Metal Gear Solid series many gamers named best in the history of igro industry. Genius work Hideo Kojima is no doubt, and to a certain point attempts competitors udelat icon stealth genre in vain. The situation changed in late 2007 with the release of Assassin's Creed. Ubisoft Montreal, from under one's pen went unmatched Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia, almost stepped into the envelope, and submitted to our court is one of the most controversial projects of modernity. The subject of the proceedings of the then endured Tower NPC moments: images, sound, game atmosphere and story. But the gameplay just impressed the first couple of hours. The reason for that - an all-consuming copying itself and the monotony: all aspects of the game, we are familiar with in the first two or three chapters were shamelessly replicated and for the remainder of the game. Today in the courtyard of 2009 and in the hands of our drive to Assassin's Creed II.
History As Long As Eternity Scripts of both games revolve around a centuries-old confrontation between the two religious orders. In the left corner of the fatal "ring" - cruel and treacherous Templars, on the right - secretive and disciplined Assassins. Each, without sparing his stomach, fighting for a place under the sun, and for approving their own orders. In real life, this confrontation did take place, but, of course, the interpretation of these events in the game may not be suitable for gamers of history textbooks.
The eternal struggle continues to this day. Corporation Abstergo ", with" Animus "(reading the genetic memory unit), two years ago, has already tried to get to the right information in the memory of Desmond Miles (the barman, known to us by the first part of the game). Attempt succeeded only partially, in addition, any unexpected side effects: Desmond began slowly to learn the skills of those whose lives he has lived in the "Animus".
 | | | Imperceptibly swam to the enemy, you can steal it under water. | | Smoke bomb thrown on time - the perfect excuse to get away from the battle. |
As before, the game just two main characters. In addition to Miles, the sequel to acquaint us with Ezio Auditor - young Italian nobleman of the Renaissance. The events of the original unfolded in Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre during the Third Crusade, and the continuation takes us to Venice and Florence XV century. In this case, Desmond from an intermediary into a full-fledged actor. Actually, the whole idea of another tour in the past arranged for one purpose - to teach Desmond everything that could Altair, and what they learn Ezio.The latter, incidentally, still a youth, and he has to go through all the stages of initiation, to eventually become a professional killer. The starting point to reincarnation will prevent a coup, and saving the lives of the Medici brothers. Rather only one brother - Lorenzo. Giuliano will perish by the sword the conspirators. Father Ezio - Giovanni Auditor de Florence, which at first glance seems ordinary successful banker, in fact, leads a double life, being the main heir to the Assassin's Creed. Work begun by another father, the hero will continue, but the father and two brothers, Ezio will be hanged.
 | Leonardo - it does not bug you! |
The great Leonardo da Vinci - a close family friend of the Auditors. After his father and brothers hang Ezio, namely Leonardo will support it. Since before we arrived, only one self-portrait of the creator, the designers had himself dorisovyvat image of a young Leo, causing him to have them turned out like Kurt Cobain. Look for hidden bits of manuscripts and bring them to Leonardo and get a nice bonus - for example, in the form of replenishment of health and new gadgets.
| |  | This guard did not have time to regret that so closely approached a suspicious haystack. | | Contractions alone are rare, so be careful - the enemy does not avoid hitting the sly, or from the back. |
As for conspiracy theories - they are in place. Moreover, the scenario was a place and predecessor, Miles - "guinea № 16", and the already mentioned corporation Abstergo, and even the Altair, which we certainly do not expect to see. Will not be bored - that's for sure. But for the integrity of the picture, we strongly recommend that you have completed the first part of the game.
Gallop through Evropam We are still jumping and climbing on all kinds of obstacles with grace and skill-footed deer Spider-Man. Junior Ezio, oddly enough, almost from the start can do everything the same as the prototype Altair! The system of "free running", or, if you like parkour, migrated from the original in the sequel without any major changes. All the differences lie in the fact that this time the hero quickly climb the walls if the tabs are in a row. A slight improvement on paper turns into a serious revision on the case.
There are two "stand": low and high. The first need for leisurely around the city, it is our hero draws attention to the minimum of protection. Stand tall - quite a different story: hold down the right Shift, you can move quickly, and get up parkour tricks.Intuitive mastered quickly and gives you nothing but positive experiences. Toward the middle of the game the protagonist learns to jump up from the hover, by which Ezio gain access to inaccessible areas at first. Then you can explore virtually every square inch of the playing area. A serious bid for the most interactive and predisposes to find the secrets of the game!
 | |  | Travel Ezio and Leonardo from Florence to Venice is decorated in a hurricane visit to the coach. Bad guys and a bunch of trash on the road - in the kit. | | Watch for the plot intricacies to marvel interesting. And do not forget The game unfolds in two epochs, and the two heroes, too. |
Imitation of Life was successful authors is much worse: people behave and act schematically for several algorithms spelled out in advance, although, admittedly, sometimes very successfully their turn. A distinctive feature of the local inhabitants - the habit of moving around the city in groups of five or six people. Made it to the main character, moving away from the chase, at any moment could wormed into one of these gatherings, but it looks so geymdizaynersky move pretty clumsy. Another funny moment - a reaction to the actions of Ezio. Defeat in front of dozens of people zazevavshegosya guard, and nobody did not really do it! Posuetyatsya, pokudahtayut "Murderer!", And this actually the case and limited. Guards and watchmen "include the head" more ordinary citizens, but they are singular ingenuity can not boast.
| Five true facts about Assassin's Creed II |
- Ezio swim and even dive, but since water areas in the game a lot, to move, you can use boats and gondolas.
- Health has not reversed itself. To replenish vital energy use lechilki.
- Our hero - he was still a dandy. In every town or castle there own tailor shop, where you can find a dress to your taste.
- The passing game will take from 25 to 50 hours.
- Endless and useless flags are gone, and now have to collect eagle feathers. All them hidden away a hundred.
Killer Renaissance Passion for killing the hero of "blood" - no wonder he went to his father's footsteps. And what are killing the most effective? That's right - those which do not recognize at all, or find out too late. It is at such and specializes Ezio.
Like the original, your assistants will be indicators of secrecy and's wanted. Mini-map in the lower right corner of the screen for a while can turn into a kind of radar, delineating the enemy radius of visibility.With regard to interest you: all is quiet initially, but if you begin to disturb the innocent people, steal or encroach on the lives of guards, the parameter's wanted will gradually grow. And when he reached the peak, the game will go into aggressive mode. Now our hero - the number one goal. To return the situation to a peaceful track, tearing posters off the walls with your pictures, kill (only in the quiet!) Particular "objective" (marked with an eye), well and try not seen by many guards.
| | | The time now stands still, and the day gives way to night. | | He just wanted to hug old friends ... |
Haystacks, wells, benches - the best "friends" Ezio. It is they, if needed, sokroyut from prying eyes. In addition, hidden in a haystack, or in a well, you can silently kill a passing man. You can also get lost in the crowd. Just go along with a group of people watching that would be on the floor there was a kind of "web". That means - you're relatively safe. If the common people nearby do not, you can hire a few women of easy virtue, or, say, half a dozen soldiers. Maid will ohmurit even the most respectable Family Man in the number of guards, and mercenaries are simply pokromsayut them apart. And, again, do not forget to follow the "web" under their feet.
Another important element of any spy thriller - special gadgets - in Assassin's Creed II is also actively used. Smoke bomb, hidden in the sleeve gun hidden blade (currently two), throwing knives - different items from this arsenal will be useful to you during the game more than once. Special mention deserves the hidden blade, whose effectiveness has multiplied since the adventures of Altair. Simply press the attack button next to an enemy (or enemies), and one problem will be less. In various different types of stands are obtained by killing the application blade: the low - quietly and pathos in a high - the most spectacular and not thinking about consequences.
| Humpbacked Horse |
Pokatushki riding, so tiring two years ago, virtually unchanged. Is that the administration was more convenient, and landscapes - beautiful. Plus, now is not necessarily ten minutes of real time jumping from one city to another - boring realism finally fell in battle with logic. The appearance of the transport system has put everything in its place: paying a small fee you can get to the desired point in seconds.
House of a thousand corpses If quietly deal with the enemy did not work, and also failed to escape, only one thing - to fight the enemies face to face. Necessarily immediately Teach the technique of counterattacks - name on it keeps the lion's share of fights successfully carried out. This technique acts as a sword and a dagger. With proprietary Knives, too, but for some reason they do not always work when needed, and there is a chance to get on the soft spot.Also required to master blows below the belt, clamps and various subterfuges of attacks.
Fights are made so exciting that the first few hours of specially run up to zavarushku bigger. Tens if not hundreds, of different animations, finishing, lots of tricks and attacks, a solid tactical part, and an incredible variety of situations - all this makes the combat system Assassin's Creed II this work of art.
| Big Trouble in Little China |
One of the most pointless, but entertaining sequel innovation - the mass slaughter wall to wall. He hired a band of soldiers and sent them to divert attention yawning guards, we can see serious passions! Firstly, NPC is very convincing fight among themselves. And secondly, if, say, enemy forces will cause reinforcements and closed mercenaries in the ring - they are grouped back to back, and will maintain an even more bitter battle. Watch out for similar contractions - a pleasure, and they once again prove how large-scale work conducted at Ubisoft Montreal.
| | | Assassin's Creed II - game of a brutal and bloody, but neither of which raschlenenke the question. | | Frame is 100% reflecting the essence of the game. Perhaps for the sake of such moments and we're playing Assassin's Creed. |
Stand and deliver What so we do not expect to see in the game (even more than Altair!), So it's management and monetary system. You can make money many different ways. Theft, for example, earn one's living benefit only the first time, because income is low. But go through the corpses in the presence of excess (and is already useless to the owner) penny, always stands. But the most logical way of making money - the passage of missions as the main plot and side. A variety of tasks will please even a hardened skeptic: shadowing, multiple murders, the delivery of different kinds of packages, set the speed and agility, rescue people - the list is still long. Although the job from time to time and copy each other, but each time it is served "under a different sauce, and, accordingly, are perceived differently. Remuneration depends strongly on the complexity. Errand boy, Kojima you are a first, no one will pay much. But closer to the finale, the fee, even from the most uncomplicated tasks will get a quality sword, or a solid armor. Spend their belongings must be wisely - a lot of money in the Assassin's Creed II never happens.
Assortment of weapons, armor, upgrades and gadgets are very broad - all prodmety different appearance, value and parameters. Moreover - items of equipment subject to breakdowns, and they should be promptly repaired. Armor give a bonus to two parameters - the health and armor. Weapons - to three: attack power, speed and parry.
For example, leather armor, which is available at the beginning, and really did not defending, just giving an increase to health. Metal armor - is another matter: thanks to the armor bonus, a character with no visible health problems can withstand blows with a blunt weapon like a mace.
Alignment with the weapon is quite traditional for the genre. Axes and dvuruchniki heavy, but with one blow felled even the sturdy child. In contrast, it is a weapon as a sword can cause attacks of insane speed, but then the damage from them as from mosquito bites. Incidentally, the best armor and sword - the same ones who enjoyed our old friend Altair. For the sake of shmotok have to go through six "underground" (see sidebar), but the sword can be bought in any store weapons.
| How untitled Prince |
Ubisoft Montreal is already good for seven years supply us exclusively hits, and Assassin's Creed II clearly seen parallels with one of the best creations of the studio - Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. The game features six very complicated "underground" after the passage which gives access to the legendary armor of Altair. So, these "underground" - the quintessence of design ideas in the best traditions of the second part of "Prince"! Parkour there usually plays a minimal role, but the puzzle-solving and competent acrobatics - a top priority.
| |  | Screenshot from the game ... | | ... And the painting by Canaletto. If you have not yet understood, it is the same pier. As the saying goes, find the ten differences. |
Sometime later, two or three hours after the start of the campaign we will go to the estate of his uncle Mario. Roughly speaking, a small town in which you - the king and God. Over time, there even will be able to build new buildings, and improve existing ones. The town will grow, and to you in your pocket, meanwhile, will drop money.
Paradise for aesthetes Assassin's Creed II - perhaps the most beautiful game with an "open" world, which leaves far behind not only sloppy Prototype, but also a grim inFamous. And the programmers and artists have managed to squeeze out of the game engine with a maximum capacity, so Assassin's Creed II boasts a high view distance, good detail (for open world games), clear textures and compelling animations. The second big plus in the treasury of the merits of the game - a great visual style, one hundred percent corresponding to the selected historical period. Every detail - on the spot colors matched perfectly, and dynamic lighting only adds gloss and without the colorful picture. Gaming landscape if descended from the canvas by Canaletto. Minor technical roughness and the absence of anti-aliasing at shadows on the background of such obvious advantages look ridiculous.
Sound is not behind schedule - a well known composer Jesper Kyd gamers (Hitman, Freedom Fighters) give birth again brilliant soundtrack. Actors, sound technicians and editors, too, is not in vain all these months and eat their own bread. Interesting fact: The English speech in the dialogue alternates with Italy, which gives a special charm on the screen. Version of the game for all platforms are located, and start selling the console versions slated for early December. If you are not an ardent fan of the games in their original language, we strongly recommend that you purchase is the localization: the story of the game is very interesting and complex, without translation follow its ups and downs will be difficult.
*** For two years, Ubisoft Montreal managed to create the main candidate for the nomination "The best game of the year." It is this - a large-scale, diverse and perfectly polished - was to become the first part, which stalled in a swamp samotsitirovaniya and monotony.
In contrast to her Assassin's Creed II - certainly piecework and a new milestone in the history of video games.
Appreciate. Love. With the enthusiasm forward to continuing.
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