Assassin's Creed II certainly isn't perfect and has several annoyances that need to be fixed, but the game succeeds at involving the player and never letting him go. In fact, the game may already be done, but its sheer excellence warrants another playthrough or two. And I'm still surprised that Assassin's Creed II is such an amazing improvement over the first game. You may downright loathe the first game and want nothing to do with the sequel, but heed my request: Give Assassin's Creed II a chance, and if you still hate it, then nothing can possibly change your mind. However, you probably won't hate it...you'll love it. Go pick it up, and you won't regret your purchase.

Game Details			Loading Reality Scoring
Format	Xbox 360 (all 360 reviews)		Score Meaning: Fantastic game! In spite of small flaws, this game brings something different to the table and executes incredibly well. Any game receiving this score is a contender for game of the year.
Publisher	Ubisoft
Developer	Ubisoft
Category	Action/Adventure		Presentation
ESRB	M		Gameplay
Online Players	0		Graphics
Offline Players	1		Sound
Price	59.99		Value Factor
Release Date	November 17, 2009		Final Score

Assassins Creed 2

Two years ago, Ubisoft Montreal crafted the brilliant but flawed Assassin's Creed. It was rightly praised for its innovative gameplay mechanics, awesome combat system, and unique story, yet it was often criticized for its tediously formulaic mission system, boring side-missions, and terrible ending. Hell, there were various reports of outraged gamers throwing their controllers after the game abruptly ended in front of their own eyes. Players didn't even know the game was over until the usual "You beat the game!" achievement had unlocked. I can certainly understand why some people won't even want to touch Assassin's Creed II after what the first game had them put them through, but I can safely say that this is Ubisoft's apology gift. Not only has Ubisoft evidently taken all complaints and rectified them, but Assassin's Creed II proves to be one of the year's best and most impressive games. Nearly everything from the first game has been improved, and I can assure you that the ending will not make you throw your controller at the wall, provided you can stomach some degree of a cliffhanger finale.

The very beginning of Assassin's Creed II picks up exactly where the first game left off. Players are once again in the shoes of Desmond Miles, a descendant of an ancient society of assassins, who is captured and being used by the Templar-dominated Abstergo Industries to find ancient relics of great power known as the Pieces of Eden. Lucy Stillman, a modern-day Assassin, helps Desmond escape the clutches of the Templars and brings him to a couple other Assassins who need Desmond's help to stop the Templars from retrieving another Piece of Eden. No one knows what the Templars plan on doing if they get every Piece, but frankly, no one intends on finding out. The key to the next Piece lies within the memories of Ezio Auditore, the son of a wealthy family in Renaissance Florence.

Things really begin to kick off when you first assume the role of Ezio. He's different from Altair in so many good ways. Instead of being a strict, growling, by-the-rules anti-hero, Ezio is the complete opposite. He's a young, flirtatious, spoiled brat who undergoes a process to maturity after his seemingly perfect world is shattered by betrayal. It’s a subtle and beautifully handled transition to manhood that ultimately makes Ezio the master assassin you expect him to become. In most of the cutscenes, his cowl is removed, and he’s a significant, well-performed character with a welcome sense of humor. You feel much more connected to the history that makes the series so fascinating, and that world’s reaction to you becomes more personal as well.

The whole plot in Ezio's world is a lot more involving and dramatic than the narrative told in the first game. After Ezio is betrayed by a man he considered a friend, he embarks on a quest to find and kill the people responsible for the unjust murder of his brothers and father. In the process, however, he discovers that the men responsible are actually a part of a complex conspiracy to conquer Italy. It's a very emotionally-grasping story that spans 23 years of Ezio's life, and although it may be complex, you'll never find yourself confused as long as you're paying attention to what's going on.

To make matters better, the award-winning narrative is complimented by a cast of lovable and memorable characters. Every ally and enemy have rich backstories, and most are based on real people from history. I'll never forget the first conversation between Ezio and his uncle Mario, neither will I cease to remember Leonardo da Vinci and his busy bee personality. Ubisoft really did an excellent job making the player actually care about Ezio and co., and it certainly is splendid that players won't be thrown out of Ezio's story every three seconds to wander around an empty lab as Desmond; in fact, you only play as Desmond at three moments throughout the entire game. It really keeps players engaged in Ezio's world from its emotional beginning to its mind-shattering end, and thankfully, any scenes with Desmond are meaningful and add significantly to the plot.

Unfortunately, there's one moment near the game's dramatic conclusion that is completely unnecessary and uncalled for. Just when events are getting intense, players are sent on a hunt to find and collect 30 items if the player hadn't done so already. This unnecessary sequence really disengages players from the incredible narrative being told, and honestly, I thought required collect-a-thons were a thing left in the past.

Thankfully, other than this rather annoying instance, collecting is surprisingly a very rewarding experience. Flag-hunting in the original Assassin's Creed was tedious and unrewarding. However, Ubisoft fixed that problem with the sequel, and in addition to various types of collectibles, collecting will actually add to the story in some way. For instance, collecting all 100 feathers may help Ezio's emotionally-distraught mother overcome her grief, and unlocking all 20 pieces of Subject 16's bizarre video will reveal a very important aspect of the story that all fans of the Assassin's Creed saga absolutely can not miss. This is definitely an awesome trend I hope all future games adopt.

It also goes without saying that what steals the spotlight from anything else in Assassin's Creed II is Renaissance Italy. Ubisoft no doubt successfully created the most fully realized game world I've seen in a very long time. The sheer size and beauty of the game's various cities are absolutely breathtaking. It's also a refreshing change to see lush pastures after the first game took place within sandy deserts, and I can guarantee that everyone will love that traveling between cities is now a short and easy process. In fact, you can simply warp from city to city via fast-travel stations, and that's not all. Remember when Altair would helplessly drown after touching water with just his toe? Those days are dead and gone, so feel free to dive into the canals of Venice and swim away.

Although the game world is no doubt gorgeous, not everything in Assassin's Creed II is visually impressive. While it's most certainly a marvel that dozens of NPCs can be on-screen at once, some character faces look somewhat outdated. Ironically, random NPCs look fine for the most part, but certain characters in the main story (most notably Marco Barbarigo's paper beard) don't look stunning. Still, I can't deny that most characters have realistic features. It's also notable that blood stains clothing realistically, and Ezio's clothes will dampen after emerging from water.

Thankfully, you'll hear absolutely no complaints from me regarding the game's audio. The fantastic soundtrack is complimented by even the smallest sounds in the world around you. People yell at you when you bump into them, birds chirp, bards sing, heralds declare current events, guards curse at you, and well, you pretty much get the idea. Furthermore, the voice acting is no doubt superb, emotional, and dramatic. As I mentioned earlier, the cast of characters is excellent, so it's truly no surprise that Ubisoft chose the right people to play their roles.

I personally was shocked that Ubisoft completely revamped the mission system. In the first Assassin's Creed, players were sent on tedious tasks before finally being allowed to take out main story targets, and side missions usually consisted of lame "Save this poor sap from the bullying guards!" shenanigans that offered little to no reward for the player's effort. Thankfully, all main story mission are so varied that you'll almost never feel as if you're repeating the same task over and over again. Better yet, required missions will always seem unique and fun for the player. As for side missions, they're thankfully not required for story progression, but although they come in only a few categories, most feel fun enough to do. Plus, completing side missions will earn you money (more on the economy system later) used for useful purposes, so completing optional tasks is advisable.

So now you're probably wondering about how the new economy system works. Well, it works surprisingly fine for an Assassin's Creed game. Florins (Italian coinage) can be used to purchase weapons, armor, potions, and even upgrades for Ezio's stronghold, and if your armor breaks, you can get it repaired at a nearby blacksmith. The addition of the economy system adds an incredible sense of realism that the first game lacked. Sure it feels strikingly similar to how a Legend of Zelda game's economy system operates, but it's definitely a worthy addition to this franchise.

I'm also happy to report that the stealth system is still intact and has received several notable improvements. In addition to various new stealth kill moves, you can now hide corpses in bales of hay. Hiring courtesans, mercenaries, and thieves also proves to be a nice and useful touch. Better yet, blending into crowds is more simplified than in the first game. Unfortunately, the dimwitted AI of guards and NPCs is still intact too. Guards can forget you just killed their friend in the blink of an eye, and let's not forget that idiotic citizens scream and run aimlessly after a murder, while the folks around the corner seem to not hear the commotion and remain calm. And while we're on the subject of stupidity, why can you swim perfectly while citizens and guards magically cease to exist upon landing in water? Inconsistencies and dumb AI like that truly take away from the realism that the game otherwise performs so well in.

Likewise, the combat system is also a hit and a miss. With various new types of weapons, combat is more fun and more expansive than before, and I especially applaud Ubisoft for an added sense of realism when fighting. I really felt that blows register more realistically and that everything feels more fluid. Now comes the bad news: I don't think Ubisoft knows how to make an open boss fight in an Assassin's Creed game challenging or even enjoyable. A brain-damaged gorilla can simply bash a button repeatedly with no effort at all and come out victorious in most straight-forward boss fights. This is especially noticeable when you're nearing the game's conclusion. It truly takes away from the game's overall challenging factor. This is definitely an issue which I pray gets fixed by Assassin's Creed III.

Finally, you've probably been wondering about the game's conclusion. I'm not going to spoil anything, but with the exceptions of the story's unneeded collect-a-thon I mentioned earlier and an easy final boss, the ending will most likely leave you breathless and begging for more. Most of the main plot is finally explained in a very engrossing plot twist that will no doubt shock unsuspecting players, and it truly does succeed at making players desire the next chunk of the story since the game ends on such an intriguing note, so be prepared to cry and moan in a corner until the next game comes along. As annoying as most cliffhangers are, I applaud Ubisoft for a satisfying and dramatic ending to such an amazing game. Yes, it is annoying that we have to wait another two or so years to see how the plot turns out, but this cliffhanger ending is good enough to keep players interested for the exciting possibilities to come.

4.5 / 5

Written by :

Axe Argonian

 

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Necrovex

Game Review: Assassin's Creed 2 Nov 30 2009 17:04:06 I believe the ending is the same quality as "Empire Strikes Back." I can't wait for 2011 (or maybe Ubisoft will decide to release the game in 2012 to follow the date in the game), to play through AC3 and be blown away by it.

#14181