn't been incorporated or designed well into the flow. It feels like a game that has a lot of unnecessary bits in it.

I'm only up to the 7th sequence but I agree with everything you've written. The actual fighting is terrible, just wait for a combo or dodge, using thins like sweeps or disarms rarely work. The economy is really basic, you can buy everything up within a few hours if you do it correctly and then it's just an excuse to go back to pick up your cash.

The really amazing moments are when you are trying to work out how to scale a massive tower, or working out how to get to your target as quick as possible. Everything else is generally average to bad. My biggest gripe is how you need to take every jump at the exact right angle otherwise Eizo will fly off in some stupid direction. It's incredibly infuriating in that tomb with the switches and timers.

It's only after playing this that I realised how fucking poor the Saboteur is, which tries many of the same concepts and fails miserably at all of them.

[Stoney Mason]

The really amazing moments are when you are trying to work out how to scale a massive tower, or working out how to get to your target as quick as possible. Everything else is generally average to bad. My biggest gripe is how you need to take every jump at the exact right angle otherwise Eizo will fly off in some stupid direction. It's incredibly infuriating in that tomb with the switches and timers.

Diagonal jumps were just awful in the game. It kept making me think something was wrong with my controller but no other game gives me the same issues like with that one. Almost always when I was in a hurry I would jump forward or to the left or right when I needed to go diagonal.

[brawndolicious]

The game actually felt like it gave you maybe 20 degrees of correction, which was usually more than enough especially compared to games like Mirror's Edge.  At a couple parts, the camera might have been too far away or at an odd angle and I ended up misjudging how far it was to take a jump but it was far less challenging getting from point A to B then figuring out where you need to go.

I'm only up to the 7th sequence but I agree with everything you've written. The actual fighting is terrible, just wait for a combo or dodge, using thins like sweeps or disarms rarely work.

It sounds like you just need more practice on your timing.  The fastest and most common way that I killed people was by disarming them or by countering them with the hidden blades.

[Bebpo]

The really amazing moments are when you are trying to work out how to scale a massive tower, or working out how to get to your target as quick as possible. Everything else is generally average to bad. My biggest gripe is how you need to take every jump at the exact right angle otherwise Eizo will fly off in some stupid direction. It's incredibly infuriating in that tomb with the switches and timers.

Diagonal jumps were just awful in the game. It kept making me think something was wrong with my controller but no other game gives me the same issues like with that one. Almost always when I was in a hurry I would jump forward or to the left or right when I needed to go diagonal.

It's a bit odd how the AC games feel like you are playing with an 8-way joystick when you are free running.  You can only jump U,UR,R,DR,D,DL,L,UL and nothing inbetween.  I guess the alternative is to have you auto-lock to platforms when you jump within range like how Infamous did it.

[Ichirou]

One of the things that bothers me about AC2 (and AC1 as well) is that I'll occasionally try to scale up a wall only to have my character sprint up it, and then JUMP off the wall in the opposite direction.  It's especially bad if I'm being pursued by guards, fuuuuuuuu

[cool breeze]

About the jumping thing, it does get annoying, but I found that letting off the right trigger and press "A" when you get to the ledge helps you control your movement and jumps better, thought it means you lose some of that speed you built up.

also, I enjoyed the combat for as broken as it was.  A bit into the game I decided to just use taunts and bare hands to fight enemies.  Doing the "grab -> stab on the ground" gets boring.  And if I could, I would try to lose enemies or stealth kill rather than getting into combat.

[pilonv1]

And if I could, I would try to lose enemies or stealth kill rather than getting into combat.

That's probably why I'm so shit at it. I usually run away and hide because I'd rather do that than get into the real combat.

[chronovore]

One of the things that bothers me about AC2 (and AC1 as well) is that I'll occasionally try to scale up a wall only to have my character sprint up it, and then JUMP off the wall in the opposite direction.  It's especially bad if I'm being pursued by guards, fuuuuuuuu

I accidentally did that a lot in AC1 but haven't yet done it in AC2. I may be releasing the trigger before pressing A Button. Fighting the controls is the lamest part of any game, but it's especially noticeable in games that try to autocorrect for you 90% of the time.

[Stoney Mason]

$60 on PC

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/25/assassins-creed-2-pc-specs-date-revealed/


Time to start the whining and boycotts PC gamers!

[brawndolicious]

well at least it includes the DLC.

[Stoney Mason]

well at least it includes the DLC.

Which Valve gives out for FREE!   

Have PC gamers been reduced to this!

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Yes, I'm trolling.

[close]

[archie4208]

AC2 at 1080p, 4x AA and 60 fps.

Will pirate day 1.

[cool breeze]

yeah, it was known for a while that the PC version was sent to die.  I think they even said that the four month delay was so people would buy the console version instead of pirating and playing it on PC.  They went into it thinking the PC version would get heavily pirated and the best would be save console sales 

But if you really do want this on PC, Amazon has it for $47 and they honor that price point even after they correct the price.  Steam sale 2011 is when I pick this up again for PC.

[demi]

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news/news-4245-This-Week-s-Assassin-s-Creed-2-DLC-Won-t-Have-New-Achievements.html

Saves me some money

[The Sceneman]

  me too

Hopefully the next DLC adds some cheevs, then I'll get both

[pilonv1]

who would bother with that then? are people really desperate for more missions?

[Bebpo]

who would bother with that then? are people really desperate for more missions?

Errrrr....before there were achievements people played games for the story and missions!

Why isn't this out yet?  I thought it was releasing today?

[cool breeze]

Sometimes 360 Wednesday updates are held back until PS3 updates on Thursday.

[Bebpo]

Its...Tuesday   I just thought they said the 26th.  Maybe it was a Wed update.  I'm really looking forward to having SOMETHING TO DO IN FORLI.  It was a huge waste to have an entire city that you skip because the content in the city wasn't done in time >_<

[pilonv1]

who would bother with that then? are people really desperate for more missions?

Errrrr....before there were achievements people played games for the story and missions!

Why isn't this out yet?  I thought it was releasing today?

If there's no achievements it seems to me that it's pretty trivial content in terms of length.

Anyway it sez on the game that the content is releasing on the 28th.

[cool breeze]

Its...Tuesday   I just thought they said the 26th.  Maybe it was a Wed update.  I'm really looking forward to having SOMETHING TO DO IN FORLI.  It was a huge waste to have an entire city that you skip because the content in the city wasn't done in time >_<

yeah, wow 

8 hours of falling in and out of sleep during boring classes will do that do you

[demi]

who would bother with that then? are people really desperate for more missions?

Errrrr....before there were achievements people played games for the story and missions!

Why isn't this out yet?  I thought it was releasing today?

Sorry I dont want to pay for pieces of MY GAME that should have been there. This isnt some "cut content" - it WAS supposed to be there.

Borderlands? That's DLC. This isnt DLC.

[Stoney Mason]

Honestly the game is long enough without the DLC (I would argue potentially too long as it is).


My problem with the DLC isn't that it was cut material. That stuff happens all the time. If I was just playing through the game for the first time, I would purchase it, but I don't feel any real need to go back to it now that I have completed it, especially if it doesn't have any new achievements. Especially since we already know the end of the story for this particular game.

[Bebpo]

Yeah, you can't complain too much about AC2's DLC.  The game is a large game already and one of the biggest budget productions in recent years.

It just seems like they wanted to hit the winter deadline and that meant not finishing whatever was on the low priority list, aka Forli and the bottom sector of Florence.  It is kind of less incentive to play it now after knowing the ending and maxing all the gameplay stuff.  But if the missions are fun and it's a neat little short story, it'll be worth it.  AC2 showed the team writes fun little stories with historical characters.  Next month's DLC will be better because it'll be an entirely new location as well.

I'm guessing when they do a greatest hits version they'll put the chapters back in and it'll be a directors cut version that should flow better.

[maxy]

EG is not impressed by DLC...5/10

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/assassins-creed-2-battle-of-forli-review

[brawndolicious]

So it's 6 missions that don't sound any better than the assassination contract side-missions and they can all be completed in an hour.  Sounds like a waste of money.

[Bebpo]

Hmm, reviews are pretty shit for this.

Guess I'll pass.  Forli the city built for nothing...

[pilonv1]

Honestly the game is long enough without the DLC (I would argue potentially too long as it is)

I'm starting to think that. I've done a bunch of side missions (almost all the codex pages+glyphs, one seal to go) and I'm bored. I'm sick of the escort missions that make you fight, they're the cheapest of game design.

It's amazing how much I'll put up with just to finish the story.

[The Sceneman]

theres a temple in Forli and some feathers, thats good enough, shut your pie hole

[archie4208]

Getting the 360 version from Goozex soon.  I'm excited.

[Ichirou]

I'm trying to download the Battle of Forli DLC and it's appearing as costing 99,999 spacebucks.  wtf?  Has this happened to anybody else?

[Ichirou]

I was able to download it now.  Since I only just started memory segment 5, I guess I'm a little far away from the Battle of Forli but this way, when I get to it, it'll feel like a natural part of the game and not just an add-on, hopefully.

So far, the races can be pretty frustrating, but when you finally beat one (usually takes me at least two or three tries), you do get a nice sense of accomplishment.  The assassinations and courier assignments have been fairly easy thus far.  I've been trying to hunt for feathers as much as possible but I only have 20 so far.  I don't know if I'll be able to find all of them without a FAQ and I don't know if I want to bother.  They're basically the same as the flag hunts from the first AC game, except they seem a little easier to find since they seem to always be on rooftops.  I wish there was a guide that at least told you how many feathers were left in each town/city.

One thing I'm glad they got rid of from the first AC was the pickpocketing missions.  Pickpocketing in the first AC was frustrating and very unfun, probably the worst part of the game IMO.  This time pickpocketing is easy even though you don't get much money for it so I don't really see the point.

[Mr. Gundam]

Just downloaded the Battle of Forli DLC. Haven't finished AC2 yet, though, so it will be a while until I can try it out.

[pilonv1]

There's no reason to pickpocket ever once you get the achievement. You get more money finding treasure chests or buying stuff. It's completely pointless, especially since it's likely to raise your notoriety.

[Stoney Mason]

There's no reason to pickpocket ever once you get the achievement. You get more money finding treasure chests or buying stuff. It's completely pointless, especially since it's likely to raise your notoriety.

It sounds like I'm kicking the game because everytime I post it's negative and that's wasn't my overall thought on the game but overall most of the mechanics are pointless. Most of them are introduced for some one off mission and then you never need to do any of it again. It's like the fighting. There is all this stuff to it and weapons, and upgrading and tools but honestly you can just button mash and get the same results. The whole game works like that. You don't have to do any of it so it all just ends up feeling pointless.

Perfect example was how you can upgrade your medicine pouch to hold more. I think I did it once to 5 and then promptly forgot you could upgrade it more because your health is never an issue in that game. You never need 5 health packs. The only time I took damage is when I jumped too high from buildings and hit the ground. I found out later you could upgrade it to something like 15. But it's sort of a perfect example. I forgot that aspect was in the game because I never needed it. It's sort of symbolic of the whole game.   

[Ichirou]

The achievement the only reason I'm doing it.  Same reason I keep throwing florins on the ground and the same reason I'm going to keep hiring courtesans when I have the money to afford it. 

Also, why would anyone pay to have notoriety lowered when you can just take down wanted posters?  Each wanted poster you take down lowers your notoriety by 25 while paying 500 florins lowers it by 50.  Way easier just to take down a couple of posters than to pay a herald some of your hard-earned cash.

[Stoney Mason]

Also, why would anyone pay to have notoriety lowered when you can just take down wanted posters?  Each wanted poster you take down lowers your notoriety by 25 while paying 500 florins lowers it by 50.  Way easier just to take down a couple of posters than to pay a herald some of your hard-earned cash.

Another perfect example.

At first I was like I'm not wasting my money! I'm going to take down these posters!

But then you have so much money it becomes faster and easier to simply pay those guys then start climbing things (and deal with the platforming in some cases)
By the end it just came down to whatever I was closest to on the map. If I was near the official I would kill him. If I was near the bribe dude I would bribe him. And if I was near a poster, I would take it down. Because in the end its the exact same thing with the exact same consequences. It became just what is the path of least resistance.

[brawndolicious]

I wish there was a guide that at least told you how many feathers were left in each town/city.

You can check how many feathers you have left in each city and even in each district in the DNA sequences menu (the big red DNA strand that's broken into pieces).

[Ichirou]

Sweet, I did not know that.  Thanks!

[The Sceneman]

PROTIP: bribe the herald, then pickpocket him. You get your money back and it counts towards the pickpocket achievement....

[pilonv1]

The only real addition I like is being able to occupy guards with hookers and or thieves. It makes the codex pages amazingly simple to grab.

[Ichirou]

I just kill all the guards and grab them, lol

[pilonv1]

Found all the codex pages and glyphs, was quite fun and not a chore at all. No achievement for the codex wall is distinguished mentally-challenged though

Only achievements I'll end up not getting are the feathers, and the two shitty fighting ones (4x sweep and 10x without getting hit).

[brawndolicious]

Found all the codex pages and glyphs, was quite fun and not a chore at all. No achievement for the codex wall is distinguished mentally-challenged though

Only achievements I'll end up not getting are the feathers, and the two shitty fighting ones (4x sweep and 10x without getting hit).

Those were kind of easy actually.  Go to big-ass palace in the middle of Venice and get all the guards around it to start chasing you, throw a smoke bomb, and it's easy.  The one challenging thing is that you can't sprint when carrying a spear.

[pilonv1]

well im still not finding those feathers. I have 23 from not trying and that's enough

[pilonv1]

@ the almost final battle

spoiler (click to show/hide)

totally trivial if you use throwing knives

[close]

terrible ending

[Powerslave]

Ass Ass in Creed 2

[Bebpo]

terrible ending

 

[Ichirou]

I'm doing memory sequence 9 now.  Good stuff, good stuff.  Should I bother getting the feathers?  If you get 100, you get the Auditore cape, but I don't know what that would be good for, if anything.

[brawndolicious]

Just achievements I think.  Some capes do make you less suspicious to guards but I dunno about the auditore one.

[Ichirou]

It would be hilarious if the Auditore cape immediately made you notorious everywhere except the Villa.

[demi]

Auditore cape -does- make you instantly notorious everywhere