As I said a few days ago over in the "What are you playing?" topic (spoilered for length)
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
I'm now around halfway through I think. A lot has been introduced and the gameplay has expanded in ways which demand more thought if you're going to be successful as more than a street thug. Dual hidden blades are fun, as is poison
The health system's fine now I can carry more medicine and have ready money to pay for it.
Notoriety works a bit differently once you get some missions past the point where it's first introduced. It's now very logical, and I'm able to do things I thought I wouldn't without attracting any, such as silent assassinate a guard in a crowd and walk away with no bother provided I don't linger or do something to draw attention. Being fully notorious still gives you a small window before guards recognise you, meaning it's less of the 'endless fight mode' than it originally appeared.
Social stealth is refined and gives much more freedom as well as presenting a higher challenge. People don't get suspicious of you if you jog harmlessly down the street. Bump into people, pickpocket, or start to climb and that makes the guards begin to take notice. There are enemy types specifically created to break apart social. stealth during an alert. Blending with a crowd or sitting on a bench are no longer get out of trouble free cards if the guards are actively hunting; seekers will disperse the crowds and order seated people to stand up, at which point you get recognised. Guards with polearms will stab any potential hiding places as they pass by, so if you're hiding in straw after a high profile kill you will be holding your breath as the alert counts by.
The appearance of the brute, seeker and hunter enemies has shaken combat up. Counter kills are useless against them unless you are using the hidden blades, and they have a very narrow window for success. Unarmed combat is the best tool I have found so far, disarming one of the tough guys and using their own weapon for a single guaranteed counter kill on another tough guy. Disarms aren't always successful so you still need to mix things up with standard attacks, special tactics, and manoeuvring. The dodge button I'd been ignoring actually has its uses!
The harassers can be dealt with in a variety of ways, some of which leave your cover intact, meaning their return isn't the nuisance it first appeared.
I’ve got a whole new set of ways to kill people stealthily, including poison, twin hidden blades so I can stab two close targets at once, a variety of ways to kill from cover, and the ability to pull people off buildings as I hand from a ledge.
There are many more assassination missions than in the first game, and you are freer in how you tackle them. They don't feel half as grand as the assassinations from the first game though. Less build up, shorter, fewer special circumstances put in place, no city-wide hue and cry afterwards to escape.
I'd pay full retail price to have a copy of the original which incorporated ACII's fixes and tweaks. Being able to ride a horse without every guard on the map being immediately suspicious :tears of joy:
The game features a full day/night system. You can view some timelapses of it (and the cities) in action here.
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