Hopes & Dreams: Assassin's Creed 2

I'm finally starting to get over my disappointment with RE5's lackluster finale. I think it is because of all of the high profile sequels that are getting announced this year. Call me out if you want but I love a good sequel. This week, Ubisoft finally revealed the first teaser for Assassin's Creed 2.

The teaser does nothing more than hint at the oft rumored Venice setting by depicting several key pieces of art that seem to be drawn by DaVinci himself. Among the speculation, one can deduct that the stealth blade will make a return and that the "hero" will be taking to the sky with some sort of winged contraption. Finally, the trailer reveals a date, April 16, 2009, which is undoubtedly the date that Gameinformer will be revealing the details about the game. Check it out:

I have high hopes and expectations for AC2 because the original (in my opinion)set the standard so high. However there were some gripes I had with the original that MUST be addressed this time around:

1.) Mission variety- mix it up a bit Ubi! Give the assassination missions some real depth and allow players to approach the mission from many different angles. Do what you need to implement interactive environments and multiple opportunities to strike.

2.) Weapons & Combat- The stealth blade is awesome but I want more. Give us something besides another sword or throwing knife. There are so many ways to kill that have not been done very often in gaming! Give us some razor-wire or drawstring or something along those lines.

3.) Living, Breathing Environments- The setting is one of the stars of the show in the franchise. I'm sure the new time and locale will be interesting but work at populating it more with people and characters that you can truly interact with.

4.) New mechanic- Offer a new stealth or navigation mechanic. It seems like you might be on to something with the flying contraption but I will have to wait and see it for myself.

5.) Story- Last but not least, I need to comment on the story. I LOVED the twist in AC; it was probably my favorite sci-fi story since the Matrix but for the love of god, give it some direction. Give us some closure this time and leave us wanting a truly epic finale. Too many people complained about the story not making any sense at the end. While I will stand by my Matrix comparison, I will also say that the original felt like you were watching the Matrix, only to have it cut off in the middle.

So those are my hopes, what do you want in the next AC? We all have to wait another week for the details but that gives us a whole week to begin speculation! Let the comments begin.

-Nick