The first Assassin's Creed is perhaps one of the most polarizing games of this generation of consoles. Some loved the unique setting, and thought-provoking story, while others couldn't push the repetitive gameplay mechanics aside to manage to truly enjoy the game. Due to surprisingly high sales numbers, a sequel has naturally made its way to retail with two distinct audiences to please: those already living by the Creed, and those who grew frustrated with the first. Thankfully, Assassin's Creed II does more than enough to satisfy both parties.
Picking up exactly where its predecessor left of, Assassin's Creed II follows Desmond Miles as he delves into the memories of a new ancestor, a young man from Renaissance-era Italy, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze. Ezio's story tracks his long journey of figuring out the truth behind his father's murder, and thanks to the game's setting, time-period, and intelligent use of historical figures, Ubisoft has crafted a story that's just as memorable as it is violent; and it's quite violent. Thankfully, Desmond's side of the story is just as interesting, as things on his end really get kicked into high gear.
Just like it's predecessor, revenge, conspiracy, and discovery permeate the fabric of the narrative, but, as the story's momentum has been drastically increased, the thematic nature of the story is much less subtle, which may resonate in a negative way with fans of the first Assassin's Creed's surprisingly deep story. Still, Assassin's Creed II's mixture of period piece, and sci-fi is pulled off extremely well, and makes for one of the few games in recent memory with a story that's told in a truly mature, intelligent way.
Assassin's Creed II in its core essence plays much like its predecessor, the players must combine stealth, agility, and all out combat to achieve their goals (mainly sinking your hidden blade into the neck of some sort of corrupt Italian official).
The mix between using high profile actions (such as sprinting, free-running, and combat), and low profile actions (used for stealth kills, and blending into crowds) is just as fun as ever. The game seamlessly blends the need to use these two sets of actions, and you'll never be too stealthy, or too bold for an extended period of time. One moment you might need to dash across the rooftops of Venice only to stop a few moments later to stealthily take care of your target.
Free-running is still the main appeal of Assassin's Creed II's gameplay. Ezio is just as acrobatic as his ancestor, and bounding around the rooftops of the game's five cities captures that same sublime magic that comes with the degree of freedom, and fluidity you have in your movements. However, not all is perfect this time around, because of the Renaissance architecture you'll find yourself struggling to get Ezio to his destination from time to time. However, Assassin's Creed II's free-running mechanic still makes for some of the best platforming in recent memory.
"Above all else, be armed," wrote Niccolo Machiavelli in "The Prince". That sentiment certainly reigns true in Assassin's Creed II, as Ezio's journey for revenge is nothing short of a bloodbath. Combat has remained much the same. The focus is still on waiting for your enemy to attack, then quickly performing a brutal counter-attack. Sure, it's simple, but the kills are so brutal that pulling off counters is ceaselessly entertaining, especially since Ezio can now utilize dozens of weapons. Ezio also has a fair amount of old-school gadgets in tow that spice things up. Smoke bombs, pistols, poison, and even pocket sand are all fun to use, even if unnecessary in most scenarios.
Assassin's Creed II is a deep game when it comes to things for Ezio to do. In addition to a lengthy campaign with a more streamlined GTA-esque mission structure, there are tons of sidequests to embark on, ranging from beating up cheating spouses, to venturing through the tombs of other assassins. Thanks to the game's new monetary system, you can also spend your time rebuilding a villa you inherit early in the game. Once you improve shops, you get discounts, and new items. The sheer amount of things you can buy, be they clothing dyes, or scimitars, is staggering, and really helps to bring more depth to the game.
Graphically, Assassin's Creed II is quite good. While the game's engine might not be up to par with some of the best out there, it certainly gets the job done with character animations still being a real highlight. Artistically, however, Assassin's Creed II is amazing. Ubisoft has done a great job convincingly recreating some of Italy's most famous cities as they were in the Renaissance era. Everything from clothing, to architecture impressively fits the game's time period, making for an incredible amount of immersion.
The sound department is excellent. Assassin's Creed II features some great voice-overs, and a lot of great banter in Italian, further upping the immersion. The music is a brilliant mix of eerie sci-fi and classical Italian tunes. Sound effects are great as well, although they are repeated quite a bit.
Assassin's Creed II is a long game, clocking in at around 16-18 hours even if one just goes through the story missions with minimal side-tracking. Doing all the side missions, improving your villa to 100%, and getting all the feathers/statues, however, can take upwards of 25 hours. Though there's no multiplayer, Assassin's Creed II is a fully fleshed out experience with no shortage of things to do. One function that's sorely missing, though, is the ability to replay missions.
Assassin's Creed II has a few minor flaws, but is ultimately such a grand improvement over its predecessor that they're easy to forgive. The game is tons of fun, with no shortage of things to do, and see. The gameplay is still as great as ever, and thanks to a vastly improved missions structure, much more accessible. The production values are great too, even with a few problems here and there. Overall, this game is a perfect reason to start living by the Creed once more.
"Requiescat In Pace."
PROS:
+Tons of stuff to do
+Streamlined mission structure
+Great story, and characters
+Great art-style
+Very immersive
+Fun combat, and platforming
CONS:
-Some minor gameplay problems
-Occasional audio-sync problems
-Minor graphical glitches here and there
-No way to replay old missions