Developer : Ubisoft
Release date : November 20, 2009
Synopsis :
Assassin’s Creed II is a 2009 action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montréal and published by Ubisoft. It is the second major installment in the Assassin’s Creed series, and the sequel to 2007’s Assassin’s Creed. The game was first released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2009, and was later made available on Microsoft Windows in March 2010 and OS X in October 2010. Several minor game-related features could be redeemed on Uplay and three downloadable expansion packs, including two story expansions, were released on Xbox Live and later to other platforms. A three-part live-action short film, titled Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, which serves as a prequel to the main story and stars most of the game’s cast, was produced and released on YouTube to promote it ahead of release.
The game’s plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the millennia-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight to preserve peace and free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and follows Desmond Miles as he relives the genetic memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, to uncover the mysteries left behind by an ancient race known as the First Civilization in the hope of ending the Assassin-Templar conflict. The main narrative takes place at the height of the Renaissance in Italy from 1476 to 1499, and follows Ezio’s journey as an Assassin while seeking revenge against those responsible for the death of his father and brothers. Gameplay focuses on using Ezio’s combat, stealth, and parkour abilities to defeat enemies and explore the environment. The game features a large open world comprising several Italian cities, including Florence, Venice, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, and Forlì, all of which have been accurately recreated to fit the game’s historical setting.
Using a newly updated Anvil game engine, Assassin’s Creed II began development shortly after the release of Assassin’s Creed. The game received universal critical acclaim from video game publications and sold more than nine million copies. It is considered to be one of the best video games ever made and popularized the Assassin’s Creed franchise. The PC version was met with some criticism in relation to the digital rights management system, and thus had the always-online DRM permanently removed. The game spawned two direct sequels: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (2010) and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (2011), and a spin-off, Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery (2009). Remastered versions of Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations were released as part of the Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection compilation for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15, 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch on February 17, 2022.
After the events of the first game, Desmond Miles (Nolan North) is rescued from Abstergo by undercover Assassin Lucy Stillman (Kristen Bell) and taken to a safehouse, where he meets her team, consisting of historian and analyst Shaun Hastings (Danny Wallace) and technician Rebecca Crane (Eliza Schneider). They have constructed their own Animus, which they intend to use to train Desmond as an Assassin through the “bleeding effect,” which allows the user to learn their ancestor’s skills at a rapid pace. Desmond is instructed to relive the memories of Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Roger Craig Smith), born into a wealthy Florentine family in 1459, during the Italian Renaissance.
By 1476, Ezio has grown into a charismatic but reckless young man. After his father Giovanni (Romano Orzari) and brothers Federico (Elias Toufexis) and Petruccio are framed for treason and executed by corrupt magistrate Uberto Alberti (Michel Perron), Ezio retrieves his father’s Assassin equipment and murders Uberto in revenge. Ezio and his remaining family—his mother Maria (Ellen David) and sister Claudia (Angela Galuppo)—flee Florence and head to their ancestral home in Monteriggioni. There, Ezio’s uncle Mario (Fred Tatasciore) explains their family’s role as members of the Assassin Brotherhood, and trains Ezio to become an Assassin.
In “The Truth” puzzles, certain historical paintings are used, such as the first depiction of a firearm
For the next ten years, Ezio hunts down the men responsible for his family members’ death, all of whom are aligned to the Pazzi or Barbarigo families and members of the Templar Order, the Assassins’ historical enemies. During his journey, Ezio also makes several allies, such as statesman Lorenzo de’ Medici (Alex Ivanovici), after foiling the Pazzi’s attempt on his life, inventor Leonardo da Vinci (Carlos Ferro), who provides him with equipment based on information left by the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad, and Caterina Sforza (Cristina Rosato), the Countess of Forlì. Eventually, Ezio uncovers the identity of the Templar Grand Master, Rodrigo Borgia (Manuel Tadros), who has been plotting to secure control of Italy by unifying influential families under his leadership. In 1488, Ezio disguises himself as a soldier transporting an Apple of Eden and confronts Rodrigo, who reveals his intention to unlock “the Vault”, which he believes to contain God. Rodrigo almost overpowers Ezio, but is forced to flee and abandon the Apple when the latter’s allies arrive to help. As a reward for Ezio’s service, Mario, along with other Assassins, formally induct him into the Brotherhood.
In the present, Desmond suffers side-effects from the bleeding effect, experiencing a memory of Altaïr. Inside the Animus, he finds glyphs similar to the drawings he found in his cell at Abstergo, which, when deciphered, reveal a video file of two human slaves stealing an Apple. The video ends with the ASCII codes for “EDEN”. The team theorizes the two humans are Adam and Eve, the first man and woman.
With several memory sequences too corrupted to access (later made available as DLC), the team sends Desmond to the final memory in 1499. After discovering the Vault is located underneath the Papal Palace, Ezio infiltrates the Vatican and battles Rodrigo, now Pope Alexander VI, who is empowered by the Papal Staff—another Piece of Eden. Ezio defeats Rodrigo, but spares his life, having overcome his desire for revenge. He then unlocks the Vault using the Apple and the Staff, and is contacted by the hologram of Minerva (Margaret Easley). Aware that Desmond is listening, Minerva explains how her people, the First Civilization, created humanity to serve them, but were destroyed by a catastrophe. The survivors joined forces with humanity, building a network of vaults to preserve their technology and prevent a future disaster. Before vanishing, she tells Desmond that only he has the power to fulfill the “prophecy”, leaving Desmond and Ezio confused.
In the present, Abstergo agents led by Warren Vidic (Philip Proctor) attack the hideout, forcing the team to evacuate. As they head to a new location, Lucy informs Desmond that the Assassins have detected strange occurrences in the Earth’s magnetic field; a solar flare is scheduled to occur in a few months, which will likely trigger the same event that ended the First Civilization. Desmond prepares to reenter the Animus, leading into the events of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.
Source : Wikipedia
