For those of you who played as the 12th century assassin  Altair, back in November of 2007, this will sound like a dagger to a body target…For those of you who don’t have a clue of what we are talking about, welcome to the 15th century Florence, Venice, Rome, Tuscan, and other sightings for some new Renaissance assassinations! It’s launch countdown for the anticipated sequel of Ubisfot’s video game Assassin’s Creed as Assassin’s Creed 2 embarks us in new depths and more nail bitting executions in two weeks from now.

What is Assassin’s Creed about anyway? To make a long story short, rely on this for an answer:  By scientific research to your genetic memory, you discover that you belong to a bloodline of cutting edge Assassins (just the kind of things your grandparents never tell you)… As scientists make you adventure in your mind as an Assassin, they’ll try to track down in your memory hidden clues for “valuable resources” that only in your head and your murderous background holds…  And of course, there’s no free lunch, scientists will want to “read and figure out what for their personal interests, you behold in your mind”. How to get there is how the Assassin’s Creed story takes off… While you start playing, you’ll begin to unfold secrets of your hit man lineage with every assassination you make. The first Assassin’s Creed video game was set around 1191 in Holy Land and you played as Altair. Now, you get to time travel to Renaissance Italy and as Ezio, you will go bloodthirsty in avenging your father’s and brother’s executions. Just for the record, Ezio is belongs to the blood lineage of Altair, and therefore related to Desmond Miles, the main character of the Assassin’s Creed Franchise, and true descendant of Altair. As you see, it’s all in the family,  do we smell trilogy here?

History has taught us that with a great video game comes the belief of a great movie. A lot of video game adaptations have failed while with counted fingers, few have succeeded. One thing is playing and experiencing the video game and another making it into a movie.
However, the Assassin’s Creed saga has all the key elements for a premium blockbuster hit: Kick ass story, great characters and superb locations. If beautifully combined and well crafted we could have an eye candy cinematographic experience.  But let’s not forget the essence here: Assassin’s Creed is and started off as a video game not a movie. In this media and viral era Ubisoft came up with a really clever tactic along with its own post production company Hybride Technologies: To launch a series of short films, 3 for the record, that do justice to the Assassin’s Creed “Lineage” and doesn’t murder it at all. Lineage is a prequel to Assassin’s Creed 2 and delivers with slicing cuts a production that honors the video game and not the other way around.
Believe in the Creed, play the video game and believe in your lineage, as you plunge deep into Assassin’s Creed 2.

Art by Dark Espada