Did Assassin's Creed II lineraize assassinations?

[Ayen]

One of the replies to my AC2 review on another site (you go to other sites? WHORE! *throws objects*) OW!

Anyways, one of the posters made a comment about how AC2 lineraized the assassination process when compared to the first game which had more routes you could take than the main character just telling you where to go. I thought that would make an interesting topic of discussion, so, does anyone else here share that viewpoint? Why and why not?

[Psychotic]

If you mean the actual assassinations themselves, maybe. However, the process in I leading up to the assassination was so repetitive. Interrogate this dude, follow this one, DONE! Off you go, kill someone. Altair, it seems my students do not understand what it is to wield a blade, perhaps you should show them what you know. II certainly made for a much more satisfying experience as a whole. I do think the actual assassinations became less of an event as the series progressed, perhaps because the rest of the missions (flying smurfing machine anyone) raised their game too.

[Jiro]

Agree with Psychotic entirely. While the assassinations took somewhat of a backseat, I don't mind because everything else got better.

[radicaledward124]

i hear that in later installments in the series, they are going to change the game play around to make it different. how i dont really know. I don know that the AC team has said that they feel like they are making the same game over and over and they want to make something that fits but is at the same time a different game. I can understand this. as for the assassination thing i feel that in later games it did take a back seat to the story which in the past has become sort of the same thing. But all in all it's part of the games, it is after all a set of games about assassins. it's going to happen.

[Del Murder]

I like the variety in the latter games. I didn't even notice the triviality of the assassins. I thought it was pretty badass that Ezio could just shank anyone he felt like with ease.

[Psychotic]

i hear that in later installments in the series, they are going to change the game play around to make it different. how i dont really know. I don know that the AC team has said that they feel like they are making the same game over and over and they want to make something that fits but is at the same time a different game. I can understand this. as for the assassination thing i feel that in later games it did take a back seat to the story which in the past has become sort of the same thing. But all in all it's part of the games, it is after all a set of games about assassins. it's going to happen.

AC4 has definitely drastically changed the way AC plays out. I've been playing it this week and there's a hell of a lot less running around on rooftops.

[radicaledward124]

AC4 has definitely drastically changed the way AC plays out. I've been playing it this week and there's a hell of a lot less running around on rooftops.

I know right?! and if what i heard was right they're going to change the stealth kills and all that for the next one. I hope that they dont change things too much i like my AC games and i want that level of what is word? uh..........familiarity to my AC games that i've come to expect. I expect there to be a certain amount of rooftop running and swinging from stuff in my AC games.

[Psychotic]

I'm torn. There have been a LOT of AC games released over such a short space of time. It would be interesting to see what new take on the formula they'd have.

[Pete for President]

I never felt like the game got their assassinations straight. Granted, I've only played 1 and 2, but I always felt like a thug. Stealth mechanics were dodgy at best with a very large grey area of what you can and can not do without getting guards on your ass. In comparison to my favourite stealth games like Metal Gear Solid and Tenchu (2 and 3), I felt the guards behaviour was very unpredictable and the game never stuck to one clear set of rules. Maybe it's the fact Assassins Creed handled a "you're allowed to be seen if you do normal things"-system whereas the other games mentioned use a "don't get seen by anyone"-system.

Hitman uses similar systems to Assassins Creed, although I feel like they're way better executed. Much more freedom in completing an assassination, and the game rewards creativity. I actually feel like a hitman in Hitman, whereas in Assassins I always felt like a thug when it comes to stealth. The clumsy Aladdin who gets spotted, fights a few guards in action movie style and then runs off.

[Madame Adequate]

My only problem with the AC games is that I've always wanted the assassinations themselves to be Hitman-style affairs where you've got a number of options, and where you can increase or change those options based on preparation missions you do.

Why do they never do this.

[Jessweeee♪]

Sort of? I mean the order in which you could do plot things in ACII was more rigid than in AC, but in AC there were only four of those same things over and over.

[Jiro]

There was very little impact on how the assassinations went though, even in the first game. Like, when I was speed running for flags, I saw absolutely no difference in my approach even while skipping as many pre-missions as possible.