Published by: Ubisoft
Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal
Released: November 17, 2009
Score: 93%
With a lot of love for the first game most reviews were mixed saying that the missions were to repetitive but I liked the missions and Parkour of the game so for me this was an ideal game for me. After the confusion of the end of the first game this one sets off directly afterwards throwing you straight into battles and getting used to the controls. For the first 30 minutes of the game you will have to follow the story instead of having the will to free roam.The story revolves around the "Animus", a machine which makes it possible for the player to view the genetic memories of protagonist Desmond Miles' ancestors, a long line of assassins. This time you are based in late 15 century Italy during the Renaissance and take control of a young nobleman-turned-assassin named Ezio Auditore da Firenze who after witnessing his family killed goes on a journey to uncover a hidden conspiracy after the murder of his family.
The graphics are pretty much the same as the first game with a few jitters in frame rate from time to time.
Not much has changed in the way of controls, a few more moves have been added and the free running works well it seems until you are in a rush and little things like jumping away from a wall you are climbing or diving off buildings when you didn’t want to can be frustration and time consuming especially when you are against the clock. This however is a small problem and once I learnt to let go of “X” at places I deemed dodgy areas then I found this problem happening less and less.
The battle system is mostly the same, you now can take weapons from your enemies and vice versa but for me this makes the combat even easier than before. When I play assassin’s creed I like to be unnoticed and do everything by stealth but I found with this game it did not matter if I was spotted because I could take all the guards out without any problem and get away with ease. The problem that they need to sort is the A.I. of the enemies, they will just hang back and let you pick them off one by one and you even have time to taunt and change weapons while they attack you one at a time. What should happen is all the guards attack you at once forcing you to make a getaway.Also added is a meter that will tell you how much guards take notice of you, you can clear this by ripping down wanted posters or bribing a public speaker but they might as well not have this meter as I found I could easily walk around the town with a full meter and no one stop me, the only time I ever had problems was the guards on the roofs.
Assassination jobs are easier to pull off then the first game, you also have more of them which is a good thing but I would have liked them to be more of a challenge. What makes it easier is that you can pay prostitutes and thieves to distract guards or pay a group to attack them, giving you all the time in the world to hit your target.Like the first game things to collect are back but instead of flags you have feathers to collect also statues and codex’s. There are also Glyphs which will unlock puzzles to complete which extend on the main game. Delivering letters against the clock, beating up cheating husbands and races are also small sub quests but again too easy. You also have stores to fix any broken armor or upgrade, a healer you can buy medicine from but I found this useless to have so much I never even used more than 2 bottles and I had 15. You can buy treasure maps and paintings and also change the color of your clothes.
Also swimming has been added which also adds another way of evading the guards as you can duck under the water and somehow they seem to forget you were ever there. Once out of the water your clothes will look wet and you will be dripping for a while which was a nice small touch to the game.
In short this is an amazing game improving on the first with more missions and a stronger story but it also has some of the flaws from the first game such as poor A.I. and issues when it comes to precise jumping.
Apart from the main game you also have a Special Ops game which can be played solo or with a friend via the system link or xbox live. If you want to get those Veteran stars you will need to play with a friend because these short levels are tougher then the main game when playing solo. These levels are great when playing with a friend and really do expand on the main game making you work hand in hand with your partner.
Last but not least the multiplayer option gives you bigger maps and more perks as you play though the game. I have not yet touched the surface of this option but I believe it’s more or less the same as the first one but with different perks and a few more options.
All in all this game is really good despite the small drawbacks and they are small. You can tell that a lot of time and effort have been made by the developers. One for fans of the series, but you won’t have needed to have played the others in order to enjoy it but those who have would understand it a lot more.
When it comes to game play I have utter love for this game and then in one swoop it changes to disgust and hate. Never have I fell in love and hated a game so much at the same time. Some of the worst points being unable to perform jumps you have done time and time again. What you could do once before you may fail the next time and it’s not down to controls. When you are flowing freely, timing every jump well it looks and feels amazing but all of a sudden you will get to certain area and it’s normally when you are being chased that some jumps let you down. There is a button that shows you the direction you should be going in but there isn’t always a straight forward route.
Busting through doors brings a different feel then previous games and I also like the slowdown button but this does not last long and isn’t always helpful. You face armed guards from time to and you can choose to fight them and take their weapon or sometimes it’s just better to try and lose them. 
All in all this game is both brilliant and too frustrating. You will be flowing through the city one minute then constantly trying to pull off another jump the next. 
The gameplay is really good and the aiming system works very well, you can hid behind walls and creates but creates do not last long before falling apart leaving you exposed! The graphics in Uncharted are stunning at times especially the cut scenes. The humor this game brings works perfectly with the setting and both Sully and Elena prove to be fantastic sidekicks.
You can tell that the idea of this game has been taken from Tomb Raider even the puzzles which are a great touch but if you wait too long hints will come up. Also you will from time to time be asked to use the Motion Sensor in your sixaxis. Only criticism comes at the end of the game which some people may like but for me it changed it away from the game I was enjoying. 
Although I do like the section where you are walking through dark tunnels with a small light waiting for anything to jump out you but like I said before it sidetracks the game away from what it set out to be. The other issue I had was the length of the game, you can play from start to finish in less than 10 hours but the gameplay that you do play makes this one of my favorite games out for the PS3.
The controls are just like Halo the only factor is that you control ordinary men and that means you can’t jump as high as the Spartan or you are not as tough so you have to hang back in firefights and not rush in like the other games. This is a good thing especially if you have played through the other games as you get a real sense of being weak. All the weapons and vehicles are the same and handle the same but your energy works in a different way. As you are not the Spartan you can lose health quicker and if this is the case you need to find a health pack dispensers to replenish. 
The game is very short, I finished the Normal campaign in just over 4 hours and that’s including looking for all the little girls’ story booths. (I found 28 out of 30) There is a second disk which has all the multiplayer maps from Halo3 which you wont need if you already have Halo 3 and also on the main disk is firefight which could have been a lot better if you could play with anyone online not just who is on your friend list.
There really is a lot more to this then I can possibly put in one review, the fighting is really fun and you will find yourself flying through area’s performing stunning moves, the most impressive fight I have seen is Cloud vs Sephiroth fighting in the North Cave. The graphics are stunning for a hand held machine and even past characters have come back to do the voice overs. Yes this does mean Tidus too.
When you have enough PP you can start to unlock all the evil character which will be the main characters opposite from the game, E.G. Tidus vs Jecht, Squall vs Ultimicia etc etc.
Just an extra bit about the collectors set, this is more for fans, the game comes in a very nice box filled with goodies for collectors rather than use. The CD is a nice touch but I wish it was the full album rather than a couple of songs. If you can get one I would advise it but chances are they have sold out and people will resell them for a higher price, which is a shame for any true fan who missed out.
Once the joker escapes the game eases you into the combat side of things against a few of the inmates and then challenges you against one of the bigger opponents.
Building up a combo allows Batman to pull off the most spectacular attacks and earns more XP and it’s also the quickest way to finish off a large group of inmates. The counter moves, take downs and different type of enemies is what stops this game becoming a button mashing fighting game, you will encounter guys with knifes which you will need to use your cape to deflect them away and others with electric rods which you will need to dodge and sometimes you will encounter these enemies all together so you will have to pay attention to who you are attacking.
You play as Yuri Lowell. You're an ex-soldier, living in the lower class world. Yuri quit the Knights because he was fed up with the way laws were stopping people get their just deserves and this as you will see when the game goes on is where Yuri comes into his own and shows a darker side to him. The first character you bump into and is also your healer is Estelle who is a vital character to have in your group of 4 but her whole “I am not coming with you anymore ok I will” attitude gets old very quickly.
Some people have said the battle system is just button mashing but there is so much more to in then this especially when facing bosses and harder enemies. It’s true that you would only use two attack buttons in a fight but you do need to block and watch everyone’s health as you are fighting. Also special attacks are provided later and can pop up in the middle of any fight. You would just control Yuri while the other 3 characters will attack and do their own thing around you, you can put your trust in your healer but it’s worth protecting her and stop her being attacked so she can cast. It would also be wise to watch her TP [Magic Meter] so she can cast, this can be replenished during battle slowly, after battle or through items.
The usual RPG things apply like at the end of a battle you will gain experience, money and maybe new skills. You carry items for everything you need; you can change/upgrade weapons and clothing and carry a certain item to help you. And also for anyone who has played any of the previous games you can also cook certain foods which have different benefits.
Alongside Lost Oddesy this is one of my favourite RPG’s on the Xbox 360, I wait with high hopes for the 2nd Tales of Symphonia game coming out on the Wii.
The comments made by the turtles through the game get repetitive but its always fun when you manage to pick up and enemy and chuck it into the screen.
It’s good but not great. This game gets a 69% 
One thing I will comment the game on is how beautiful everything looks even down to Banjo and Kazooie. All the characters from previous games make an appearance but l just feel they have stepped away from what fans of the original games were expecting and hoping for.
The challenges can me quite challenging at time but once you have found many parts and you are able to build a better vehicle then the ones they provide you can turn a challenging race into a breeze. After awhile I did start to enjoy building vehicles and taking some of the previous challenges back on but I felt this came to late in the game and most people may have given up and put the game down by then.
In conclusion it does get better if you stick with it but on a whole I feel they could have done such a better game if the challenges and level design were better and maybe more of what we loved in the first game.
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