Assassin's Creed II delivers everything a gamer could possibly want; to kill ruthlessly, or to silently kill and walk away. Many new additions have been added to the game, although players hooked to the first game will have to get the hang of how weapons are selected and how to buy them and such. The new setup is quite different from the first Assassin's Creed, due to now there be actual missions rather than the basic storyline of having to kill some bad people. But Assassin's creed delivers great graphics, more gore, more counter-attacks, and now one of the greatest inventions in gaming history, to use your opponent's weapon against them, and delivering the same great feel. Plenty of unlockables means it's time to unsheathe your sword and get ready, you're in for a real show stopper.

This game blew my mind. The story line is so intricate, so realistic, and so vastly controversial that this game deserves to be in the video game hall of fame. The AI has been redone to make enemies smarter, now they will actually look for you after you escape. the graphics are once again breathtaking. My mouth is open in awe every time I synchronize on top of a viewpoint. this is one of those game that truly pulls you in to the story and doesn't let you go until the game is complete. throughout the entire game, I felt like I WAS Ezio di Auditore de Firenze. That's how realistic the storyline felt. filled with action, betrayal, humor, fantastic graphics, and even some romance, Assassin's Creed II is not a game to be missed.

Let me start off by saying that the developers have truly outdone themselves with this one. All the expectations I had for this sequel to a game that was already well-polished; this title completely surpassed them.

The plot is so much more rich and intricately interwoven with brilliant and even hilarious dialogue, and multi-layered conspiracies. Excellent character development lets you emphasize with the main character (this holds true for Ezio as well as Desmond).

The visuals seem to be more detailed than before, and the sounds are as good as ever.

The inclusion of a monetary system was a great idea, adding much more tactics to the game.

The gameplay mechanic has improved vastly with smarter and tougher enemies, more moves and tactics for your character, and so on.

The game was always challenging, but never frustrating, which is very awesome.

If you were even remotely impressed by the preceding title, you should at least check the sequel out.

I've been saying to everybody, if you didn't play Assassin's Creed (AC) 1 yet, play it before you play Assassin's Creed 2. Although, there is not much link between the two parts, AC2 is much more advanced than AC1. When I first played AC1, I loved it, but I had few comments (which everyone did), but now in AC2, all these comments were taken care of, making this game the best game in 2009.

They have taken care of many comments, which many players had including me. They have dealt with the repetition in AC1, there is limited repetition, where the story is much smoother and different. They have dealt with the fact that a great assassin jumping from building to building could not swim, now the assassin can swim wherever he desires. The graphics have been enhanced. There are more weapons to use and not limited to the sword, assassination blade and throwing knives.

I would say that Ubisoft should be very proud for being able to create such a great game. We will definitely be waiting for Assassin's Creed 3.

This is undoubtedly the best game in the franchise. Story, gameplay, characters, locations, everything is on point. Lots of plot twists and turns. Overall it's a masterpiece.

The original Assassin's Creed was one of the best games to come out for the new systems when it arrived. It was a huge game that allowed for some very impressive gymnastics, ala Prince of Persia. Assassin's Creed II (AC2) continues the fantastic gameplay and fascinating story in this bigger, badder, better sequel.

In the new game, we pick up right where we left off. Desmond escapes Abstergo with Lucy and the two arrive at a warehouse where a second Animus machine awaits Desmond. This time, Desmond peers into the life of Ezio Auditore de Firenze, another of his Assassin ancestors living in Renaissance era Italy. Ezio, yet to become an assassin sets out on a quest to avenge his family, and in so doing, as you would expect, uncovers a grand conspiracy and secrets bigger than himself.

AC2 uses the "don't fix what isn't broken" adage to great use. All the best elements from the original game make their way here, with some fantastic new additions. Most notably absent, and definitely for the better, is the linearity of the original game. You're no longer required to repeat the pattern of receive mission, assassinate, get new equipment, repeat. The game unfolds with it's story and characters. Ezio is a much better developed character whom you watch grow into an assassin, as opposed to Altair, whom was already a mastered assassin. And Ezio is a likable character, with a great deal of charm that makes him the kind of character you want to play as in a game of this sort. As Ezio grows and the story unfolds, you travel from place to place, completing your mission and uncovering the conspiracy, which also grows and grows.

In addition, combat and AI have been expanded. There are now several varieties of enemies, which keeps things interesting and varied. Ezio is also equipped with new moves, including new assassination techniques to help you make more stealthy kills. Another welcome addition is the ability to swim, which was sorely absent from the first game.

Adding to the new move set is a novel idea for the game: an economy. You now have a Villa which you can put money into for repairs. The more money put into the Villa, the more money you get from it in the form of taxation. This money can then be used to purchase items, such as equipment, art, and medicine. Collecting these various items not only allows for a bit more customizabililty, but it also gives the game a bit more replayability. And the more you collect, the greater value your Villa attains, and this in turn means yet more money.

Other aspects return to the game like the view points and side missions, of which there are over 200. Perfectionists demanding a complete game will have their hands full with everything there is to do here, including collecting hundreds of treasure chests throughout all the lands visited. All in all, there is plenty to do and never a dull moment.

Everything else is top quality. The art is fantastic and the architecture and feel of the time period is as good as you could hope it to be. Visiting the various famous structures around Italy and actually climbing them is a joy. One can only admire the painstaking detail of these environments. Likewise, the voice acting is fantastic and perfectly suited. The dialects sound great and there is even some Italian thrown in for good measure, often adding some humor to the game. Turning the subtitles on for those who don't understand will allow you an insight as to what is being said.

AC2 is a definite must have. It's huge, open ended, and has a wonderful story that is a welcome chapter in this ongoing epic. So dive into the mystery and prepare yourself to take on an amazing adventure with Assassin's Creed II.

That's The Greatest Assassin's Creed Game Ever !

Ezio is The best Character in all Video Games !

You Need to Play this game Now !

I love this series so much and this is one of the best games I played Ezio Mario Claudia Rodrigo they are all great characters I loved all the characters I love renaissance Italy and desmond although pretty useless in this had some interesting scenes I like how they fitted it in with the bleeding effect

Ubisoft Montreal already has a sterling reputation for quality games, however, Assassins Creed 2 is a situation where Ubisoft Montreal truly shines. Pushing the limits of PS3 and XBOX360 hardware, the Ubisoft team uses intuitive controls and masterful storytelling to engage the player in the continuing saga of Desmond Miles who is a seemingly average young bartender.

Despite all average appearances, he is deemed important enough to be kidnapped by an evil corporation called Abstergo who is the modern day front for the Knights Templar. They seek to rule the world under one government through fascist authority, and Desmond is forced to relive the memories of his ancestors through a DNA encoding machine called the Animus. The Templars hope to learn the location of powerful and ancient artifacts that Desmond's ancestors had access to, and at the end of the last game we learned that the Templars planned to terminate Desmond as soon as they learned the location of the artifacts they were seeking.

However, Desmond's ancestors belonged to the ancient order of Assassins who are dedicated to human freedom and democracy. In this installment, the Assassins strike a hard blow at Abstergo as they come and liberate Desmond right at the beginning of the game.

In a surprise twist, just as Desmond could learn the location of artifacts through the Animus, the Assassins found a way to use the machine so that Desmond could relieve and retain the training and combat experience of his ancestors. He could become one of them in a matter of days. So, plugged into the Animus at the Assassins safe house, Desmond goes back to renaissance Italy to relive the life of Ezio Auditore, one of the greatest Assassins to ever live.

In a brilliant framing device that excuses any gameplay limitations, Desmond relives Ezio's life. And it's not an easy life to relive. Starting with the murder of his father and brothers at the hands of Florentine politicians, young Ezio has to smuggle his sister and mother out of the city to avoid being put to death. However, the Assassins take in Ezio, and we learn about the history of his family and the connection with the ancient Artifacts.

As the game progresses, Ezio gets stronger, and develops the skills he needs to exact revenge. As he grows, we learn the true meaning of the Assassin's Creed: "Stay your blade, from the flesh of the innocent, hide in plain sight, never compromise the brotherhood," followed by the maxim "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted," reflecting their dedication to human freedom.

He uses his natural charm to ally himself with the supposed dregs of Florentine society. Prostitutes, Thieves, and Mercenaries are all your allies, and for a small fee, they are at your disposal to distract and harass guards and authorities that stand in your way. Historically brilliant people such as Leonardo DaVinci and Niccolo Machiavelli make appearances as well to advise Ezio on strategy and weapons. Blending in with crowds and becoming invisible to authorities is a hard skill to master, but one essential for survival. Engaging in open combat puts guards on alert, and if you are wanted, they will try to kill you on sight.

As we start to exact revenge on the people who ruined Desmond's life, we are drawn into a deep conspiracy to take over the world that stretches back thousands of years. As long as the Templars have been trying to take over the world, the Assassins have been there to stop them!

This game is almost too well made, as it can be difficult to stop playing. Even after several replays, I find myself spending hours in the world of the "Animus" when I only intended to play for a half an hour.

Beautifully designed, rich with history, and facts about renaissance Italy, set against tragic and moving historical fiction, this work of art is one of the best video games that I have ever played.

I had seen trailers for this game some time ago but it wasn't until earlier this year that I decided to pick it up. A holiday to Dubrovnik in Croatia (where the old city has very "Venice-esque" rooftops) and a very brief spell in Venice for work made me more impressive by the game and had me imagining running around in this world in the game. Being hit by infinite explosives on MW2 also helped me decide to pick up a few more games. Having not played the first game I was happy that the game gave me a bit of time to get into the story and the controls (important since my instruction book had been incorrectly printed so half was missing).

The story is a revenge tale but with this constant "bigger picture" very much in the foreground as well, so while Ezio seeks revenge for the murder of his family, the path he takes also brings him into the world of the mystery that the modern day Assassins are trying to learn more of. These two threads work very well together and are well told without being too cut-scene heavy. My interest in the story is important because, although AC2 has been praised for having more variety than AC1, there is a reason that my girlfriend refers to the game by the name "rooftop running" – because every time she looks at the screen I appear to be running along yet another roof somewhere. This is a fair comment because there is a lot of running around but it is part of the game and does pose its own challenges as the free-running movement style is not as easy to master as it looks. I was glad to get to Venice so at least when I accidentally threw myself off a roof without knowing where I was going to land I would hit the water and live (as opposed to hitting the floor and dying).

The gameplay is enjoyable. In the main story there is a good mix of things to do, even if essentially the majority of them do boil down to "go there, kill that guy". Personally I could not be bothered collecting all the feathers in the game but it was a good addition to have side missions early on to collect things that boost your income as this is important early in the game. Combat is quite fun but once you get the hang of it, it is a bit easy. The blocking and counter-attacking generally works fine, while the special moves that you can learn (like throwing dust or multiple throwing knives) generally seemed to expose me to injury more than just the standard block/counter moves – which is a shame as the combat could have benefited from these moves being an advantage rather than a disadvantage. I liked the navigation objectives as it feels good to open up the map as well as showing off the graphics (some of the bigger climbs were very tense for me as I struggled to not accidentally fire myself into the void without warning) Similar to this the game is pretty easy. There are a few harder missions that relate to not being seen but even these I was able to do after only a few tries (albeit when I got close to my target I generally just rushed in to kill him). Otherwise the main story is on a good difficulty curve because nothing every held me up for long. Fortunately the story is long enough to mean that even getting each mission first time there is still a lot of time here. The various side quests are a bit more testing – personally I find the thief races to be pretty tough. Although I am always grateful to be able to escape, the NPC guards are probably too dumb. Even the searchers don't do that good a job of finding you and it is pretty easy to escape even when vastly outnumbered in an open area.

Design wise the game is stunning – large cities with lots happening and seamless graphics. OK Venice doesn't smell of damp in the game like it does in real life but otherwise the locations are convincing. The ability to sandbox around and interact with people is not at your GTA4 level but you do still have the freedom to explore and just run around picking fights with guards if that is what you want to do.

Assassin's Creed is a great game and one I enjoyed a lot whenever the mutliplayers I mostly do just got too much for me. It is a good length with plenty to do even if it is never as difficult as I would have liked. The gameplay is fun and flows well through a story that is engaging even if it is all a bit mumbo-jumbo. Good characters, great design and fun to play. I "finished it" last night (in terms of the story) but still have loads to do and am looking forward to it.

Excluding maybe the sixth Call of Duty instalment, the sequel to the 2007 success of Assassin's Creed is absolutely amazing. The genuineness and authenticity of the game makes it one of the most compelling and innovative on the market. Assassin's Creed II continues to deliver a gaming experience that cannot be found anywhere else, with its run anywhere climb anywhere basis to its wide range of skills and techniques of the art of assassination. Ubisoft not only fixed problems from the original game, but expanded the world of the creed to an extent that is almost unbelievable for the player. Every hardcore gamer with either a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 (possibly the PC in the future) should definitely consider adding this game to their collection. Not only will you be impressed by the level of quality, but also by the innovation and advance of success from the first instalment.

Assassins creed 2 is my favorite assassins creed game in the series and favorite game of all time. Now I have played some very acclaimed and amazing games ranging from Metal Gear Solid to Last of Us. Now I put assassins creed above every game out there because it's just THAT good. This game comes from a very powerful and a creative game called Assassins Creed, the first one took people by surprise to how much freedom it gave and how different it was and Assassins Creed is everything the first one was but two times better in every way, now I don't say the first one is bad but it's not as good as the sequel.

Assassins Creed 2 uses a classic formula of revenge meaning the protagonist has to get revenge for something the antagonist has done. And this came carefully constructs the game around that idea. The best thing about this game is the character I didn't find one character that I thought was flawed or was boring that I think games now a days forget to do. I cared for every single character in this game. Second thing this game does perfectly is that it shows a beautiful breathtaking city of Italy which in 2015 still looks gorgeous. Third thing that This and does wonderfully is the Prince of Persia game play this gives the game an authentic feel. Every parkour and free roam feels natural and new. This game is more then a game but an experience and one that does it so perfectly that it becomes once in a life time experience sadly Ubisoft has lost that due to their new games where the laws of physics don't apply and everything is money. I wait for the day when assassin creed will be made with passion and love like this one was. I HIGHLY recommend this game.

Assassin's Creed 2 was one of those sequels where most critics need to rate it higher, this game is like a trademark to my gaming experience, it's better than the original, since the original was repetitive and had a forgettable story, this game delivers none of that, i absolutely love this game.

The plot follows directly after the first game, Desmond is escaping Abstergo, but before he can Escape, he must go back in the Animus and start the life of his new ancestor Ezio Auditore Da Firenze, after escaping Abstergo, he must go back in the Animus to relive Ezio's life so he can become a modern day assassin, Ezio's story follows him seeking revenge for the murder of his Family by stopping Rodrigo Borgia, the leader of Knights Templar who wants the Piece of Eden and world domination, it's up to Ezio as he must traverse through 5 parts of Italy to assassinate each religious person who's connected to destruction of Italy just like Borgia's plan or a someone who's been murdering for no specified reason.

The ending is possibly the weirdest ending i've seen in a video game period, In the end of the game, after beating Rodrigo and recovering the Piece of Eden, Ezio meets Minerva, who tells Desmond and Ezio about the planet and the evidence itself. It's intense, since the entire sequence is a fourth wall break. Great ending to an already great game.

The game is a action-adventure game with stealth elements, you Control Ezio as he must go through 5 Places in Italy to assassinate each target and stop Borgia, in the game, you must use his blade, parkour acrobatics and sneaky stealth kills to get pass each Level, Leonardo Da Vinci is in this game helping you increase Your health, weapons and let you fly a flying machine. The acrobatics are better than ever since they're'e faster and smoother than the original. The combat is better than the original, but tedious at it's own rights. The highlight is the Assassin Tombs. Theyr'e puzzle-based enviorments that use Prince of Persia platforming and design and has a nice touch of challenge and fun.

The graphics are better than the original with more lighting and better textures, the controls haven't changed but they work a whole lot a better. Camera is bad, but better than it's predecessor.

Ezio overall, is like the God of Badass characters, his blade, agility and overall tone just makes me feel happy, he can't get any better can he, right.

Despite the praise i gave this game so far, the game has it's problems, like the easy difficulty and a few bugs, other than those problems, it's a great game.

The Monterrigoni Villa is a good addition to this game With upgrading Monterrigoni and feather collecting, much better than the original, the Glyphs are hard, my dad gave me help at times.

Assassin's Creed 2 is fun, huge and have you sitting for hours, including the decent DLC's, great Graphics, Controls, animations, gameplay, upgrading system, Tombs, extra content and story despite glitches and easy gameplay.

10/10

Assassin's Creed II- 2009 Not having played the first entry, the game picks up immediately after the first one but this does not matter. The game features a new protagonist, who Desmond controls through the Animus, a matrix-type machine. Ezio is your typical swashbuckling ladies-man, starting trouble with a rich rival who is a jerk just because he is the protagonist's rival. Ezio's family is portrayed as poor, or middle-class, of course but noble in heart and spirit. So, off the bat, Ezio is an unlikeable douche who gets everything his way, the villains have no real personality other to be evil and slimy, and the dialogue is sometimes funny mostly from Uncle Mario or when Ezio is talking to DaVinci and his "crazy" inventions. The game makes up in superior gameplay though, with new weapons such as dual blades, pistol, throwing knives, countering system, hiring system, and faster free-running with on-the-spot camouflaging within crowds. Even if Ezio himself is an unlikeable character, the story is interesting to follow from his perspective rather than Lucy and her team or from Mario and his Assassins. From everyone, the plot is this long time war between the Templars and the "holy" assassins who "liberate" the people, it is clichéd writing and is very black & white. From Ezio's perspective; however, it's a basic revenge story because Rodrigo, the leader of the Borgias, killed his family and Ezio seeks revenge. The game flows better in this fashion, since it accommodates the assassin's life better than some savior. The true jewel of the game are the Templar Temples which are free-running timed puzzles a la Prince of Persia to acquire parts of the armor of Altair, which the armor itself doesn't do anything special is just a Macguffin, the temples are the true treasure. A disfavor is done skipping any of these because they are the most awesome part of the game, truly utilizing the free-running mechanic to its fullest potential. The final boss is not challenging, at all but who you get to fight is pretty awesome, normally my reviews contain spoilers but this one you have to find out on your own!! This is a game worth buying, most definitely.

Well, I'm going to start from the top,

1: This is better than the first

2: Ideas are better then the first

3: Gameplay is better than the first

Its not like I hate the first Assassins Creed, but it became too much predictable and boring and besides it was the same thing over and over again AC:2 on the other hand gave a whole new idea of gaming and the story was on track the gameplay was even better the graphics was absolutely awesome.

Nuff Said.

In my opinion Much Much Much better than the first.

*****/*****

The honest truth is that I am not really a big fan of these games. My brother though is an avid fan and naturally I wanted to play the first one. I find the first Assassin's Creed game lacking in story along with Altair being one-dimensional.

Now this one has a great story. It is a revenge story, however when it comes to video gaming - not my favourite revenge story - that belongs to the original Max Payne. Ezio is a good enough character for you to follow through many weeks of gaming to finish. One complaint I do have is that they could have developed the Borgia family into being bigger bastards.

The gameplay was fun, but too easy. When you can beat the crap out of some 15 odd guards completely unarmed then there is something wrong. The original Assassin's Creed has bad enough AI as it is. Well it was fun doing all of that.

Another major complaint is the ending. I don't know why but in both Assassin's Creed games I've played so far I always find the endings to be awful. In the first one you have god-like orb, of which I thought it would be a historical fiction game (setting it in a past time while somewhat keeping it in touch with reality). In this one though it was even worse. They introduce Desmond as some kind of Messiah figure that is going to finally end the fight that has been going on for nearly the past thousand years. How they revealed it was by showing the pieces of Eden to be the key to a secret door when these god things show up. I'm sorry but this DOES NOT WORK!!! I don't care if it's a fantasy game (like my brother tells me). It simply doesn't work with what came before.

So pick this game up by all means but if you want to take it from me - expect nothing more than a fun little gamer with a decent story. That's it!

The assassin's creed series is simply brilliant. Offering almost complete freedom to do as you please. The game would be perfect apart from a couple of slight problems: 1. The game tries to edge you towards killing the character a certain way. For instance, in Assassin's Creed 1 you could either fight your way to your target and kill him before he escapes, or you could try and sneak up on him. While in Assassin's Creed 2 it will only give you one way to your target or tell you to kill them a certain way which I feel spoils the freedom it gave in the previous game. 2. The game is simply too easy. You can fight off most the guards by simply blocking and countering, or dodging behind them to finish them off. Although it may not be as easy as Brotherhood with the execution streaks which allow you to kill 50+ foes without getting touched, it still makes the game a little boring for players. 3. I enjoy puzzle games such as Professor Layton but some of the AC2 puzzles were ridiculous while others just required you to briefly flick over what it asked. Such a wide difficulty range confused me as I often thought I was doing all of them wrong or the game was bugged. 4. The game has no replay value. After finishing the main and side quests there is very little to do apart from running around Italy with your "invincible" Assassin.

Apart from the four points above, Assassin's Creed is perfect. Offering a compelling storyline with real emotions and believable characters. The variety of weapons and quests stops the game from being too repetitive, which was a problem with AC1. Also the different armours allow customisation but really every player who has finished the game only ever uses the best armour since no other armour can compare to it. I strongly recommend this game and more so than the others in the series, I hope Assassin's Creed Revelations can change that though

well what to say about this one i just picked up assassin's creed 4 years back not knowing any thing about the game just the pack looked cool but boy did the game turn out to be EVEN cool i loved it 2 years later i got up in the morning to pick up assassin's creed 2 BOY OH BOY OH BOY was it worth it! from the game play to the story graphics to the controls Magnificent! i am one of those guys who never believed in consoles i simply love my mouse too much but most of Console games on pc don't really work to be honest ( EXCEPT First person action games for which PC is actually better ) but assassin's creed 2 was as good as for Consoles as for PC and i loved it they have done such a commendable job the UBisoft team from the software developers to everyone Jesus Christ it's been 2 long years now i still play this game often lol that tells you a lot Recently i got another great great game Call oF duty black ops it was better than assassin's creed in every aspect ( keep in mind the game is of late 2010 so it's bound to be) but YET if it's a one on one comparison i would still say overall assassin's creed 2 is better BECAUSE of one reason ABSOLUTELY NO BUGS* I MEAN being a computer engineer i know HOW much of ATTENTION these guys have to actually give to avoide any MINUTE bugs honestly till this date i don't think i have EVER PLAYED ANY game other than assassin's creed 2 which has absolutely NO BUGS* BRILLIANT GAME WORTH EVERY penny you pay for it. P.S. Brotherhood the sequel is out soon too on PC cant wait for it :P~~

This title was a long anticipated one. I followed its development, watched every clip that appeared on the website, an started to sweat every time I thought of this judgement date - March 2010... More or less I knew what to expect. But when it finally came to my computer to possess it, I was more than astonished and enraptured with it, that I did not get off my computer for three complete days...

The best parts of the preceding title were kept - especially the dagger combos (my favourite) - and things that were missing from it were fixed - most notably the swimming part - and new moves were added - most notably stealing the opponent's weapon and tearing their neck with their own axe.

Even though I knew what the game would look and feel like, I was nevertheless delighted by the experience it put me through - the storyline, the combos, the new techniques, the old techniques, the flying machine, the double blades... I even spent a whole thirty minutes laughing when I encountered the drunk fellow sitting at the entrance of San Gimignano and screaming his love song...

The open ending is also something that got me... Not that I expected that this one will be the last in the sequel, but I puffed out a large amount of air out of myself when I knew for certain that Assassin's Creed III is to come...

Assassin's Creed II is a definite must-have. If you haven't played this game, you have not played computer games at all...

Desmond is back, with this picking up right where the last one(that this expects you to already have played... although you won't miss much if you haven't) left off, and he's soon in a new Animus, taking on the role of a different ancestor of his: Ezio(son of Armand Assante), in Italy during the Renaissance, out for revenge. You get to go to cool famous locations, take part in historical events and meet well-known people(one of whom I swear is William Fichtner), including Leonardo Da Vinci(and you get to use his flying machine, if only pretty briefly... the same goes for steering a carriage where you, by swiftly turning it, can unbalance those that try to get to you, from atop it), fresh from the, ahem, treatment that Dan Brown gave him. Yes, this feeds the conspiracy theorists, and the "decoding" can be engaging(and if you don't get into that aspect, you can still enjoy this... that was the case for me). This has the whole DRM thing like other recent titles, meaning that you can only play this if you have a permanent internet connection... I didn't have any problems with it, though obviously, no one will be able to play this if the server goes down entirely(meaning, if they go bankrupt or similar). The graphics are upgraded, with all cut-scenes in-engine. There's a nice level of expression to faces, if Lucy can come off wide-eyed, and looks like she raided the lipstick collection of a clown. This is about the same as the first, with Prince of Persia acrobatics, Hit-man/Splinter Cell hiding(note that one of the new enemies will check piles of leaves and the like for your presence if they are hunting you... you can murder them from in there, if you're quick!) and death-dealing and GTA free-roam. There were two things they could do to fix the streamlining that took away nearly all risk(still present)... make it challenging(well, they do that some), or add RPG elements. They chose the latter. The thing is that other than the collectibles(that are the only replayability in this, only one difficulty setting and linear progression through the overarching story), the only thing you can really "get" in this is cash, and it's so easy to gain and there's hardly anything to spend it on(ever watched Brewster's Millions?). Why not reward stealth? You can assassinate from climbing positions(pulling the other over you and off!), while out of sight and sometimes during combat(in general it tends to work, at least often, as long as the other isn't expecting it or is vulnerable). The dual wrist blades can be used for fencing(of which there is too much in this, don't they realize that it's repetitive and dull? At least they give you new moves for the unarmed stuff, at least if you grab the other... headbutt, knee, punch and throw) too, and you can execute two people at once(with a little luck, since you can't "target" two), and if you don't dawdle, you can manage that twice in a row. Dead bodies can be moved, if it usually isn't required(they can distract, as can the money bags you can toss). There are new weapons(accessible only through the wheel, why? The numerical keys could be made to cycle! Instead, only three of them work(well, has anyone *else* been able to get 1 to do anything?), and pressing twice merely draws it(what's the point of that? It's not faster used on account of that!)), such as poison(...never used it, don't know what good it does... take longer, so you can rapidly get away, I understand?), a primitive pistol(that really walks the line between useful and not taking away all the toughness... limited bullets and range, and you should hold down the trigger for a little while to ensure you'll hit), smoke bombs(early flashbangs, essentially), and alternate ones for your main one, mostly swords, a chain-less mace and a hammer(powerful!). The GPS remains(and is the same), as does the map(why does it lag so much?). Viewpoints don't feel like they do anything, well, they fill in the blank areas, they don't tell you where tasks(those are new, by the way, this time you beat up cheating husbands, courier letters, and carry out contracts) are. You can swim, and no one else can, so be careful about your allies, and get your kicks leading foes to their watery demise(...well, *I* like it). This does have intense chases, and they mix up the objectives some to keep it interesting(bullseye). The notoriety system means you can be recognized by your face(finally!) if you've done a lot of illegal things(or if the mission calls for it), until you tear down posters, bribe heralds, or off informants. Saving is again automatic and done by checkpoints, leading to some annoyances when you have to do the same things over and over again if you're failing near the end of a segment. The great thing is that you can often go right back to where you left off no matter when you quit(you can literally get out of this in a matter of seconds, and in about a minute, be right back where you left off). This does also mean that you can kill yourself and not lose, but gain time/distance. The cinematography is fantastic, and this has very film-like moments in the fighting(especially when someone is dying; the finishers look awesome). There is a meter over the heads of people letting you know if they're starting to notice you, so you can scamper off if someone is realizing that you're not on their side. You can "blend" again, this time with any group of NPCs(that don't raise their weapons at you), and the "feet" thing is now "fast walk"(when will they implement "crouch" or "hug surroundings", you know, to get out of their view?). There is a bit of bloody, brutal violence and disturbing content, and a little strong language in this. I recommend this to fans of this franchise and concept. 7/10

Console: Playstation 3

Genre: Third person 'stealth' action.

Setting: A mysterious place in the present or future, and Renaissance Italy.

Story:

Continues from the original, with some surprises in store, as far as characters go...Desmond Miles is still the pivotal character. "Assassin's Creed" had a juicy hook to end the game with, and the sequel takes the narrative elements to a new high...up there with the "Uncharted" games. Unlike the original, the sequel's story telling peters out towards the end.

Graphics:

Again, fantastic looking, and much more sumptuous due to the new location of the historically set story. The locations are pretty as a picture.

Gameplay:

Much improved over the original. There is variety to the game which the original lacked, but some of the non-core gaming elements are infinitely frustrating. It's these elements which really drag the score down for me. The kinds of elements I have in mind include puzzles, racing and finding certain things in the cities and towns you are in. Whereas the original had mindless/inane collecting elements, in this game they are made more a part of the story and hence something you would choose to pursue. However, the difficulty levels are just absurd...some puzzles are seemingly solved with random button movements, whilst other puzzles seem to require an arts degree or a degree in cryptography. Utterly bizarre. My guess is that many people will have to Google solutions to these puzzles...it's odd how the game seems to want to appeal to little boys and people with tertiary qualifications...a middle road would have been better...puzzles solvable without going online out of frustration.

A non-core element of the game are timed foot races...on roof-tops (!). Some races seem impossible to complete...suggesting that they are set up for players of an elite level. Actually, returning to these races I have found them to be completeable but by no means fun...you're just glad that the whole thing is over. The marks that you have to hit are often hard to spot, so you lose time looking for them. The game makes completing them unnecessarily hard too...soldiers chasing you, or pedestrians being in your way. If you miss a jump you just know that you won't be able to complete the race...meaning you either have to let the clock run down to zero or cancel the race and retry. Basically the races are a grind...take many attempts to learn the route and not make mistakes. Just a real pain.

And the logic of elements like these is questionable to say the least...one such is the collection of feathers...I kid you not. An historical assassin collecting feathers? They increase the value of his home? His nearest and dearest won't move from prayer without you having all the feathers? Yuh. Inane. Since there is a narrative import to completing this quest, it grates when finding all those feathers is just such a massive, frustrating grind...even with the benefit of a downloaded map. A big improvement would have been having each feather numbered, so you knew which particular one you required and thus could limit your searching for it. Some are trickily placed to. The game makers imagine the world they have created is so wonderful you will want to explore every inch of it...then pretty much force you to do this with grinding quests like this...not fun at all.

Back to the races...you play an assassin...who, in his spare time races locals for fun? And there are city guards who can overtake you even if you complete the race? Hmm.

Another interesting addition to the game play is the renovations you can do to your home. These earn you money which you can spend on items. This seems a very undercooked element to the game for me...I've earned a million florins from doing this and have no realistic hope of spending most of that money as there is nothing to spend it on now. It would have been better to be able to build on this feature...have a particular artist in residence at your home, for example...or raise armies...or annexe castles and towns etc. None of this is possible...but what there is is a suitable alternative to the grinding treasure hunts of the game.

The Good –

• The early narrative elements of the game are engaging

• More variety in actions the assassin can perform

The Bad –

• Buggy game play...if you run around the place (as I do) trying to get to a task quickly, you will see buildings and pedestrians be drawn ahead of you. This can actually adversely affect game play. For instance...you can enter a building and take treasure, but on trying to get out you will notice that guards have suddenly appeared there and you will have to fight them. Or certain citizens which trigger non-core game elements will not be where they are supposed to be...you have to wait for them to suddenly appear.

• Occasional quick time events which are such a surprise you may miss them...not a fan of these...like giving my hands a break during a cutscene.

The Ugly –

• Frustrating non-core game play...interminable races which give you no wriggle room to complete them.

• Ridiculously difficult puzzles (involving code breaking) or annoying as hell concentric circle painting puzzles...both a massive grind to complete...the former at least having the 'virtue' of being able to be cheated on via online sources.

• Annoying character actions or non-playable character movements. The thief kills are an example of this...you want to kill the thief so try and climb up a wall...instead you kick back and jump backwards...too late. Same thing for races. The thiefs are pretty hard to catch...so I'm happy they can be so glitchy...they get 'stuck' somewhere and run on the spot...easy prey. It's a glitch, but a welcome one!

This game had a lot of potential as the sequel to one of the most amazing games in gaming history, Assassin's Creed, which introduced versatile mechanics in perfect harmony with creativity, but unfortunately Ubisoft ultimately failed to deliver. Full of plot-holes and inharmonious game play, this headache-inducing game (if you will choose to call it that) is a crowded cache of failing mechanics and laughable graphics.

The story isn't much better, as it is extremely improbable and relentlessly drags on to the point where you'll want to put the controller down and blast your console with a double barrel shotgun. It may seem complex, but it's incredibly shallow and boring ad infinitum. A few advancements were made on previous concepts such as assassination techniques, maneuverability, etc. and some victoriously successful, while others withered and died.

I give this game a 3/10, and that's being generous. The first game is where it's at!