In this jam-packed holiday release season there are some obvious next-gen titles that are must-haves: Modern Warfare 2, Brutal Legend, Dragon Age: Origins, Assassin’s Creed 2.  Historically, hand-held ports released simultaneously with their console-cousins have been sad attempts to convert on the huge numbers of gamers that own a DS. Marketing meetings had people applying what would seem to be sound logic, citing the number of DS’s is circulation and saying they need to capitalize on their big-name title. The name alone should guarantee at least moderate sales numbers and justify its development.

These decisions had to have been made without the slightest consideration if, in any competent way, it can be transferred to the handheld medium. Then, the developer is given half of the regular dev cycle to crank it out. Sadness ensues, and poor reviews follow.

Assassin’s Creed 2: Discovery, however does its best to break this stereotype. With quick action, varied kill methods, and challenging level design the game brings some entertaining action to quickly maturing DS. I was pleasantly surprised by some of the fun mechanics in the game, allowing me to relish in some of the more badass moments of Assassin’s creed while still feeling a Mario-esque connection to the gameplay.

Read on for more…

Having only recently fallen into the deep pool of entertainment that is the DS that I have resisted for so long, I was plagued with memories of bad Game Boy and Game Boy Advance (SP) games that tried to emulate console games. When I picked up Assassin’s Creed 2: Discovery, I told myself I wasn’t going to judge a game by my former experiences. So, with an open mind, I booted it up.

I was first surprised with how good and smooth the movement was. The game begins with the typical training simulator, showing you the ropes of how things are going to roll with the controls and movement. Then it drops you in with some basic killing to be done. Also, some basic platforming has you running as fast as you can along the rooftops and doing some fun aerobatics which actually feel pretty good.

The game is supposed to be a diversion from the main storyline on the console, but I was bored to tears within minutes and skipped practically every cut scene without feeling like I missed out on anything. It’s supposed to surround the events leading up to the discovery of America – I know I should care but I’m not terribly interested in story when I’m playing in 15-20 minute spans. I just want to kill people, and fortunately the story doesn’t really get in the way. It’s there if you want it or you can skip through it like I did.

The mechanics of the game are a little odd, telling you that you need to be in the “stealth mode” to perform assassinations, but as long as the enemy is facing the other way, you can walk up and hit the attack button and it takes them down. I stumbled upon this, thankfully, near the beginning of the game and was able to capitalize on it throughout.

Now, here’s the part that bugs me a bit – it has no touch functionality. The game could have been just fine on the PSP which has no touch and stronger graphics with no complaints. However, the great thing about the DS is that it allows developers to put interesting mini-games in that break up some of the repetition of the platforming. I was expecting some pickpocket touch games, assassination touch games, and, at the very least, some sort of “the truth” puzzles from the console to make that more robust. I was disappointed on all accounts, sadly. With these small additions, this game would have been a gem, but without them the game felt a little repetitious and mundane. The touchpad for the entire game is regulated to your “radar” and where you see your objectives.

The game cycles between three modes – Normal, stealth, and escape (sometimes the latter is timed). In the first you are encouraged to explore, finding wanted posters and removing them to increase your health. You may explore, fight and climb to your heart’s content. However, when you finish the level you are rated on your performance. Basically it rates your stealth kills, damage taken, and time taken to get through the level. What bothered me is that the expected time limit is ridiculously low. It seems like they expect you to dash through every level, not collecting anything. Stealth allows you to be seen three times by the guards or archers. On the fourth spotting, you are sent back to the level start/checkpoint. The escape levels are just that, you run as fast as you can to escape a constant barrage of arrows and sometimes to beat the clock. These are honestly my favorites because they create a sense of urgency and an excuse to burn through a level as fast as possible, only killing when it’s convenient.

If you do not enjoy timing-based combat some of the fights can get frustrating. To survive sometimes you’re expected to have lightning quick reflexes to block or parry enemy’s sword blows, or even to block an arrow. These were timing issues that could have been worked out but some of the game seems like it had a short QA pass to make sure the game came out on time. There were two platforming puzzles that saw me die to excess – sometimes 10 or 11 times before the timing worked out that I didn’t get shot or hit by magically respawning enemies. Overall, however I did enjoy the platforming in a Sonic the Hedgehog kind of way.

Assassin’s Creed 2: Discovery is an entertaining jaunt that gets repetitive at times, and sometimes frustrating due to some timing issues that seem near impossible to get the hang of. But, as far as handheld versions of big titles go, it’s a strong start to what could eventually be tweaked and perfected into a fun DS franchise. Will it get that treatment? Only Ubisoft knows. Should you pick this game up? I would say yes if you like the Assassin’s Creed brand and can’t get enough of stabbing people with concealed blades. If you enjoy the console version and own a DS, you should at least drop it on your Gamefly queue. It’s good for long rides and makes for a good bit of quick fun.

Assassin’s Creed 2: Discovery Score: 6.5

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