Assassin's Creed 2

Part of what should help build in more variety is the new faction system. Blending in with crowds was certainly a pretty big selling point of the original game, but now you don’t have to keep an eye peeled for groups of monks — you can mingle with any distinct pack of NPCs. Or you can find a friend. For example, if you get, um, cozy with the courtesans, you’ll be able to ask them to put on a show and seduce a group of guards while you sneak past. Or if you work your way into the thieves’ guild, “they’ll trust you and teach you their knowledge of the city and your targets,” Puel explains. “You’ll also be able to use them to fight alongside you, or to go steal from guards and lure them away from their spot.”

Inevitably, though, you’ll find yourself bolting pell-mell across the roofs with some enemies in hot pursuit, and Ezio will have more options than Altair ever did. A new climb-leap move lets you attempt a bold jump upward while climbing to either ascend faster or to reach an otherwise inaccessible handhold. And since Ezio was taught how to swim, he can dive into the canals of Venice to escape or to make an undetected approach. “We’re also working on making the free-running paths more identifiable so that players can recognize them and build up some spectacular escape/chase sequences,” Puel adds.

If you choose to turn and fight, however, the combat will present more options as well. Along with being able to disarm any opponent and pick up their weapon, Ezio packs two hidden blades (instead of Altair’s one), which presents an opportunity that Puel clearly relishes: “Imagine all the possibilities in new assassination moves, counters, and upgrades!” We’re also told that the same basic “puppeteer” control scheme returns.

And more assassination moves in general means that you’ll be able to strike from a wider variety of locations. Ezio can kill from hiding spots, roofs, ledges, the water, and more; that flexibility will probably be necessary with the beefed-up complement of guards you’ll face. They now come in three flavors, ranging from run-of-the- mill militia to leaders to elite warriors who have their own specialties, like agility or brute force. They’ll be a heap of trouble, but Ezio’s adventures already sound so compelling that we’re itching to take them on.

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