Video game producers know that across the U.S., snow is falling, tinsel is being hung and people are stuffing their wallets in preparation for the upcoming holiday season. Ubisoft Montreal is no exception, and its producers are eager to release the powerhouse sequel, “Assassin’s Creed 2,” on Nov. 17. Ubisoft invited The Lantern to its studio to take a look at the nearly-finished product.
“AC2” is the successor to “Assassin’s Creed,” which launched in 2007 to mixed criticism. Some fell in love with the story, while others were easily lost. Constant repetition frustrated many players, but others thought it lent simplicity to the fairly linear gameplay.
Benoit Lambert, game director of “AC2,” said Ubisoft was very open to the criticisms of “AC1” and took that into account when planning the sequel.
One of the first steps in the production process was writing the script. This task was handled by Corey May, who wrote the script for the original. Many would not expect a video game to have a lengthy script, but the script for “AC2” wound up at roughly 1,000 pages.
Lambert is thrilled with the new story line.
“That is the best feature. The game is a big journey. You play this game and see how this guy [Ezio] is a normal guy with a family, not an assassin. As the character develops, you become part of him and emotionally attached. The great thing is, as you get introduced to the story you are also learning the gameplay.”
“AC2” is an open-world adventure following antagonist Ezio Auditore de Firenze, an Italian nobleman thrust into the life of an assassin by the death of his father. Ezio stabs, eavesdrops, pickpockets and stalks through 15th-century Italy at the player’s whim. Assisting him in his endeavors are his phenomenal climbing, jumping and swimming abilities, letting him move through the environments with ease.
The game’s creators paid attention to even the smallest of details when creating the maps, characters and artwork. To ensure accuracy, Ubisoft sent the producers to the cities they would be digitally reproducing so they could recreate them with accuracy. Lambert said around 30,000 pictures were taken from different angles at different times of the day. No detail was left undocumented; even the ambient sounds of the cities.
Input from a historian was vital because not all the Italian buildings were in their current state in 1476, the year “AC2” takes place. The historian also helped with the plot and characters. A friend of Ezio is 15th century whiz-kid, Leonardo daVinci. daVinci serves as renaissance techno-geek, creating most of Ezio’s tools of the trade. These include his first assassin’s blades, as well as a flying machine that lets him cover ground and make quick escapes.
Running away is a significant part of the game, as assassinations generally draw the attention of some significant threats.
“You are able to use the environment a lot more. The crowd has value,” Lambert said. “The people in the streets are no longer an obstacle, they are part of the game. You are able to blend with the crowd and pickpocket to get money.”
Players of the first game might be curious about what happens outside the 15th-century European story. In the first game, a 21st century plot line occasionally interrupted the medieval action. Although Lambert kept quiet on the details, he promised that the secondary plot connecting the games would be much more developed this time around.
There is more to the bridging story this time than simply walking around a lab.
Although the game will offer many things that are familiar to players of the first game, Lambert is optimistic that the improved and expanded gameplay and story elements will be more than enough to draw in a whole new crowd. “Assassin’s Creed 2” hits shelves Nov. 17 at a suggested retail price of $59.99 for PS3 and XBox 360.
