The more time passes, the more disappointed I get in AC2 | Forums

[Farlander1991]

I haven't seen rooster here for a while, but I'm pretty sure as soon as I post this he'll run here to yell 'YOU JUST WANT TO DISCREDIT AC2!!!' It's all good, rooster. It's all good

Anyway, I want to preface this that I don't hate AC2, I enjoy AC2, I think it's a very quality title. HOWEVER. I can't help but think that AC2 was the beginning trend of some of the series' downfalls, and I get increasingly disappointed in it.

1. NOTHING happens in the modern day main Assassin vs. Templar and their satellite plotline. A whole game developed for two years, and we only have escape from Abstergo and a few dialogs with secondary characters (that for the most part have nothing to do with said plotline), plus bleeding effect getting worse (but that, alongside the 'training to become an Assassin' doesn't need anything specific for it to happen). The plotline itself does not receive ANY progression. Not only that, but at the end of the game we're suddenly introduced to the second main plotline via a plot twist. People may argue how ACB, ACR, ACIII and the parallel development have ****ed things up in modern day story department. I won't necessarily disagree. But, honestly, the 'no plotline progression but inclusion of a new plotline' AC2 to me is the cause.

2. Subject 16's puzzles that connect tons of historical events and people to the Assassin vs. Templar conflict. Even back when AC2 was released I thought that maybe they went a little bit overboard with making so many things directly connected to said conflict. But, you know, it's still acceptable. But it feels like this has set up a trend where soon enough you can't find anything that doesn't have direct connection to Assassins/Templars, even the backstory of a fictional character (Edward got the farm he lived in burned due to a Templar plot, long before he went to the Caribbean and actually met Templars, seriously?!)

3. Ezio's story has no connection to the modern day plotline until the very last twist. In AC1 we've had a very specific purpose of going through Altair's memories (even though we as the player were not sure of why the Templars wanted the Apple/Templar treasure until we saw the map, we knew that they wanted it for something). In AC2 we go through Ezio's memories... because? Just taking AC2 into account, without further games and retcons, the whole thing with the Apple and Codex and Minerva happens by pure accident, just because the Assassin team was thinking 'let's just go forward and watch this'. I think that this disconnect plays a really big role in point #1. Sure, later down the line both Assassins and Templars want to find Ezio's apple (which, btw, was heavily implied to be Altair's lost apple in AC2, but that was a more or less easy retcon to fix, if you count a whole game's worth of storyline an easy retcon...), but, you know what? That's a reason that would be much more suited for AC2 which got nothing in that regard.

4. And while not AC2's fault directly, the thing with AC2's 23 years of life, the prequel movie, the following Ezio spin-offs and the final animation short have all played a role in trend and expectation that annoys me a lot lately - that being the expectation to see every main character's full life story. And you know, nowadays that's a fair expectation because there was precedent. But I really wish that there wasn't one.

There were a few other points I wanted to make, but I'll leave them for a later time, I feel like I'm going to get enough wrath on my head as it is

[iSoTryHard]

In AC2 we go through Ezio's memories... because?

If you remember we went through Ezio's memories to train Desmond to be an Assassin.

[Farlander1991]

If you remember we went through Ezio's memories to train Desmond to be an Assassin.

But as I've already mentioned that's a passive reason, that happens regardless due to the nature of the bleeding effect and staying in the Animus (and, for that matter, can happen with any Assassin, what's wrong with going back to Altair's youth and professional Assassin training? Or Connor's? Or Altair's child? Or absolutely any Assassin?), I'm talking about an active reason that would play a role in the main storyline's progression.

[TheHumanTowel]

But as I've already mentioned that's a passive reason, that happens regardless due to the nature of the bleeding effect and staying in the Animus (and, for that matter, can happen with any Assassin, what's wrong with going back to Altair's youth and professional Assassin training? Or Connor's? Or Altair's child? Or absolutely any Assassin?), I'm talking about an active reason that would play a role in the main storyline's progression.

They address this in-game. Desmond specifically asks "Why Ezio and not Altair again?". And Lucy says it's because they're looking for The Vault which they know Ezio was involved with somehow.

[pacmanate]

They address this in-game. Desmond specifically asks "Why Ezio and not Altair again?". And Lucy says it's because they're looking for The Vault which they know Ezio was involved with somehow.

[mikeyf1999]

To add to it they knew ezio knew about the vault
Because of subject 16

[TheJurre]

But how did they know about that vault in the first place?

[jdowny]

Huh, I didn't realise you were so disappointed by AC II

All of these are to do with the wider story as opposed to gameplay - honestly, I'm okay with the flimsy reasoning behind the modern-day AC II story. I didn't notice it till now and I'm still not that fussed by it. The secondary plotline has always been a bit flimsy to my mind, acting only as the excuse to delve into an ancestor's memories, which is after all the crux and appeal of the series. They saved the satellite plotline for further down the line, which is fine - this sort of thing happens in all kinds of stories. I'm perfectly happy to let that particular plotline take the back seat for one game.

But when you state that Ezio's story has nothing to do with the modern-day story until the end twist - isn't that the point? It was a hell of a twist. From a storyline perspective as a player, you play the game wondering where it's all leading - to end it on that note was a cliffhanger and a mindf***. That's not bad storytelling - that's great storytelling. I remember playing that and immediately ordering Brotherhood afterwards. The story simply wouldn't have had that same impact if the two stories connected from the beginning.

Yeah, I sort of agree that AC 2's excuse of training Desmond was a bit weak, but I think that's easily remedied - It's heavily implied that the Assassins knew that an Apple of Eden came to Ezio. Training Desmond was just a benefit, and a pretty good excuse to start from the beginning of his life.

I will agree that Subject 16's puzzles were a bit heavy, implying that the Assassin/Templar war has played a key part in almost every aspect of human history. But so what? It's their story and these puzzles fleshed out a lot of much-needed back story. They were mysterious, fun, challenging (at the end), and provided the player with a great reward. I'm okay with that. And I'm okay with a lot of the PoE back story stuff because it's Assassin's Creed - I wasn't a huge fan of all the secret lairs and temples the player finds hidden all over Italy, but they were fun.

[Farlander1991]

They address this in-game. Desmond specifically asks "Why Ezio and not Altair again?". And Lucy says it's because they're looking for The Vault which they know Ezio was involved with somehow.

Okay, granted, but only they didn't know at all what they were looking for (again, retcons from the future notwithstanding) until the vault was mentioned during Ezio's story, Ezio was chosen simply because out of all Subject 16's multiple ancestors Vidic seemed to focus on him. And it would be all fine and dandy if the vault led to an Apple (which the Templars need for the satellite) or something, but nobody knew what was inside it and what was actually inside had no bearing on the Satellite plot at all, so there's still disconnect with the main plot introduced in the first game - it doesn't progress in any way.

[ze_topazio]

But how did they know about that vault in the first place?

Because Ezio wrote about in his diary, which was preserved in the Assassin's archive, later stole by Daniel and so the Templars discovered about it too, thanks to it, Abstergo tried to relieve Ezio's memories by way of Subject 16, Clay, but Clay was descendent of a bastard son of Ezio who was born long before Ezio ever reached the Vault, so Lucy, who was secretly a Templar, used Desmond to secretly search the genetic memory of Ezio and uncover the truth about the Vault and the prophecy.