Editorial: Assassin's Creed II Ending Analysis

MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING-This editorial discusses critical plot events in Assassin's Creed II and should not be read if you are going to play through the game.

So you've finished Assassin's Creed II, all the way through DNA Sequence 14 and the hideout escape and final chatter scene. You've found and solved all 20 of Subject 16's glyph puzzles. You've seen The Truth and had Minerva talk to you through a 500 year-old ancestor. How do you make sense of all the craziness involved in the activities listed above?

First of all, let's just say that it's really creepy when Minerva breaks the fourth wall in some sense and looks directly at you when she talks...although you don't notice it the first time. Let's start with the obvious: Minerva could see into the future and know that Desmond would be getting this message in 2012 by visiting Ezio's genetic memory, so Ezio's overall role is just as a relay to Desmond (for the first time noted as extra special compared to the other 16 test subjects). Minerva herself is of a humanoid race that predated human beings on Earth as a highly advanced civilization. Minerva's people--interpreted by humans' later descendents as gods--created human beings in their image as somewhat of a peon class. Through some of your research in obtaining the glyphs, you learn that scientists have discovered a neurotransmitter in the human brain that seems to serve no purpose, but in reality that neurotransmitter is activated by the Apple of Eden, which allows humans to be controlled. You also learn that the Templars (presumably) plant evidence of the "missing link" in human evolution so as to distract people from the Truth that they were created. (The glyph puzzles also basically say that every great historical figure used a Piece of Eden to achieve their success).

Anyway, back to Minerva, she says that a war eventually breaks out between her kind and the humans (more on that in a bit). While both species were consumed by war, a cataclysmic event involving the sun ravaged the Earth (flipped the polar magnetic fields). Despite that Minerva's kind were more advanced, the humans had sheer numbers and were able to survive while only few of Minerva's kind remained. The few remaining and the fact that they had created humans further holds up that this is how humans developed the concept of gods and referred to this species as such. Anyway, as Minerva's kind died out they built vaults (housed in great temples) to relay this message to the future so as to avoid humans from the same fate when it happened again. After the very end where you can here the Assassins talking to each other in the truck, you learn the bit about the cataclysmic solar event. Desmond's story also takes place in 2012, a year that is famously associated with cataclysmic disasters and polar reversal is one of the leading theories.

So that's where Assassin's Creed III will be going, but what about the rest of this crazy backstory? Well The Truth video from the glyphs is a memory of Subject 16's, mean that he is a direct descended of either Adam and/or Eve from the video (by the way, the Adam/Eve names justify the Biblical story of human creation, especially the Forbidden Fruit). Since Adam and Even were basically the first Assassins, that means that all Assassins are of their descent. What is likely is that Adam and Eve may be a hybrid of Minerva's species and our own, or that one of them helped a human escape and steal the fruit. In any case, their descendents--the Assassins line--are separated here from the rest of the human genome. Anyway, Adam and Eve steal the Apple from Eden in this sequence and likely start the human rebellion that Minerva spoke of. The Templars must be a sect that has knowledge of the Apple and the Pieces of Eden and want to use that power to indoctrinate the world (perhaps related to the Assassins line but went bad). Minerva does say that Desmond will have to "fight against the Cross" and the Templar's symbol is a cross. The rest of the world has forgotten all about the Pieces, referring to them only in mythical stories (such as Adam and Eve and the Forbidden Fruit).

So there you have it, what are your theories? This is crazier than even National Treasure or a Dan Brown novel. One of the few examples of incredible video game narrative.

Bite-Size Review: Assassin's Creed II

The original Assassin's Creed was a very divisive game among reviewers. Many praised its graphical fidelity, smooth parkour animations, original storyline and setting, and counter-based (albeit not very realistic) combat system. The one big knock on it was its repetitive gameplay, particularly when it came to the pre-assassination research sequences. Ubisoft Montreal has taken these criticisms to heart and has come up with something very special: the "perfect" sequel. Assassin's Creed II is a fantastic game, fixing everything that didn't work about the original and putting everything that did work into overdrive while adding a few more layers of depth to the whole package.

A lot can be said for the new mission structure, which throws out the troublesome system of the original. The new structure is now more quest-based and you always know where the next story objective is just by following your mini map to the "!" cursor. There are a lot of side-missions but you only have to do them once each during the main story when the protagonist, Ezio, first encounters them. The depressing browns and grays of the medieval Holy Land give way to the beautiful cities and lush countrysides of Renaissance Italy. Venice in particular is incredibly massive, and the waterways that cut through it give it a very distinct flavor. Combat is improved by giving you the ability to upgrade everything in your arsenal, including weapons, armor, and even a primitive pistol. Perhaps the best thing about what the developers accomplished is the seamless way in which you slowly acquire more and more abilities, giving you the sense that you're character is actually learning and growing. Everything feels clumsy in the beginning but by the time the credits roll you will indeed be a master assassin.

Taking center stage among the many stellar features in this package is the story. Much like the original, the main protagonist is actually Desmond Miles in the year 2012, thought you spend much of the game living the memories of his Italian ancestor Ezio Auditore da Firenze. The overarching plot ties in a whole multitude of key historical events and figures (including the people you assassinate) and wraps them tightly into its own mythology, National Treasure and DaVinci Code-style (ironic since Leonardo Da Vinci plays a prominent role in this game). Without revealing any spoilers, let's just say there are a lot of twists in the story and a couple mind-bending surprises including a segment halfway through the game that'll mess with you. That's just the warm up, however, because once you witness the mind-blowing cliffhanger ending and collect all 20 segments of Subject 16's secret video, you'll finally get a sense of the tremendous scope the series has to offer. The parts of the story that unravel here make the original Assassin's Creed look like a microscopic speck on the iceberg.

The whole package is wrapped together very tightly and its clear that Ubisoft Montreal actually payed attention to many cinematic conventions that have become basic skills for movie directors. Its nice to see and gives the cutscenes much more authority since they actually look professional. Even outside of cutscenes and in the wild of the actual game, camera movement is very intelligent. This is without a doubt one of the most cinematic games I've ever played. Combine that with its stellar, deep gameplay, and one of the best narratives in all of gaming (and the 400 people that worked on this game), and you start to understand why Assassin's Creed II has been earning a lot of Game of the Year nods.

Overall Grade: A+

Prince of Persia bite-size review

Ed. Note: Introducing the new "Bite-Size Review". In order to ensure more frequent reviews covering many more peices of entertainment, this new form of review is intended to be short and easy to digest (and subsequently, less time-consuming to write). That does not mean that full-length reviews will be going away; expect those on the bigger products out there, or otherwise the "Bite-Size" version will appear instead if I have merely been behind in writing it, such as the review below. Read, enjoy, and let me know how you feel about it.

The original Prince of Persia on the Apple II computer was one of those really old games that helped define an entire genre (platforming). Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time revitalized the series by re-imagining the Prince in a 3D world. Now, developer Ubisoft Montreal is offering a third take on the series in the simply titled Prince of Persia for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The HD debut of the series is a very unique take on the series, genre, and games in general, and eventually culminates in one of the most compelling endings ever in a video game.

PRESENTATION

In short, Prince of Persia is absolutely stunning. It's cel-shaded art style has a tremendous amount of depth not commonly associated with the style, while animations are extremely smooth, camera movement is intuitive, and the world just simply comes alive from the dreary corrupted areas to the vibrant healed worlds. The voice-acting comes off as awkward at first (why does a Persian Prince have an accent that sounds like its from any generic American town?) but you quickly warm up to what turns out to be very good sound direction.

GAMEPLAY

The game has been categorized as "too easy", but while not really a challenging game, it is by no means a breeze. In fact, what the team at Ubisoft Montreal has done is merely give some tangible reasons for common gameplay conventions. It is true that you cannot die-- but your partner Elika saving you from a mis-timed fall is exactly the same as a common checkpoint system, albeit without obtrusive load times (in other words, PoP's method is much preferred). Combat is relegated to only one-on-one encounters, and while the "common" baddies can somewhat easily be thrown off ledges, boss battles take much more patience, timing, and pattern recognition. Again, you cannot die, but if you need Elika to save you the baddie regains a significant portion of health, and feeling exasperated at having to chip away a third of a boss's health again is just a more fluid way of forcing you to reload a save and redo the entire battle.

STORY

This is where the game really shines, true to Jordan Mechner's original series. At first the story seems like a backseat excuse for allowing certain ways the game is played. For example, the main crux of the story centers around the Prince and Elika's quest to systematically purge the world of "Corruption", vanquish the guardians of the game's four regions, and ultimately seal the dark god Ahriman once and for all. The game focuses a lot on the freedom of the player, allowing you to choose in what order you want to tackle each region and even relegating about half of the Prince and Elika's dialogue to a completely optional conversation button. Though you get the jist of the story through post-fight unskippable conversations, the relationship between the Prince and Elika really comes to fuitition through these optional sequences. The writers have done an excellent job in establishing these two characters and participating in these optional conversations makes the ending infinitely more powerful.

THE ENDING (spoiler warning!) and What it Means for Games

And the ending is what truly elevates Prince of Persia, already a pretty good game in its own right, into one of the most memorable, controversial, and lasting endings ever in a video game, second perhaps only to the mind-numbingly philosophical BioShock. Basically, Elika sacrifices herself to seal Ahriman, a fact that she does not tell the Prince until the very moment it happens. The final sequence is incredible for both its simplicity and impact, and you steadily control the Prince in carrying Elika out of the temple, and then re-release Ahriman in order to take advatange of an ancient power and revive Elika. In essence, you undo everything you worked for in the entire game. Pointless, you ask? Not quite. See, the ending gives you no other options because the Prince is not your character, the Prince is a character. That means no matter what you as a player don't want to do (i.e. undo all your work and release Ahriman anyway), you do it anyway because its the only choice the game gives you, because its what the Prince wants to do. After going through this and reflecting back throughout the game, you as a player can see the seeds of the this as the relationship between Elika and the Prince slowly evolves and as he questions his blind allegiance to a seemingly noble cause. The end sequence is a culmination of this evolution in the Prince as a character, where it becomes clear that his priority has become his love for Elika and not altruistically saving the land he just fought to bring back. It's very powerful, it makes you think, and it really transcends the game itself--all while conveniently laying the groundwork for an inevitable sequel.

(end of spoilers!)

Conclusion

So, so much for the first bite-size review. The short-form review is a work in progress so expect it to improve an the length to significantly shorten. As far as Prince of Persia itself, it's definitely one of those games that needs to be experienced itself. If you have your reservations, at least give it a rental because you can beat it within a week. You won't be disappointed, and at the very least you'll get to see one of the stronger arguments for video games as a narrative art form in one of the most intelligent narratives in entertainment.

Overall Grade: A

E3 2009: Microsoft Press Conference Bombshells!

Microsoft's E3 Press Conference kicked off the annual trade show this morning and they managed to pack the briefing with a lot of news, both expected and surprising. Below is a list of all the big news. Read them all, especially if you are a 360 gamer, and check back later today for more trailers of the games discussed below. Sony and Nintendo's Conferences are tomorrow, so check back for news about those as well!

The Beatles: Rock Band demoed

The conference kicked off with Harmonix coming out and demoing their new music title coming later this year, including surprise guests Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The big news about the game is that it supports up to 3 mics, allowing up to 6 people to get in on the action. Additionally, the game will feature both downloadable singles and albums post-release, starting with "All You Need Is Love", whose proceeds will go to a charity, and Abby Road. It's unlcear whether these downloads will work on the main Rock Band titles.

Modern Warfare 2 exclusive map packs

Microsoft broke the news that they are making a conscious attempt to recognize the enormous success of the Call of Duty franchise on Xbox LIVE, particularly Infinity Ward's projects. In order to keep them as "de-facto Xbox exclusives", Modern Warfare 2 will get two map packs that will both release "first" on Xbox 360.

Final Fantasy XIII shown running on Xbox 360

A somewhat more minor development, Square Enix showed their flagship title running on Xbox 360 hardware for the first time (all other demos were on PS3). Also, an American release window was announced as Spring 2010 (it's pegged to hit Japan this fall).

Shadow Complex: the next big thing on XBLA

Developer Chair, most well-known for Xbox LIVE Arcade hit Undertow, is making a new action-adventure game for the Arcade. It features beautiful 3D graphics on a 2D gameplay plane, and is described as being very reminiscent on Metroid.

Crackdown 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 announced

It's been rumored for a little while, but today Microsoft confirmed that Crackdown 2 is under development at Ruffian Games, which if I'm not mistaken is a studio established by guys from original Crackdown (and now All Points Bulletin) developer Real Time Worlds, which in turn was founded by the original creator of Grand Theft Auto. 

In a surprise move, Valve revealed that Left 4 Dead 2 will be released on November 17 for PC and Xbox 360. The game will feature 5 campaigns, new weapons, new zombies, new characters, and a new game mode in addition to the current 3. Apparently, Valve employees were pushing for this one in order to get in more ideas scrapped for the original. Unfortunately, this probably means that Half-Life 2: Episode Three is probably not going to come out until 2010. Keep an eye on this blog for the trailer coming soon.

Reworked Splinter Cell: Conviction shown off

As the rumors suggested, Splinter Cell: Conviction has been completely reworked from the version shown a couple years ago. The New and Improved Sam Fisher looks much more bad ass, with way better graphics, more complicated moves, and an overall more action-oriented feel. That's not to say the series is ditching its signature stealth emphasis, but it is adding a welcomed bit of spice to the mix. The game also looks much darker and gorier. Look for the trailer to be posted soon. Oh, and its still an Xbox 360 exclusive.

Oft-rumored Forza 3 finally confirmed, flips cars

In one of the more expected moves at the conference, Microsoft finally revealed Forza Motorsport 3 by rolling a real-life Audi onto the  stage. The game's physics engine has added roll-overs, a feature notably lacking in Gran Turismo. The Forza Motorsport 3 vs. Gran Turismo 5 battle should be interesting this fall...assuming GT5 will be hear to combat Forza.

Halo 3: ODST only one of TWO Halo games shown

That's right, in addition to demoing the ODST expansion, Bungie and Microsoft also revealed a new game, Halo: Reach. Expect the trailer to be posted soon so you can see for yourself, but the game seems to be a prequel to the original, taking place during the infamous Fall of Reach. It seems like this might be a full-fledged Halo game, unlike the ODST expansion, and taking the place of a "Halo 4" since 3 was technically the end. A multiplayer beta key will be included the ODST package.

As for Halo 3: ODST itself, Bungie demoed it for attendees. The game will feature numerous new silenced weapons as well as the return of Halo 1's famous scoped pistol. You'll play as Orbital Drop Shock Troopers "The Rookie" and "Dutch", and a new low-light visor will be available. The expansion will also feature a new co-op mode called Firefight, which wasn't shown, and will launch September 22 (with the Reach beta!).

Remedy's Alan Wake finally comes out of hiding

Microsoft also demoed Max Payne developer Remedy's long-in-gestation survival-horror title Alan Wake. There was no trailer thusfar, but expect one to be released this week. Either a trailer or the demo video will be posted soon. The game itself is coming Spring 2010.

New Media options on Xbox Dashboard

First of all, Netflix users will now be able to add movies to their NetflixQ straight from the dashboard. In addition, Microsoft announced a partnership with both Facebook and Twitter relating to Xbox LIVE, though no details were really given (you can "access" them). A new music player called Last.fm will debut with its own channel on the dashboard. Video Marketplace content will now be able to stream in 1080p (depending on bandwith)

Metal Gear Solid: Rising coming to Xbox 360

Hideo Kojima's new project does in fact turn out to be Metal Gear-related, but not what people were expecting. Though not the long-hoped-for MGS4 360 port, instead Kojima has created an entirely new game that will apparently be starring Raiden. The tag "Lighting Bolt Action" replaces the usual "Stealh Espionage Action", suggesting that the game may be more action-based and fast-paced than the Snake-centric titles. Though announced here, no mention of exclusitivity was made, hinting that this may also be coming to PlayStation 3. The teaser will be posted soon.

Microsoft reveals full-body motion control in "Project Natal"

Microsoft has finally gone after the Wii's success with a new device that isn't exactly a controller, per se. Instead, its a device that sits under your TV and can detect the movements of your entire body. The device was demoed with using arm swipes to flip through the dashboard and a painting minigame. It seems like this may just be a show-off moment and this device may or may not come this year, but certainly is interesting and something to definitely keep an eye on. If I can find a demo video, I'll post it.

After the conference: Games on Demand revealed

It's curious that this didn't make the actual conference itself, but at a luncheon that followed the company announced that it is prepping a new service for digital distribution of full-size retail Xbox 360 games. Games on Demand will launch in August with about 30 games (so far only Assassin's Creed, BioShock, and Mass Effect were confirmed) and allow for direct charges to credit cards (i.e. you don't have to buy these with Microsoft Points).

Ghost Recon 4 and Red Steel 2 revealed, Splinter Cell 5 dated

Ubisoft's latest financial report has revealed that Ghost Recon 4, Red Steel 2, and the 2-year delayed Splinter Cell: Conviction should all be out by the end of their fiscal year, March 2010.

Red Steel 2, the sequel to the Wii launch shooter, will arrive this fall also on Wii and feature improved swordplay utlizing the MotionPlus controller add-on. Splinter Cell will probably hit in early 2010 to avoid going up against Ubi's other stealth action game, Assassin's Creed II, announced last week. The original Creed's superior crowd stealth technology was a large reason why Conviction initially went back to the shop.

No details are known about Ghost Recon 4, but expect more to be revealed right before E3 in June.