Assassin's Creed II Message Board older than one year ago

See San Gimignano and the new notoriety system up close.

We can just see Ezio now, dashing from one social circle to the next like a débutante on her coming out party. And how could we picture anything else after watching the latest developer diary for Assassin's Creed 2, where the game's main character is depicted as a card-carrying socialite. So what if one of those groups happens to be full of vicious mercenaries? They'll help him learn how to fight! And sure, another group might be made up of "courtesans" (see: ladies of the night), but they'll teach him all about sneaking! And another group is full of ... well ... you get the gist, right? The game's handful of factions will assist Ezio as he murders his way through Renaissance Europe. One final thing: even if you don't care about each group, make sure you stick around for the surprise treat nestled after the end splash screen. You'll thank us.

Ubisoft hopes the sequel leads to bigger sales over the first title.

Tour the streets of Venice in digital replicated splendor.

Ezio isn't the only one who can fight.

Judging by one analyst's estimation, Assassin's Creed 2 is set to escape from store shelves faster than its protagonist can outrun his pursuers. According to Mike Hickey of Janco Partners, pre-orders for the game are running 10 to 20 percent more than those of the original Assassin's Creed, which, as the firm pointed out to Gamasutra, greatly exceeded its initial sales forecast of 3 million units. (It sold 8 million.)In other words, it looks like Ubisoft's going to make a killing off an assassin.

We pick apart the more specific details of Assassin's Creed 2!

Assassin's Creed II Original Soundtrack available November 16th.

Writer Corey May makes Italian history come alive in this exclusive interview.

The Renaissance renegade has many similarities to his crusader counterpart.

Discover Ezio's connection to Altair and Desmond!

Follow the lineage of an assassin.

How accurate is the reconstruction of Florence? Find out in this comparison of game to reality.

How accurate is the reconstruction of Florence? Find out in this comparison of game to reality.

See how the sequel recreates Florence.

Refreshing news that these developers grow and learn along with us.

Use your surroundings to your advantage more than ever before.

Ezio gives Altair a run for his money with a plethora of new combat features.

Ezio gives Altair a run for his money with a plethora of new combat features.

We weren't surprised when the first of three episodes in the Assassin's Creed: Lineage miniseries, created by Hybride Studios, exceeded our expectations. These folks did the effects for 300 and Sin City -- so of course we knew it would look great. Our surprise simply came from the fact that Lineage is a promotional, game-based short film; and nearly all of the words in that phrase seem contrary to high quality. Share in our surprise by watching the first Lineage installment after the jump. If you'd like a bit of behind-the-scenes info into how the film was created, check out this GamesIndustry.biz interview with Ubisoft UK marketing director Murray Pannel. He does a good job of clearly explaining the game and movie industry synergy -- you know, what James Cameron alluded to during his fateful, four-week-long E3 2009 speech.

We went hands-on with the new assassin. See what's new.

The Renaissance of the assassin begins with tons of new footage and details!

Once again, we've bitten the bullet of plotline spoilification for you lot, and measured the believability of two recently released lists of Achievements and Trophies for Assassin's Creed 2. Our initial impression is that they seem legit -- but they also contain references to a number of plot points and gameplay mechanics you may want to remain in the dark about until you get behind the wheel of Ezio Auditore Da Firenze. Check out the rumored list of Achievements and Trophies after the jump. We'll contact Ubisoft to see if we can confirm their authenticity. Read: Assassin's Creed 2 Achievements Read: Assassin's Creed 2 Trophies

Ezio Auditore da Firenze (we hear saying that five times fast unlocks an Achievement / Trophy!) isn't going to be the same character at the end of Assassin's Creed 2's 30-year narrative as he is at its outset. Sure, he'll be the same person -- but, as various members of the game's development team point out in this latest video diary, his repertoire of moves and the weapons / gear available to him will evolve the way you play as the character.Considerably more time, though, is spent pointing out how all of this will make the game less repetitive, clearly meant to reaffirm that, yes, Ubisoft Montreal is addressing one of the chief criticisms of the first game. But, wow, do they try their best to work this fact into the script. Watching the video, we half expected creative director Patrice Desilets to claim that Ezio will be able to groom his facial hair in various ways, thus adding more variety to the game. Kidding (or is it?) aside, the game is looking absolutely fab, and we can't wait to play through it in a variety of ways when it hits next month.

Everything you need to know about the story so far.

Everything you need to know about the story so far.

Ubisoft chats about all of the research that went into bringing Ezio and his city to life.

Game progression is key for the Creed team this time around.

See brand new imagery from the anticipated sequel.

Master new weapons, learn new secrets, and own an entire town. Prepare to be overwhelmed.