Last One For The Road

It has been a long, yet equally fast paced year this 2009. But that, as I said, is quickly becoming the past and it seems it is usually best to look forward and not back, yes? And really, how can anyone look back at 2009 when there is a great deal to come in 2010?

But before I can leave 2009 behind once and for all, there is a little matter of unfinished business yet to attend to. With that in mind, at long last I have come to what is to be the last game I buy this year: Assassin's Creed II.

Truthfully, the more I hear and read and watch about this, the more I am convinced that the game has been greatly improved over the original. Yes that is the purpose of these many promotional videos and what not, but they are just what it took to turn my distrust into pure anticipation.

Mercifully, the entire missions structure has been redone. Ubisoft says they've added new mission types, which I hope equals to saying there won't be anymore of those boring investigations and the like. Personally, I hope these missions are a little more action oriented.

And of course there are even more ways to dispatch your enemies this time around. Surely the double hidden blades are nice, but the arm gun is a nice addition as well. I wonder if my favorite weapon, the throwing knives, will be back as well? Long range, silent and deadly they were. I can't imagine they'd be left out!

But what fun would it be to kill the same dull old enemies? I am liking this addition of smarter enemies, who will actually poke around and search at places where you can hide yourself. That will make escaping the city guards quite a bit more challenging, or so I am hoping.

As for the story itself, it is one of revenge as far as I've come to know it. What helps paint a better picture is the series of live action videos called "Assassin's Creed Lineage." They tell the tale of Assassin's Creed II main character, Enzo's, father. He, too, was an assassin. What fate awaits Enzo's father and his family? Well I have my ideas, but I haven't watched the last two episodes of the video.

To me, this is one of the few games where I have to believe the sequel will surpass it's predecessor. Yeah Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 was a pretty big deal and all, but this is the game I truly have been waiting for. I am hoping the story is good, though I think it'll be hard pressed to get my full attention after Dragon Age Origins. Still, I am more then willing to give this game a chance. Hopefully I'll see the ending of this game, unlike the original...