I was told to review my favorite video game and a few came to mind, Katamari Damacy, Star Wars Lego, Podracing (PS2), Legend of Zelda; Twilight Princess… And I know what you’re thinking; these are all really easy games, and yes, they are. I’m a gamer who enjoys simplicity, but all of these games but the Zelda title lack what I’m really looking for in a game, and that’s a good, solid story.

I’m a fiction writer by trade and choice. The intricacies of a good story that’s told well are all I require to stay engaged in a game. I’m willing to sit through much faffing and fluff to get to the heart of the plot. This is the only real reason I can think for loving the Assassin’s Creed franchise as much as I do.

What first drew me in was the fantastically rendered settings. My mother being a bit of a Medici nut and passing that love of all things history on to me, I first saw my room mate playing it and was blown away by the stunning ability to go ANYWHERE in 15^th century Florence/Venice/Tuscanny. I wanted to play, but (being a bit of a story purist that way) I was determined to play Assassin’s Creed I before I embarked on a quest with Ezio.

 

If you’re unfamiliar with the franchise, the idea of it is this; you play Desmond, a man who is using a machine called the Animus to use something called ‘DNA memory’ to relive the days of his assassin ancestors (So far Altaïr and Ezio), who are battling the templars. Basically, you’re playing a video game of a guy playing a video game. So within the first game you have two stories to handle, Desmond’s in our time (or near to it), and the one of his ancestor.

The main story line has to do with the age old battle of Assassins vs. Templars. The Assassins wish to have the world live by the code “nothing is true, everything is permitted”, the idea of which is that each person is responsible for his or her own actions and things like the law are illusions. The Templars believe that humanity needs a firm hand to rule it or life will dissolve into chaos. There are some interesting lessons to be learned here and I, for one, am still completely entertained by the idea of the anti-hero. The men you play as are not on the side of the law. They are, in fact, ‘bad guys’.

The historical context adds another twist. Setting itself up amidst real life political intrigue of the time, walking away from playing these games you feel smarter for having played them. Beyond that, it made me look up documentaries on some of the historical figures that play key roles and even purchase a couple of books on the subject. It’s a subtle, but effective learning experience. To give these men and women faces and voices and lives makes the whole thing more real. It makes history not seem like a distant memory, but something that you are living and creating yourself.

Assassin’s Creed II’s finale brings with it another layer beyond the two main story lines, one that is further explained through Brotherhood and Revelations but seems more enigmatic than ever.

Beyond the story and the game mechanics, it is genuinely fun to play.  The map is relatively free, and though you can start to feel lonely if you spend too much time wandering off by yourself, there’s plenty to climb and to see.  Breath-taking sights and delightfully gravity-less free running are key elements to the story.  Without them, gameplay would feel stiff and incomplete.

Finally, as a woman, I sincerely appreciate the way this game handles women. Ezio is a bit of a ladies man, but the even the concubines you use to hide from and distract guards, are humanized. The women are allowed to be sexual without being sexualized. It is a breath of fresh air from a game about revenge and shanking guards from rooftops.

I will grant there are many things not right with the game mechanics in this game. It lacks certain elements, and has the ability to make be blindingly angry at the controls and sometimes the missions, but it holds a very special place in my heart. I have enjoyed watching Desmond and Ezio grow and I look forward to Assassin’s Creed III.

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