American video game website Hiphopogamershow is claiming to have exclusive access to details regarding Assassin’s Creed 2.

Just yesterday we reported that an official teaser site for the game had gone live. As is the norm with such websites, there was hardly any actual information to be gleaned from the page, but now various rumors regarding some of the game’s details are doing the rounds online.

Firstly, the game is said to be set in Italy. It did not take industry insider knowledge to figure this one out, and anyone who paid any attention to the teaser site would have noticed the references to the country. Hiphopogamershow reports that their insider source has revealed that the game takes place during the Italian Renaissance, and players will be able to visit the likes of Venice and Sicily.

Players will apparently take control of a number of different characters this time around, one of which is named “Ezio”.

Many who played the original Assassin’s Creed criticized its repetitive gameplay. Unsurprisingly Ubisoft is taking steps to improve on this, and there is much talk of the developer mixing up gameplay in a number of ways, such as adding the ability to swim for example. Players will now also attend balls, and be able to disguise themselves by wearing masks in order to blend in. In a bold move, Ubisoft will apparently not include any cut scenes, making a significant departure from the story telling mechanism employed in the first game.

Apart from these features we can expect Ubisoft to brush up on the general gameplay mechanics employed in the original, such as stealth and combat. We can also expect an overhaul in the visuals department, although the original is looking far from dated.

Our biggest wish is that Ubisoft somehow finds a way to inject a more significant level of depth into Assassin’s Creed 2 than was present in its predecessor. The biggest problem for us, apart from the repetitive gameplay, was the fact that it felt a bit shallow, and was unable to really draw us in.  Side quests essentially replicated each other, and the characters felt a bit flat. If Ubisoft can fulfill the potential that was present in the original, then Assassin’s Creed 2 may end up being an excellent game.

It is currently scheduled for release no later than March 31 2010.

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