Great story, fun game play, good graphics, and a bad ass Italian assassin for a main character...what more can you want?
Assassin's Creed II is the perfect example of what all sequels should do....further build on the prequel's strengths and use its audience's criticism to get rid of the game's previous weaknesses. Ubisoft did all of these things and more when they made Assassin's Creed II. The game once again allows you to play as Desmond who goes back in time to experience pieces of the life of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a slick, Italian Assassin who seems to basically get whatever girl he wants in the game. Ezio is a memorable main character and in his arsenal of weapons is the previous game's hidden knife, sword, and throwing knifes and even some new weapons like the poison knife and the hand gun.
Assassin's Creed II gave fans of the first game exactly what they wanted when they added in many different types of missions to the game play, which took away the repetitiveness problem, and the ability to customize your outfit, change weapons, and kill two people silently at the same time with the dual-hidden blade. It also gave players things that they did not expect such as the ability to fly (although only in one part of the game), smoke bombs in order to escape unwanted battles, and the ability to swim. The story is wonderfully intriguing and, at many points in the game, comical. The game's use of history just adds to how genuine it is and makes the story seem more real, overall.
Some people say that sequels often take away something that the original gave. Well this certainly is not true for Assassin's Creed II. The game is fun, the story is fascinating and witty, and the graphics keep that movie-like look that the first game had. The game does have some minor flaws like some glitches but they really don't happen too often. In my 30 something hours of playing it I only encountered one time where I got stuck in a pillar after falling from a roof and I had to restart the game. Anyone with an interest in RPG games, plots that have you desperate to fin out what happens next and what the "bad guys are really up to", some references to historic events or people, or just plain beating the crap out of someone with cool, smooth looking combat should definitely pick this game up.