Nothing is true, everything is permitted... But the truth is that this is an excellent game.
But thank God they didn't. Instead, they appear to have looked at every suggestion and comment the gaming public made, and worked on it. They took constructive criticism for what it was and improved on what was already a good game, and here we have it, Assassin's Creed 2, but the title doesn't do it justice.
Gone are the repetitive missions of the first game. Beat for information, eavesdrop, steal a letter, go assassinate a man that's nothing more than a name to you. Rinse, repeat. In -this- game, every assassination is story driven, every quest has reasons behind it, and they're reasons you actually -care- about. And beyond that, mission variety... Well, is -varied-. And... good! Yes, good.
Let's start with a bit about the story, because I'll be honest, as a writer and heavy reader, that's one thing I care about more than anything else, and sadly something most games put little or even no effort into. Ubisoft breaks the trend with a story better than that of most RPGs, one with twists and turns and things that smack you upside the head and yell "didn't see THAT coming, did you?!"
Conspiracy theorists in particular, and those who enjoy such things, will absolutely love the story, and the ending leaves me drooling for the next installment. Here, we have two protagonists, the first being Desmond Miles, Subject 17, who was also the protagonist of the last game. But in place of Altair, this time we follow a man named Ezio, who, unlike Altair, is not a master assassin with unflinching discipline by the time we see him. In fact we start following him before he ever takes the mantle of assassin, and his character is deep, interesting, and most of all, likable. And more than that, we see more of Desmond, as well, we get more of his character revealed, and he, too, becomes far more likable! This story is, in one word, epic.
But this is a game, isn't it? And a game is an interactive medium, not a simple book, and so there needs to be more to it than a great story. Gameplay. Well, AC2 delivers there, as well. As mentioned, this game is not repetitive. Gone are the cookie-cutter mission times copied and pasted throughout the game. Instead, we're given a startling variety. Missions where you tail someone. Missions where you infiltrate. Assassinations with specific rules such as don't get detected, kill at a certain time or in a certain way, etc. And the gameplay is more fun for more reasons than variety, too.
Multiple weapons are available now, from swords to daggers to throwing knives like the last one had, to maces, poison (a favorite of mine, the target begins hallucinating, swings wildly at things only they can see, and then collapses, slowly dying), and even a pistol-like attachment to the Hidden Blade. Ah, yes, the Hidden Blade, that's important... There are two this time. And when I first heard that, I thought it a contrived sort of addition, a "before we had one, now it's two! See, it's better!" But, I am happy to say, I was very wrong. They take full advantage of such a thing, and assassinating two people at once- in various ways- gives you that feeling of "that's right, you don't want to mess with me."
This is a feeling AC2 is very adept at giving, whether it's because you just yanked a guard off a high ledge, dived from a rooftop to assassinate two people at once upon landing, caught and assassinated a pickpocket you've chased across the rooftops, solved one of the numerous puzzles and riddles left by your predecessor, or even just took down a large contingent of guards that had you surrounded... with only your fists, by countering, stealing their weapons, and killing them with their own blades.
Visually, this game is even better than the original, which is saying something, and it's made even better by the customizations you can choose in terms of clothing colors, armors and weapons (yes, these actually have stats), and the fact that each city has its own... personality, so to speak.
As far as sound goes... It should be mentioned. Because the voice acting, not just for Ezio but -every- character, is at the very least movie quality, and it makes you believe in the person you're hearing speak. Ezio himself is a standout because of just how much personality he has. The music is also amazing, and it fully brings to life the epic tale you're living throughout the Italian Renaissance, a tale which spans about 13 years of that time period, following Ezio from when he was 17 to 30.
Now... This game is not without its flaws. There's some minor graphical issues with texture pop-in, though that's really only seen if you're looking for it, and very rare. The controls, which are usually excellent, can sometimes send you directions other than the one you want to go in, but this is to be expected with something like free-running, since you can, literally, go anywhere.
But these issues are minor, and at the end of the game, despite whatever you've said throughout it, you still want to hit the start button and start it all over again.
My friends, this is something you don't want to miss.