We've just caught up with Assassin's Creed 2 creative director Patrice Désilets and had enough time in the sausage dodging schedule to ask him a few questions. Here goes.
Patrice Desilets: It's my first sequel and it's fun because we get to explain some stuff, so yes, we're going to explain more. Assassin's Creed II picks up where the first game left off - it's literally an hour after the ending scene in the first game. I don't want to spoil everything from the franchise, because it's a big story we want to tell.
AC needed a sequel to make sense. We're making sure the ending is not as obscure as the first game. It's something that we wanted to try - the game that never ends.
So with this big story to tell, is the plot for AC III already written?
Desilets: It's somewhere in my brain. You'll see with the PSP and DS versions, it's the same story and the same universe. We're not just building these games and hoping they work. We've thought it all out.
I think it's reductive to call it a trilogy these days. It's a brand, it's a universe we've built and we're using it in any medium we like. Even in film.
I have the universe in my head, and it's up to me to express that in all these different mediums. We can do so much more than only three games.
Assassin's Creed II
Official trailer
5:08New gameplay footage buried in a Comic-Con promo
Assassin's Creed II
Official trailer
5:08New gameplay footage buried in a Comic-Con promo
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Assassin's Creed II
Official trailer
5:08New gameplay footage buried in a Comic-Con promo
How could motion control affect games like Assassins Creed?
Desilets: I have a problem with all this. For me, it's gimmicky. I don't know, I feel too old to get into all this. I feel weird in my living room waving my hands around. I'm just too much of a gamer, maybe. I just like to press buttons. But maybe it's the future, maybe I'm totally wrong.
You know, a lot of people finished Assassin's Creed. That must mean we have a good control system. It wasn't too tough. I think we got a good balance of control there. So I don't think about motion control. If it becomes the norm, I'll go there.
Motion control is billed as a way of making games simpler to control and to understand because pads are too complex. So are you saying it's more about the way people make their games' control systems?
Desilets: We sold nine million copies of AC on PS3, 360 and PC, so there are still a lot of people who can use a controller. So motion control means my mother can play, but so what? Don't get me wrong, I have a completely different view from the rest of the industry. Business is still good with the controller.
I've played Zelda on Wii and I had a problem waving my hand all the time. It was fun for half an hour, but not five hours at a time. That's my own disgruntled opinion, and if it switches, then I will change also, but I don't want to cross that bridge just yet.
You've already made one of the most top-end games of this generation. Do we need PS4 and Xbox 720 any time soon?
Desilets: Not yet. Let people buy their HD TVs. You know those little consoles still have a lot of power left in them, so not yet, we're not ready. Why not let this generation have a ten-year life?
It's so much easier - when you know the console, you can go beyond focusing on the technology of it. You can start thinking more about the story of your games and other things. It's great when you know the machine you're working on.
What about Assassin's II DLC?
Desilets: I'm not allowed to talk about that.
Okay. What about a demo?
Desilets: I don't think we're going to do a demo, I'd like to do a demo, but with the tight schedule we've got, it's not planned.
sounds like a someone with no real vision. Would explain why the first game was so damn repetitive. I'm sure the sequels an improvement on the original. Which i quite enjoyed, but if you can't see the benefit of well implemented motion control you're definately behind the curve. Surprising considering others working in the same company are showing how intuitive and enjoyable it can be.
I'm not one of those people who abhor the idea of motion control, used in the right place it can be fantastic, it's just that I couldn't see a title like AC using it in a meaningful way. Movement certainly wouldn't work, and while it could be used for sword fighting, that's such a small part of the game that it is barely worht implementing.
But if they can figure a way to do it meaningfully, they should.
I think motion control is good for some games but I don't want it in every game. I see motion control as a bit of an experiment that could create some really good experiences but I really hope its not the future of games.
You could say that the first AC was a prototype for hopefully the second game. Rarely do games work the way they are supposed to on the first try....very rarely.
The problem with motion control is that it's usually either gimmicky or repetitive. Games like Killzone 2 have the odd bit, but it feels sort of forced. Uncharted made it okay but it still wasn't really an integral part of the overall experience.
Likewise, when any flick performs the same action (Zelda, Wii sports games) it gets really dull and you end up losing the immersion that the motion controls are supposed to add.
And on top of that, I'm with this guy. I don't want to come home from work tired and then be unable to play a game because I don't want to wave my arms around or jump up and down. I play games to relax and have fun, not to exercise. The more focused you get on making people perform pointless movements, the less connected to the game you feel.
I couldnt see motion control being a decent part of the game as I could control AC 1 just as well with my normal pad and like the guy said it would just be put in for being put in sake and a gimmick.
If the motion control serves a usefull purpose then I would agree but if you look at one game in particular GTA IV, it was useful for reloading with the flick but it wasnt a very good system for darts and bowling. For me the bowling was just too hard and why couldnt it have been similar to the ps3 home bowling controls.
MGS 4 the motion control for certain things such as shaking the mantis dolls was ok. I am not against motion control I just dont want developers to abuse it and fix games that aint broke to begin with.
I can't see motion controls working fantastically with AC; It could definatly work, but the point is it doesn't need to, the 360 controlled fine when I played it. Although, if i'm honest, I did have brief moments imagining what it'd be like with motion controls on Wii after the 1st game came out, using the hidden blade with the Wii remote could be incredibly satisfying. I'm not saying it should be made that way, but yeah, there we go...
Perhaps I'm behind the curve as well, but I have yet to see ANY game where motion controls have enhanced a gaming experience. As this guy said, current implementation of motion control is a gimmick, and just because it can be tacked on doesn't mean it should be. Motion controls have actually single-handedly bankrupted some of the most talented development studios in the business. Factor 5 anyone? Sorry but I'll pass on anything with a great deal of motion controls added in. Maybe things will change when Natal launches, but color me a skeptic.
Also, another point I think everyone is forgetting concerning motion controls for AC is the fact that it is cross platform. Obviously the 360 version will not have motion controls, so what could they add to PS3 in terms of motion that would actually add value to the game?
If the motion control serves a usefull purpose then I would agree but if you look at one game in particular GTA IV, it was useful for reloading with the flick but it wasnt a very good system for darts and bowling. For me the bowling was just too hard and why couldnt it have been similar to the ps3 home bowling controls.
you don't have to use motion controls in bowling or darts, I tried it once for driving for like a minute and turned it off and never used it again.
Motion controls have actually single-handedly bankrupted some of the most talented development studios in the business. Factor 5 anyone? Sorry but I'll pass on anything with a great deal of motion controls added in. Maybe things will change when Natal launches, but color me a skeptic.
Lair was great, the motion control was fine, tried the analogue sticks when the patch was release with the DLC (they should have been separate) and getting use to the controls was worse than when I was getting used the the motion controls so I switched it back after 10-15 seconds
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