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Assassin's Creed II PC Specs

Ubisoft has released details on just what kind of PC you'll need to have in order to run Assassin's Creed II. The Windows version of Ubisoft's third-person action game set in Renaissance–era Venice ships on March 16, 2010.


Minimum Configuration:
SUPPORTED OS: Windows XP (32-64 bits) /Windows Vista (32-64 bits)/Windows 7 (32-64 bits)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHZ or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4GHZ
RAM: 1.5 GB Windows XP / 2 GB Windows Vista - Windows 7
Video Card: 256 MB DirectX 9.0–compliant card with Shader Model 3.0 or higher (see supported list)
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0 –compliant sound card
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0
DVD-ROM: DVD-ROM dual-layer drive
Hard Drive Space: 8 GB
Peripherals Supported: Keyboard, mouse, optional controller


Recommended Configuration:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.6 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ or better
Video Card: GeForce 8800 GT or ATI Radeon HD 4700 or better
Sound: 5.1 sound card
Peripherals: Keyboard, mouse, joystick optional (Xbox 360 Controller for Windows recommended)

Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:
ATI RADEON X1950, HD 2000/3000/4000/5000 series
NVIDIA GeForce 7/8/9/100/200 series

Older OSes like ME/98/etc. not supported - sorry to dash your hopes.

Random thoughts on Modern Warfare 2

As action games go, Modern Warfare 2 is a wonderful experience both in single-player and multiplayer. But that said, there are a lot of little things about it that bother me. The first is this whole fluff-up over the "No Russian" mission. It feels like Infinity Ward created this mission just to be controversial. The whole mission feels contrived and the outcome is the same no matter what you do, so it's hard to agree with the camp that says it lets you play as a terrorists. Everything about the mission is deliberately paced so that you feel more like a spectator than a participant.

But my biggest gripe with the mission is that the storyline leading into it and leading out of it is so flimsy. Are we supposed to believe that one day this operative is in Afghanistan and the next he's supplanted into a Russian born terrorist group? The conclusion to the mission makes sense in that context - I mean, how couldn’t they know that he was some sort of spy or government agent?

While the story is weak in places there are other parts of the game that are equally agitating. I hate platformers, and there's way too much bullshit going on in this game; I didn't like it in the first game and I despise it even more in this one; the snowmobile race, the ice climbing, the jumping from rooftop to rooftop, etc., just doesn't belong in this game; Somehow Infinity Ward got the impression that fans loved this in the first game and wanted it dialed up times ten in the sequel. As someone that named Modern Warfare Game of the Year, I can tell you that those kinds of mission mechanics were not why I enjoyed the first game at all. If I wanted to ride some powder I’d play Shaun White and if I want to traverse a cityscape I’ll play mirror's Edge or Uncharted 2.

There are some great things about this game that are downright scary. The whole "Red Dawn" series of missions where you are walking through middle class suburbs is eerie and a little bit scary. For me, these missions aren't exciting, but scary. What if a powerful nation like Russia or China did finally invade American soil? How would people act? How many innocent people would die? What parts of our heritage and history would be destroyed by war? Seeing those suburbs on fire, fighting out of a fast food joint that looks like Burger King and seeing tanks roll through the streets of an American neighborhood is scary stuff no matter what your political or religious beliefs are.

Love For $ale: Modern Warfare 2

No doubt you have probably read the Ars Technica piece on early access to Modern Warfare 2. The best way to describe this situation is absolutely disgusting. How can readers trust outlets that gleefully participate in such activities? If a company pays for your airfare, puts you up in a resort in Santa Barbara and then shapes the conditions of your play sessions to be what they are not (I.E. controls the network you are on to make it speedy and a smooth), then how do you then claim that there was no influence when you write up that review?

See, journalists that engage in this activity put themselves in an awkward position. Now they are beholden to the publisher for all their generosity - and should they disclose it to the reader - they have to prove that their influence hasn't somehow been purchased. As a reader, you're going to have a hard time proving that to me. And then there are those who just don't give a shit about the readers; these are the guys and girls who disclose nothing and file their review like nothing ever happened. You can tell me that you haven't been influenced by airfare or a hotel stay but I won't believe you even if it might be true - if you're dumb enough to put yourself in that position then your dumb enough to be influenced by such trivial things.

The review for these folks will be mostly positive, because if it isn't the publisher could simply drop the dime on them to some other outlet or threaten them with "no access next time." Since their writing isn't really about being honest maybe they'll cave in a little bit, adjust their scores enough to make the publisher happy and secure that access for next time.

Date Night: L4D2, Borderlands

I finally spent some quality time with the single player campaign in Left 4 Dead 2, and so far I am enjoying it. L4D2 is a lot more frantic than the first game right out of the gate. There are more Infected to deal with, the settings are a lot more harrowing and the weapon choices change the dynamics of the game ever so slightly. I know that the action is in multiplayer, but I want to learn the ropes before joining a team and performing badly. No amount of practice is going to change that, sadly enough. But despite my horrible multiplayer skills I really enjoy playing these games online with friends. After all, that is whole point of these games, isn’t it?


I've also had a chance to sample Borderlands. Despite the fact that it feels like a goofy lite version of Fallout 3 in spots, I really dig this game a lot. I like how the role-playing elements enhance, rather than get in the way of the action in the game. I do not like that every outing into the wasteland seems like an opportunity for the bad guys to gang rape me. I am only 2 hours into the game at this point, but so far it is a lot of fun.

Facebook and Twitter - Old Hat?

Are the popularity of Facebook and Twitter about to take a major decline? I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but it feels like both social networks are becoming passé. Now that both are connected to Xbox Live -- and soon to PlayStation Network, it feels like we are all a little too well connected to these services.

But there's other anecdotal evidence that leads me to believe that both of these services are going to be in our rearview mirror soon-ish; when the local news station and churches are using twitter and Facebook to give us updates and every company on the planet is in there spamming the ever-loving crap out of us because we were stupid enough to sign up for their feeds, then we start to see that the once shiny apple has lost its luster. Just like MySpace.

RPS: Morrowind Playthrough - Day Four

When I drink a Blue Moon my feet tingle. I'm getting so very old. But don't let my old age and declining health deter you from checking out this fabulous series of articles on Morrowind over at Rock, Paper Shotgun.


In the latest installemnt Alec Meer talks about various misdeeds and his adventures in Balmora. It's fun stuff. You really can't beat the classics.


A Fool In Morrowind, Day 4 – Existential Crisis

Killed by Friendly Fire: Game Critics Rant - Audio

Instead of hearing about this crazy GDC panel, why not listen to it instead? Hear Jason Della Rocca pretend to say he's sorry, listen as Crhis Hecker compains about the media, and marvel as N'GAI talks about gamer labels.

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