Sure some of the missions are repetitive, but frankly - I guess that's to be expected in a game about an Assassin

However there were a few that annoyed me so immensely much.
Some times, I had to "catch" somebody running away from me in "caves".
And I just knew I would not be allowed to catch him and that doors would close all the time and what not - and I knew that the chase would lead to an area with guards. Stupid concept. If I am to chase somebody, don't make it impossible to catch them. Just spawn the guards outright

And in other situations where you were allowed to catch them, then the control scheme played in as well in other situations where you could catch them, and had to "tackle" them - because I ended up killing more civilians this way then actually tackling them because to tackle, I needed to press forward to move, mouse button 2 to run and space to sprint and then L-Shift to "tackle" (from a specific direction).
I mean - come the heck on......

I'm not sure if I'll play the III when it comes out or not, because as much as I liked the game itself - that control scheme really did drive me bonkers at time.

Judging by the control scheme Xandax pointed out in AC2, it still reminds me of the first game's control scheme. Pretty irritating since you need to hold down one key to access one set of actions and another key for another set plus combat where another set appears. I still remember walking stealthily on one rooftop in AC1 to sneak up behind some muppet, I have to hold down another button just to access the stealth set which involves silent kills with his retractable knife.

Why Ubi need to shoehorn in so many actions to a few buttons and access them through holding down another button is beyond me. I understand that this is a console game, but tightening up the controls wouldn't hurt.

The other problem I had with the game is the aggressiveness of enemy soldiers, be it Moor or Crusader. Even a walking pass them makes them attack you, despite not doing anything stupid like running or jumping on window sills. Only by holding down some 'slow walk' button was I able to walk past without any problems. I hope this is fixed in the sequel.

The third problem is the repetitiveness of the missions where you go into one town and have to pickpocket, save victim from abusive guards, climb every tower to map everything and collecting intel just to get an idea where your target is. Rinse and repeat for the next mission. I'm not too sure if the sequel resolved this but I hope there is more variety in the missions.

Aside from these main problems I have with the game, it is a decent game but gets downright repetitive fast. Not to mention, but this is a matter of personal taste, that I did not like the story of finding your 'inner assassin', which I find rather silly to begin with. If the story revolves around the assassin you're playing only and not involving the 'inner assassin' theme, I have no problems at all.

Honestly, I never experience any of the camera problems you are describing Xandax. It was smooth sailing on my end.

The stronghold had those great hidden areas (the cellar and your personal chambers up top with the paintings of all your high profile kills).

It had the wall with the Codex map which was cool. And come on...the architect with the scaled down model of your villa was very innovative. Armament rooms, your art gallery, it just all came together beautifully.

Considering the bugged-out, useless versions versions we've been given thus far (BG2, NWN2 etc...) this was a masterpiece IMO. When you first get there, it is a decrepit old town. When you are finished, it is something quite different. Although I did play the game on a 60' HD TV which probably made it more impressive than what someone might experience on a PC monitor. (shrugs shoulder) maybe I am just on crack.

I respect your difference of opinion but there is definitely a difference of opinion when it comes to this game. Additionally...and I can't verify because I never played AC1...but apparently the game makers fixed *every single* problem or complaint that players had with the first installment. This should be acknowledged and appreciated because there are so many game makers that just keep on screwing it up.

I can't see how you can claim that the camera - amongst the controls - is great when it shifts around suddenly causing you to jump in the opposite direction of where you wanted to go, so you have to redo a chain of movement on time.
Or when it shifts because you're locked on a target, making your character jump over and stab a civilian because it turns.
Bad controls and bad camera looks to be a mainstay in a number of UbiSoft games though - so I guess it is expected.

And so far - the "stronghold" seems to offer very little other then gold. Sure I can watch redundant armor and weapon and some paintings there - but funnily enough - they also only provide you with gold. Or I can deliver my feathers there for .... well, gold. And so on.
Yeah - there's some "plot quest" there, but that is not because of the upgrading or anything. It could just have been like the other areas.

If I were to score the game, I'd give it a solid 7. Better controls - and it could score and 8 or 9 out of 10.

I only played the 360 version. It was great to sit back and play this in a leather recliner, rather than hunched over a desk at a keyboard.

AC2 is a very polished game with few bugs or irritants. The difficulty is up to you. If you play, repeating the same kill moves over and over again (and trying to re-create the conditions for those same moves to be successful over and over again) then ya, it gets easy.

If, however, you are willing to flush out your skills with a variety of weapons and tactics, it is considerably more challenging and rewarding.

Also want to say that the 'stronghold' is the best I have seen implemented in any game thus far. It does far more than just provide you with gold. It is a pivotal location for advancing the plot. It has several interesting quest and puzzle points. It serves as a museum of your accomplishments and assembled arsenal. The training grounds were a great feature to get comfortable with learning new moves and weapons and tactics. Not to mention that it is stunningly beautiful and was fun to re-explore with each upgrade.

It's not a difficult game but it is incredibly rich on the console and you can really flush it out for a more comprehensive gaming experience. The controls and camera were excellent and there was a great variety to the things you can do in the game.

Definitely a 10/10 in my book, not for being difficult but for just providing a highly polished, non repetitive, stylized gaming experience.

Indeed. If it wasn't because the game was so easy combat/climbing/health wise - it would also have been deleted from my hard-drive.

I like the game, but there are limits to my patience ......*sigh*

The original also have this problem so I wasn't surprised to see this in the sequel as well. With that said, it is one of the reasons why I quit playing it after the second mission, aside from the repetitive missions and the story of finding your 'inner assassin'.

In addition, the latest Prince of Persia game (by the same company which made the Assassin Creed games) also use attack, jump, hand icon instead of the corresponding keys. Troublesome in quick-time events? Yes, but thanks to its forgiving nature, it isn't that much of an issue. Managed to finish it, though, but if you ask me to play it again, I would give out a flat 'no'.

Well, I will build a new computer when my motherboard kiss the dirt. Until then: Business as usual.

The one thing to remind myself is not to buy a factory overclocked card. I'm not sure if it's this brand only that is problematic but after it died, I doubt I will buy another similar card, even if it is from a reputable brand.

When my old computer died, I tested if I could destroy the card with static electricity. I tried really hard, but it was not possible. After that I screwed the cap off the cpu and poured coca cola into it. It ran for five minutes, then it stopped responding. Thén I bought a new computer.

(Five weeks later, the old computer started working again. It was creepy.)

The citation, IMHO, does not cover all possibilities.
There's a kind of people who hate to let out a thought that isn't ripe. It's more easy to refine and to polish it in writing, obviously. I believe DW is sort of those people, isn't she?

I notice that in an Elvish Female Mage my intelligence is at 52 at level 6, and I'm only at 43 just at the end of level 5 with this Thrall Rogue.

I'm thinking that I'm going to find the thrall much more difficult to raise the intelligence. That said, the character that went from 133 to 157 intelligence was female human and not elf.. maybe there won't be an issue.

Not lots of time to play and got bored of the first part so entered the sewers early this time. I suspect the chests will be more difficult--hope I find a crystal of time soon... lol

Good luck all!

When my card died, I bought a new computer. That was a good day

No. But there are plenty of blogospheres for you to fling.

Do I get to throw snowballs???

Thank you very much. I'm pleased to be here.

This is the first Olympics I can say that I *thoroughly* enjoyed. Enjoyed watching, enjoyed the hype, and actually FELT that pride. I think Vancouver did an exceptional job hosting it.

I'm a little sad that it's over--I enjoyed talking about it with the people I see each day. "Hey, did you see..?!"

I wasn't entirely thrilled with the closing ceremonies--I was expecting Shania Twain to make an appearance!! Yes, that would have made all the differernce for me. lol

Good luck in your gaming experiences! :-)

From another Canuck on this site,

AWESOME!

I'm not even a huge hockey fan, and I was sceptical at the onset of the games, but then I guess I caught some of the fever.. spent a day in Vancouver (live in BC), and the level of energy was just so amazing.

I'm a bit sorry it's over..
It has been incredible to see so much vitality and excitement across the country.

btw, Welcome to Game Banshee!

Wow!!!

What a Hockey Game!!

GOLD!!!