Jesper Kyd scores Assassin’s Creed II

If you didn’t know, Jesper Kyd has created the soundtrack for Ubisoft’s upcoming third-person stealth action game, Assassin’s Creed II. Kyd scored the first game’s soundtrack and hopes to bring the same kind of magic to the follow-up - an atmospheric score that offers a “new direction and crafts an immensely diverse, melodic and progressive musical palette featuring acoustic and symphonic orchestrations with emotional depth and diversity.” Sounds fanciful and footloose. The original score was recorded with a Hollywood orchestra and choir at the Capitol Studios. The Assassin’s Creed II Original Soundtrack will be available for digital download from popular music stores on November 16th.

The game is scheduled to launch on November 17th, 2009 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and the PC. For more information about Assassin’s Creed II, visit www.assassinscreed.com.

Kristen Bell reprises role for Assassin’s Creed II

Hollywood starlet Kristen Bell will reprise her role as Lucy Stillman in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II. Bell’s character will once again play a major role in the game’s intricate storyline. In 2007, Bell won “Hottest Newcomer” at the Spike Video Game Awards for her role in the first Assassin’s Creed. Did they give her that because she’s hot or because her acting is hot? I’m not sure, but either way, good for her. Bell is best known for her leading role on the show Veronica Mars - a modern take on the teen detective novel popularized by the one and only Nancy Drew and serialized for TV by that wonderful network we know as the WB.

“Being a part of the first Assassin’s Creed video game was an amazing experience. Video games is such a creative entertainment medium, and to be able to see and play myself as a video game character was surreal,” said Kristen Bell. “As an actress, it’s both challenging and rewarding to play a complex character with this great mysterious background. I’m very happy to be Lucy once more, and I look forward to fans discovering more about her - they will be pleasantly surprised.”

Assassin’s Creed II will be available in North America November 17, 2009 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. For more information, check out www.assassinscreed.com.

Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery announced for DSi / DS

Today Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery for the Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DS will launch on November 17 for the suggested retail price of $29.99. The game is rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB. Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery takes players in an untold chapter from the Assassin’s Creed II console storyline utilizing the strengths of the Nintendo DS platform. In this new adventure, Ezio travels to Spain to rescue fellow assassins being held under the guise of the Inquisition, only to uncover a Templar plot to sail west and discover the New World.

The game takes platforming into the next generation with an emphasis on speed and acrobatics. The in-game animations provide players with a visceral experience and the intuitive controls enable players to execute assassinations and navigate obstacles at high speeds - at least according to Ubisoft. Nintendo DSi owners will be able to take pictures of themselves and put them directly into the game as “WANTED!” posters as well.

Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery is being developed by Griptonite Games. More details at www.assassinscreed.com.

Assassin’s Creed II Master Assassin’s Edition details

Ubisoft and retailer GameStop today announce the Assassin’s Creed II Limited Edition: Master Assassin’s Edition, the incredibly long name for the special super edition of this sequel to Ubisoft Montreal’s smash hit. This particular package, available exclusively at U.S. GameStop locations and at www.gamestop.com, will be released on November 17 for Xbox 360 and PS3. So what is so special about it?

Well, besides containing the game, the Master Assassin’s Edition comes with a Ezio collectable statue (8.5 inches tall), two exclusive in-game maps ( Palazzo Medici – Pre-Order Unlockable Map; Santa Maria Dei Frari – Limited Edition Exclusive) the Art of Assassin’s Creed II hard-covered art book, and a bonus disc featuring a “Behind the scenes of Assassin’s Creed II” feature, the Assassin’s Creed II soundtrack and some other stuff you may or may not care about.

*shrug*

The Master Assassin’s Edition is now available for pre-order ($79.99) at GameStop. Quantities are apparently limited.

Assassin’s Creed II panel at Comic-Con

Ubisoft will host a panel about Assassin’s Creed II at Comic-Con in San Diego later this week. The panel, “Assassin’s Creed II: Video Games and Hollywood Converge,” will touch on the convergence of video games and film. Featured panelists will be Yannis Mallat, chief executive officer at Ubisoft Montreal, and Pierre Raymond, founder and chief executive officer of Hybride Technologies, the visual effects studio behind 300 and Sin City, along with special guest Corey May, Assassin’s Creed II video game scriptwriter. The panel will take place July 23 from 1:45–2:45 p.m. in Room 6A.

Assassin’s Creed II is scheduled to launch on November 17 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows. A short film series called Assassin’s Creed II: Lineage will be released for Holiday 2009. Three short movies will focus on the story of Ezio’s father, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, will preclude the Assassin’s Creed II storyline and will offer fans insight into the Assassin’s Creed II storyline and characters. For more information about Assassin’s Creed II, visit www.assassinscreed.com.