Assassin’s Creed 2 Preview

Of Miles himself, the reported 50 new mission types and the 130 plus assassination targets I’m shown little during the demo sequence, which sees Ezio massacring the archers guarding a nobleman’s estate. Nor is much given away on the topic of travel between cities – very much the most lacklustre parts of Assassin’s Creed, despite some spectacular scenery – though Lambert has a few things to say on the subject later.

The database affords an inkling of how the plot will unfold: one category heading, “The Truth”, points to a spider diagram (mostly incomplete, at this point) binding key figures and events into what we assume/hope will be a coherent narrative whole. Metal Gear Solid 4 could have done with one of those.

The chase has been called off. Flicking the database shut, I descend to street level and get cosy with colourfully-attired descendants of Assassin’s Creed‘s celebrated townsfolk. Parting the crowd feels as absorbingly naturalistic as in the original, but glimmers of light now play over nearby citizens to indicate that further interactions are possible.

I feather a button to pick-pocket an old man, then retreat into the mob (blending in is no longer applicable solely to processions of scholars), letting them carry me past the shop-fronts and into the company of some prostitutes. While raunchy GTA3-ish recreational activities don’t appear to be on the cards, you can pay these dames to “entertain” any red-blooded guardsmen in the vicinity, covering your advance on some well-supervised position. Regrettably, the demo build blue-screens in protest when I try to lay the sauce on a watchful knight, and by the time the techies get it operational again my turn at the controller is up.

If you want a snapshot overview of the direction Ubisoft is taking with the sequel to Assassin’s Creed, look no further than Ezio’s villa – a customizable slice of real estate where you can hang pictures of your victims, unearth by-the-by treasures and indulge in a bit of Fable-2-ish housekeeping. Even without Lambert’s commentary, the message is clear: having put together one of the most lifelike open worlds on the market, Ubisoft wants players to commit to that world, to invest in it, to treat it as more than a grab-bag of handholds, sleep-walking NPCs and well-spaced collectables.

They’ve certainly thrown in the kitchen sink, and context-sensitive parkour is as thrilling as ever, but I’m left wondering whether all the added bling will cohere into something as graceful and well-coordinated as Ezio himself. No matter how populous its rooftops, Assassin’s Creed 2 will be nothing without intelligent, well-organised design.