It would be an easy argument to make that stealth-action is going the way of the dodo. One needs only look at the newest Splinter Cell title, Conviction. The heavy stealth element and sneak-focused mapmaking have given way to missions centered on smoothly kinetic action pieces. The new Sam Fisher is more Jason Bourne than the aging, acerbic agent we’d known in the past, and though the game carries with it recognizable elements such as Michael Ironsides’ character-defining voice work, the game typifies the changes that more and more franchises seem to be adopting: the mixing of genres with a heavy emphasis on quicker, more impactful gameplay.

It would be unfair to say that Splinter Cell has abandoned its core principles; the stealth is there should the player feel like employing it. But the game is clearly balanced toward the much more viscerally satisfying headshot-chain that Fisher can only bafflingly employ after beating up an unfortunate guard. Gone are the rewards or punishments for collateral damage – Sam is off the grid with no one looking over his shoulder and has the world to save. The end result is fun, decently written, competently executed stealth action game, as long as the word “stealth” is used only in the most liberal sense.

Splinter Cell isn’t the only series that incorporates faster and more brutal combat into the experience. If the E3 live demo is any indication, the Metal Gear series is doing much the same. Instead of a chain of headshots, though, the designers have implemented a hi-tech looking sword to enable the player to easily hack through groups of guards on the way to fight the inevitably over the top boss battles. The core conceit here is that the player can finely manipulate the angle of each chained slash, resulting in grotesquely severing limbs and leaving finely ground chunk of guard strewn across the battlefield.

I’ll admit, this new weapon sounds fantastic. It could change the nature of bladed combat in every title in the future, replacing button-smashing, combo-centered and increasingly outdated –looking and –feeling melee combat (The Force Unleashed serves as a perfect example of dated melee combat). But it does raise a small question: does this mean the end of Metal Gear’s stealth core? Why even attempt to hide if a quick speed burst and a few right-stick swings can leave behind a room of sticky blood and chunks of guard? It certainly doesn’t lend itself well to hiding bodies in a locker, unless the player is given a mop and bucket along with the sword.

The Assassin’s Creed series perfectly argues in favor of evolution over abandonment. Stealth is as important an element as in the first Splinter Cell titles, but it’s much more cleverly implemented. Instead of hiding in shadows and striking in small, precisely lethal ways, the character hides in plain sight, masking his intent by moving with crowds or above unassuming guard’s heads. While the game makes no claim to realism as the first of Sam Fisher’s outings (the ability to kill guards at will with no exceptionally dangerous reaction from the cities tends to kill the attempt at realism), the game makes great strides in helping to lift stealthy titles out of the shadows, out of the woods, and out of the secret underground nuclear silos. It is a perfect hybrid of action and stealth without heavily favoring one over the other; one player may carefully plan and execute his target with laudable finesse, just as surely as another may willfully hack his way through waves of guards to cut down his target in a bloody public execution. Try doing something similar in a Metal Gear title and it would earn a quick trip to the morgue.

Another title treads on the same line. Batman: Arkham Asylum mixes a fun and simple beat-em-up mechanic along with an agonizingly unforgiving weakness to firearms – even when Batman is roaming the hallways of Arkham with his fully upgraded armor, inmates armed with guns represent a significant threat to him, just as surely as the Joker’s steadily evolving Batman countermeasures impede his freedom of movement through the asylum. More classic in structure and mechanic than Assassin’s Creed, Arkham Asylum is another example of how stealth and action can combine to create a completely riveting experience that suffers none of the weird unbalance as a stealthless Sam Fisher.

Just as I’ve argued that survival-horror games no longer exist in the strictest sense of the definition, I would make the case that stealth-action has evolved into action-stealth. It is not a bad thing by any means, so long as unique titles keep coming out that combine the mechanics in such diverse and pleasing ways. But even as I was beating up some bad guys to earn enough badass points to shoot six more in the face, I lamented the end of Splinter Cell as a game that rewards patience and precision. Whether Metal Gear will suffer the same fate remains to be seen, but I for one hope it’ll lean more toward stealth than has been indicated thus far.

They also expect that the game will show up in the  fiscal year’s first quarter’s projected sales with a profit of over $180 million.

Another number that was announced at the conference was Assassins Creed 2, selling over 9 million units worldwide since its release earlier in 2009, also very impressive.

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Well something that you might have not known, is there is also a Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition, which as obvious, includes the world records in the gaming world.

Assassins Creed 2, will be one of the games that will be in the book, the game will be awarded the game that had the  ”most cover-featured video game between April 2009 and April 2010 “, featured in the covers of 127 different magazines in 32 countries, congrats to you Ezio!

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Sure as night follows day, game sequels will continue to be big business. Thankfully, things really do seem to improve with age in the gaming world.
 
Just look at some of the nominations for tonight’s Bafta Video Game awards in London, UK, and it’s patently clear: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – the bestselling game of all time, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Assassin’s Creed II, Left 4 Dead 2, FIFA 10, Street Fighter IV and Football Manager 2010. All have one thing in common: they blow their predecessors out of the water, improving almost every facet of the gameplay, storyline, characterization, graphics and sound.
 

Rarely in the cinematic world does a sequel manage to truly trump its predecessor. Few mega budget Hollywood blockbuster movies manage to capitalize on the success of the original and deliver something altogether more enjoyable, exciting or good-looking. Granted, there have been some fantastic follow-ups over the years but largely you leave the cinema feeling a little let down. What a relief then that videogames seem to differ so much from their big-screen cousins and so many developers manage to produce sequels that surpass everyone’s expectations.
 
It’s now only a matter of days until the highly-anticipated Just Cause 2 hits the stores (for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC) and, thanks to the success of the original and a multitude of teaser trailers, few would bet upon it leaping off the shelves.
 
And let’s not forget the likes of Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in recent months, which have also won plaudits and sold by the bucketload!
 
But what are some of the greatest ever gaming sequels? Which are the ones which made the most significant improvement on the original? Here are 10 that have taken a series to new highs…
 
Fallout 3 – 2008 (original: Fallout 1997)
Assassin’s Creed II – 2009 (Assassin’s Creed 2007)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas – 2004 (Grand Theft Auto 1997)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – 1998 (The Legend of Zelda 1986)
Super Mario Galaxy – 2007 (Mario Bros 1983)
Halo 3 – 2007 (Halo: Combat Evolved 2001)
Resident Evil 4 – 2005 (Resident Evil 1996)
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – 2007 (Call of Duty 2003)
FIFA 09 – 2008 (FIFA International Soccer 1993)
Killzone 2 – 2009 (Killzone 2004)
 
Do you agree? What are some of your best sequels ever?

Sequence 13: Bonfire of the Vanities continues to expand the award-winning AC2 universe. Work with Machiavelli to free the city of Florence from the grip of the mad monk Savonarola by targeting influential citizens under his control. Battle, sneak and freerun your way through twelve challenging new memories. Discover a new district of Florence, and utilize Ezio’s new move, the sprint jump.

The DLC will run you 320 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360 or 560 Points for the DLC and added secret locations.  The standard DLC bundle is $4 on PSN.

This new DRM scheme looks to be about as pleasant as a stab in the back.

PC Gamer revealed earlier that the game will require constant internet connection to be played. That means, that if you should suddenly disconnect due to; cat playing with your wire, microwave intercepting broadband, children eating bandwidth with pirate films or any other reason, you will be booted out of the game all the way back to the main menu. So if you haven’t saved in a while; tough titties.

This is going to make Ubisoft very unpopular with PC gamers, and I for one will not be purchasing it.

Nevertheless, Assassins Creed II releases March 5th in the UK and March 16th in the US. The game will be released with the two DLC packs, which today were released on the XBLA and PSN.

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Assassin’s Creed II was a hit, Ubisoft has announced today, selling over six million units worldwide and expecting to sell nine million by this March. According to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, sales for Assassin’s Creed II were 40% higher than those of the original.

There’s more Assassin’s Creed on the way, too.

IGN has got word from Ubisoft that the game is a “new title featuring Ezio,” and that the “new online multiplayer mode will be for an entirely new Assassin’s Creed product.

• The Good: Breathtaking visuals, Story will suck you right in, Economic system is fantastically implemented, Assassinating never gets old and repetitive, Numerous side missions
• The Bad: Camera can be occasionally irritating.

Assassins Creed 1 was released back in 2007 and majority of the reviews criticized the repetitive missions and the imbalance found in the game play. Fortunately Assassins Creed 2 takes care of all those issues and is a major step ahead of its predecessor. Assassins Creed 2 takes place during the era of the Italian Renaissance in the mid 1400’s. You will be playing the role of Ezio Da Audiotre Da Fireneze who is a descendant of Altair, the protagonist of the first game. I won’t go in to the story too much since I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I will be just touching the borders of the plot. Ezio’s father and brothers are duped in to a conspiracy and hanged to death by one of the villains in the game. The events that take place right from the childhood of Ezio util he becomes a fully trained assassin is truly amazing and a treat to watch.

The story begins where the original left with Desmond still stuck in Abstergo Industries. Lucy, who returns for the sequel, frees him and both of them run away to a secret location where the latest version of Animus has been installed, called as Animus 2.0. Desmond meets some of his new friends and you will be put into the Animus in no time. The story this time is much more understandable compared to the last one and it gives more inputs as to why and what the modern Templars are after. The events which takes place in the game and the historical similarities make the plot much more appealing and this is proof enough that the content writers at Ubisoft have done their job immaculately.

Now the assassin can row a boat and swim too!

Gameplay is where the heart of Assassins Creed 2 lies. The most amazing thing about it is that you will never ever get the feeling that a particular mission is getting repetitive which was the case with the first one. Of course, being an assassin, Ezio’s primary missions are all focused on assassinations of important targets, but the means to achieve them are vastly varied. The developers have introduced the economic system in the game where you can hire mercenaries, courtesans and thieves so that they can be used for distracting the guards. This is pretty easily implemented in the game. You will earn money as you play through the game and he can hire the aformentioned NPC’s to use them to his advantage. There are numerous occasions in the game where the player has to trail the target surrounded by guards. So what do you do in such a situation? You hire a couple of thieves who will distract the guards and hence clearing the way for you. There was one particular mission where you have a group of mercenaries fighting alongside you, to take down 20-30 soldiers, which again shows that these people were felt to be needed in the game. Now this brings me to the importance of the economy in the game. As I mentioned above, Ezio will be earning money as he completes his missions, by looting or by pick pocketing.

So what will you be doing with the money? Ubisoft have created a number of shops in the game where you can buy armor, medicine paintings, learn new moves, invest in business and get greater returns. The ways in which you can just spend and earn the money is endless. At many occasions I got the feeling that the game is going towards a more RPG way, but whenever that happened, immediately some action appeared which will make it a sort of an action rpg hybrid.

The cart chase sequence was one of the highlights of the game.

One thing the original did not have was a variety of interesting weapons. Assassins Creed 2 has a ton of them. Besides your infamous hidden blades and throwing knives you can also buy all sort of weapons like swords, spears and hammers from the ammunitions shop. But remember they can break as you use them. Also you will be coming across something know as codex pages. These pages though essential to the story line will also upgrade you hidden blades to do some amazing tricks. One of those makes your hidden blade to work as gun to take down long distance targets. The other one was the double blade attack and believe me it never got old on me. Besides all of that, small things like smoke bombs and the ability to throw money (an amazing trick when running away from guards) adds a great dimension and fun to the game play.

Besides the main missions there are a ton of side missions to be played in the game. Those missions vary from assassination contracts, sprints, courier services and finding assassination tombs. In sprints you are challenged by a guy where you have complete checkpoints in a limited amount of time. It’s nothing innovative but it could get really challenging for the newcomers. Courier services require you to transfer some goods from point A to point B and being careful to avoid the nearby guards. But the most unique among all side mission has to be Assassination Tombs. These side missions involve solving complex puzzles, innovative platforming sections, hard chase sequences, combat and a few other things. There are six assassination tomb missions available in the game where you have to find seals. Once you find all of them you will be able to unlock Altair’s costume. Talking about the platforming mechanics, the developers have kept their tried and tested way of platforming as found in the first game. However Ezio looks like he’s a bit faster and athletic than Altair and can also do some higher jumps, a trick which you will learn in the later stages of the game. Occasionally the camera might act stupid and hence there is a chance you might miss a jump or two, but it was an issue present in the original as well. May be it’s due to the nature of the design but I found it to be bugging me at times. The game also features new type of enemies. Of course you will have your assassination targets, but besides them you will also have to fight against regular guards, Seekers who can find you even if you are hiding, Agiles who can run as fast as you, Brutes are really powerful and are a bit hard to take down and the Archers which were found to be in the first game as well.

Now this brings me to the combat in the game. Ezio fighting style and stance are extremely similar to Altair, but he can do some really cool close quarters combat depending on what weapon you are holding in your hand. Combat looks amazing when the player is in full swing, Ezio slicing through the chest, or inserting a dagger in to a head looks brutal but is damn satisfying.

Combat when in full swing looks and feel excting.

Ezio will be going through various historical places in the game such as Venice, Forlì, San Gimignano and Rome. They have been designed beautifully with each of the cities having a distinct look. In Venice it will be a bit pinkish and people will be colorful. There will be canals where you can row your boat across. And did I mention Ezio can swim too? San Gimignano is shown as a developing city and you as a player have to invest money itto it so that its value grows. There is also a day night system which makes a city like Venice really shine. Ubisoft is well known for developing visually appealing games and Assassins Creed 2 is right up there. Sound in the game is top notch. I really can’t describe the brilliant suspense music which is played when you approach the target. For each city again we have different background scores. The voice acting is phenomenal to say the least.

There is so much to do in Assassins Creed 2 even when you are done with the game. After finishing the 100 so primary missions you will have an equal or more number of side missions to be played. The game is perfect in almost every sense and even some issues like that one I had with the camera don’t really take out anything from the exciting times that I have had with Assassins Creed 2. I am now in to my 40th hour of Assassins Creed 2 and for 60$ it’s a steal. Assassins Creed 2 is a stellar achievement and it will be really interesting to see what Ubisoft does with the inevitable Assassins Creed 3.