Assassin’s Creed 2 trailer builds assassination anticipation

Although few would argue that the original Assassin’s Creed was, to put it bluntly, a bit of a letdown, it was still a fine game in its own right. Yes, it was repetitive, even tedious at times, and yes the combat was far too automated, while the flag collecting side quest was yawnsome at best, but despite these shortcomings, it was still a classy outing for Ubisoft.

Few games have managed to come close to the great looks Altair and his historic adventure brought us, and the environmental interaction was excellent, allowing players to climb any building, run through impressively crowded city streets, and generally have a blast pulling off slick assassinations and death defying leaps of faith.

For many, though, the cons outweighed the pros, and Assassin’s Creed became a poster-child for the perils and pitfalls of the hype machine. Quite simply, the game didn’t deliver on the lofty promises the devs laid down. However, with each new snip of information and glance of footage, it’s looking more and more likely that the sequel, Assassin’s Creed II will appease the critics and deliver the goods, and this latest cinematic trailer certainly doesn’t let the side down.

Set in the Italian Renaissance, Assassin’s Creed II introduces new white-clad super killer, Ezio Auditore Di Firenze, a young nobleman who sets forth on a quest for revenge after his family is executed. Starting off as a relative newcomer to the trade, he quickly dons his killing suit and set’s out to take his pound of flesh, soon becoming a master Assassin that Altair would be proud of.

Being Assassin’s Creed, the game is once again set to be an open world, sandbox title, this time in the beautiful, picturesque Italian cities of the Renaissance, including, of course, Venice.

Ezio will have many of Altair’s abilities, such as free-running skills, the ability to blend into a crowd and effective combat moves, but many will be suitably enhanced. For example, Ezio will be able to hide in many more ways than the scant few, repetitive methods Altair had at his disposal, and he’ll also be able to take to the water to escape his pursuers.

Even the skies look to be no hindrance for Ezio, thanks to the use of non-other than Leonardo Da Vinci’s glider, which will no doubt be a highlight of the game’s many missions. The famous historical genius will also help Ezio in other ways, including providing weapons and other gadgets for Ezio to make use of.

Whether you loved or loathed the original game, Assassin’s Creed II looks as though it’s on track to make some serious waves when it arrives on Xbox 360 and PS3 on November 20th, with the PC version due out early 2010. Not long to wait, so for now get sharpening that hidden blade and soak up the latest trailer.