I feel like the truth puzzles doesnt get the recognition it deserves. It is probably the best presentation to a games lore and world that i have ever seen. Diving into this grand conspiracy going through all of human history and seeing the truth of human creation was mind blowing and kind of scary to see back in the day, mainly because it was done so well it felt kind of believable.

ac 2 still feels like the biggest ac game. journeying through smaller very distinct cities is so much more grand than these kinds of gigantic amorphous blob worlds we've been getting recently.

AC 2 is the Goat

Not only is AC 2 my favorite game of the series, it's one of my favorite all time video games.

Its been said a thousamd times before, even on this channel, bit I feel it bears repeating.

The big downfall of Ubisoft as a whole, which has really plagued the AC franchise, is they just toss ideas out rather than iterating and expanding.

The switch to modern RPG AC is a bummer because it kind of feels like they never quite managed to actually make the assassin fantasy they had been promising since AC 1. Various amounts of jank and busted systems always keant the games fell at least a little short of what they could have been.

Personally, I wasnt sick of AC's systems, I just wanted to see them actually full realized.

Parkour has never quite felt right. Social stealth has never delievered quite the right toolset. The franchisenis full of a lot of '1 step forward, 2 steps back.'

Corey May. You will be missed massively

Unlike new ones, AC2 had soul.

I think Ubisoft could try to save itself if they remade the original AC games (AC1-ACIII). I would love to play AC2 with improved graphics, bigger cities, enhanced parkour, more stealth options etc.

I remember when I was in high school, and I wasn't terminally online. I loved AC1 and had no idea about there being a sequel. Then I got that Game Informer issue with Ezio on the front cover. Just seeing him with two hidden blades was mindblowing. I read the entire cover story, and my hype was immeasurable. Reading about all the advancements and improvements was insane. I remember everyone being obsessed with Modern Warfare 2 releasing, another legendary game, but I was way more hyped for AC2. I played the absolute hell out of that game. I'm glad you mentioned Ubisoft's better reputation back then. I agree that Ubisoft was the shit back in the day, and they were my favorite game publisher in high school. I was always excited for their E3 showcases. What a time to be alive. Damn I miss it.

So we all agree that 8:28 is the single greatest moment in whole of AC franchise and maybe all of gaming, it certainly is mine ❤ It is a good life we lead brother ❤

The puzzle tombs in AC 2 are for me unmatched by any other game. I don't know who was on the team for those tombs but they were true artists <3

When you talked about collecting feathers, it reminded me of something. Long time ago I came up with the idea how the feather could be implemented in a genius way into AC2. In hindsight, I'm surprised no one in Ubisoft had this idea, because it's brilliant and so obvious! You know how in AC games there are always eagles flying around viewpoints, right? What Ubisoft should have done is to tie collecting feathers to the viewpoints, to give both mechanics more purpose!

First of all, don't show viewpoints on the map. Players should have to find the viewpoints themselves by looking at the sky and finding eagles. At the top of every viewpoint, there should be an eagle's nest with a feather you can collect. This simple change would be a massive improvement for 2 reasons:

1. Feather locations would no longer feel random. Instead they would make sense, because eagle nests are obviously located on top of high buildings. This would make collecting feathers a more engaging activity. You wouldn't have to look up the map online or aimlessly wander the city in hopes of finding the random spot with a feather. Instead, locating feathers would be a cool side activity that requires you to observe the environment.

2. It would give Ezio a narrative justification for climbing viewpoints. As it is, Ezio climbs them for no apparent reason. It's just a videogamey mechanic for unfogging the map and nothing else. But with my idea, climbing viewpoints would become a meaningful activity. Ezio purposefully scales tall buildings to find eagle's feathers to honor Petruccio and to give solace to his mother. Completing each viewpoint would feel like next step in Ezio's progression and it'd serve as a reminder of what happened to Ezio's family. Personally, I would go even futher and give Ezio some inner monologue for every viewpoint/eagle's nest that he finds. A brief moment of introspection that lets us hear Ezio's thoughts on his family and what happened. Maybe a short story from Ezio's childhood. Or perhaps a deep dive into Ezio's psyche and emotions that drive him. This would be a very interesting side activity that directly ties into the story + it would give context to the iconic gameplay mechanic of climbing towers. Think about it! AC2 main title appears during that legendary scene with Ezio and Federico on top of a tower. Every next tower Ezio climbs would serve as a reminder of that moment.

The whole thing could work similar to Jin's inner monologue when he takes a bath in hot springs in Ghost of Tsushima.

I’ll never forget being 11-12 years old in the little game room downstairs on my shitty little CRTV at night, uncovering the conspiracy behind AC2’s lore via puzzles and the hidden symbols and being totally enthralled by the environmental storytelling & creepy ambiance and the mystery behind subject 16. you can totally feel the love and dedication from the team to telling an entirely new story with AC2 that I have come to accept we will probably never feel in this franchise again. At this point I just appreciate and love it for what it was in my life because regardless of what they do with the franchise in the future, it’ll never reach the same significance for me & many other people and that’s ok

The downfall of Ubisoft and Assassin's Creed is one of the biggest tragedies in all of gaming.

Hands down you’re the best AC critic out there in my opinion.

MUSIC is my biggest disappointment in the series (plus the story). The soundtracks feel like they are just put over the game like a hat. That the game never stays quiet was one of the main reasons AC 1 and 2 had such a great atmosphere. Just remember wandering around Masyaf castle in AC 1, for me peak mystery atmosphere.

In recent installments music is constantly cut because every time you interact with anything you get a short black loading screen. The music gets stuck even in cutscenes 🤦‍♂️. It’s just baffling to me and I don’t understand why this is never criticized. So yeah, shout out to you Jay!

the very first piece of music i ever learnt on the piano as a kid was ezios family. safe to say this game meant alot to me growing up. its shaped me in such a way that i really wouldnt be who i am today without it.
i recently replayed it and realised just how much more i was picking up of the story/characters and how much there was to appreciate. while nostalgia definitely plays into this, i still also hold the opinion that ac2 is simply one of a kind. yes it has its flaws, yes the pacing would sometimes break the immersion or the world could feel a bit empty, but there is just something so special about it which i think you elaborate on really well in this video :) i found your point of the art style/graphics resembling actual paintings from the renaissance so good cause ive always thought the same! the art (incredible soundtrack included god bless jesper kyd) is such a driving force of this game and something that i as an artist and musician myself will always cherish. awesome video :)!

The word I always come back to is "atmosphere"...the charm, the art, the incidental/ui and environmental sounds and then of course Jesper Kyd's score. It all comes together to create an atmosphere that hasn't been matched since, it was truly lightning in a bottle. I feel nothing with the newer titles.

ACII is my favourite game of all time and I always come back to atmosphere as the key. Death Stranding is likely my second favourite and the game of the following gen for me; once again due to atmosphere.

It's a unique amalgamation of things that create something greater than the sum of its parts.

Being 17 back in 2009 with a PS3 and wondering across the rooftops of Venice while Kyd's ambient music hums away, the moonlight illuminates the deep blue sky and buildings, the carnival music off in the distance, a little chatter and the odd firework. It's a moment I cherish, I've never felt anything like it since.

I can never forgive Ubi for butchering something so special.

I always felt like letting Rodrigo live was handled kind of sloppily. I get that it’s meant to signify Ezio’s growth, his acknowledgement that his family is never coming back so killing Rodrigo serves no purpose. But this feels like an epiphany he would have come to halfway through his journey, not at the very end. By this point he’s a true assassin, both in title and in his beliefs. He’s completely committed to the assassin ideals and he understands how dangerous Rodrigo is, even more so with his new found role in the Catholic Church. So letting him live doesn’t feel consistent with the lessons he’s learnt and the character growth he’s had. It feels like even after learning of how dangerous and evil the Templars are, instead of killing Rodrigo for the greater good, he just let him live because he realised his death would never bring his family back. It almost seems selfish from a guy who’s meant to have learnt so much and grown so wise and like a cheap way to bring Rodrigo back for the sequel.

I really miss the times when adding another entry to a franchise aimed at advancing and adding more to said franchise instead of whatever heap of garbage way of corporate thinking now. Assassin's Creed 2 really fits in that mindset, it took the first game and made something completely else for better and in some more rare cases, for worse. Other entries like Brotherhood and such added stuff yes but it never felt like what we had during AC 2.

45:26 you included the Vieri assassination scene but didn't comment on it. I think this moment is another huge standout in the narrative, Mario teaches Ezio that despite how evil his enemies might be, they are still human and deserve some rites for their passage to the afterlife. Hear we see Ezio adopt the "Requiecat in Pace" saying after his kills. A huge step in his maturing and a moment that really stuck out to me in the game.