Summary
Today marks the 15th anniversary ofAssassin’s Creed 2, which almost feels surreal. TheAssassin’s Creedseries has gone through a lot of changes since it began in 2007, to the point that its new releases are usually met with more skepticism now than they are excitement. Nevertheless, the series has continued pressing on, attempting at every turn to recreate the success of what is arguably the best game in theAssassin’s Creedfranchise,Assassin’s Creed 2.
With all the graphical and mechanical tools theAssassin’s Creedseries has access to now, it’s hard to say thatAssassin’s Creedis a better game than the rest in some ways. However, it still stands true that, ofeveryAssassin’s Creedgame ever made,Assassin’s Creed 2is undoubtedly the most influential, and the last 15 years of the franchise easily owes everything to the second installment.
Assassin’s Creed Owes Everything to Assassin’s Creed 2
Assassin’s Creed 2 Is the Game That Sparked the Franchise’s Popularity
Assassin’s Creedhas been an ongoing seriessince 2007, but it wasn’t until the release ofAssassin’s Creed 2in 2009 that the franchise truly kicked off. If anything, the first game in the series was merely the hand that held the door open forAssassin’s Creed 2, much like the originalMass Effectwas for its sequel. It can’t be argued thatAssassin’s Creedintroduced the core concept of the series, which included its iconic stealth elements and parkour. However, its clunky, slow, and unreliable gameplay mechanics ultimately led to a poorer reception. Normally, this might have spelled doom for a new IP, butAssassin’s Creed 2came into the picture soon after and changed things forever.
IfAssassin’s Creedwas the series' spark,Assassin’s Creed 2was its wildfire. Whereas the first game garnered an average reception,Assassin’s Creed 2managed to walk home clothed in universal acclaim, with a higher average critical score than its predecessor and a Metascore of 91 — which it still maintains to this day, making it thehighest-rated game in theAssassin’s Creedseriesfor the last 15 years. Its positive reception wasn’t just on account of it being the second game in theAssassin’s Creedseries, but how it managed to take the first game’s core principles and refine them to produce something unlike anything gamers had experienced before.
Assassin’s Creedhas been an ongoing series since 2007, but it wasn’t until the release ofAssassin’s Creed 2in 2009 that the franchise truly kicked off.
Assassin’s Creed 2isn’t just a polished version of the first game, though it does still feel, in some ways, like the original. Firstly,Assassin’s Creed 2’s protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, is a much more charismatic and relatable character thanAssassin’s Creed’s Altair. This helped the game’s narrative to be more compelling in turn, especially as it included more familiar historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci, Lorenzo de Medici, and Rodrigo Borgia. Its setting, which featured iconic Italian Renaissance cities like Florence and Venice, was another major contributor to its success, and this was emphasized even more as the sequel’s world felt more lived in than the last.
As a whole,Assassin’s Creed 2’s gameplay is a vast improvement over the original. Its stealth and parkour systems are smoother and more fluid, its side content is far more entertaining thanAssassin’s Creed’s monotonous collectibles, its renovation system is rewarding, its combat mechanics more reliable and engaging, and its polished graphics and improved character models are just the cherry on top of it all. Of course, many of these systems have progressively gotten better as the series has gone on, but that by no means lessens the impact thatAssassin’s Creed 2had on the franchise’s future after 2009.
The Assassin’s Creed Franchise Has Grown Immensely Since the Release of Assassin’s Creed 2
Fifteen years after the release ofAssassin’s Creed 2, there are now thirteenmainlineAssassin’s Creedgames(with one on the horizon), four major spin-off titles, ten mobile games, a few other projects currently in the works, and even a feature-length film. Since the release ofAssassin’s Creed 2, the franchise has certainly had its ups and downs, but had the second game in the series not been as successful as it was, the rest of it might not have had any ups to begin with.
IfAssassin’s Creedwas the series' spark,Assassin’s Creed 2was its wildfire.
It’s difficult to deny the impact thatAssassin’s Creed 2had on the series, and while one might be inclined to say it could have happened with anyAssassin’s Creedgame after that,Assassin’s Creed 2is the support system that ultimately rocketed the franchise to success. When it was released, it garnered universal critical acclaim for its narrative, characters, world design, and massive improvements over the first game. After the slog that the first game was,Assassin’s Creed 2put a refreshing twist on the formula with a more relatable character, deeper story, more recognizable historical figures, a breathtaking rendition of Italy, and refined gameplay mechanics for what is arguablythe most importantAssassin’s Creedgameever made.
Assassin’s Creed 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Assassin’s Creed II introduces you to Ezio, a new assassin carrying on the deadly lineage of his forebears. Confront an epic tale of power and corruption as you hone your Assassin’s art, wielding weapons and instruments designed by the legendary Leonardo Da Vinci himself in this gripping and deadly sequel.Explore the deadly, shadowed world of the assassin with new assassin Ezio.Experience heavy action blended with fluid and precise animations. Use a wide range of medieval weapons, and face your enemies in realistic swordfight duels.Stalk your prey through richly detailed, historically accurate, open-ended environments. Scale buildings, mount horses, blend in with crowds. Do whatever it takes to achieve your objectives.
