First Look: Assassin's Creed 2 Vs. Red Dead Redemption

by Rob Suski - June 29th, 2009

E3 usually has something people want, whether it’s the console companies telling the fanboys what they want to hear or show off stuff gamers would want now but will have to wait until December of next year to finally play. This year was no different. However, two titles are set to come out later this year during the holiday season. The first is Assassin’s Creed II by Ubisoft, the other game is Red Dead Redemption by Rockstar Games, the makers of the Grand Theft Auto series. We take a quick look at these upcoming titles and give an early impression on which one could come out on top. So we start with the first game, Assassin’s Creed II; the core of the story is the same as the first game, you play as Desmond Miles, a man who has been kidnapped by a group known as the Templars who, with the use of a machine known as the Animus that can read the memories stored in a person’s genes, replay the memories of Desmond’s ancestors who were assassins to locate a mysterious object known as ‘The Piece of Eden.’ What is different this around is the ancestor and the setting. The first game had players in the shoes of Altair, an assassin during the time of the crusades in the holy land. Assassin’s Creed II has players playing as Ezio (Eagle in Italian), a nobleman of Florence, who otherwise would not have become an assassin if it weren’t for events that happened in his life and the help of a certain inventor, Leonardo da Vinci. Along with a change of character and scenery, ACII will also have some significant game changes as well as some changes that players had concerns about. First, players will no longer have to complete investigation missions to start an assassination mission - rather missions will be more free form that will naturally progress into the assassination missions. Second, Ezio’s method of travel has greatly increased, most importantly, he can swim, which will help while he travels in Venice and will be able to use Leonardo’s famous flying machine which has been created in the game to travel from one place to another. Other changes within the game include Ezio’s fighting methods, preferring to fight unarmed but able to disarm opponents and use their own weapons against them. Also a day and night cycle has been added within the game and it seems that some missions are only available at certain times of the day. Ezio can now blend in with crowds of normal people rather than with just specific groups and as Ezio completes more assassinations, he’ll become more recognized in the various cities the game takes place in as wanted posters with his depiction will appear. Also a final note, unlike Altair who despite living in the Middle-East during the Crusades, sounded like someone from modern day America, Ezio actually does sound like someone from his own time and region. Though this may not seem like much, it does show Ubisoft’s attention to detail this time around. Like the first game though, famous historical figures will also appear in the game. Now we move on from the Renaissance and out into the Old West with Rockstar Game’s latest opus, Red Dead Redemption. Red Dead Redemption could be considered a sequel to 2004’s Red Dead Revolver, however it’s more of a reboot of the franchise. Rather than playing as Red Harlow, players play as John Marston, a man who was originally an outlaw, but had given up his old ways to start a family. However parts of Marston’s past begin to catch up with him and he’s forced to return to the way of the gun. Along with change of character, other changes that are being made to the series include the fact that you will play primarily as Marston rather than switching characters. The dead eye ability where time is slowed so the player can get dead shots will remain. Rockstar Games has also announced that Read Dead Redemption will be like GTA set in the old west, using Rockstar’s RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, unveiled in GTA IV) and the Euphoria physics engine to give a more natural feel especially when riders are shot off horseback. Like GTA IV, Marston will be able to wield various weapons from pistols to shot-guns, to even a lasso. Red Dead Redemption is set for the 2009 fiscal year though this could mean we won’t see the game till April of 2010. So which game should you put your money on? Though Assassin’s Creed caught people’s attention, it also caught criticism for repetitiveness among other problems and one can only hope that Ubisoft has learned from the mistakes. Rockstar Games on the other hand has proven it can create an intriguing world and creating wonderfully written stories in its games, though their latest venture, GTA IV was not without its faults. Only time will tell.