Fashionably Late Review
Assassin’s Creed 2: Discovery
By Jorge Figueiredo - July 16th, 2010
After Altair’s Chronicles, I was a little hesitant to dive right into Assassin’s Creed 2: Discovery. On one hand, the original game had over-reached; the graphics were less-than-impressive, and the gameplay was stunted. On the other hand, some time had passed between the creation of these games, so improvement was inevitable.
AC2:D takes place 15 years after Assassin’s Creed II; the format is 2.5D and work well, especially in light of the confusing interface of the previous iteration. I’m not sure if it is a function of the new graphics direction, or just due to the fact that there has been time to be more efficient in coding, but the game is much smoother, which makes it a lot more fun to play.
Without revealing too much, Ezio has discovered that a group of assassins has been imprisoned; the adventure revolves around his journey to Spain, where he discovers that the imprisonment of his fellow assassins is just the tip of the iceberg.
Unlike its predecessor, AC2:D flows a lot better, both aesthetically and plot-wise; it is a natural extension to Assassin’s Creed II, even if it does not adhere to the same format. You will find that it is a very hard game to put down, because the chapters are long enough to satisfy the craving for adventure, but short enough to complete within a reasonable amount of time. Audio is also well done; the character voices are well-acted, and the music is great.
Enemies can be difficult, but not to the point where the frustration in attempting to defeat them overtakes the enjoyment of play; a lot of this has to do with the controls, which are much tighter than Altair’s Chronicles. It is very easy to pick this game up and play.
I would whole-heartedly recommend this DS title to anyone (I also believe it is available on iOS now); the addictive gameplay and wonderful storyline are magnificent. While marginally repetitive, and without entertaining mini-games, the tight controls and smooth graphics will win you over, and certainly overshadow any small flaws that the game might have.
