Game Day: A more amiable assassin
A snapshot of the action in "Assassin's Creed II."
The saga of the Assassins and the Templars continues in "Assassin's Creed II," which picks up just about where the original left off.
Players of the first game will recall that the skulk-and-stab action is actually part of a "Matrix"-like computer simulation: Modern-day Knights Templar are using a device called the Animus to sift through the genetic memory of bartender Desmond Miles, whose ancestors happen to be infamous Assassins.
In the first game, players controlled the actions of Altair, a surly Assassin who operated in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade. "Assassin's Creed II" takes place far away and hundreds of years later, in Renaissance Italy.
Players now guide a youth named Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the son of a wealthy banker in Florence. He and his older brother spend their days brawling with rivals, chasing ladies and clambering over the rooftops of the city.
A tragic event forces Ezio to take up the mantle of an Assassin and hunt down Templar agents in a quest for revenge. Florence is not the only place to explore – players will also visit Venice, the countryside and other locations in pursuit of vengeance.
The assassination missions and sideline activities are much less repetitive this time around, and the game is more fun as a result.
The game play is similar to the original but improved significantly by numerous tweaks and additions. Ezio is a more amiable guy than Altair was; he easily blends into groups of civilians and can spread money around to distract guards or hire helpers to draw attention away from him, and he has other ways to remain incognito, as well.
Ezio also has more weapons to wield. He carries a spring-loaded assassin blade, a sword, throwing knives and his fists, like Altair. But he'll wield maces, axes, spears and other weapons, too. He can spend money to upgrade equipment or dye it different colors, and to buy medical supplies. And by improving his home base, Ezio can gain a steady income.
He'll need all his tricks, because as he performs high-profile actions (killing guards, bulling through crowds, being spotted on the rooftops), his notoriety goes up, making guards more alert. Ezio can reduce his notoriety by tearing down posters, assassinating officials or bribing criers – a broader range of actions than Altair had.
Speaking of Altair, "Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" for the PSP continues his story as he sails to Cyprus in pursuit of the Templars. The game lacks many of the new features of "Assassin's Creed II," but it's a fairly effective portable take on the original game's formula.
The combat, running and hiding of "Bloodlines" all carry similar mechanics to its console cousins, though some controls have been modified. The game world is broken up into smallish chunks with loading in between, enemies can be rather blockheaded, and the environments can appear drab at times.
Still, the character models look quite good, and the basic feel of fighting and climbing up buildings is intact.
PICKS AND PANS
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles
2 1/2 stars
"Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles" revisits several notable events from the series and adds an original scenario that takes place in South America.
One or two players can take on the zombie hordes, but they have no control over the characters' progression through each level. Their main contribution is shooting the zombies and other monsters that pop up on-screen, and grabbing items before they pass out of view. Players can pick up a variety of weapons or swing a knife when enemies get up close.
The game looks great, and the uncontrollable viewpoint means there's always a chance for something to pop up right in the player's face. It's an effective shooting gallery-style game, though the "camera" does bob about a little too much in some places.
Nintendo Wii; $49.99 • Age rating: Mature
Katamari Forever
2 1/2 stars
In "Katamari Forever," the King of All Cosmos has managed to knock himself out, and his son, the Prince, has created a robotic replacement that malfunctioned and destroyed all the stars in the sky – again. Now the Prince and his cousins have to work not only to restore the King's memories and wake him up but also to create a new sky full of stars.
The Prince does this by rolling up as much junk as possible into a ball, often starting with tiny items before graduating to larger ones such as the Katamari ball, which grows exponentially. There's usually a time limit, item limit or some other stricture on creating the ball, which the King (or RoboKing) judges and places where it needs to go.
The controls use the same two-stick setup as the previous ones, though the Prince can now jump, and can attract items to the Katamari with the use of special items.
Sony PlayStation 3; $49.99 • Age rating: Everyone
WireWay
3 stars
"WireWay" has the player fling a little alien from elastic wire to elastic wire, trying to collect stars called Elan.
The alien, Wiley, must make his way through each stage to his partner's ship. Players use the stylus to pull and launch Wiley like a stone from a slingshot. He can be bounced higher into the air if the player smacks him with a pulled wire on his way down, and pinball-like bouncers can send him flying on his way.
The levels have various obstacles, from wildlife to nasty aliens, and some require keys to take down barriers or have other special conditions.
Outside of the main Quest Mode, the Challenge Mode offers two kinds of games. In Flick Trials, players have only a limited number of launches for Wiley. In Strategery, much of the level is bare, and players must fill in the blanks with their own wires and bouncers.
Nintendo DS; $29.99 • Age rating: Everyone
– Justin Hoeger