Assassin's Creed II: Difference between revisions

'' '''Ezio:''' I do this not for myself. Compio questo sacrificio per il bene superiore. Requiescat in Pace. (I make this sacrifice for the greater good. Rest in peace.)'' }}

 

 

Contrasting to the Crusade time period of the first game, this one [[Time Skip|jumps us forward a few hundred years]] and a few hundred miles to [[The Renaissance|Renaissance]] Italy, while in the real world, the game picks up right where the first left off: Desmond and Lucy escape Abstergo's facility at the beginning of the game and flee to an Assassin safe house, where two other Assassins put him in a new and improved Animus, hoping he'll pick up some of Ezio's skills and find more Pieces of Eden.

On the actual non-plot side, the game has been widely praised by reviewers and players alike for [[Even Better Sequel|correcting many of the issues players complained about in the first game]], with a wider variety of missions, smarter (but also easier to escape) guards, a more robust combat system, and a streamlined control system that allows for more free-running options. Two episodes of DLC were released to fill in missing Sequences 12 and 13 (''Battle of Forlì'' and ''Bonfire of the Vanities'') offering a more complete experience to the game. However, unlike the first game there is no ability to replay story memories on the same playthrough. You can redo the "secret messages" (the Glyph puzzles) in "The Truth" Menu by clicking the red puzzles.

 

 

Additionally, Ezio [http://www.fightersgeneration.com/np9/ezio-sc5.jpg will be crossing over] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNMnZyQLOBA to another series,] as a [[Guest Fighter]] in ''[[Soul Series|Soulcalibur]] V''.

* [[Alternate History]]: By this game, the developers have outright proclaimed it to be [[Alternate History]]. Somewhat justified by Abstergo's deliberate muddying of the waters.

* [[Altum Videtur]]: Ezio says "Requiescat in pace", but "requiescat" is the active third-person singular present tense that means "he/she/it may/must/should rest". Since the active second-person singular present tense is "requiescas", meaning "may you rest", the term should be "''Requiescas'' in pace" ("May you rest in peace").

** Antonio may also be homosexual, or he may just be flamboyant and effeminate. Although Leonardo does say "I've been seeing quite a bit of him lately- errr... as mutual friends..."

* [[An Aesop]]: If the series itself does have an aesop to teach, it is that people should not allow others to choose their path and what they believe, but to decide it for themselves.

** Rooftop guards will also shoot Borgia couriers when they try to escape you, even if the city's guard is aligned with the Borgia.

*** ...While ignoring you completely. Of course, once the Courier/Pickpocket is out of the way they'll turn their attention on you too.

* [[Asshole Victim]]: [[Sympathetic Murderer|Why do we kill them]]? Because they are all corrupted bastards!

** Somehow the Corrupt Officials are ''so'' known to be such that passing crowds won't even pause when you publicly put a blade through the guy's torso (though guards will attack on sight of this). Rather conveniently though, these guys who "bear false witness against you" (Paola's words) ''only'' appear once you have quite a lot of Notoriety...

* [[Blade Below the Shoulder]]: Ezio's hidden blade is ''significantly'' upgraded over Altaïr's. For starters, he can use it as a weapon in standard combat; it is however one of the weakest weapons in open combat. Then he gets one on his right arm too so he can stab two guys at once. Late in the game you get a hidden ''gun'' attachment to it, as the intro movie promises. The hidden blades are the only weapon in the game that can counter-kill an enemy regardless of his status, although it's difficult to pull of regularly because the time window for the counter-kill is the shortest of all. And, best of all, this version of the blade no longer requires you to give up a finger to equip it.

** According to the Codex, all of these were 'granted' to the Order by Altaïr.

* [[Boisterous Bruiser]]: Bartolomeo.

* [[Book Ends]]: Once Ezio's story properly starts, the first scene is a fist fight with his biggest rival. His story ends with a fist fist against his mortal enemy.

* [[Camera Screw]]: Thankfully it's at least possible to set the action camera frequency, but it's still not possible to disable it completely.

* [[Charged Attack]]: When bare-handed, Ezio can pick up a handful on sand and blind enemies with it. He can charge his throwing knives during a fight and toss up to three at once. Heavy Weapons can be charged to guard crush enemies and potentially disarm them. Spears can be charged to sweep enemies off of the ground.

* [[Chick Magnet]]: Ezio.

* [[Chronic Hero Syndrome]]: Seems like Ezio suffers from it as he often agrees straight away to help even before he's properly asked.

** Sometimes it's more of a guilt trip, like when he changed his mind about fleeing with his mother and sister to Spain and instead agreed to stick around to help Mario whack Vieri de' Pazzi.

* [[Cluster F-Bomb]]: Lady Caterina has a ''very'' naughty mouth.

* [[Command and Conquer Economy]]: With enough ''florin''s saved up, you can order your Architect to renovate your village back into the thriving economy it used to be.

* [[Coup De Grace]]: Attacking downed enemies while armed is a [[One-Hit Kill]].

* [[Cosmic Deadline]]: At the end of Sequence 11, right after Ezio is officially inducted into the Assassins, the Animus somehow glitches up and corrupts Sequences 12 and 13, skipping ahead to the final Sequence 14, which takes place 11 years after Sequence 11 and has Shaun helpfully inform you that Ezio's mortal enemy is now [[The Pope|Pope Alexander VI]]. The broken segments are later "repaired" as DLC: "Battle of Forlì", followed by the "Bonfire of the Vanities".

* [[Critical Annoyance]]: Same as in the first game, except this time it doesn't make a lick of sense as the health meter now represents actual health.

* [[Cruel Mercy]]: At the end {{spoiler|Ezio spares Rodrigo's life}}, implying that while [[Cycle of Revenge|killing him won't bring back what Ezio's lost]], letting {{spoiler|Rodrigo}} live might be worse, as {{spoiler|Ezio has defeated him at his moment of triumph, proved to Rodrigo the he isn't the Prophet he thought he was, and was going to enter the Vault and take what Rodrigo spent his entire life searching for.}} In that context, it is pretty damn cruel to let him live. On the other hand, he totally effing deserves it.

* [[Custom Uniform]]: It's not clear if the Thieves have a ''per se'' uniform or they're all wearing the same kind of outfit for convenience, but Rosa and Antonio clearly don't use the same garb.

* [[Cutscene Drop]]: It doesn't matter if you kill your target by shooting him from afar, throwing him off a roof and/or into the instantly-fatal-to-[[NPC|NPCs]] water, or slashing him with your sword as you gallop past him on a horse, somehow Ezio always instantly ends up kneeling on the ground with the target dying in his arms. This even happens when an ally specifically tells you to shoot the target.

* [[Dangerously Genre Savvy]]: The Seeker variety of Elite Guard is a step up from [[The Guards Must Be Crazy]], to the point of actually ''overturning hiding spots''.

** Regular guards may also stab hiding spots that are in areas under investigation, but the Seeker tends to do so even when there's no disturbance.

* [[Dating Catwoman]]: Desmond briefly experiences one of Altaïr's memories as a result of the "bleeding effect" that shows both Altaïr and the Templar Maria having fallen in love. You can even find a portrait of Maria drawn by Altaïr as one of the Codex pages.

** He also realizes that he is a descendant of that one time they did it on top of a tower in Acre, as his memories of Altaïr in that instance end at the moment of conception.

* [[Determinator]]/[[Made of Iron]]: Ezio. {{spoiler|Borgia stabs him in the stomach after besting him with the Papal Staff, but when Ezio gets back up to challenge him to the fistfight, there is ''no effect'' on gameplay.}} Oddly enough, in the DLC, when Ezio {{spoiler|is stabbed in like fashion by a dying Checco Orsi, he goes unconscious and nearly dies}}.

** Equally, Rosa: She is shot through the leg trying to climb a secure building in Venice. Rosa rolls and ''runs'' off, with Ezio following. She actually makes it quite far before finally collapsing.

* [[Dirty Coward]]: The "running Templars" you encounter in some of the Assassins' Tombs and Templar Lairs, who are near-impossible to catch just to add insult to injury. Fortunately, all of them except the first (the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, a story memory) may be replayed.

* [[Disappeared Dad]]: You get to see Giovanni "disappear"... by hanging.

* [[Doesn't Like Guns]]: Curiously, the modern Templar guards in the ending scenes all use telescoping batons in trying to capture Desmond and Lucy. Turns out the Templars are mainly trying to give the false impression that they're chasing the Assassins in order to cover up the fact that {{spoiler|Lucy is a Templar.}}

* [[Doppleganger Attack]]: Altaïr apparently shared this knowledge with Ezio through the Codex, since Ezio uses this trope to its fullest when he fights the Pope. It works quite well and even the Pope congratulates him on this trick.

* [[Drop the Hammer]]

* [[Dual-Wielding]]: Ezio has two hidden blades. Most of the time, they don't operate too differently from Altaïr, but they do allow you to shank two guards at once.

* [[Duel Boss]]: Vieri and Borgia.

** Can be averted in Vieri's case by throwing knives (if you find the right position to throw them from) or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJHYeaWwFow&t=1m01s by surprising him (possibly by bumping into him)] (at 1:01), but with Borgia the only way to do so is a game-breaking bug (in the sense that you won't be able to complete the memory).

* [[Fashionable Asymmetry]]: Ezio's assassin outfit has several examples, though they're not at ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' levels of dramatic. One hand gloved, one bare. Half-cape over one shoulder. Once you have the piece, an armored spaulder/pauldron goes over the other. Lastly, and this can be easy to miss, Ezio's left hand hidden blade has a white-silver finish, whereas his right hand blade has a black finish.

* [[Fisticuffs Boss]]: It ends like this. Yes, you and the Pope fight with bare hands.

* [[Fluorescent Footprints]]: Available using Eagle Vision.

* [[For Doom the Bell Tolls]]: In the [[Attract Mode]] video, after the second target is shot, there is a beat, then a bell sounds as he falls over dead.

* [[Handsome Lech]]: Ezio.

* [[Hammerspace Hideaway]]: The haystacks can apparently hold an unlimited number of corpses, their weapons, and ''still'' have room for Ezio to hide in.

** The change from the first game is implied to be a result of the Animus 2.0's superiority over the original Animus.

* [[Highly-Visible Ninja]]: Ezio is possibly a bigger offender when it come to this than Altaïr. In Altaïr's time, the bright white assassin robe at least had the perk that it was reminiscent of the one the local scholars wore, which made masquerading as one or hiding amongst a group of them possible. Ezio on the other hand has no such excuse, but unlike Altaïr, he has the option of changing the robe's color to a more camouflage-friendly one. Interestingly, his father, Giovanni, apparently kept the robe in its white default color, making him qualify for the trope as well. Note that this ''does'' tie into gameplay: if Ezio passes into line of sight of a guard in an area he shouldn't be in, they spot him right away. If the guards are on high alert, they'll also spot Ezio if he's walking down the street without using crowds, picking him out based on his flashy clothes.

** The mothers, Paola and Theodora, {{spoiler|are both Assassins}}.

* [[I Call It Vera]]: Bartolomeo's massive [[BFS|sword]], Bianca.

* [[Impossibly Cool Clothes]]: Assassin's robes became [[Memetic Outfit|memetic]] for [[Badass|badassness]].

* [[Improvised Weapon]]: When Ezio busts Bartolomeo out of jail, the latter initially uses a broom as a weapon [[Badass|and beats the hell out of a bunch of guards in the process]]. Ezio himself can pick up brooms, farming implements, fishing poles etc. and use them like bludgeons.

* [[Inexplicable Treasure Chests]]: Loads of them. You can even buy maps that lead to these treasure chests. In addition, there are guards scattered around with nothing better to do than to protect a chest by a hay pile outside of town all day.

* [[Infant Immortality]]: Averted. Ezio's kid brother Petruccio, who has to be only ten or eleven years old, is hanged alongside his father in the mission "Last Man Standing".

* [[Losing the Team Spirit]]: The death of Giovanni, Ezio's father. In terms of gameplay, killing a high ranking guard or lots of guards quickly may cause the other guards to rout.

** Also, aiming the pistol at someone for long enough will cause this.

* [[Lovable Rogue]]: Ezio. Especially in his younger years, though he never completely loses the charm.

* [[Mama Bear]]: Caterina Sforza. Her daughter, Bianca, is a Sister Bear towards Ottaviano, her little brother.

* [[Nice Hat]]: Lots of Italians wear hats. The lowest-ranking guards have berets.

* [[No-Gear Level]]: After the execution of Giovanni, Frederico and Petruccio, a Brute disarms Ezio, forcing him to run for it. You don't get the Hidden Blade for a while, and a permanent sword even later.

* [[Not Allowed to Grow Up]]: Even though Ezio's sister Claudia should be in her late 30s by the end of the game, she still looks and acts the same as her 15-year-old self from the beginning of the game.

** The only obvious physical change Ezio undergoes between the ages of 17 and 40 is that he grows his beard a bit. He doesn't become any less physically fit over time, either.

* [[Not So Different]]: Ezio's first mark throws this excuse at him: "You would have done the same, to save those you loved." Ezio's response is "Yes. I would. And I have." Ezio's later marks usually don't bother to defend themselves, likely in response to complaints about the speeches in the first game.

* [[Not Worth Killing]]: Ezio eventually decides this about {{spoiler|Borgia}}.

* [[Older Is Better]]: Altaïr's Armor and sword.

* [[Older Than They Look]]: Although Ezio appears to age over the course of the game, mostly due to facial hair, his uncle, mother and sister appear and largely act the same even 23 years later.

* [[One-Woman Wail]]: Present in a lot of the soundtrack, most noticeably the title sequence.

* [[Only Smart People May Pass]]: Subject 16's "The Truth" puzzles, especially the last few.

* [[Punch Clock Villain]]: The game sometimes shows guards to be normal people whose only offence is being on the wrong side. Ezio notes this in the mission where you track down Jacopo de'Pazzi.

* [[Random Encounters]]: Pickpockets and Borgia couriers. There are also several guards scattered throughout the various cities, who will attack you if you're infamous enough.

* [[Rasputinian Death]]: The elderly, apparently physically frail {{spoiler|Jacopo de' Pazzi}} is stabbed four times: twice in the chest, once ''through'' the neck, and once more in the neck/head by Ezio to "finish him off." He is still alive as Ezio administers final rites.

** Francesco de' Pazzi and Bernardo di Bandino Baroncelli stab Giuliano de Medici 19 times. Which actually happened, according to [[The Other Wiki]].

* [[Sexy Discretion Shot]]: When Desmond experiences one of Altaïr's memories as a result of the "bleeding effect", it shows Altaïr meeting the Templar Maria on a tower. Rather than him trying to kill her like Desmond thought (since Templars and Assassins are enemies), Maria instead makes a "come here, you" motion to Altaïr, who walks right up to her and kisses her straight on the mouth with her embracing it, revealing they had been in a relationship. The scene then fades away and the next one we see, is of Altaïr and Maria cuddling in the hay (clothed), after having "done the deed". Not long after it is revealed that this was actually the conception of one of Altaïr's descendants.

** Near the beginning of the game, Ezio pays a visit to his girlfriend at the time. After some kissing, Ezio begins to slip her dress off (or not, if you miss the quicktime event) and they fall over onto the bed. The last action you perform is blowing out a candle.

** Also, sometimes, a civilian who sees you free-running will remark, "Another [[Batman|capering crusader]]. Che idiota." in a bored tone, apparently referencing the fact that many fans 'felt like Batman' playing the first game. On top of that, Rosa comes up to Ezio in one cinematic and asks him: "[[The Dark Knight Saga|Why so serious?]]"

** On top of that, if you knock an Italian man onto the ground, he may go "Oh no! Dinner is a-ruined-a!", a reference to the "Thumb" series of films by Steve Oedekerk (Otherwise known for ''[[Kung Pow]]'' and, to a lesser extent, ''[[Jimmy Neutron]]''), several of which feature a random Italian man who gets knocked down and laments the loss of dinner.

{{quote| Guides called Vetturini were sometimes hired to help plot the route of the caravans and book rooms at local ins, but those carriers were often working with the bandits, just like travel agents today.}}

** A (perhaps unintentional) example: Leonardo's explanation for being able to buy poison from a doctor makes sense on its own, but [[Worst Aid|if you know anything about 15th-century medicine...]]

* [[Tempting Fate]]: Very early in the game, Ezio and his brother Federico take a quiet moment on top of a tower in Firenze to reflect on how good they have it and how lucky they are. It doesn't take long for the opposite of those reflections to be become true.

{{quote| "It is a good life we lead, brother." "The best! May it never change." "...and may it never change us."}}

* [[The Tape Knew You Would Say That|The Hologram Knew You Would Say That]]: {{spoiler|Minerva. Very much so. Very, VERY much so. She even knows what someone would say, ''after her death''.}}

** {{spoiler|The hologram knew what your name would be.}}

* [[Thieves' Guild]]: In Venice. Its leader Antonio {{spoiler|is an Assassin}}.

* [[There Are No Therapists]]: You father and two brothers are killed, your mother is raped and now mute and unresponsive, your sister is scared out of her wits, and you've got [[The Knights Templar]] out for your blood? Time to murder half of the Italian nobility.

* [[Training Montage]]: The combat tutorial is a playable montage, taking place over the course of a year as Ezio's uncle gives him Assassin training.

* [[Truth in Television]]: The armors you can buy include a "Helmschmied" Armor Set. The Helmschmied Family was, in fact, a renowned maker of armor. It is also ironic that the Helmschmied Armor is weaker then the Metal Armor Set, a type of light plate armor, considering that the Helschmied Family was renowned specifically FOR its plate armor and was famous across Europe.

* [[Turned Against Their Masters]]: {{spoiler|The early humans fought against the [[Precursors]] in prehistory. Because of humanity's sheer advantage in numbers (and the possibility they got a hold of some of their technology, as implied by a secret video obtained when you get all the glyphs), the Precursors were mostly overcome by them.}}

* [[Unexpected Inheritance]]: According to a family history recorded in the Auditore tomb in Monteriggioni (In a DLC), the Auditores aren't really nobles. They were founded by a fisherman who was a junior Assassin who ended up being the last person to have the information needed to access the accounts of an Assassin-run trading company after all the others were killed by Templars. He used the identity to create a new identity for himself in Romagna and started the Auditore family.

** The crowning moment of brutal for unarmed counters is probably the one-two punch that, on the second hit connecting, releases an audible cracking effect. Add that the victim falls while clutching his throat and, [[Fridge Horror|well, draw your own conclusions.]]

* [[Video Game Cruelty Punishment]]: You do not lose health for killing civilians any more, but killing three within a short time still automatically desynchronises you and this time the "punishment" remains even after completing the game. The game also introduces "Notoriety," which goes up every time you perform a dazzling, dangerous, or otherwise just illegal action in broad daylight. Once fully notorious, the guards attack you ''much'' more quickly.

* [[Wallet of Holding]]: Mixed usage. The amount of money that can be stored in the Villa's strongbox is finite. The amount that can be stored in Ezio's purse is not.

** Claudia suggests to Ezio that he take the Villa's funds to the bank, but this isn't actually possible. Presumably the canon explanation for his endless pockets is the existence of banks, but the designers probably realized that filling out deposit slips doesn't make for compelling gameplay. When they first set up shop in the Villa, Claudia tells Ezio in no uncertain terms that once the chest is full, she'll skim the rest off the top.

* [[Warrior Poet]]: Altaïr becomes one of these while writing his Codex.

* [["Well Done, Son" Guy]]: After you assassinate Vieri, Ezio acquires a letter where Vieri is diagnosed as this. Pity about [[Complete Monster|the way he seeks attention]].

* [[Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?]]: Blacksmiths provide simple equipment. Leonardo provides the advanced stuff.

* [[White Mask of Doom]]: The Doctors.