I haven't played a game in over a year but lately I've been feeling that itch. I'm looking at either getting Assassin's creed 2 or the new batman off of steam. Does anyone have a recommendation?
I recommend both but if you haven't played AC1 then I'd just go with Batman. Batman had more intuitive controls and flowed better. But AC had a better story and damn did the True History blow my mind.
Hrmmm.. The history bit sounds cool. Yea it's on PC. My 360 hasn't been out the closet in 2 years. I just got done playing the demo for Batman. It was pretty cool. I don't know if I'd enjoy the whole game through. AC2 with a little factual history may hold my interest better. I think I'll do that.
I have to admit not playing AC2 (frankly the DRM looks about as appealing as unanaesthetized bowel surgery) so can't comment on it.
Batman AA is fantastic, solid gameplay with the odd twist/new technique to keep you engrossed (even if somehow you find beating seven shades of sh!te out of the hordes of grunts boring).
I didn't enjoy the first Assassins Creed but Assassins Creed 2 fixed everything wrong with the first one it's an awesome experience. Batman AA however is also an awesome experience. Both games have some similarity, but they also diverge in some major ways. AC2 is far more of an open structured game. I spent many hours in AC2 just exploring the various settings and running across roof tops because it's fun. While there is definitely exploration in Batman a lot of it is through back tracking and while it's good fun for coalitionists it does lose some appeal when compared to AC2.
The movement. I though Batman moved well until I placed AC2 Desmond moves even more fluidly then Batman and makes him feel sluggish.
Graphically it's a trade off. The environments in AC2 are breath taking the views are jaw dropping and the model movement and just the amount of random goings on are sweet. Batman on the other hand - hell it's Batman all the models look awesome and while the sets are smaller they have a good amount of detail as well and really fit the Batman world. It's really a wash there I'd say if I had to pick one on sheer graphical capabilities then AC2 would win. But both games are fantastic.
AC2's story I think is a little stronger then Batmans overall in that the scope is much more impressive. Batman is basically the same scope of story that a comic book would have and the game really does a great job of recreating the story and passing of a comic or show/movie. Probably here I'd also give a slight advantage to AC2.
Combat both are excellent and fun, though the fights in Batman are definitely harder and I had some near throw my controller moments in Batman. AC2 you just kick ass, it's not hard but it flows and feels right. I couldn't pick a favorite here both good for different reasons. Though if you do get frustrated then Batman has some potentially frustrating fights ahead for you.
Overall I love both games and if you have the opportunity I'd say get both. If I had to pick just one I'd probably go with AC2 by a 55/45 margin. It had more longevity of play and while Batman has some after the game challenge modes I didn't really get into them. AC2 has more overall polish too but I can't wait to see what Batman 2 is like given that they've expanded the game to Gotham City.
Now I should also say I played both games on the 360. I thought they were perfectly suited to using a controller and if you are playing keyboard/mouse you'll have our work cut out for you. I'd recommend getting a controller if you don't already have one for your computer.
Oh and you have no need to play AC1 to get an idea of what's going on in AC2. The start may catch you off guard a little bit but it's all very clear as you progress and there is even a spot in AC1 where you go back to play a little bit as Altair from the first game. No need to feel like not playing AC1 will in anyway shallow AC2.
Kryydt, that's one hell of a review/post. That settles it. AC2 it is. I'm going to get batman too but ac2 now. But there is something hypnotic about that picture basil posted.Nope... Ac2 it is. Off to steam I go.
I have to disagree with Kryyst on the fighting from AC2. It was far improved from the fighting of the first game, but it was still mostly stand in a spot while the baddies circle jerked around you. The combos didn't flow nearly as cleanly as Batman's did either.
The dual wristblade killing was cool but I struggled over and over again to stealthily take down two enemies, but God help any civilians nearby if I hit the button on accident or tried to take down just one enemy and wasn't alligned just right.
It's still a great game and I'm sure you'll enjoy it but it still has flaws that you'll find annoying or a henderence to what you're trying to do.
3% down. I need to find a way to kick my wife off her laptop so she will stop using so much bandwidth. Wait a minute, I think that's what this button is for on my wireless router. When she comes in I'll just play dumb.
Well steam finally installed it. And you guys are right about the extra DRM. Kinda ridiculous having to jump through steam and ubisofts DRM. Anyhow I think I'm having a problem. For some reason the people in the game are kind of see through. Anytime there is light in the background, you can see right through the people like they are not solid. I'm going to update my driver and see if that helps.
I have to disagree with Kryyst on the fighting from AC2. It was far improved from the fighting of the first game, but it was still mostly stand in a spot while the baddies circle jerked around you. The combos didn't flow nearly as cleanly as Batman's did either.
The dual wristblade killing was cool but I struggled over and over again to stealthily take down two enemies, but God help any civilians nearby if I hit the button on accident or tried to take down just one enemy and wasn't alligned just right.
It's still a great game and I'm sure you'll enjoy it but it still has flaws that you'll find annoying or a henderence to what you're trying to do.
While I did occasionally kill a civilian by accident it was normally only my carelessness of starting a fight when a civilian was near by. However as far as standing still in one spot. I never found that to be the case. I moved around comboed everything and found the combat to have lots of variety. Not as much as Batman mind you but a far cry from static.
Batman you do likely move around more but I found the targetting to often act odd and the camera, especially in fights with brutes wasn't fast enough to react to their charges or show you enough to let you know that you were about to try and run into a wall.
But preference depends on what you enjoy in combat. Personally I feel AC2 combats felt more like a smooth flowing rhythm game. Batman on the other hand required more twitch reflexes if you were trying to keep that combo flowing.
I played about 4 levels of AC1 and figured it was too repetitive to hold my interest and promptly uninstalled it and got shot of it. This put me off AC2 sad to say.
I've played Batman Arkham Asylum 8% of the way through so far and have to say it's really rather good. Possibly the best Batman game ever in fact. And the visuals are stunning.
However, I'm stuck on my first boss level, lol, quite frustrating.
I only managed about 4 hrs into AC1 before I got bored of it. AC2 way better in almost every way. AC1 felt more like a tech demo then a full game by comparison.
I'm enjoying ac2 to a good degree. I am, however, a little bit disappointed with it. You can tell it's just a console port to PC. That's really why I haven't bothered playing any games in the past year or 2. From menu's to camera movement, everything for pc's just have that console feel to them now. I like driving, sports, and flying type games on consoles better, but just about everything else I prefer a pc.
OK, I'm really liking the game now. I doubt I'm really far in but it's getting addictive. There certainly a lot of cool moves the assassin does in the game.
One of the things I enjoyed most about AC2 and Batman are that the games never get outside of their scope and story. Your characters do get a little better as your progress and the enemies get a little tougher. But it doesn't scale up dramatically from start to finish. The worlds in both games are really consistent and grounded in the story. You as a player get better and that translates into being better at the game.
In many aspects it's this kind of play that I appreciate in fighting games or skate boarding games (ok well Skate specifically). They give you the tools from the onset and it's up to you, the player, to figure out how to get them all work. I much prefer this type of play then the ever escalating bad guy approach.
Comments
PC or Console?
I recommend both but if you haven't played AC1 then I'd just go with Batman. Batman had more intuitive controls and flowed better. But AC had a better story and damn did the True History blow my mind.
I have to admit not playing AC2 (frankly the DRM looks about as appealing as unanaesthetized bowel surgery) so can't comment on it.
Batman AA is fantastic, solid gameplay with the odd twist/new technique to keep you engrossed (even if somehow you find beating seven shades of sh!te out of the hordes of grunts boring).
Edit:
Look how happy they are! You must buy this!
The movement. I though Batman moved well until I placed AC2 Desmond moves even more fluidly then Batman and makes him feel sluggish.
Graphically it's a trade off. The environments in AC2 are breath taking the views are jaw dropping and the model movement and just the amount of random goings on are sweet. Batman on the other hand - hell it's Batman all the models look awesome and while the sets are smaller they have a good amount of detail as well and really fit the Batman world. It's really a wash there I'd say if I had to pick one on sheer graphical capabilities then AC2 would win. But both games are fantastic.
AC2's story I think is a little stronger then Batmans overall in that the scope is much more impressive. Batman is basically the same scope of story that a comic book would have and the game really does a great job of recreating the story and passing of a comic or show/movie. Probably here I'd also give a slight advantage to AC2.
Combat both are excellent and fun, though the fights in Batman are definitely harder and I had some near throw my controller moments in Batman. AC2 you just kick ass, it's not hard but it flows and feels right. I couldn't pick a favorite here both good for different reasons. Though if you do get frustrated then Batman has some potentially frustrating fights ahead for you.
Overall I love both games and if you have the opportunity I'd say get both. If I had to pick just one I'd probably go with AC2 by a 55/45 margin. It had more longevity of play and while Batman has some after the game challenge modes I didn't really get into them. AC2 has more overall polish too but I can't wait to see what Batman 2 is like given that they've expanded the game to Gotham City.
Now I should also say I played both games on the 360. I thought they were perfectly suited to using a controller and if you are playing keyboard/mouse you'll have our work cut out for you. I'd recommend getting a controller if you don't already have one for your computer.
Oh and you have no need to play AC1 to get an idea of what's going on in AC2. The start may catch you off guard a little bit but it's all very clear as you progress and there is even a spot in AC1 where you go back to play a little bit as Altair from the first game. No need to feel like not playing AC1 will in anyway shallow AC2.
The dual wristblade killing was cool but I struggled over and over again to stealthily take down two enemies, but God help any civilians nearby if I hit the button on accident or tried to take down just one enemy and wasn't alligned just right.
It's still a great game and I'm sure you'll enjoy it but it still has flaws that you'll find annoying or a henderence to what you're trying to do.
While I did occasionally kill a civilian by accident it was normally only my carelessness of starting a fight when a civilian was near by. However as far as standing still in one spot. I never found that to be the case. I moved around comboed everything and found the combat to have lots of variety. Not as much as Batman mind you but a far cry from static.
Batman you do likely move around more but I found the targetting to often act odd and the camera, especially in fights with brutes wasn't fast enough to react to their charges or show you enough to let you know that you were about to try and run into a wall.
But preference depends on what you enjoy in combat. Personally I feel AC2 combats felt more like a smooth flowing rhythm game. Batman on the other hand required more twitch reflexes if you were trying to keep that combo flowing.
I've played Batman Arkham Asylum 8% of the way through so far and have to say it's really rather good. Possibly the best Batman game ever in fact. And the visuals are stunning.
However, I'm stuck on my first boss level, lol, quite frustrating.
Good game though
In many aspects it's this kind of play that I appreciate in fighting games or skate boarding games (ok well Skate specifically). They give you the tools from the onset and it's up to you, the player, to figure out how to get them all work. I much prefer this type of play then the ever escalating bad guy approach.