Should You Play Assassin‘s Creed 1 Before Jumping Into Assassin‘s Creed 2? An In-Depth Perspective

As a long-time gaming enthusiast and critic with thousands of hours across major franchises, this is a question I‘ve tackled extensively, especially in the context of the massively popular Assassin‘s Creed series.

Through this article, I aim to provide a comprehensive, data-backed perspective to help you decide whether to dive straight into Assassin‘s Creed 2 or play the first game beforehand for enriched context and appreciation of this stellar action-adventure franchise.

Can I Play Assassin‘s Creed 2 Without Playing the First Game?

The short answer is – yes absolutely! AC2 stands perfectly on its own as one of the highest rated and most beloved sequels in gaming history. The intro sequence combined with in-game database entries help fill in backstory around the Assassin Brotherhood, their centuries old feud with the Templar Order, and core concepts like ancestral memories and Pieces of Eden.

You step right into the boots of the incredibly charismatic Ezio Auditore da Firenze across his life from age 17 to 55. The game is set against the wildly realized backdrop of 15th century Italy across cities like Florence, Tuscany and Venice. The parkour, combat and range of gripping narrative missions represent a monumental evolution over AC1.

Per noted reviewer Jim Sterling: "Assassin’s Creed II does everything the first game should have done in the first place, while doing everything the first game did perfectly as well… Creed 2 is superior in every single way". So if you wish to dive into this masterpiece, go right ahead! Prior AC experience is great but absolutely not essential.

However, I strongly recommend playing AC1 first…if not for backstory then to appreciate just how profoundly the sequel expanded the AC universe. You may enjoy AC2 regardless, but AC1 provides invaluable lore and context that can greatly enrich your experience.

Let‘s analyze why in more detail:

Assassin‘s Creed 1 Lays Vital Foundations for the Series Lore

While criticism about repetitive missions was justified, AC1 established the pivotal ideological war between Assassins and Templars that serves as the core narrative thrust for the entire franchise including AC2. It introduces key artifacts like:

• The Apple of Eden which bestows immense power to bend minds and reshape reality. This artifact becomes increasingly important as the series progresses.

• The innovative Animus machine which enables subjects to relive ancestral memories and interact with their DNA heritage.

We are also introduced to pivotal characters like:

• Desmond Miles, the modern day protagonist who enters the Animus to experience his ancestor‘s adventures first hand. Desmond returns as a key character across sequels including AC2, Brotherhood and Revelations.

• Lucy Stillman, the scientist helping operate the Animus machine for Abstergo Industries‘ mysterious experiments.

So AC1 establishes the vital conflict, lore and characters that fuel the overarching narrative. You can enjoy AC2 in isolation, but playing AC1 enriches comprehension and appreciation tremendously. It may feel dated, but represents crucial foundation.

AC2 Showcases Monumental Improvements in Key Areas

Per acclaimed critic reviews aggregated by Metacritic, AC2 represents a giant leap over its predecessor in almost every department:

Review Scores:

Key Areas of Improvement:

• Captivating protagonist – Ezio Auditore is widely considered among the most charismatic heroes in gaming, showcasing incredible character growth over decades from a 17 year old to middle age. Altair in AC1 was criticized as bland and boring.
• Jaw-dropping world design – 15th century Italy is an utterly breathtaking realization of iconic historical cities like Florence, Venice, Forli and the sprawling countryside of Tuscany. This represented a quantum leap over the monotonous design of AC1‘s 12th century Holy Land.
• Engaging missions – AC2 boasts an incredibly diverse mix of gripping narrative quests like staging a prison break, participating in Venice carnival, helping Leonardo Da Vinci test inventions etc. Compared to repeated eavesdrop and assassination objectives in AC1.
• Parkour – Running across Florentine rooftops or climbing the enormous Duomo cathedral represents fluid traversal masterclass. Far smoother than AC1‘s often finicky climbing.

Simply put, AC2 was a revelation in 2009 that put the franchise firmly on the map as an all-time great series. The step up from AC1 felt monumental when it launched.

Why Play AC1 To Appreciate The Series Evolution?

While certainly showing its age in 2022, AC1 set the template for interactive historical tourism and open world traversal that AC2 wildly improved upon.

* Per HowLongToBeat.com, a highly credible crowdsourced database for game lengths

You can clearly see the vast increase in gameplay longevity and content volume from AC1 to AC2.

So playing the first game helps appreciate just how significantly AC2 expanded the fledgling vision into truly one of gaming‘s most indispensable franchises. You almost feel witness to history given AC‘s massive present-day popularity as an acclaimed multi-million seller.

Final Verdict – Should You Play AC1 Before AC2?

Hopefully the detailed perspective so far helps you judge whether to play AC1 first. To summarize:

If you only care about diving into the finest game the series has delivered then skip straight to AC2! Its combination of charismatic hero, jaw-dropping world and excellent missions make it wholly recommendable with zero AC background. You may miss some references but can always check online resources to fill gaps.

However if you want to appreciate the full vision and effort that went into building this vibrant interactive universe, definitely play AC1 first. It lays vital foundations in narrative and lore to better comprehend AC2‘s context around the Assassin brotherhood, modern day arcs and ideological battles. It also represents an incredible evolution as a blueprint that AC2 fleshed out masterfully.

There‘s no wrong way ultimately! Both options offer rich rewards. So let your personal gaming preferences guide you here.

Either way, get ready for an incredible ride into rich historical re-imaginings backed by gripping game design! After all, the Assassin‘s Creed franchise has sold over 155 million copies worldwide to date for good reason.

Have you played these seminal entries yourself? I‘m eager to hear your perspectives in comments below!