by: @DemonofEmpireYT
Two Years after the Debut of Assassin’s Creed CLASSIC in 2007, Ubisoft began work on a proper sequel. That sequel became what we now know as Assassin’s Creed 2. Released in 2009, AC2 is regarded by many AC Fans as the best Assassin’s Creed game of all time. Upon its debut, it set an incredibly high standard that the AC Franchise has never met before or since. But the question is ‘What made Assassin’s Creed 2 so successful over its predecessor?’ The answer begins with Assassin’s Creed CLASSIC.
When Assassin’s Creed CLASSIC first debuted, it was met with mixed reception. It was lauded for its thought-provoking themes and brilliant story-telling; however it also received criticism for its repetitive, and not to mention linear, gameplay structure. There was no in-game currency to purchase weapons or upgrade your armor. Instead, you needed to progress through the main story to receive new weapons, and synchronize at viewpoints to increase your maximum health, etc. One thing that was missing from AC Classic, which most people would expect as a given, was the lack of subtitles.
While AC Classic did manage to create demand for a sequel, it was clear that Ubisoft needed to step things up for the next installment. Building off the core skeleton of the First Game, Assassin’s Creed 2 expanded upon much of what was already established in Assassin’s Creed CLASSIC. While many of the core elements of the First Game were very much alive in AC 2, various improvements were made.
Now you could use an in-game currency system to purchase weapons, armor, ammunition, and even medicine to heal yourself during combat. More importantly, AC 2 was a lot less linear than the first game with various side-quests, and unique missions peppered throughout the game itself. It even had subtitles. These are just a few out of the many improvements made to Assassin’s Creed 2 over the first entry of the series.
All these improvements essentially lay out what most people expect from a proper sophomore entry to any major gaming franchise. For Mass Effect CLASSIC, it was Mass Effect 2; Batman Arkham Asylum had Batman Arkham City; Dragon Ball Xenoverse had Xenoverse 2; Mario Maker had Mario Maker 2; etc. In all these franchises, the second entry greatly improved upon the formula of the first entry by fixing various issues and expanding things out.