Assassin's Creed II

Assassin's Creed II is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game being developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is set to release on November 17, 2009 (US) and November 20, 2009 (Worldwide) on PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox 360. A special version of the game will also come out on the Nintendo DS.

Plot
While not much is known of the plot yet, it has been confirmed that the player will assume the role of a young nobleman-turned-assassin named Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Ezio is a descendant of Altaïr and an ancestor to Desmond, the protagonists from Assassin's Creed. He is shown to have dual assassin's blades and a colorful attire, to fit the era. The game is set to take place in Renaissance Italy, during the 15th century, approximately 300 years after the first game.

Over the arc of the story, many historical figures will find their way into the narrative, including Leonardo da Vinci (his friend and supporter, who has invented Ezio's hidden blades), Niccolò Machiavelli, author of The Prince, (who will teach Ezio "tactics"), Caterina Sforza and Ezio's Uncle Mario (who helps Ezio hone his fighting skills). The narrative will focus mainly on the struggles of Ezio, as he seeks revenge against those who betray him, as further below the surface, the Assassin's and Templars continue their centuries long war and continue to influence the course of history. The game will feature Venice, Florence, Rome and the Tuscan countryside. Famous architectural marvels will appear, such as Saint Mark's Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Rialto Bridge.

Gameplay
The May 2009 GameInformer article revealed that many new features would be added to the game engine. Ezio will be given two hidden blades, allowing him to eliminate two enemies at once. New weapons, such as spears, axes, halberds, and maces have been revealed as well. In order to obtain the weapons, Ezio must kill a guard wielding the weapon he wants but he drops his new weapon after he has killed one of his enemys. Ezio will have access to many weapons, but some enemies are only weak to certain weapons. The player can also buy and upgrade weapons and items at shops, as an alternative to scavenging them off of fallen foes. The enemies Ezio will face have also been expanded upon, so that now he will be forced to contend with both heavily armored swordsman, lightly armored foes wielding lighter weapons, and halberdiers who will seek to attack him from afar. The cinematic trailer also revealed that not only has Ezio hidden blades in his gauntlets, but also has a gun below his left hidden blade. There will be over 30 weapons in the game.

New forms of cover will be introduced, including the ability to hide underneath the water (as long as you have enough oxygen). As it is, Ezio can not kill guards via drowning them, though during an interview when the question was brought up, the reply was "the game's not finished yet". Possibly this game will feature the same 'leaps of faith', but rather than jumping into haystacks(which will now include carts of fish, wood and other things), you can also jump into water. This way Ezio will grab his enemies by either jumping out of the haystack or the water to kill them with his hidden blade. This tactic will of course compromise your position to other guards(Known as Seekers) and they will have the ability to check haystacks and other areas by stabbing their weapons into them. Ezio will automatically hide the dead bodies of his victims depending where he himself is hiding. To confuse guards you can use an explosive powder(known as a smoke bomb) that will further cover your tracks. Rather than blending in with scholars as Altaïr did, Ezio will also be able to blend with larger crowds. Climbing has a new feature. Not only is Ezio as fast a climber as Altaïr, but he can leap to a higher position while climbing a certain building. Guards positioned in towers, or other high buildings, can be grabbed and pulled down, so they will fall to their death, as Ezio climbs them.

The mission design in the first game was thought to be too repetitive, so the developers are adding at least 16 new mission types, so missions don't seem to run together. This is a large increase over the number in the original, as there are now over 200 missions in Assassin's Creed II. Missions like eavesdropping or pick pocketing (Ezio can however steal from any citizen and can also be stolen from) have been removed from the list of quests in this game. Yet another new feature is a notoriety system in which Ezio will become recognized as he takes on more quests in each town; higher notoriety will result in civilians and guards becoming increasingly wary of the player's movements.This level of notoriety will be set within each city, so that while the player may be completely unknown in some cities, he may be infamous in others. The player may take on quests to bribe or kill informants and remove wanted posters in order to decrease his notoriety level. Updated is also the quest to collect flags, but also mini-statues and golden coins. But unlike the first game, you will be given bonus features if you succeed in collecting them. Ezio will also be aided by famous Renaissance figures, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli. Caterina Sforza and Lorenzo De' Medici will also make an appearance. Ezio's synchronization bar will fill normally like in the original game, but more major injuries must be treated by street-side doctors. A day and night cycle will also be added.

Special Editions
The Black Edition:


 * “Master Assassin” upgrade Ezio figurine with black collector box


 * 3 in-game bonus quests, allowing the character to explore the following:
 * Palazzo Medicis in Florence
 * Santa Maria Dei Frari In Venice
 * Arsenal Shipyard Warehouse In Venice


 * "Conspiracy book": A book from the developers, describing development, and the storyline (with extra commentary on the "conspiracy"). 64 pages, hardcover, "leather style".


 * DVD with all videos, behind-the-scene interviews and "e-goodies" about Assassin's Creed II and game soundtrack by Jesper Kyd (British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominee for "2009 Best original score in a game").


 * Black packaging with unique holographic signature

This edition of the game will be made available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. It is confirmed for Europe, as well as Australia

The White Edition:
 * Ezio figurine
 * Collectible White PackagingACII_CELG.jpg
 * Bonus in-game content

This version is in only available in parts of Europe: [|http://www.ebgames.com.au/xbox/product.cfm?id=14735&refer=productsearch]

The Master Assassin Edition:
 * Ezio figurine
 * Artbook: The art of Assassin's Creed
 * Premium Collectable Metal Case
 * Two In-Game Maps: Palazzo Medici and Santa Maria Dei Frari
 * Additional Content DVD with Behind the Scenes of Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II Soundtrack

This edition can be bought in North America: http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=75654

Development


On January 22 2009, it was confirmed by Ubisoft that Assassin's Creed II was in production, but no details were revealed. A promotional video was released by Ubisoft on April 6 showing a map of Italy, some hidden blade designs, and DaVinci's flying machine on a scroll. On the official site after the teaser is viewed a symbol is given to print and show infront of a webcam. Doing this will unlock a picture displayed on the site. 4 of the 5 symbols have been given by Ubisoft, and the other was found by a fan. Later, on April 10, Game Informer magazine released details on the game, as well as pictures of Ezio. There are about 240 team members, some of these members were sent to Italy, traveling through Venice, Florence, Tuscany, and Rome. ScrewAttack also released a video with some of the pictures from the magazine. In early May, Ubisoft has stated that they are putting full emphasis on the game and that 450 team members are now working on the title. 75% of the original developers for the original game are now working on the the second.

Case of Ezio Screenshots

 * A Side By Side Comparison of Assassins Creed and Assassins Creed II Gameplay
 * Assassins Creed II Trailer and Gameplay Information! First Screenshots of Ezio!
 * Assassins Creed II Gameplay - E3 including dev comments