Game Theory: History Alive
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It’s wonderful that even after 30-odd years as a gamer, there are still gaming moments that can surprise and delight me. Assassin’s Creed II (finally available for PC this month) absolutely knocked me cold within the first few minutes of the Florentine sequences.
It wasn’t the gameplay. Although the movement and combat are certainly strong (and a clear improvement over the original), we should expect that. It’s 2010: We’ve had so many quality exemplars of stealth and fighting systems that a developer has no excuse not to do it right.
It wasn’t the premise, which is dumber than a contestant on Conveyer Belt of Love. All the memories of all my ancestors are encoded in my DNA? Really? Right there between eye color and height is a base pair of nucleotides recording my 24th great-granduncle’s encounter with a hooker on January 24, 1472? And Veronica Mars is capable of extracting that memory and feeding it back into my brain as a simulation? That’s your premise?
No, the real treasure of Assassin’s Creed II, the real magic that takes the breath away, is Florence itself, and later, Venice. This is why I still game, and why the art of simulation is so utterly unique to gaming. Film and prose are, frankly, better media for narrative storytelling. “Gameplay” can be found in sports, puzzles, and conventional games.
But only interactive entertainment can truly simulate an environment, and then draw the narrative and gameplay elements into that simulation. The Florence and Venice of AC2 are masterpieces of design. It’s not just the architecture and open-city design, but also the living environment down on the ground, as people go about their lives. Merchants sweep the street in front of their stores, courtesans beckon from corners, pickpockets work the crowd, and threaded throughout all of it is the tension, plotting, and power-politics of Renaissance Italy.
I spent a semester in college (and a great deal of time since) studying many of these places and the history surrounding them, and Ubisoft Montreal nails it. Viewing 15th century Florence from atop Brunelleschi’s gravity-defying dome, and then being able to drop down to ground level to explore the city is one of the most thrilling things I’ve experienced in a lifetime of gaming. Thanks, Ubisoft.
Thomas L. McDonald has been covering games for 17 years. He is Editor-at-Large of Games Magazine.
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Domains
December 20, 2010 at 10:56am
God, I love it when games are made close to the reality. I've played Hitman with scenes in saint petersburg (Russia) and Call of Duty (also in Russia), and Stalker. ACII also made me not believe my eyes! I've compared to my personal memories from Venice, after that saw some pictures from there - the game is more beautiful than the real Venice!
Submitted by Venice hotels on March 15, 2004 - 1:45pm.
Bill the Cat
March 01, 2010 at 5:47pm
I hope that some day Ubisoft comes to their senses and removes the steaming pile of DRM that was dumped on this game. They cleaned up Far Cry 2 a while after it's initial release.... We can only hope they do it for AC2 as well at some point. I'd love to try this game.
Furien
March 02, 2010 at 11:23am
I love history and this time period in particular seems fascinating. For now I'll just have to take Tom's word on how cool this virtual 15th century world is though because I just can't justify giving my hard-earned cash to a company that supports the worst kind of DRM ever imagined. And no, I won't be pirating your game either Ubisoft. If I ever experience what AC2 has to offer it'll be paid for, but not until you do a 180 on the DRM front.
bingojubes
March 01, 2010 at 5:26pm
This article reminds me of why i chose the Tomb Raider series. The gameplay was decent, but the thing about most of the TR games was that it had some elements of mythology and stuff i never thought i would want to research later after finishing the games, like Egypt or other contries that Lara Croft may have visited.
i hope games keep the feel alive with new and semi-accurate locations, because i don't travel, but playing cool games like Assassin's Creed and Tomb Raider make me want to look up and learn more about those locations.
enigma1978
March 01, 2010 at 3:56pm
Glad 2 see they got those lil things thatmake agame grander than it already is...but that DRM=my money staying in my pocket...and I do buy games..ordered bad company 2 to reach me in jamaica soon enuff.. AC2 noooo...my lil bro wants to continue the story from pt1 but FIRE!!!!
NAYRhyno
March 01, 2010 at 12:45pm
Sounds great and all, but I am not buying any single player game that requires an always on internet connection for DRM and keeps my saves on their server. Its not that I don't have an always on connection, or that I really care if they require activation or even phone-home periodcially. But if I lose internet, I can't save the game? Thats really the best DRM solution they could come up with??? Everyone should call UBI support daily and say I am playing AC2 on PC and my internet just went out, how can I save my progress?
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ErikTheGreat
March 01, 2010 at 12:03pm
What's a matter? The great article boycotting ACII causing a little blow back so you guys have to print something positive now? Wouldn't want to loose any add revenew now would we;)
QuakindudeMod
March 01, 2010 at 1:46pm
Mr. McDonald doesn't work for MaxPC per se. So them printing an article here digitally that was in print on paper a month ago really isn't what you've made it out to be. His article was printed and read way before the big "to-do" about the DRM scheme ever came out.
His article is an actual review of the gameplay. Not the stupid ass DRM scheme that comes with the game. There's a difference.
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