Assassin's Creed II

Assassin's Creed II is a historical fantasy third person action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. 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 on video game consoles in November 2009, and released for Windows in March 2010. The direct sequel, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, comes out in November, 2010.
The game is set in the 21st century, with player-controlled protagonist Desmond Miles escaping from Abstergo Industries with an employee, Lucy Stillman, after being forced to relive the genetic memories of ancestral assassin Altaïr ibn La-Ahad through a machine known as the "Animus". After escaping from Abstergo, Desmond enters a device which is more advanced than the original Animus, the Animus 2.0, and relives the genetic memories of ancestral nobleman Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who lived during the Renaissance period of the late 15th century in Italy. The player controls Ezio, who becomes an Assassin after his father and brothers are murdered by a traitor to the Auditore family. While controlling Ezio, the player can explore game renditions of Italian cities, regions and landmarks in open world gameplay.
Assassin's Creed II was met with widespread acclaim, garnering aggregated scores of 91% for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and 86% for PC, from review aggregator Metacritic. The game was praised for its stronger emphasis on open-world exploration and interaction, non-linear gameplay and greater mission variety compared to the first Assassin's Creed. The game was also credited with improved non-player character AI and combat mechanics, and its new economic system allowing players to purchase accessories, armor and improved weapons through the course of the game.
Gameplay
 Assassin's Creed II takes place in an open world with nonlinear gameplay, allowing the player to roam freely within several regions throughout late fifteenth-century Italy such as Venice, Florence, 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. A database is also available, providing extra historical information about key landmarks, characters and services that the player encounters.
The health system has been made more dynamic, with synchronization to the Animus and causing the character to recover only from minor injuries.More grievous injuries require visiting a street-side doctor or use of medicine which can be purchased from doctors or found on bodies.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. Within the game, the player will be able to use Leonardo's flying machine (based on real-life plans by Leonardo) while on one mission. The player also has the ability to control a carriage on one level, but can row gondolas, as well as ride horses at any point in the game where they are readily available.The setting of the various places the player may go to have been made relatively more detailed and in-depth. Civilians can carry objects and sometimes sneeze. Additionally, one can hire different groups of NPCs such as mercenaries or thieves.
The combat system is more complex than that of its predecessor, with the ability to disarm opponents using counter attacks while unarmed. If the player steals an enemy's weapon, it is possible to follow up with an attack that instantly kills.Leonardo da Vinci provides the player with specialized weaponry, such as the hidden dual blades, poison blade and the miniature firearm. Generic swords, cutlasses, maces, axes, spears and daggers can all be purchased from vendors in each city or otherwise looted from corpses. In addition, players are able to purchase artwork for their villa, obtain new armor as the game progresses and even dye Ezio's clothing with a number of different colors. Other equipment includes: larger pouches to carry more throwing knives and medicine. Six additional weapons can be unlocked by connecting a PSP with Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines to the PS3.
The Auditore family's countryside villa acts as Ezio's headquarters, and the surrounding property can be upgraded, drawing income for the player's use. There are several outlets for using currency, with vendors selling items such as medicine, poison, weapons, repairs, upgrades, paintings and dyes for changing the color of Ezio's outfit. When these shops are renovated, Ezio receives discounts at the shops on the goods they sell.
There is now a broader array of methods for hiding or blending in the area. One can dive underwater to break the guards' line of sight, and blending may be performed with any group of people, rather than only a specific type, as in the first Assassin's Creed.The game features a notoriety system, with Ezio becoming more recognizable depending on his behavior, location, and current mission. This infamy can be reduced with bribery, removing wanted posters, or assassinating corrupt officials.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.There are many ways to interact with non-player characters, with some NPCs available for hire, they serve as a distraction, and groups of thieves to fight alongside the player. Money thrown to the ground may also serve as a distraction. There are also several types of enemies, some more agile or stronger than others.
The missions in the game now have an expanded variety, with different structuring. For example, a mission may have the objective to escort someone, but may change to a chase and assassination. Investigation is less explicit, and instead missions may follow people and/or a narrative. There are roughly 200 missions in this game; about half are part of the main storyline, while the rest are side quests. Cities also contain hidden locations such as catacombs and caves, the design of which have been compared, by the developers, to the Prince of Persia series, where the objective is to navigate the area. Exploring these locations eventually rewards the player with an Assassin's seal, six of which allow the player to unlock the armor of Altaïr in a concealed section of the Villa.
Like Assassin's Creed, characters based on historical figures are present in the game including Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolò Machiavelli, Caterina Sforza, Lorenzo de' Medici, the Pazzi Family, and Pope Alexander VI.
Locations in the game include the Tuscany region (Florence, Monteriggioni and San Gimignano), the Apennine Mountains, the Romagna region (Forlì), Venice and Rome. Specific landmarks include St Mark's Basilica,the Grand Cana, the Little Canal, the Rialto Bridge, Santa Maria del Fiore, the Sistine Chapel, Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, and Santa Maria Novella
Plot
The game continues shortly after the events of Assassin's Creed, where, in 2012, Desmond Miles (Nolan North) is still a prisoner at Abstergo Industries after searching the memories of his ancestor, the Assassin Altaïr, in the Animus. Abstergo, the modern-day Knights Templar, had been using Desmond to locate powerful out-of-place artifacts called "Pieces of Eden." Using the "Eagle Vision" ability he gained as a result of the "bleeding effect" (from overexposure to the Animus), Desmond is able to see messages and symbols written in blood on his bedroom wall, written by the former test subject, named "Subject 16 (Cam Clarke)". Lucy Stillman (Kristen Bell), a former researcher for Abstergo and an Assassin, frees Desmond and brings him to a secret hideout used by herself and two other Assassins, historian Shaun Hastings (Danny Wallace) and computer expert Rebecca Crane (Eliza Schneider). With their own version of the Animus, dubbed the 'Animus 2.0', they invite Desmond to help them discover the memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, for two reasons: to train Desmond in Assassin skills through the bleeding effect, and to find other Pieces of Eden.
Ezio, residing in Italy during the Renaissance in the late 15th century, finds his family in Florence the victims of a political plot, and is unable to prevent the hanging of his father and the both of his brothers, Federico and Pettrucio (Federico appears throughout the game as an assassin, but ends up hanging). His father's final instructions lead Ezio to a chest containing Assassin garments and tools. Ezio's uncle Mario allows Ezio and his mother and sister to shelter in his countryside villa, and trains Ezio in the art of combat. Mario further provides leads to those in on his family's betrayal, and Ezio follows the trail of clues, leading from Florence to San Gimignano, Forlì, Venice and eventually to Rome. Along the way, he encounters several allies that assist in his pursuit, including Leonardo da Vinci, who is able to help decode pages from Altaïr's Codex, creating new equipment. After assassinating many people involved in the plot, Ezio is able to identify Rodrigo Borgia as the leader of the conspiracy, aimed to bring down the Medici family in Florence with the help of the Pazzi family and the Doge of Venice. Borgia later arrives in Venice with the "Apple," the Piece of Eden that Altaïr originally had found. Borgia believes himself to be the "Prophet" that would lead to the discovery of "The Vault", supposedly containing more Pieces of Eden and other knowledge the Templars seek. Ezio, joined by his allies, stop Borgia, who flees without the Apple. His allies, including Niccolò Machiavelli, reveal they are all members of the Assassins, and bring Ezio into their ranks, telling him that they believe him to be the Prophet that will lead them to the Vault.

Assassin's Creed series fictional chronology
Altaïr's Chronicles Assassin's Creed Bloodlines Lineage Assassin's Creed II II: Discovery Assassin's Creed II (continued) Brotherhood Lost Legacy

During one break from using the Animus 2.0, Desmond suffers a hallucination that returns him to the body of Altaïr in Acre, and has intercourse with Maria, a Templar he had earlier spared (a decoy for Robert de Sable in Assassin's Creed whom Altaïr formed a relationship with in Bloodlines); when Altaïr departs, Desmond finds the memory staying with Maria (thus implying that she is now pregnant with one of his ancestors), and leaves him confused when he recovers. He also learns of the case of Subject 16, one of several previous test subjects used by Abstergo, and the person responsible for writing the images he saw in his room at Abstergo. Subject 16 has managed to hack the Animus and place twenty glyphs that can only be seen and decoded by the Animus user, revealing a video of a man and a woman, claiming to be Adam and Eve, carrying the "Apple of Eden", running through a futuristic setting identified, by a flash of binary code, as Eden.
When Desmond returns to Ezio's memory after he fought off Borgia, they find several corrupted memories, and are only able to return Desmond to Ezio's memories in the year 1499 (The memories comprise the semi-historical siege of Forli by the Orsi family and the Bonfire of the Vanities), where Borgia has since become Pope Alexander VI at Vatican City. Ezio's memories reveal that he and his allies have completed the Codex and discovered that "The Vault" lies in Rome, and realize that the Papal Staff is another Piece of Eden; Borgia's plan, upon deposition of the Medici family, would allow him to become Pope and gain access to the staff and the Vault.
Ezio travels to Rome; while his allies distract the rest of the city, Ezio discreetly enters the Vatican and attempts to assassinate Borgia inside the Sistine Chapel (while he preaches the Nicene Creed in Latin). Borgia manages to escape with both the Apple and the Staff, and attempts to use them to open the Vault, but Ezio catches up and defeats him but does not kill Borgia, since revenge will not bring back his family. In Ezio's hands, the Apple and Staff open the Vault; inside, he finds a holographic figure that identifies him as The Prophet that has brought Desmond and the 21st century observers to the Vault, much to Ezio's confusion. The figure, calling herself "Minerva" and addressing Desmond directly, reveals that she and others of her kind were part of a far more advanced society (Those Who Came Before) that lived on Earth and created humans in their own image (it is hinted several times throughout the game that humans were created as a slave race). Eventually man freed themselves and the two races went to war against one another, soon halted by a natural celestial catastrophe involving a massive solar flare which resulted in the destruction of most life on Earth. The remaining people of both races rebuilt society. The few remaining Ones Who Came Before constructed several "temples" around the world (one being located within the Vatican) that would help the human race to prevent the same disaster from reoccurring once the Ones Who Came Before had become extinct. Minerva insinuates that records of the existence of the Ones Who Came Before, as well as their warning, had been misunderstood and had, over time, evolved into various myths, legends and religions throughout the modern world. As the hologram vanishes, Minerva says "the rest is up to you, Desmond", confusing Ezio.
As the memory ends and the credits begin to roll, Desmond wakes to find that Abstergo has discovered their hideout and, with his assimilated skills from Ezio and Altaïr, he manages to escape with Lucy and the others. As the scene fades to black with the credits still rolling, they take a van with an Animus 2.0 built inside. Lucy then explains that Minerva was referring to a great celestial catastrophe. She goes on to explain that a weakness in the Earth's magnetic field has been discovered, and that a single solar flare could cause worldwide disaster. This hints towards the 2012 Doomsday prediction. Desmond prepares to re-enter the Animus as the game ends, which allows the player to continue as Ezio after the game has finished.
Downloadable content
On December 1, 2009, Ubisoft announced the first of several downloadable content (DLC) expansions for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Assassin's Creed II. The first, entitled Battle for Forlì, continues the story of Caterina Sforza and was released on January 28, 2010. It also includes a special memory that allows users to pilot Leonardo da Vinci's flying machine over Forlì. The second expansion, entitled Bonfire of the Vanities, concerns the mass burning of sinful objects in Florence and was released on February 18, 2010. These were both initially planned to be included as part of the main game, but were later cut due to time constraints.The retail PC version includes the following packages as part of the main storyline.
The Battle of Forlì
 The two downloadable content packs feature the corrupted memory sequences, which Rebecca is able to repair with a computer patch. Sequence 12, "Forlì Under Attack" (released as The Battle for Forli) is set in 1488, just after Ezio has recovered the Apple of Eden. Machiavelli, Mario Auditore, Ezio and Leonardo da Vinci meet to discuss what to do to protect the Apple, and it is decided that it will be sent to Romagna to be defended by Catarina Sforza. When Ezio arrives however, he finds that the city is under attack from the Orsi Brothers, who have been hired by Borgia to take a map featuring the locations of the Codex pages, made by Sforza's late husband. In an attempt to force Sforza to hand over the map the brothers kidnap her children. Ezio leaves the Apple in Sforza's protection; he rescues her children and kills one brother. When he returns, he discovers that Checco, the other brother, used the distraction to steal the Apple. Ezio gives chase, and kills Checco. As he stands over Checco's body, Checco stabs Ezio. Ezio falls to the floor bleeding, and before he passes out, he sees a man missing a finger and wearing monastic robes take the Apple.
Ezio wakes up with Sforza at his side. He sets out to reclaim the Apple, and Sforza gives him the map of the Codex page locations. He travels to a monastery in the wetlands, where he is sent to Forli's monastery. He attempts to speak to the abbot, but the abbot recognizes him as the assassin who killed Brother Stefano (one of the Pazzi conspirators) and flees. When Ezio catches him, the abbot names the monk who stole the Apple as Girolamo Savonarola.
The Pack also includes a bonus memory in which Ezio can pilot Leonardo's Flying Machine over the Forli area. Unlike regular memories the player is allowed to play this memory an unlimited number of times.
Bonfire of the Vanities
 Sequence 13 begins in 1497, two years prior to Sequence 14 and nine years after Sequence 12. Ezio has tracked Savonarola to Florence, where the player can now explore the southern province of the city. After meeting with Machiavelli, Ezio devises that bringing unrest to the city will force Savonarola to come out and settle the unrest. In order to bring about this unrest, Ezio assassinates nine of Savonarola's lieutenants who preach within the city. The people become angry and a mob forms outside the plaza where Savonarola preaches to the mob to disperse. He exposes the Apple to bewitch the mob, but Ezio quickly throws a knife at the Piece of Eden and Savonarola drops it. The mob proceeds to take the monk away, but a templar quickly rushes in to retrieve the Apple. Ezio rushes after the guard and reclaims it. Afterward, the mob takes Savonarola to the Piazza della Signoria to burn him at the stake, but Ezio, believing no one deserves such a painful fate, jumps on to a wooden platform, leaps at Savanarola, and stabs the monk in the face with his hidden blade to spare him the pain. Ezio stands before the confused crowd and declares that all should follow their own path
Development

This section requires expansion.

System requirements

Minimum Recommended Windows Operating system XP, Vista or Windows 7 CPU Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHZ or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ or better Memory 1.5 GB for XP 2 GB for Vista or Windows 7 Hard drive space 8 GB Graphics hardware 256 MB DirectX 9.0–compliant card with Shader Model 3.0 or higher GeForce 8800 GT or ATI Radeon HD 4700 or better Sound hardware DirectX 9.0 –compliant sound card 5.1 sound card Network Constant Internet Connection: Broadband connection with 128 kbps upstream or faster.

Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot officially confirmed that Assassin's Creed II was in development on November 26, 2008, during the company's financial performance report. This was followed by Michael Pachter speculating in GameTrailers' "Bonus Round" that game would change its setting to the events of the French Revolution, which turned out to be false.
A promotional video was released by Ubisoft on April 6 showing a skull, some hidden blade designs, and Leonardo's flying machine on a scroll. On April 16, Game Informer released details of the game, including pictures of Ezio,a new teaser trailer was released, and the game was "officially" announced by Ubisoft.
In an interview, in May 2009, Sebastien Puel stated that the development team working on Assassin's Creed II had increased to 450 members, and the development team's size had tripled since the first game.
On June 1, 2009, Ubisoft released a new four-minute cinematic Assassin's Creed II trailer at E3.On June 2, 2009, Ubisoft revealed the first live gameplay demo, lasting 6 minutes, at the Sony Press Conference.GameTrailers features an exclusive developer walkthrough from E3 2009. In an interview with GameTrailers Ubisoft Montreal creative director Patrice Desilets stated Desmond would be doing more than walking around and discovering clues.
It was announced at the Assassin's Creed panel at Comic Con 2009 that a mini-series of three episodes, Assassin's Creed: Lineage, would be released showing the events leading up to the game and the history of Ezio and his father.
It was also revealed that the humorist Danny Wallace would be voicing a new character in Assassin's Creed II by the name of Shaun Hastings, a sarcastic historian assisting Desmond. The character's face would also be modeled after him. Actress Kristen Bell returned for the character of Lucy Stillman.
The game was originally due to be released at the same time on all the three platforms, but Ubisoft announced on September 24, 2009 via Twitter that the PC version would be delayed to the first quarter of 2010 in order to have "a bit more time for the dev team to deliver the best quality game". In the course of March, Ubisoft sent an e-mail to their PC-customers to apologize for problems with the DRM (although some people never had problems), and granted them a code to unlock the three Templar Lairs that were playable in the Black edition for console. 
Music
The score to Assassin's Creed II was composed by Jesper Kyd. It was recorded at Capitol Records with a 35-piece string ensemble and a 13-person choir, and featured vocals by Melissa Kaplan.A soundtrack was released via digital download on November 16, 2009. 14 tracks of the soundtrack were also released on the game disc available with the special pre-order Black edition of Assassin's Creed II.
In the marketing, "Genesis" by Justice was used in the "Visions of Venice" trailer.

Assassin's Creed II Original Soundtrack
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Earth"	3:59
2.	"Venice Rooftops"	3:18
3.	"Ezio in Florence"	2:19
4.	"Home in Florence"	5:02
5.	"Ezio's Family"	4:21
6.	"Sanctuary"	3:56
7.	"Stealth"	2:20
8.	"Florence Escape"	2:50
9.	"Approaching Target 1"	3:34
10.	"Approaching Target 2"	6:07
11.	"Leonardo's Invention Part 1"	2:22
12.	"Tour of Venice"	3:16
13.	"Flight over Venice"	4:50
14.	"Darkness Falls"	4:05

Promotion

On October 20, 2009, Ubisoft announced a series of short movies to be broadcast via YouTube that would provide additional back story and the introduction of some of the characters found in the game. The shorts, called Assassin's Creed: Lineage, came in three parts and were developed by Ubisoft’s Hybride Technologies, who previously worked on the films 300 and Sin City. The series focused on Ezio's father, Giovanni Auditore, and contained live-action and computer generated imagery. The first of the films was released on October 27, 2009, with the remaining two released on November 13, 2009.
On November 12, 2009, Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed II themed virtual items on PlayStation Home to promote the release of the game, as well as the game Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines for PSP. Assassin's Creed II virtual items and an Ezio costume were also released on the Xbox Live Marketplace for the Xbox 360's avatars. On November 19, 2009, more Assassin's Creed II virtual items were released in PlayStation Home, along with a costume for Ezio, which was released on November 26, 2009. On December 3, 2009, more 15th century Italian renaissance themed items were released in Home Ezio's "Purple Assassin" costume is available to download on LittleBigPlanet, as of December 8, 2009, on the PlayStation Network.
Assassin's Creed II is the first game to be linked to Ubisoft's Uplay feature. Progression through the game allows Uplay members to acquire points that can be redeemed for bonuses for use in the game, including a new crypt to explore and an Altaïr costume.
A novel based on the game, called Assassin's Creed: Renaissance by Oliver Bowden was published by Penguin Books in November 2009.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	90.65% (360) 90.49% (PS3) 85.00% (PC)
Metacritic	90% (360) 91% (PS3) 86% (PC)
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	A-
Computer and Video Games	9.4/10
Game Informer	9.5/10
GamePro	5/5
GameSpot	9/10 (Xbox 360) 8/10 (Windows)
GameSpy
GamesRadar	10/10
GameTrailers	9.2/10
IGN	9.2/10
Official PlayStation Magazine (US)	10/10
Official PlayStation Magazine (UK)	9/10
Official Xbox Magazine (UK)	9/10
TeamXbox	9.5/10

Upon release, Assassin's Creed II garnered widespread critical acclaim. Review aggregator site Metacritic gave the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version a score of 91.
In an exclusive review by Official Xbox Magazine, Assassin's Creed II scored 9/10. Its second review was a perfect score from the Official PlayStation Magazine US, while the Official PlayStation Magazine UK scored the game a 9/10.
German magazine, Computer Bild Spiele, reported that the game's publishers offered to provide a pre-release copy of the game if the magazine would guarantee a review score of "very good". The magazine rejected the request and instead opted to delay their review.
GameSpot which reviewed the PC version of the game, said despite the game being "fun and beautiful" it was hard to justify the higher price point. It was also mentioned that the game was hindered by Ubisoft's DRM and the game "deserved better. For that matter, PC gamers deserved better too."
According to pre-official sales estimates, Ubisoft announced that Assassin's Creed II sold 1.6 million copies worldwide during its first week of sale, representing a 32 percent increase over the first week retail performance of the original Assassin's Creed. As of February 10, 2010, the game has shipped 8 million copies.
At the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards, Assassin's Creed II was named Best Action Adventure Game, and IGN named it as the Action Game of the Year for Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Game of the Year. Game Informer also named it as Xbox 360 Game of the Year. It also received Game of the Year from GamePro, Eurogamer and The New York Times. Assassin's Creed II has been nominated for the "Outstanding Achievement in Animation", "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction", "Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering", "Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering", "Outstanding Achievement in Original Story", "Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition", "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design", "Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction", "Adventure Game of the Year" and "Overall Game of the Year" Interactive Achievement Awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.The game was also nominated for several Game Developers Choice Awards including "Best Game Design", "Best Visual Art", "Best Technology", and "Game of the Year".

Editions

There are several different limited editions of Assassin's Creed II. The Black Edition contains an Ezio figurine garbed in a black outfit and was released in Europe and Australia. Included also are three bonus areas and missions, an art book, and a DVD with part of the game's soundtrack, one premium PS3 theme, behind the scenes videos and 2 desktop wallpapers. The White Edition contains one bonus area/mission and an Ezio figurine in his white outfit. The Master Assassin's Edition is the North American limited edition, which contains an Ezio figurine, two bonus areas, an art book and a Blu-ray with music and behind the scenes videos.
After much complaining from Assassin's Creed II fans that they were unable to complete the game due to the need to play the three Templar Lairs - only available on the White or Black Editions - to earn 100% synchronisation, Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed II: The Complete Edition. Included on the package are download codes for the two DLCs, Battle of Forli and Bonfire of the Vanities and the three Templar Lairs. Later Assassin's Creed II: The Game of the Year Edition was released, containing the extra content incorporated on the game disc.

Controversies and criticism

The PC version of the game contains a DRM system that requires all users remain connected to the Internet while playing. In the initial retail version, any progress made subsequent to the last checkpoint was lost if the Internet connection were severed. Ubisoft stated that if the disconnection was temporary, the game would pause. In addition, the company argued that there were numerous checkpoints spread throughout Assassin's Creed II.The company was also criticized by overseas members of the U.S. Armed Forces, who could not play the game while in locations with sporadic and expensive connections. Ubisoft has since published a patch to alter the DRM: after resuming their connection to the Internet, players are now able to resume the game from the exact same point.
Shortly after the release of the Windows version, Ubisoft claimed that a cracked version of the game had not been created, and was confirmed by at least one website. During the following weekend, the DRM servers for Silent Hunter 5 and Assassin's Creed II were, according to Ubisoft, affected by a denial-of-service attack. Ubisoft later stated that "95 per cent of players were not affected, but a small group of players attempting to open a game session did receive denial of service errors." A server emulator to overcome the DRM has been developed. A cracked executable bypassing the connection requirement entirely was released in late April.
Following the series of server outages, Ubisoft offered owners of the Windows version all DLC from the Assassin's Creed II Black Edition, or a free copy of Heroes Over Europe, Tom Clancy's EndWar, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, or Prince of Persia (2008).
The PC version of the game was also widely criticized for being DirectX 9.0 only, whereas the original Assassin's Creed was a DirectX 10 title.

Sequel

Intended to be a trilogy, discussions on the details of Assassin's Creed III were already present before the release of Assassin's Creed II, with the game's staff noting talks of possibly having a female ancestor in World War II.However, co-writer Corey May has stated that the series will never take place during that period, as a major goal was to take players to settings normally unvisited in games. Ubisoft's Philippe Bergeron stated that potential settings could include England in the Middle Ages, during the era of King Arthur, and feudal Japan, the latter of which had been a "personal favorite" of many in the staff, although nothing has been confirmed yet.
Ubisoft has confirmed a game called Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, which will be released November 16, 2010.While not an expansion pack to Assassin's Creed II, this game will again feature Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and will include a new online multiplayer mode. It has been confirmed that most of the game will take place in Rome, the seat of power for the Borgia family and the Knights Templar. However, Brotherhood is not the 3rd game in the series - though it features Desmond, it is more on par with Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. 
References : Wikipedia  
External links 

• Official website  
• Assassin's Creed YouTube Channel  
• Assassin's Creed II at the Internet Movie Database

Assassin's Creed II

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Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed
Developer(s)	Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Designer(s)	Patrice Desilets (creative director), Jade Raymond (producer)
Writer(s)	Corey May
Composer(s)	Jesper Kyd
Series	Assassin's Creed
Version	Windows 1.02 (May 13, 2008), PS3 1.10 (October 16, 2008)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows
Release date(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360: NA November 14, 2007 EU November 14, 2007 AUS November 21, 2007 Microsoft Windows: NA April 8, 2008 AUS April 10/11, 2008 EU April 10, 2008
Genre(s)	Third person action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	BBFC: 15 ESRB: M OFLC: MA15+ OFLC: R13 PEGI: 18+ USK: 16
Media	Blu-ray Disc, DVD-DL, download
System requirements See System requirements

Assassin's Creed is a historical fantasy/science fiction third person action-adventure video game. The game is developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide in November 2007 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360,and April 2008 for PCs. The bulk of the game takes place during the Third Crusade, and is based upon the Hashshashin, a Muslim sect known as the Secret Order of Assassins. The player is in reality playing as a modern-day man named Desmond Miles, who through the use of a machine named the "Animus", is allowed the viewing and controlling of the protagonist's genetic memories of his ancestors, in this case, Altair, a member of the Hashshashin.

Through this plot device, details emerge of a struggle between two factions, the Knights Templar and the Assassins, over an artifact known as a "Piece of Eden" and the game primarily takes place during the Third Crusade in the Holy Land in 1191. The game received generally positive reviews, and won several awards at E3 in 2006. A sequel, Assassin's Creed II, was released in November 2009. 
Plot

Desmond Miles is not accurately characterized as simply a barman despite his initial protestations and bewilderment. He is an estranged member of the modern-day Assassin’s Brotherhood. He attempted to live anonymously under an assumed name after escaping from a secret Brotherhood compound known as the “Farm” at age sixteen, avoiding all contact with technology and agencies that might reveal his identity and location. His sole mistake was to acquire a license for a motorcycle that required a photo and a fingerprint.

Abstergo (Latin for “cleanse,” or “wipe away”) is a corporation run by modern-day Templars, who still wage a secret crusade to protect mankind by restricting free will, while the Brotherhood still fight to preserve humanity’s right to self-determination. Through the exploration of Desmond’s genetic memories of Altaïr ibn La-Ahad (Arabic for “The Flying One Son of None”) by using the Animus (Latin for “soul”), the Templars hope to discover the location of all existing “Pieces of Eden,” mystical devices that enable its holders to manipulate the minds of others. The Templars plan to broadcast a Piece of Eden’s power by subsequently launching it into orbit onboard a satellite, enslaving all but a few with innate resistance to the control each device exerts.

In the sterile confines of the Abstergo laboratory, Desmond interacts with only two of the company’s employees: Warren Vidic (who, in a broad sense, invented the Animus), and his assistant, Lucy Stillman. Warren is officious, driven and arrogant; a Templar with little regard for Desmond’s well-being. Lucy is more pragmatic, and is quick to rebuke Warren on his treatment of Desmond. The relationship between the two scientists is complex. Lucy reveals to Desmond that Abstergo hired her as a graduate, having taken a special interest in her studies. Three company employees were sent to execute her once the Animus was complete despite her vital contributions to the project. Only the timely intervention of Warren saved her life. Tolerating Warren’s brusque manner and assorted foibles is a small price for Lucy. She too is a prisoner of the company like Desmond however, unable to leave the premises.

Over the course of several days, Desmond enters the Animus for hours at a time, before spending his evenings locked in a suite adjacent to the laboratory. He gradually learns more of Abstergo’s activities and intentions through conversations with Warren and Lucy, and his experiences as Altaïr.

Desmond relives key moments in the life of his ancestor while installed in the Animus. Altaïr is a senior member of the Assassin’s Brotherhood during the Third Crusade. The memory begins with the Assassin, joined by two Assassin brothers Malik and Kadar Al-Sayf, attempting to secure an artifact from the Temple of Solomon.

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Jade Empire

Jade Empire is an action role-playing game developed by Canadian developer BioWare and first published in 2005 by Microsoft Game Studios as a worldwide release for the Xbox. The later, two-disc Limited Edition contained extra content. On May 10, 2006 BioWare announced a version for Microsoft Windows XP, to be published by 2K Games and developed by LTI Gray Matter, which was subsequently released in North America on February 26, 2007 as a Special Edition. The Special Edition was also released through the Steam delivery system on February 27, 2007 published by Valve Corporation. Jade Empire was released as an Xbox Original on Microsoft's Xbox 360 on July 21, 2008. TransGaming Technologies announced immediate availability of the Special Edition for Intel-based Macs on August 18, 2008. 
Gameplay 
Overview
Jade Empire follows the style of the Wuxia genre within a mythical setting inspired by ancient China. The player, who can be either male or female, progresses through an adventure based on traditional martial arts and can discover and develop new fighting styles:martial arts, weapon styles magic styles,support styles, or transformation styles. Combat is not turn-based, but is in real time, granting players control over how and when characters dodge or attack. In this fashion the player may change styles during combat and possibly initiate a Harmonic Combo.
The role playing statistic system in Jade Empire uses a tri-stat system Body, Mind, and Spirit These primary stats control the secondary stats of Health, Focus, and Chi (respectively), and the conversation skills of Charm, Intuition, and Intimidation. Focus is used by fighting with weapon styles (such as a longsword or a staff) or by choosing "focus mode", which slows the movements of other characters, allowing the player to attack at high speeds. Chi is a character's spirit energy. The player can use it to heal himself, to charge up a powerful "chi strike" to deal large damage, or to use it as "mana" when casting spells or transformations. Health, focus, and chi can be replenished by collecting power-ups left by defeated enemies in combat or by using Focus Shrines and Spirit Fonts found in the game world. Additionally, certain party members have the ability to add their power to yours—refilling your stats while they remain out of harm's way.
Certain aspects of Jade Empire's gameplay engine, dialogue and quest systems are handled in a way that is very similar to BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games for the Xbox and PC. Players can speak to NPCs in the game's towns and other areas, asking questions for information to learn more about the world, the storyline, and other characters. Many of these NPCs will offer the player side quests that can be completed for experience points and items. These quests often have more than one method of completion depending on whether the player chooses to follow the "High path" (in the game referred to as The Way of the Open Palm) or the "Low path" (The Way of the Closed Fist). The player can respond to questions or take courses of action that are consistent with the philosophy he or she follows; different actions will affect a character's alignment and his or her ability to cast certain spells or equip certain items.
There is also a vertical-scrolling airplane shooter included in Jade Empire as a mini-game, which is triggered by certain events in the storyline. In the mini-game, only the health and chi bars are active. Chi is replenished by shooting enemies, and is used for special attacks specific to the mini-game. The yellow focus spheres will upgrade your primary cannon up to three times. Red health spheres refill your health bar as in the main game.
Jade Empire also features the constructed language Tho Fan developed by Wolf Wikeley, a Ph.D. candidate in linguistics at the University of Alberta. 
Philosophies
Much of the game places emphasis on the two major philosophies in the world of the Jade Empire, the Way of the Open Palm and the Way of the Closed Fist. These paths bear a close resemblance to the "Light Path" and "Dark Path" described in the BioWare title Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic; however, a minor character states "I believe there can be intrigue behind the Way of the Open Palm, and honour behind the Way of the Closed Fist." Thus one who follows the Way of the Open Palm is not necessarily good, and one who follows the Way of the Closed Fist is not necessarily evil.
According to the "Way of the Open Palm," the key to maintaining the universe is by being in harmony with nature, one's surroundings, and one's station in life. As an effect of being in nature with one's surroundings, one is expected to actively assist in lessening the chaos in the area, through the assistance of lessening burdens. While this seems "Peaceful", the Way of the Open Palm is strict in another form: one should not act outside their station and purpose in life.
According to the "Way of the Closed Fist," on the other hand, the purpose of life is to follow the ways of serving oneself — to face one's challenges head on, challenge one's station in life, and work to become self-reliant. The emphasis of the Way of the Closed Fist is combat, turmoil, and constantly challenging oneself, which is why many of those who are evil tend to be considered to follow the Way of the Closed Fist, in that they bring about chaos in the universe.^[
Context plays a large part in the interpretation of these philosophies. For example, an evil follower of the Open Palm path could enable the suffering of others in order to achieve greater order, and a good follower of the Closed Fist path could encourage self-reliance in others, thus making them happier. For instance, if a follower of the Open Palm came upon a peasant being attacked by a gang of bandits, he would help because it is the right thing to do. Conversely, if a follower of the Closed Fist encountered this situation, he would reason that the peasant must survive on their own merit, or die. However, the Closed Fist student might also help the peasant if he felt that the peasant was too far out of his league for such a battle to be a valid test of his strength. For example, if a common thug came upon this situation he may not help the peasant due to concern for his own safety, but then later claim he was merely following the way of the Closed Fist. In this way, the Closed Fist tends to be misconstrued as evil.
Despite the philosophical nuances, the actual game play in Jade Empire for the most part casts Open Palm actions as selfless and heroic, and Closed Fist actions as selfish and thuggish. 
Characters 
Player characters
Prior to starting the game, the player must choose one of either six or seven playable characters, depending on the game version. The sex of the character is by far the most important factor at character creation, since it will determine the various romance options as well as the responses of many non-player characters throughout the story. There are no differences in combat capabilities between the sexes.
The default playable characters are labeled "fast" (Mind specialists), "magic" (Spirit specialists), "strong" (Body specialists), or "balanced." The male playable characters are Furious Ming (fast, tattooed), Lu the Prodigy (balanced, athletic), Monk Zeng (magic, dressed as a Buddhist monk), and Tiger Shen (strong, large & muscular). The female characters are Radiant Jen Zi (fast, diminutive), Scholar Ling (magic, contemplative), and Wu the Lotus Blossom (balanced, seductive). Monk Zeng is only available in the Limited Xbox and Special PC editions of the game. The names of the characters can be customized prior to starting the game. Other than sex-based differences, the Jade Empire plot does not distinguish among the player characters (e.g., all male characters will have the same dialog response options, and will be received the same way by the story). As a minor detail, some NPCs will give a vague description of the player character's appearance.
The player character models all share common expressive traits. Through most conversations, the faces of the playable characters are calm and expressionless. When choosing a rare humorous or witty response from dialog options, a slight, barely perceptible smile appears on the character models. When choosing a mean-spirited or angry response, a much more perceptible scowl shows itself. Many of the pre-generated video cut scenes are rendered separately for each player character model. 
Non-player characters
During the course of the game the player will meet various non-player characters. Some will have the willingness to join the player's party and thereby become a 'follower'. Many more characters will not become followers, but will present opportunities for side-quests or casual conversation.

• Dawn Star, voiced by Kim Mai Guest, is a fellow student of the Two Rivers school under Master Li. She is an orphan with the ability to sense spirits, and the only thing she knows about her past is that she is named after an ominous light, which causes people to be wary of her.

• Sagacious Zu, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes, is a former member of the Lotus Assassins, who disagreed with the unnecessary slaughter ordered by Death's Hand. He attempts to stay away from trouble to avoid them, but he is drawn into the Spirit Monk's ordeal, often providing valuable insight into the Assassins. He hides much of his past, which includes getting an unnamed child to safety and his role within the Assassins.

• Sky, voiced by Cam Clarke, is a thief, who has a grudge against the Lotus Assassins and the Empire for the death of his young daughter. He does not like being shackled by society, so he constantly travels, all while looking for his revenge.

• Wild Flower, voiced by Nicky Pugh, is a young girl, who died during the flooding of Tien's Landing. She is then used by the Heavenly Gate Guardian, Chai Ka, as an anchor to the world, so that he may help the Spirit Monk and safeguard a piece of the amulet. He cares greatly for Wild Flower, and protects her from harm. Ya Zhen, an evil demon with goals of world domination, also inhabits her body in order to counterbalance Chai Ka's existence. The two constantly battle for control, and they manifest from Wild Flower's body in order to fight.

• Silk Fox, voiced by Masasa Moyo, is a mysterious, black-clad assassin, who reveals herself to be Princess Sun Lian, The Heavenly Lily. She works undercover as a commoner in order to seek out evidence that Death's Hand is manipulating her father. A stereotypical rich girl by nature, she comes over as snobbish and a bit naive, seeing her allies as commoners who are only worthy of traveling with her because she allows it. Nonetheless, she enjoys her other side as it gives her the freedom to break away from tradition from time to time.

• Henpecked Hou, voiced by Josh Dean, is a Bun Master, and a former combatant in the Imperial Arena. He formerly used the "Drunken Master" style of fighting, but the constant consumption of alcohol left him destitute. Eventually, he married his promoter's niece, who quickly became overbearing, and forced him to stop fighting and settle down. He does whatever he can to get away from her, but he is too afraid to leave her.

• Kang the Mad, voiced by Paul Eiding, is an avid inventor who specializes in making things "fly and explode." He is generally eccentric, not very socially skilled, and quite arrogant about his creations. He does not believe in making improvements, and he instead completely destroys older models before building new ones. He has a very faulty memory, and he has a mysterious connection to Lord Lao's Furnace, which was created by a celestial being.

• Zin Bu is a high ranking member of the Celestial Bureaucracy charged with keeping tabs on the damage caused by the student and cataloging it to keep the universe in balance. After being replaced by an entire department, he is relegated to trade, and forces the student to purchase wares from him.

• Black Whirlwind is a dual axe-wielding mercenary known for his short temper, affinity for wine, and his eagerness to kill. He is very simple-minded, he lives to fight, and he often ends up killing the people who hire him.

• Death's Hand is the mysterious, armor-clad leader of the Lotus Assassins and the Emperor's adviser. He is believed to be fanatically loyal to the emperor. However, the emperor's daughter Sun Lian, has other thoughts about his loyalty, assuming that he is attempting to seize control of the Empire.

• Abbot Song, voiced by Armin Shimerman, is a deceased Spirit Monk killed during the siege on Dirge. He helps the student restore Dirge and the Water Dragon's power.

• Master Li, voiced by Barry Dennen, is a humble martial arts master, who trains his prized student for a coming ordeal. He reveals that he is really Sun Li, The Glorious Strategist, the brother of the Emperor said to have been killed as a traitor years before. He is soon kidnapped by the Lotus Assassins, and his student begins to search for him.

• Emperor Sun Hai, voiced by Armin Shimerman, is the leader of the Empire and the savior during the "Long Drought", which completely crippled the Empire. He eventually stops appearing in public and stays within the confines of his palace, while Death's Hand is very active. 

RomanceJade Empire gives the player-character the option to form a romantic relationship with several of the non-player characters, including characters of the same sex. Successfully romancing a character results in them standing outside the player-character's tent on the eve of the battle against the golems, whereupon unless the player chooses to reject them, the player-character and the NPC will lean in to kiss (although if the character is of the same sex, the camera will pan away before the actual kiss itself). Male characters can romance Dawn Star, Silk Fox or Sky. Female characters can romance Sky or Silk Fox. Male characters can also romance both Dawn Star and Silk Fox at the same time. If this is the case, the cutscene and dialog at the tent implies that Dawn Star and Silk Fox spent some time together in their grief and lead the player character off for a menage-a-trois. When romancing a certain character, the opportunity arises to influence his or her way of thinking. For example, the normally calm and collected Dawn Star can be persuaded to stand up for herself and become an altogether less mellow person, effectively following the path of the Closed Fist. 
Plot 
Setting
Jade Empire takes place in a fictional kingdom inspired by ancient China.
Tho Fan is a constructed language created by Canadian linguist Wolf Wikeley for the game. The language has been designed to sound ancient and distinctly Asian
Tho Fan does without the verb "to be"; instead, articles — words like "a" and "the" — would be used to mark tense. In the game, the Tho Fan phrases do not actually match up to their on-screen translations — most of them are actually a set of a few dozen pre-rendered phrases. In fact, the game will often use the exact same audio track to say successive sentences, much akin to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. 
Story
Chapter 1: Two Rivers
The game begins with the player cast as a martial arts student under the tutelage of Master Li, head of the Two Rivers martial arts school, based in the in-game geographical locale of the Golden Delta.
The player's training is interrupted as the town of Two Rivers comes under attack from an aggressor in a strange ship who summons ghosts to attack the student. The attacker is defeated by Master Li, who comes to the student's rescue and reveals that the attacker was a member of the Lotus Assassins, a mysterious force serving the Emperor of the Jade Empire. Gao the Lesser, a rival of the student, issues a challenge for a duel and loses. He is expelled from the school after he attempts to use explicitly forbidden magic on the student. Master Li explains that the student is the last of the order of Spirit Monks. He, a brother of the Emperor and leader of the Empire's army, had ordered an attack on Dirge, where the Spirit Monks' temple existed, in order to end the Long Drought. He claimed to have opposed the act and to have saved the student and the Dragon's Amulet.
He sends the student to a cave beneath the school where he or she finds part of a Spirit Monk amulet and has a vision of the Water Dragon, the entity whose death at the hands of the Emperor ended the decade-long Long Drought but left spirits roaming the land. Dawn Star, one of the students at the school and a friend of the player, is kidnapped by Gao The Lesser. The student rescues her but returns to find the village in flames and Master Li kidnapped. The student, Dawn Star, and Sagacious Zu, a man whom they had met in the swamps around the village, head off in a borrowed flying machine towards the Imperial City, where Master Li has been taken.
Chapter 2: Tien's Landing
The party crash-lands their machine in Tien's Landing and sets out to find a new flier and a wind map that will show them the way to the Imperial City. The new flyer, called the Marvelous Dragonfly, is taken from the base of Gao the Greater, the father of the dead student of the first chapter. Gao the Greater is working with Grand Inquisitor Jia's elite subordinate, Inquisitor Lim, and is distressed to hear of his son's death. The player tracks down and kills him, and recruits Sky, a rogue, and Kang The Mad, Gao's personal engineer.
The party goes to a recently drained area near Tien's Landing, which flooded when the dam was first constructed. The Lotus Assassins opened the dam in order to search the ruins of old Tien's Landing. The student fights Chai Ka, a demon bound in the body of a little girl, and learns that Chai Kai was sent to protect the student and that the Lotus Assassins already have the amulet. The player can then close the dam or destroy the controls, keeping it open forever.
The student then heads to the Great Southern Forest, which is under the ownership of Lord Yun. The player then has the option of helping the Forest Shadow defeat a demon known as the Mother, or helping the Mother's cannibalistic demons destroy the Forest Shadow. In either event, the player can convince Lord Yun that the forest is recovering and get his wind map. Inquisitor Lim will ambush the player at this point; the player kills him and recovers a piece of the amulet.
Chapter 3: Imperial City
The party lands in the Imperial City and meets up with Silk Fox, who is revealed to be Princess Lian the Heavenly Lily, daughter of the Emperor. She is unconvinced that her father is behind the sickness the plagues the land, and believes that Death's Hand, the black armor-clad head of the Lotus Assassins, is responsible. After joining either the Executioners or the Inquisitors, the student's party infiltrates the Lotus Assassin's training ground to recover the last part of the Spirit Monk amulet. Sagacious Zu reveals that he was one of the Lotus Assassins who killed Master Li's family. During their quest, the party helps Master Gang assassinate his superior, Master Shin, making it look like an accident, and puts a corrupted Spirit Shard into a Jade Golem, causing it to malfunction. The golems go out of control, damaging the underground complex. The party battles two Jade Golems and a handful of Lotus Assassins, killing Master Gang in the process. They also find Grand Inquisitor Jia, who reveals that the Emperor knew about what Death's Hand and the Lotus Assassins were doing and had, in fact, ordered them to do it. The player kills her, but Death's Hand arrives. Sagacious Zu sacrifices himself to save the student, burying Death's Hand in rubble.
Chapter 4: Imperial Palace
The party fights their way to the Emperor's throne room where Silk Fox learns of what her father has done. He is aware that the Water Dragon's death is stopping the dead from reaching the underworld but is mad with power. The Emperor knocks down everyone in the throne room with a blast of magic and summons guards to attack the student, who defeats them. The student battles the Emperor, who is able to alternate fighting styles and damage immunities. The student kills the Emperor, but Master Li gets up, takes the Jade Heart for himself, and kills the student.
Chapter 5: Spirit Monk Temple
The student wakes up in the underworld as a spirit. The Water Dragon reveals that Sun Li had planned this all along; he wished for the Water Dragon's power and needed to obtain the amulet and defeat Emperor Sun Hai. The student meets up with the spirit of Abbot Song, who tells him or her what truly happened at Dirge. He reveals that Sun Li wore Death's Hand's armor and killed the abbot when he tried to stop him and his brothers. The brothers arrange for Dirge's fountains to be tainted with human blood, weakening the Water Dragon, and Emperor Sun Hai killed Sun Kin when he and Sun Li attempted to oppose him. Abbot Song then reveals that one of his order attempted to escape with the student, but Sun Li, who had escaped from Sun Hai, killed the student's guardian and assumed his identity. The player and Abbot Song make their way through Dirge and learn that an evil being has taken control after the fall of the temple. The student reaches the place where the Water Dragon was slain, and defeats aspects of his or her darker emotions. The student then returns to life, and the rest of the party, who learns about this through Dawn Star, flies to Dirge to reunite with their friend.
Chapter 6: Defending the Temple
While the student was dead, Sun Li realized that action would have to be taken in case the student managed to return to the realm of the living, and he retrieved Death's Hand from the rubble of the Lotus Assassin headquarters. He then sends the Imperial Army against Dirge. Sky pretends to betray the group, and lures Death's Hand out so that the student can defeat him in single combat. However, this is not enough to defeat him; Death's Hand rises again, but the student uses the force of his will to expel Sun Li's influence. The player may then release Death's Hand, use him as a slave, or convince him to seek redemption.
Chapter 7: Back to the Palace
The party flies back to the palace to confront Master Li, now the Emperor. As they make their way through the palace they discover that Emperor Sun Hai had stopped the drought by cutting open the Water Dragon's corpse and letting the water that flows from it feed the Empire. The student chooses either to destroy the Water Dragon's body, thus freeing her spirit and allowing the dead to find the underworld, or defile the water to weaken the Dragon and claim her power after defeating the new Emperor.
The student reaches Emperor Sun Li, who first sends Constructs of Bull and Elephant demons, the most powerful in the game, after the player. Sun Li then encases the student in stone and attempts to defeat the player with the force of his own doubt. However, if the student's companions survived, they will reduce the number of enemies that must be fought in each of the two stages. Sagacious Zu appears and helps free the student from his mind.
Emperor Sun Li offers to help his student live in legend forever, if the student dies without fighting. If the player makes this decision, the student is remembered as a hero for knowing his or her place as Sun Li looks on and laughs. If the player does not, Sun Li attacks, and the student defeats him. 
Endings
If the student chooses to free the Water Dragon's spirit, then the end sequence shows the people of the Jade Empire cheering the student and their party. If the student chooses to enslave the Water Dragon, the end sequence shows the Lotus Assassins kneeling at the feet of the student. After this end sequence, there are short text summaries detailing the fate of any characters who survived the adventure. These vary depending upon whether the student chose to enslave or free the Water Dragon, and also what romance options the student pursued.
Dawn Star: She either settles down with the student, settles down on her own, rules the empire with the student, or if the student talked her into a Closed Fist philosophy and/or abandoned her, wanders the Jade Empire alone.
Silk Fox: If the student does not romance Silk Fox, she will become Empress of the Jade Empire. If the student does romance Silk Fox and the student is male, the student and Silk Fox will rule the empire fairly, or with an iron fist. If the student is female, Silk Fox will either rule the empire fairly with her 'companion,' or will again rule with an iron fist, and both the student and Silk Fox don the Silk Fox costume to silence dissenters.
Sky: Sky will use the Guild for good purposes, or serve as the student's consort or as the new Death's Hand. If the student romances Sky, they leave the imperial city and live on the outskirts of Tien's Landing, unless the student is male, in which case they continue on their adventures through the Jade Empire, not complacent to settle down in one place.
Black Whirlwind: Black Whirlwind will roam the empire cutting off heads, eventually making his way around the world.
Henpecked Hou: After a series of mishaps, Hou starts a delivery business which he immediately uses as a method of escaping his overbearing wife.
Chai Ka: Chai Ka will either return to the heavens, freeing Wild Flower and giving her the gift of life, or he will remain trapped in Wild Flower's body causing her to wander the empire as a raving lunatic.
Ya Zhen: Ya Zhen will either serve the student until he or she passes away (resulting in him moving to bigger plans) or serve the student forever and loyally.
Death's Hand: Death's Hand will either become more evil, mutating so badly that his armor cannot hold his demonic form, or he will spend the rest of his days wandering the empire as a crusader for good, in order to make up for his past misdeeds.
Kang the Mad: Kang will continue to invent machines until an explosion appears to take his life, although strange machines continue to appear on the student's doorstep every year on his or her birthday. As Lord Lao, Kang's lack of danger affects his imagination in building machines, so as a radical solution Kang starts arming the mobs that chase after him. If the player chose the Closed Fist ending, Kang works for the emperor(player), worrying his use will eventually be worn out and he will be disposed of. Eventually, he crafts a portal to another dimension and disappears in a huge explosion, taking an entire lake with him.
A third, alternate ending is available if the Student agrees to the terms of surrender presented by Sun Li in the final confrontation. The ending sequence features a statue of the student being praised years later by a class of children with a skin condition similar to that of the Lotus Assassins. One child asks what life was like before the protagonist's honored sacrifice and is quickly shushed by his teacher as a Jade Golem readies an axe to quell such questioning. The sequence ends with Sun Li laughing evilly, as the decision to surrender has ultimately led to misery and corruption in the Jade Empire. 
Versions 
Limited Edition
A 'Limited Edition' of Jade Empire was available for those who pre-ordered the game, except in Canada where all copies were Limited Editions. Eventually, they would appear on all store shelves. The Limited Edition version has a different box art than the original. It has a red, reflective background instead of the sky blue, and the words "Limited Edition" were printed on the bottom of the name. This version of Jade Empire was packed with an extra disc that contained the data for the character model Monk Zeng, a magic type character, a "Making of" video by G4, and three game demos: Forza Motorsport, Conker Live & Reloaded, and MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf. 
Special Edition
The Windows XP version of Jade Empire is known as the 'Special Edition'. It is based on the Xbox 'Limited Edition', and also includes the Monk Zeng character but not the Tien's Justice weapon style (both of which are available in the Limited Edition described above). Changes from the Xbox version includes increased resolutions up to 1600x1200 (1920x1200 in Widescreen), new special effects and redrawn textures, two new martial styles (Iron Palm and Viper), a new rhino demon transformation, new monsters, new high level weapons, an improved AI with enemies able to take cover more often; a new "Jade Master" difficulty level, with ability to import save games; a new world map interface; and keyboard and hotkey support. It also contains a bonus art book and poster. Windows Vista is not a supported operating system. The game runs with no problems in Windows 7 64-bit. 
Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	89/100[
Metacritic	89/100
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	A
Computer and Video Games	9/10
Eurogamer	8/10
Game Informer	9.5/10
GamePro	4.5/5
GameSpot	8.4/10
GameSpy	5/5
GameTrailers	8.6/10
GameZone	9.8/10
IGN	9.9/10
X-Play	4/5

The Xbox version of Jade Empire received positive reviews from most critics. Garnering a 89% from Metacritic, based on 84 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews. On Game Rankings the game also received an average score of 89%, based on 98 reviews.
IGN praises Jade Empire as "A completely original universe, hard hitting combat, accessible controls, and the story in an RPG on Xbox". The graphics were also commented by IGN stating, "Environments are beautiful and the characters are real enough to fall in love with", though it was criticized by its slight camera issues. Gamespot states that Jade Empire's "Open-ended role playing involves you in the storyline and fosters replay value" though was poorly received due to its unbalanced Combat system and lack of depth and challenge.
Like the original version, the Special Edition has also been criticized for being too short and for having rather easy battles using a simplistic battle system, getting an average review score of 80% according to Game Rankings.Other criticisms included a lack of cheat codes, and the ease of changing your alignment (hence changing the ending) at a point near the end-game which effectively discounts any good/evil deeds you've done for the majority of the game. 
Sequel
In 2005, senior staff at BioWare suggested the possibility of a sequel; however, on January 2007 BioWare staff stated there were no plans to develop Jade Empire 2.Despite this denial, hints of Jade Empire 2 have surfaced as recently as December 2007.
A part of an interview for GTTV published on GameTrailers website on November 13, 2009 was tagged "Jade Empire strikes back". In this part Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka said a sequel was "something they thought about" but they had "nothing to announce". 
See also

• Heroes of Jin Yong
• Dragon Oath
• Martial Kingdoms
• Xuanyuan Jian
• The Legend of Sword and Fairy
• Bujingai
• Heavenly Sword

References: wikipedia

External links

• Official Jade Empire website
• BioWare website
• US Microsoft Jade Empire-page
• UK Microsoft Jade Empire-page
• Jade Empire at MobyGames
• GameSpot review
• 1up Review
• IGN Review
• Jade Empire Broadcast Advertisement

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