Assassin's Creed 2
After coming from AC1, I had a hard time getting into the character of Ezio Auditore, as to me, he didn't register as the typical assassin, but rather a cliche Italian playboy. But there's a reason why AC2 is considered the best game by many. My first goosebump moment was around 20 minutes, when Ezio and his brother sat on the tower and reminisced about the good life they have, and how this seamlessly transformed to the title intro scene. And the music! Wow! Story-wise the game is fun to explore and play.
While the basic game idea stayed the same (you are an Assassin that tries to sneak around and kill targets), it got extended with much more content - you've got Monteriggioni which is basically a mini in-game construction and management simulation; then there is the possibility to pick up weapons you don't own (and even other items, like brooms [there's an achievement for fighting with a broom :D ]), there are multiple factions you can ask to help you, to be more sneaky, or to distract guards or help you in fights, there are more abilities and upgrades that are pretty neat, you can drive vehicles (one of which [an experimental "vehicle"] is pretty exciting), and there are also a lot of different puzzle games (finding certain historic artifacts, or animus glitches) which where also a lot of fun to do. All in all, this makes the game much more diverse and less repetitive than AC1 felt. Chapeau!
Also - once more - I really loved the setting and the world; besides antiquity and the middle ages I was always hugely fascinated by the renaissance - and AC2 takes us to the earliest times of that era - to Florence, Forlì, Venice and the Vatican. Especially the Venice sequence is so incredible.
On the minus-side of things, the games graphics felt a little worse than in AC1 (especially faces), and I had a hard time with the controls, as many buttons are reused in different contexts and the game tries to aid you but often this doesn't work as smooth as you'd hope it does (sometimes you jump instead of climb, etc.). Also, after a short while you have enough money to just buy everything from any shop, regardless if you need it or not. Another thing that annoyed me, is that you need to be online to play this game - and sometimes I just couldn't because the Ubisoft server wasn't reachable. Considering that I own the disk, I feel this is bullshit; I want to be able to (re-)play this game any time, even if my internet is gone or Ubisoft decides to shut down their servers! Unfortnuately - it became the standard after this. I also felt that the Desmond Miles part fell a bit shorter this time.
Taking the game just by itself, I'd rate it a 4/5; and this includes the DLCs:
- Battle of Forlì
- Bonfire of the Vanities
PS: One last thing - I really laughed out loud at one of the Easter Eggs (right when you meet your uncle). :D
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Different to the switch from AC1 to AC2, we this time keep our main protagonist and continue with Ezio Auditore who has matured, and who in Rome can now build up his own Brotherhood - this opens up new Game elements: Instead of fighting alone we can now call different types of Assassins to assist us, making it possible to deal with larger enemy groups in a more satisfying way. To have these Assassins, we get a new kind of mini-game where we recruit people into the Brotherhood and send them on missions so they can level up and become Assassins themselves (which is a ceremony that gets its own video sequence - that is actually pretty cool). We also get more different weapons, which we can buy at shops - once they are opened. As Rome was pretty run down, we first have to renovate Rome, by removing the Borgia from the city, and then open up the shops again.
Besides the historic story, the modern day story is also extended a lot. Instead of just sitting in some lab room being hooked to the Animus and only seldomly running around the building, this time our modern day assassins get to go on a field trip; they set up base in a known location from the past, and whenever Desmond learns something from the past, he then leaves the Animus to actually use the new knowledge they gained to retrieve items in the modern day. I think this was the most fun one could have in the modern day story in all the Assassin's Creed titles combined. Unfortunately this idea was abandoned again. A shame - never did the two timelines intertwine more perfectly then in Brotherhood.
While Brotherhood is basically nearly identical to AC2, I would still rate it a little bit higher then AC2, regarding gameplay - as this one is quite some fun, and had some great ideas. The Brotherhood never felt more like this: A brotherhood. Storywise I'd also give Brotherhood a slight margin, as the characters are more mature and relatable. Where AC2 wins, is the location which is much more diverse than just being in Rome (though Rome looks incredible and it is real fun to explore and renovate it), and the time period which was more interesting to me as well. So I guess it's a tie, at the end. 4/5
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
After the surprising end of Brotherhood, things got really strange, regarding the modern day story, with Desmond being trapped in the Animus due to his coma, having awkward pseudo-philosophical discussions with the KI of Subject 16, and walking through weird puzzle rooms that felt rather hard as you play everything in ego perspective without body. This felt rather absurd, and probably are the least fun "modern time" sequences in the entire series.
Ezios travels are more interesting - now an old man he seeks the wisdom of one of the greatest Assassins: Altair. These are said to be hidden in the catacombs beneath Masyaf - but to get in there, he needs some keys discs that where brought and scattered through out Constantinople. Even as a nearly retired Mentor in the Assassin order Ezio can still learn a lot of new things from the local Brotherhood that does a lot of things different than the Italian Brotherhood that Ezio founded, does. Following the footsteps of Altair, we finally learn about the life of Altair after AC1 as well as his burden and end. And incidentally this is also the end of Ezios saga.
The Story is again interesting; we get to revisit beloved settings from AC1, and totally new locations that feel familiar, but are different. Game-play-wise not much has changed; unfortunately the fellow Assassins aren't available anymore, however we get a new mini-game that's a Tower-Defend game. This as well as the capturing of new areas however was rather annoying and not much fun to play - and unfortunately even in the Ezio Collection Revelations still had a lot of bugs and crashed a lot of time - especially during the mini game. What I liked was the crafting of bombs - though it could be more interesting - a concept that was unfortunately not refined, but dropped in later games of the series.
All in all, while I had fun and was interested in the conclusion of the story, this game did not feel as good to play as the other two, and I am diappointed that a 2016 remaster release did not find the time to fix errors. Therefore I can only give 3/5.
----
Before I end my review, there is one last thing - an extra that I think is unjustly overlooked: The Collection comes with two half-hour long short movies;
Assassin's Creed: Lineage
A three-episode live-action movie that is a prequel to Assassin's Creed 2: It tells the story of Giovanni Auditore - the father of Ezio. The images look great, swordfights are captivating, the actors are well chosen and can easily be recognized due to the likeness to the in-game characters they adapt. It does not spoil anything of the game's story though, and can and probably should best be watched before.
Assassin's Creed: Embers
The second movie is the perfect counter part to linage: It's animated and a sequel to Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood; while Lineage tells the dramatic and action paced beginning of the live of Ezio who will continue his fathers work, Embers is paced down; Ezio is finally old and retired - he has two children with his wife Sofia, and lives a slow life on his villa somewhere remote. Yet on his final days he's visited by a young Assassin from China - Shao Jun, who is eager to learn from Ezio. This film is rather emotional and leaves you considering your own life. Great work, best watched after finishing Revelations - or as a prequel to Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China which features Shao Jun and plays two years after her meeting with Ezio.
After coming from AC1, I had a hard time getting into the character of Ezio Auditore, as to me, he didn't register as the typical assassin, but rather a cliche Italian playboy. But there's a reason why AC2 is considered the best game by many. My first goosebump moment was around 20 minutes, when Ezio and his brother sat on the tower and reminisced about the good life they have, and how this seamlessly transformed to the title intro scene. And the music! Wow! Story-wise the game is fun to explore and play.
While the basic game idea stayed the same (you are an Assassin that tries to sneak around and kill targets), it got extended with much more content - you've got Monteriggioni which is basically a mini in-game construction and management simulation; then there is the possibility to pick up weapons you don't own (and even other items, like brooms [there's an achievement for fighting with a broom :D ]), there are multiple factions you can ask to help you, to be more sneaky, or to distract guards or help you in fights, there are more abilities and upgrades that are pretty neat, you can drive vehicles (one of which [an experimental "vehicle"] is pretty exciting), and there are also a lot of different puzzle games (finding certain historic artifacts, or animus glitches) which where also a lot of fun to do. All in all, this makes the game much more diverse and less repetitive than AC1 felt. Chapeau!
Also - once more - I really loved the setting and the world; besides antiquity and the middle ages I was always hugely fascinated by the renaissance - and AC2 takes us to the earliest times of that era - to Florence, Forlì, Venice and the Vatican. Especially the Venice sequence is so incredible.
On the minus-side of things, the games graphics felt a little worse than in AC1 (especially faces), and I had a hard time with the controls, as many buttons are reused in different contexts and the game tries to aid you but often this doesn't work as smooth as you'd hope it does (sometimes you jump instead of climb, etc.). Also, after a short while you have enough money to just buy everything from any shop, regardless if you need it or not. Another thing that annoyed me, is that you need to be online to play this game - and sometimes I just couldn't because the Ubisoft server wasn't reachable. Considering that I own the disk, I feel this is bullshit; I want to be able to (re-)play this game any time, even if my internet is gone or Ubisoft decides to shut down their servers! Unfortnuately - it became the standard after this. I also felt that the Desmond Miles part fell a bit shorter this time.
Taking the game just by itself, I'd rate it a 4/5; and this includes the DLCs:
- Battle of Forlì
- Bonfire of the Vanities
PS: One last thing - I really laughed out loud at one of the Easter Eggs (right when you meet your uncle). :D
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Different to the switch from AC1 to AC2, we this time keep our main protagonist and continue with Ezio Auditore who has matured, and who in Rome can now build up his own Brotherhood - this opens up new Game elements: Instead of fighting alone we can now call different types of Assassins to assist us, making it possible to deal with larger enemy groups in a more satisfying way. To have these Assassins, we get a new kind of mini-game where we recruit people into the Brotherhood and send them on missions so they can level up and become Assassins themselves (which is a ceremony that gets its own video sequence - that is actually pretty cool). We also get more different weapons, which we can buy at shops - once they are opened. As Rome was pretty run down, we first have to renovate Rome, by removing the Borgia from the city, and then open up the shops again.
Besides the historic story, the modern day story is also extended a lot. Instead of just sitting in some lab room being hooked to the Animus and only seldomly running around the building, this time our modern day assassins get to go on a field trip; they set up base in a known location from the past, and whenever Desmond learns something from the past, he then leaves the Animus to actually use the new knowledge they gained to retrieve items in the modern day. I think this was the most fun one could have in the modern day story in all the Assassin's Creed titles combined. Unfortunately this idea was abandoned again. A shame - never did the two timelines intertwine more perfectly then in Brotherhood.
While Brotherhood is basically nearly identical to AC2, I would still rate it a little bit higher then AC2, regarding gameplay - as this one is quite some fun, and had some great ideas. The Brotherhood never felt more like this: A brotherhood. Storywise I'd also give Brotherhood a slight margin, as the characters are more mature and relatable. Where AC2 wins, is the location which is much more diverse than just being in Rome (though Rome looks incredible and it is real fun to explore and renovate it), and the time period which was more interesting to me as well. So I guess it's a tie, at the end. 4/5
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
After the surprising end of Brotherhood, things got really strange, regarding the modern day story, with Desmond being trapped in the Animus due to his coma, having awkward pseudo-philosophical discussions with the KI of Subject 16, and walking through weird puzzle rooms that felt rather hard as you play everything in ego perspective without body. This felt rather absurd, and probably are the least fun "modern time" sequences in the entire series.
Ezios travels are more interesting - now an old man he seeks the wisdom of one of the greatest Assassins: Altair. These are said to be hidden in the catacombs beneath Masyaf - but to get in there, he needs some keys discs that where brought and scattered through out Constantinople. Even as a nearly retired Mentor in the Assassin order Ezio can still learn a lot of new things from the local Brotherhood that does a lot of things different than the Italian Brotherhood that Ezio founded, does. Following the footsteps of Altair, we finally learn about the life of Altair after AC1 as well as his burden and end. And incidentally this is also the end of Ezios saga.
The Story is again interesting; we get to revisit beloved settings from AC1, and totally new locations that feel familiar, but are different. Game-play-wise not much has changed; unfortunately the fellow Assassins aren't available anymore, however we get a new mini-game that's a Tower-Defend game. This as well as the capturing of new areas however was rather annoying and not much fun to play - and unfortunately even in the Ezio Collection Revelations still had a lot of bugs and crashed a lot of time - especially during the mini game. What I liked was the crafting of bombs - though it could be more interesting - a concept that was unfortunately not refined, but dropped in later games of the series.
All in all, while I had fun and was interested in the conclusion of the story, this game did not feel as good to play as the other two, and I am diappointed that a 2016 remaster release did not find the time to fix errors. Therefore I can only give 3/5.
----
Before I end my review, there is one last thing - an extra that I think is unjustly overlooked: The Collection comes with two half-hour long short movies;
Assassin's Creed: Lineage
A three-episode live-action movie that is a prequel to Assassin's Creed 2: It tells the story of Giovanni Auditore - the father of Ezio. The images look great, swordfights are captivating, the actors are well chosen and can easily be recognized due to the likeness to the in-game characters they adapt. It does not spoil anything of the game's story though, and can and probably should best be watched before.
Assassin's Creed: Embers
The second movie is the perfect counter part to linage: It's animated and a sequel to Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood; while Lineage tells the dramatic and action paced beginning of the live of Ezio who will continue his fathers work, Embers is paced down; Ezio is finally old and retired - he has two children with his wife Sofia, and lives a slow life on his villa somewhere remote. Yet on his final days he's visited by a young Assassin from China - Shao Jun, who is eager to learn from Ezio. This film is rather emotional and leaves you considering your own life. Great work, best watched after finishing Revelations - or as a prequel to Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China which features Shao Jun and plays two years after her meeting with Ezio.