Assassin's Creed II is a spectacle that not just returning fans will appreciate, but any fan of action games.
When the original Assassin's Creed first released in 2007, it was well-received despite some minor flaws overall. Some of those flaws were tedious, and did not hamper down the overall experience of the very engrossing game. Now, Assassin's Creed II is here, and it boasts loads of new features, gameplay enhancements, and a beautiful new world to explore in the form of the Italian Renaissance. The world is beautifully crafted, and one of the more detailed worlds I have ever seen in a video game, especially that of the action genre that Assassin's Creed II displays so well. This game has a slightly different tone than that of the original, but overall features the same great action and overall it's better than ever.
To avoid too many spoilers, I will not talk too much about the story of the game. Desmond, a bartender who you remember from the first game, escapes Abstergo along with Lucy, the assistant who helped you out in the original game, who discovers yet another conspiracy surrounding the Templars. It will ultimately be up to you to stop them by once again using the Animus, or in this case, the Animus 2.0. You go back in time, but this time to that of the Italian Renaissance in Florence, Italy. You become the young, headstrong man named Ezio Auditore. You quickly discover that your father and brothers are in trouble, and from there, you dawn the Assassin Robes, and the game takes flight. I don't want to spoil any more of this game's terrific plot, and I will leave that to you, the reader, to figure out on your own. And for returning fans of the original game, the sequel's ending this time around will surely not disappoint.
The gameplay largely remains the same, although, it comes back with a vengeance and boasting loads of new additions. First off, players will notice a few tweaks as Ezio navigates around Italy. You now have a currency system in the world, using Italy's florins to purchase a variety of things such as weapons; new armor; and even items for a villa that you and your family will ultimately control, thus building a fortress. With this, you will actually begin raising money that you can collect every twenty minutes. This is a nice feature, and an excellent way to earn a lot of money in a short amount of time.
While running around exploring the large cities within, you can now become notorious for your duties and deeds around town. Climbing on rooftops, stealing florins from civilians, and taking part in assassinations all will contribute to this. The more you do these deeds, the higher the meter will go up, and the more "wanted" you become. I compare this largely to an Assassin's Creed version of Grand Theft Auto's wanted level. To reduce your notoriety, you can tear down wanted posters, pay off heralds, or assassinate other criminals or officials.
Assassin's Creed II also has a bevy of collectibles you can find in the game in the form of feathers, treasure chests, glyphs, and codex pages. The chests and codex pages can be revealed on your map, and feathers and glyphs will need either extreme patience or a guide online to help you locate them all. It is a nice change from the pain that was the flags in the original game.
When you first begin the game, you can tell that Ubisoft has taken this game to a whole other scale graphically. Cities are much larger, and you will notice that firsthand when you begin in Florence, where the Auditore family resides. Cities are filled with NPCs going about their daily lives, and you really get the feeling that this is a living, breathing world. Once you head to a city such as Venice, you really get to see how great the water effects look, and they are gorgeous. I have not seen water this good-looking since possibly Bioshock, though Bioshock has the better effects overall. Shadowing effects are especially nice in this game, and players will definitely notice that with the new day/night cycle. Yes, you no longer play in a strictly daytime setting in Assassin's Creed II, and you can feel like a true assassin in the new nighttime setting.
The storytelling itself has improved dramatically in Assassin's Creed II. The cutscenes that you will see offer a much more engrossing and cinematic experience than what the original offered. Sometimes I felt as though I was watching a five-star movie directed by Peter Jackson or Steven Spielberg. The voice-casting for each character in the game, no matter how minor or major they are within the plot, is fantastically done and Ubisoft deserves an award for the job they have done here. The story itself expands on so many things that also help clarify a lot of the backstory regarding how the Assassin's Creed was formed, as well as tons of information on the Templars. I can definitely understand how just Assassin's Creed II alone needed a trilogy, with Brotherhood releasing last year, and Revelations slated for release later this year. This story is so intense, that if I said any more than I already have, I could spoil the majority of the game's plot.
Assassin's Creed II may seem perfect at this rate, but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. It does have its share of frustrations, though all of them are very minor. Texture fade-ins are common from buildings, fences, and even boats on docks. There were a few times when I tried to do one of the new airborne assassinations that I warped into the building the guards were standing outside of, and was forced to restart the game entirely from the main menu. Unfortunately, the most frustrating part of this game comes in the form of movement on some of the buildings and rooftops. At times, you could be moving from rooftop to rooftop, and suddenly a jump you know without question you should make, ends in you falling to the ground thus ending your life. Some of the movements feel sticky, and this can be frustrating.
Overall, Assassin's Creed II is a spectacle in gaming. Ubisoft has done the fans of the original justice by creating a living and breathing world in this sequel. Assassin's Creed II isn't a perfect game, but it manages to come close due to its almost flawless recreation of Renaissance Italy. Ezio Auditore is a terrific character, one that fans will actually care about more than Altair from the original game. He instantly becomes an icon in the action genre with his charm, cunning, and deadly skill with a blade. You watch him grow as a young assassin, and you alone get to decide each victim's ultimate fate using Ezio in almost any way imaginable. With a huge world to explore, and a huge amount of new moves to display, Assassin's Creed II is a must not just for fans of the original, but for almost all action fans out there.
(Overall Score) 9.5/10