Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Highly addictive"

Assassins Creed 2 picks up where Assassins Creed 1 leaves off. Desmond has just finished reliving key moments in Altair's life that the Templar's needed, and the Templar's found a map that marked all of the Pieces of Eden in the world.

Assassins Creed 2 takes place in 2012, and in Italy during the "Italian Renaissance" in the late 15th century. In Assassins Creed 2 you play as both Desmond Miles, who after being forced to relive Altair's memories has gained some of Altair's abilities, and Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who starts off as a charismatic young Italian boy, and turns into a master assassin. Assassins Creed 2 game-play takes place in an open-world environment, where you are free to roam, you still maintain many abilities such as free running, eagle vision, and horse riding, and fighting remains similar to Assassins Creed 1. The Assassins Creed 2 story-line picks up where Assassins Creed 1 leaves off, Desmond Miles is still trapped by Abstergo Industries(Templars) after being forced to revisit genetic memories of his Assassin Ancestor Altaïr, and has discovered warnings from Subject 16, who was the previous subject of the animus, describing the end of the world. He is soon rescued by Lucy Stillman, who in the first game was prof. Vidic's assistant, turns out to be a spy for the Assassins, and then takes him to meet two other Assassins, historian Shaun Hastings and computer expert Rebecca Crane. Where they ask Desmond to use their version of the Animus, the Animus 2.0, or as Rebecca calls it "baby" to relive memories of another Assassin, Ezio Auditore, to train Desmond in the ways of the Assassins through the "Bleeding Effect". After Desmond enters the animus 2.0 he takes control of Ezio Auditore. Ezio's memories begin during the Renaissance in the 15th century, where his family is the victim of a political plot, and his father and brothers are hanged. Ezio, listening to his father's last advice, finds his father's Assassin tools, a Assassin robe, a broken hidden blade, and a sword, flees the city with his mother and sister Claudia. Where they run into Ezio's uncle Mario, Mario then takes them to the safety of his villa in the countryside. Mario helps Ezio in discovering the people behind the conspiracy against his family. As Ezio identifies and assassinates more and more political figures behind the conspiracy, Ezio also gains several allies, such as Leonardo da Vinci, who helps Ezio improve his equipment using schematics found in Codex pages. Ezio eventually identifies the mastermind behind his brothers, and fathers' murder, Rodrigo Borgia, who ultimately wanted to bring down the Medici family in Florence with the help of the Pazzi family and the Doge of Venice. Ezio finds Borgia in possession of the Apple of Eden, the same Piece of Eden that Altair had recovered centuries ago, and learns that Rodrigo believes himself to be "The Prophet" that will lead the Templars to a ancient "Vault". Ezio is able to recover the Apple, with the help of his allies. Ezio's allies reveal they are all Assassins, and see Ezio as their Prophet, allowing him to join their ranks. Several years of Ezio's memories are inaccessible from the Animus, but Ezio's memories pick up, where Ezio and the Assassins plan to attack Borgia, now better known as Pope Alexander VI, at Vatican City. Ezio corners Borgia and strikes him down, but refuses to kill him. Ezio uses the Apple and the Papal cross another Piece of Eden, and discovers the entrance to the Vault. Inside, a holographic figure, calling herself Minerva, appears. Speaking directly to Desmond and those monitoring him, she explains that she was part of a far more advanced society that initially co-existed along with the early humans on Earth before they faced each other in war. A global catastrophe occurred that nearly wiped out both the humans and the advanced society. The survivors joined together to construct temples across the Earth to allow humans to prevent a similar catastrophe in the future. Before the hologram disappears, she warns Desmond, that "the rest is up to you". After the memory Desmond and the others are forced to flee with the Animus as Abstergo troops surround their location. As they head toward a new safehouse, Lucy explains that there are newly-discovered weaknesses in the Earth's magnetic field; a solar flare striking this weakness would cause a similar level of global destruction as described by Minerva. Desmond resolves to help the Assassins find these temples, and prepares to reenter the Animus, which foreshadows Brotherhood.

Overall Assassins Creed 2 is a great game, that plays perferct, has an amazing story, and is one my favorite games!