Assassin’s Creed 2 – Bonfire of the Vanities DLC Review

Posted by Jeremy On February - 21 - 2010

Assassin’s Creed 2: Bonfire of the Vanities

Those still trying to rinse out the bitter taste of the first batch of DLC from Assassin’s Creed 2 might be hesitant to drink from that particular well anytime soon. While the feeling is understandable, it’s important to remember that even the best Brew’s will occasionally have a skunky batch, but that wouldn’t stop you from picking up your favorite six-pack in the future would it? Though it might take nothing short of a leap of faith to dive into the new batch of DLC, those brave enough to try will be duly rewarded and might even forgive developers for that ghastly first batch. In retrospect, “The Battle of Forli” feels like nothing more than a mini-game, a warm-up if you will, for what developers deliver in “Bonfire of the Vanities.”

What’s Good

Getting back to Stealth 101 – While Forli had you hack-and-slash your way through the lackluster memory, players will not be able to thug their way through this set of sequences. The less fine-tuned assassin will be able to go in Rambo style with hidden blades and sword blazing in certain instances, but that type of bravado will not get you far. Several of the sequences require you to take out a target without being seen, forcing players to reach deep down into their bag of assassin tricks and take a much more tactical approach. This style of game play gets back to what it means to be an elite assassin as well as returning to the normal flow of the original campaign and in so doing provides a significantly more enjoyable playing experience.

Just 5 more minutes, Mom – Those of you expecting to blaze through “Bonfire of Vanities” will be pleased to know that the new release is significantly longer than its predecessor. Gamers will still be able to stylishly assassinate their way through the new memory in one comfortable sitting, if you so choose, but the series of sequences is drawn out in a way that really lets you sink back into Ezio’s boots and in the process rids that fleeting and unimpressionable feeling of Forli.

What’s Bad

Why I Oughta… – One of the only flaws I found with the new DLC came in the form of a text graphic at the beginning of the memory. As an objective reviewer it probably shouldn’t bother me, but as a consumer it would really chap my ass (assuming you shelled out money for both batches of DLC). As you start your trek into Florence, much to my chagrin, a text graphic pops up breaking down everything that happened in Forli. This was obviously meant to bridge the gap for those who hadn’t gotten a chance or couldn’t afford both DLC’s and opted to only get the second, but it was still enough to almost cause some serious fisticuffs between me and my Xbox, considering I could have saved some money and not had my Assassin’s experience tainted by the uninspiring effort of Forli.

So you can teach an old assassin new tricks…NOT! – Ezio gets a new element in his already hearty free running arsenal in the form of a new springboard jump. It’s not even that this new move is necessarily bad, nor did it detract in anyway, it was just simply there. The new move wasn’t really utilized in the flow of the sequences and in my play through I didn’t even come across an area where you can start the sequence until after completing the memory. While it was fun flinging his little assassin body through the air, I wish the DLC had taken advantage of the new move.

Bonfire of Vanities is so nice, I might play it twice. Upon completing the memory, Ezio delivers a profound and very emotionally charged speech. One of the driving forces of the series so far has been the plot lines. Even as a huge fan of the series, I can admit the game play can get a little static at times, but the weight of the cut-scenes and uncovering that next evolution of story has always been there motivating us to push through. The final message is reminiscent of such cut-scenes. In order to get a timely review out, I played the new DLC as a stand-alone memory, as opposed to playing the whole campaign to get to memory block 13. As a fan of great stories and campaigns, I think it would be extremely worthwhile to go back and play all memories in order if only to gain a deeper and more overwhelming appreciation for the message that Ezio has to deliver.

*The Bonfire of the Vanities DLC was purchased and played for review on the XBOX 360 console