in which Nick plays Games: Assassin's Creed 2
Things I Liked:
- It was, for the most part, fun.
- Free running - once I got the hang of it, that is - was pretty enjoyable.
- Some of the kills were hilariously brutal - double-stabbing throats, rapidly punching a dude while your blades slide in and out, etc.
- There was a sense of urgency in most chases and many of the story elements.
- Each new area looked and felt NEW, which was novel.
- When I was at full power towards the end, a guard just shoving me or mocking my cloak was enough to set me off. It was absolutely hilarious to start a fight, get 12 on 1, and still be the last one standing.
- Some of the 'real world' puzzle stuff was a blast.
- You get to beat up the Pope!
Things I Didn't Like:
- The combat system sucks ass. It's all based on counters or just button-mashing.
- A gun? SERIOUSLY?
- The final fight, as with so many games of late, changes the entire ruleset you've come to learn over the entire rest of the game. Thus, I button-fucking-MASHED and won anyway. Lame, but fuck you game.
- Never once used the Knife, not sure why it was there.
- The whole "Villa as SimLife" thing.
- Honestly, I could care less about much of the story. Vengence, sure, but eh. It got muddled.
- One of the Assassin's Tombs was a bit of a bitch, while the rest were just clones of one another.
- It'd have been nice to have a bow or a crossbow, s'all I'm saying.
- What's with all the cash? I bought EVERYTHING and still have 500000 in florins. The fuck?
- Most of the backstory puzzle stuff was sort of ridiculous and overly proud of itself.
Verdict:
Eh. It was basically Prince of Persia with a shittier combat system. Still, it did take me a good 3 weeks to beat it, and I had a pretty good time doing it most of that. So solid rental?
- It was, for the most part, fun.
- Free running - once I got the hang of it, that is - was pretty enjoyable.
- Some of the kills were hilariously brutal - double-stabbing throats, rapidly punching a dude while your blades slide in and out, etc.
- There was a sense of urgency in most chases and many of the story elements.
- Each new area looked and felt NEW, which was novel.
- When I was at full power towards the end, a guard just shoving me or mocking my cloak was enough to set me off. It was absolutely hilarious to start a fight, get 12 on 1, and still be the last one standing.
- Some of the 'real world' puzzle stuff was a blast.
- You get to beat up the Pope!
Things I Didn't Like:
- The combat system sucks ass. It's all based on counters or just button-mashing.
- A gun? SERIOUSLY?
- The final fight, as with so many games of late, changes the entire ruleset you've come to learn over the entire rest of the game. Thus, I button-fucking-MASHED and won anyway. Lame, but fuck you game.
- Never once used the Knife, not sure why it was there.
- The whole "Villa as SimLife" thing.
- Honestly, I could care less about much of the story. Vengence, sure, but eh. It got muddled.
- One of the Assassin's Tombs was a bit of a bitch, while the rest were just clones of one another.
- It'd have been nice to have a bow or a crossbow, s'all I'm saying.
- What's with all the cash? I bought EVERYTHING and still have 500000 in florins. The fuck?
- Most of the backstory puzzle stuff was sort of ridiculous and overly proud of itself.
Verdict:
Eh. It was basically Prince of Persia with a shittier combat system. Still, it did take me a good 3 weeks to beat it, and I had a pretty good time doing it most of that. So solid rental?