The Assassin's Creed Series Synopsis
All of the Assassin's Creed games take place in 2012, featuring the protagonist Desmond Miles, a bartender who is a descendent of a line of Assassins; though raised as an Assassin, he fled his nomadic family to seek out a more common lifestyle.
He is initially kidnapped by the mega-corporation Abstergo Industries, the modern-day face of the Knights Templar who are aware of Desmond's lineage. Desmond is forced to use the "Animus", a device that allows him to experience his ancestral memories.
While in this machine, Abstergo Industries ( led by Dr. Warren Vidic ) attempted to access the genetic memories of Subject 17's ( a.k.a Desmond Miles ) ancestors to locate several artefacts known as "Pieces of Eden", that hold great power, to control mankind and alter its fate, bringing humanity into a single unified group.
Within the Animus, Desmond experiences the memories of Altaïr ibn-La'Ahad, an Assassin during the Crusades, and Ezio Auditore da Firenze, an Assassin in Italy during the late 15th and early 16th centuries of the Renaissance, both of whom came into contact with a Piece of Eden known as "The Apple". While following the storyline with Ezio, other Pieces of Eden become known, such as "The Staff" as well as a second apple. Throughout these events, Desmond learns of allusions to the prophetic end of the world in 2012 from a former Animus test subject, Subject 16, as well as from holographic figures of a species pre-dating humanity. These beings, people of "The First Civilization", call themselves Minerva, Juno and Jupiter.
With their numbers falling, The First Civilization attempted but ultimately failed to interbreed with humanity, leaving bloodlines of First Civilization and human hybrids such as Altaïr's and Ezio's, Desmond himself a unification of the two. These hybrids have access to the 6th sense of knowledge, which presents itself in the games as "Eagle Vision". Through the visions Ezio sees with the pieces of Eden, Desmond is provided with the locations of the hidden vaults and must use the central vault to complete their work and prevent this catastrophe again.
Assassin's Creed
Cast
- Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman, an aide and research assistant at Abstergo Industries.
- Phil Shahbaz as Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, the shining star of the Syrian sect of the Assassin Brotherhood.
- Nolan North as Desmond Miles, a bartender and Altaïr's descendant.
- North also voiced Abbas Sofian, a member of the Syrian Assassin Brotherhood.
- Phil Proctor as Warren Vidic, a disgraced scientist and former Ivy League professor of ill repute.
- Peter Reneday as Al Mualim, the Mentor of the Syrian Assassin Brotherhood.
- Haaz Sleiman as Malik Al-Sayf (credited as "Malik A-Sayf"), the one-armed bureau leader and dai in the rich district of Jerusalem.
- Alain Benatar as Jabal, the bureau leader and rafiq in the poor district of Acre.
- Carlos Ferro as the bureau leader and rafiq in the poor district of Damascus.
- Jean-Philippe Dandenaud as Robert de Sable, a French Crusader and the eleventh Grand Master of the Knights Templar.
- Ammar Daraiseh as Tamir, a Saracen black market merchant in Damascus.
- Hubert Fielden as Garnier de Naplouse, the tenth Grand Master of the Knights Hospitalier in Acre.
- Jake Eberly as Talal, a Saracen slave trader in Jerusalem.
- Harry Standjofski as William of Montferrat (credited as "William de Montferrat"), an Italian Crusader and Richard the Lionheart's regent in Acre.
- Fred Tatasciore as Jubair al Hakim, Damascus' Saracen chief scholar and leader of "The Illuminated".
- Tatasciore also voiced Abu'l Nuqoud, Damascus' Saracen merchant king.
- Richard Cansino as Majd Addin, Saladin's regent in Jerusalem.
- Arthur Holden as Sibrand, a German Crusader and the first Grand Master of the Knights Teutonic in Acre.
- Eleanor Noble as Maria Thorpe, Robert de Sable's steward.
- Marcel Jeanin as Richard I, a.k.a. Richard the Lionheart, England's French "absent king".
The Story
Desmond Miles, a bartender, is kidnapped by the Abstergo Corporation. There, Desmond is forced to interface with the Animus, a device that is able to replay the genetic memories of the user's ancestors. In Desmond's case, they seek information about his ancestor Altaïr ibn La-Ahad, an Assassin during the time of the Third Crusade. Within the Animus, Altaïr's memories reveal that he was attempting to stop Robert de Sablé from taking an artifact from a temple, but broke all three of the Assassins' Brotherhood's tenets in the process.
The Brotherhood leader, Al Mualim, demotes Altaïr to the rank of Novice, and assigns him the task of assassinating nine people to regain his former status.
At this point, Desmond is brought out of the Animus, his purpose served. He comes to learn that Abstergo is a front for the modern-day Templars. Abstergo is now set to use the locations on the map seen by Altaïr to find more Pieces of Eden, believing that they must collect the artifacts to control the world's population in order to stave off the projected end of the world in 2012. Desmond's life is spared by Lucy Stillman, one of the Abstergo scientists who is actually an Assassin mole. Left alone in his locked room, Desmond discovers (through "the Bleeding Effect" from his time spent in the Animus) that he can observe numerous messages in blood on the walls and floor left by a previous test subject (Subject 16) that foretell the end of the world.
~ zMacca
Assassin's Creed II
It is the second video game installment of the Assassin's Creed series, and is a sequel to the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed. The game was released for video game consoles in November 2009, and for Windows in March 2010. Its direct sequel, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, was released in November 2010.Cast
- Roger Craig Smith as Ezio Auditore da Firenze
- Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman
- Nolan North as Desmond Miles
- Fred Tatasciore as Mario Auditore
- Carlos Ferro as Leonardo da Vinci
- Manuel Tadros as Rodrigo Borgia
- Romano Orzari as Giovanni Auditore da Firenze
- Ellen David as Maria Auditore da Firenze
- Claudia Ferri as Paola
- Angela Galuppo as Claudia Auditore da Firenze
- Elias Toufexis as Federico Auditore da Firenze
- Carlo Mestroni as Antonio de Magianis
- Lita Tresierra as Rosa
- Michel Perron as Uberto Alberti
- Roc LaFortune as Carlo Grimaldi
- Alex Ivanovici as Lorenzo de' Medici
- Ivanovici also voiced Bartolomeo d'Alviano
- Arthur Grosser as Jacopo de' Pazzi
- Arthur Holden as Emilio Barbarigo
- Danny Wallace as Shaun Hastings
- Eliza Schneider as Rebecca Crane
- Cam Clarke as Clay Kaczmarek, a.k.a. "Subject 16"
- Harry Standjofski as Silvio Barbarigo Il Rosso
- Tony Robinow as Marco Barbarigo
- Vito DeFilippo as Gilberto, a.k.a. "La Volpe"
- Yuri Lowenthal as Vieri de' Pazzi
- Andreas Apergis as Francesco de' Pazzi
- Apergis also voiced Checco Orsi
- Margaret Easley as Minerva
- Nadia Verrucci as Sister Teodora Contanto
- Anne-Marie Baron as Annetta
- Cristina Rosato as Caterina Sforza
- Shawn Baichoo as Niccolò Machiavelli
- Baichoo also voiced Antonio Maffei
- Amber Goldfarb as Cristina Vespucci
- Phil Proctor as Warren Vidic
The Gameplay
Assassin's Creed II takes place within several regions throughout late fifteenth-century Italy such as Venice, Florence, Forlì and the Tuscan countryside. The Animus 2.0, a new version of the machine of the same name present in Assassin's Creed, provides in-game context for changes and additions to several game elements. The player may now swim in water, and Eagle Vision — the ability to identify specific people and landmarks — can now be used in third-person view and while moving. A young Leonardo da Vinci is present in the game, aiding the player by creating new weapons from translated "Codex pages" that Altaïr, the original game's main character, left behind for future Assassins' analysis and insight. Additionally, the player can hire different groups of non-player characters, such as mercenaries, courtesans, or thieves; these groups can be used to fight, distract, or lure guards, respectively. A day and night cycle has been added to the game, giving the game more of a sense of time, in addition to setting missions and events at certain times of the day. The combat system is more complex than that of its predecessor, with the ability to disarm opponents using counter-attacks while unarmed. Da Vinci provides the player with specialized weaponry, such as the dual hidden blades, poison blade and the miniature wheellock firearm, which are all based on schematics found in Altaïr's Codex pages.
The Plot
Ezio's memories begin during the Renaissance in the 15th century, where his family is ensnared in a political plot, and his father and brothers are hanged. Ezio, following his father's last advice, finds his father's Assassin tools, and flees the city with his mother and sister to the safety of his uncle Mario's villa in the countryside. Mario assists Ezio in discovering the people behind the conspiracy.
As he identifies and assassinates more and more political figures, Ezio also gains several allies, including Niccolò Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci, the latter of whom helps Ezio improve his equipment using schematics found in Altaïr's Codex pages.
Eventually, Ezio identifies the mastermind of the plot: the Spaniard Rodrigo Borgia, who ultimately sought to bring down the Medici family in Florence with the help of the Pazzi family and the Doge of Venice. Ezio finds Borgia in possession of the Apple — a similar Piece of Eden that Altaïr had recovered centuries ago — and learns that Borgia believes himself to be "the Prophet" that will lead the Templars to a fabled "Vault". Ezio is able to confront Borgia with the help of his allies and recover the Apple, but Borgia flees before he can be killed. The modern Assassins discover that several years of Ezio's memories are inaccessible from the Animus. Desmond can only revisit those starting in 1499, where Ezio and the Assassins plan to attack Borgia (now Pope Alexander VI) at Vatican City. Ezio corners Borgia and strikes him down, but refuses to kill him, as he knows that it will not bring back his family.
~zMacca