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The original Assassin’s Creed had very mixed reviews when it premiered two years ago. Some felt that the gorgeous graphics and unique aspects of gameplay justified the reality that it was, in fact, merely a series of repetitive fetch quests integrated into a rich story. In the sequel, Ubisoft promised a complete overhaul that would appease both those that appreciated and criticized the original, a feat that is far from small. To my surprise, it appears that the decisions made in AC 2’s game design have successfully made this game ideal for both sides of the fence.

The second game picks up right where the first left off with Desmond still trapped in the Abstergo complex and experimenting with the Animus. For those that have not played the original, Desmond comes from a long line of assassins that have battled Templar knights from the days of the crusades. This battle seems to have waged across history because the Templars are alive and well today and have now captured Desmond to learn the secrets of this secret guild of assassins.

They use a machine called the Animus to read Desmond’s genetic code, which harbors lifelike memories of his ancestors. In the previous game Desmond relived the past memories of Altair, an assassin in the Middle East during the Crusades. In this game Desmond ventures back into his bloodline as Ezio, a young Italian man during the Renaissance, which as the story begins is far from an assassin. The point in catching you up on the story is not only to make mild sense of the situations, but also to stress a specific point: Ezio and Altair are nothing alike, just like the two games.

Your mission structure surrounds specific cities in Italy where you will explore the streets and uncover various points of interest on your quest. The game gives you the freedom, like most sandbox games, to do most things in any order and even skip non-story related points of interest. Waypoints are scattered towers that allow you to reveal large portions of your map and point out more areas to discover and further the main plot. As you complete each main plot point, another (and sometimes a few) will take its place. Beyond this, you are free to do as you choose in true Grand Theft Auto fashion, interacting with the public in any way you see fit.

Mind you, this is not a lawless time and Ubisoft has taken care to make sure the citizens react to you appropriately. There is a scale from “anonymous,” where no one takes notice of you, to “notorious”, where you are known and feared for your acts as an assassin. The more notorious you are, the more likely people on the street and members of the local law enforcement will track you down, so needless to say it’s best to keep your actions low key. To help keep a low profile, there are various ways to blend in with the crowd or distract those that seek you out. Ezio can step into or walk along with a group, blending in with the crowd and making him nearly invisible to those that seek him out. He can also hire various outcasts of society like thieves, mercenaries and courtesans to distract or lure away those that Ezio is trying to evade. Learning how to blend with the crowd and manipulate your way into and out of situations is not only critical, but also really fun.

As with most games, the danger in having a system where you can avoid being seen or distract enemies is that eventually it becomes rudimentary and the challenge no longer exists, a problem the first game suffered from. In AC 2 different types of enemies have been integrated to help randomize an encounter. Sure, Ezio may be able to blend into a group of people engaged in discussion, but the moment a seeker enemy decides to search the group or look into a bail of hay he is immediately recognized and pursued by all around him. This form of randomness, which holds true when it comes to the battle system and strategic takedowns, makes the game feel more alive and less scripted than many that have attempted this in the past.

Ezio has a slew of items and moves to assist him in his quest from young hooligan to respected assassin. Anyone who played the previous title was annoyed to see that one of the world’s greatest assassin’s was unable to swim and therefore the most noticeable change is Ezio’s ability to swim in any body of water. By the end of the game his arsenal will span more than ten different weapon and item types as well as plenty of others that can be taken from guards. He can also perform special moves involving his environment, like throwing sand in people’s faces or pulling an archer off the ledge of a building, to keep things interesting. The battle system has a unique rhythm to it, where you’re constantly reacting off the cuff to the actions of your opponent in order to evade, disarm or instantly kill them. It actually feels like you’re involved in a sword fight, which is more a battle of wits and reading your opponent rather than who has the bigger sword. Of course, with this many options at your disposal, deciphering what to use when can be a bit discouraging.

For this problem the game has various resources that will assist and teach you how to best use the moves at your disposal given specific situations. Provided that you take advantage of these tutorials and practice them, it becomes second nature to enter into a situation and begin planning how you are going to act. At the same time, like most other games, you’ll probably find a series of moves and attacks that feel most comfortable to you and stick with them through most of the game’s situations.

This new plot-driven mission structure may be a breath of fresh air for those that were annoyed with the repetition of the first game, but personally I enjoyed the various sub plots and side missions that kept reoccurring in the original. AC 2 has integrated a large number of these side missions throughout the campaign and, for the most part, has left them completely optional. Aside from earning a negligible amount of money, the missions are purely for fun and can be avoided if that is not your thing. None of these side quests are required to complete the main story and you receive little to no reward, save the experience of playing them. I personally liked the freedom to do either because it provides the option for the gamer to adapt to his or her preferred method of playing and completing the game.

Ezio will also gain responsibility for the villa that his uncle Mario owns early in the game, allowing the player to upgrade, fine tune and invest as they see fit for the benefit of earning money. The money system seemed almost like a second thought or possibly just wasn’t a completed concept because after getting the villa fully repaired Ezio will be making so much money that he can’t spend it all. Still, there’s no requirement to build up the Villa too much and those that do can just enjoy a large sum in their pocket when it comes time to fix armor or buy a new item.

For all the flexibility and great things that are apparent in Assassin’s Creed 2, there are a few negative gripes that I can’t help but notice. For starters, the game seems to lead you by the hand a bit too much, especially in the beginning. Many of your moves, special attacks, weapons and even hidden locations cannot be accessed until you’ve reached the right missions or spoken with the right people. This can be annoying and confusing when you’re trying to do something as rudimentary as talking to Leonardo Da Vinci about codex pages and his house is nowhere to be found only to discover that you just haven’t gotten far enough in the game for it to be accessed.

The system of climbing and jumping works intuitively and most of the time Ezio will do just as you want him to without worrying if the angle is right or you’ve lined up his movement, but there are still odd cases where instead of making a simple jump he’ll leap wildly off an edge to his death in the middle of a critical race or mission.

This game has a great deal of items, including the massive crowds, that are all moving on the screen at once and makes screen tearing and framerate drops an understandable but unfortunate common occurrence. This is a long game, about 20-30 hours depending on how much exploring and side questing you do, and near the end some of the missions are frustratingly specific. They aren’t really difficult, mind you, but almost require you to fail at them a few times to figure out exactly what it is you’re supposed to do. I found this to be a cheap mechanic that hurt the overall immersion of the game, but at the same time it’s still a minor gripe in the grand scope of things.

Assassin’s Creed had impressive graphics early into this console cycle and even though they haven’t been upgraded that much, AC 2 looks gorgeous. The attention to detail, especially with some of Italy’s most significant landmarks, should be commended. Even better, with the significant people or landmarks, a brief video and bio are provided to teach you the history of the time period you’re in. The environments are lush and alive, with all areas having various day and night cycles as well as vibrant and bright colors to bring entire cities to life. It may not be as much the overall graphic overlay but more the massive amount of care that went into the smallest things like signs on walls or crates in a back alley.

The sound design is incredible, completing the experience with a distinct and unique renaissance theme to accompany all of Ezio’s adventures. Voice acting is top of the line and rivals greats of this generation like Grand Theft Auto 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4 including all characters speaking Italian.

As you can clearly see, the team at Ubisoft has put a lot of effort and thought into the creation of AC 2 and it appears that all of these changes have paid off. AC 2 is a living and breathing world that comes to life in an enjoyable and flexible experience. The story keeps you pressing forward while side quests and various historical sites entice you to explore each city top to bottom like a sightseeing tourist. Couple that with an impressive graphics and sound department and AC 2 is an experience that is recommended for gamers of all types. There may still be room for improvement but overall Assassin’s Creed 2 is a great game and builds confidence that the franchise will continue to grow and mature well into its sequels.

Graphics: 9.0

Sound: 9.5

Campaign: 9.0

Replay Value: 7.0

Gameplay: 9.5



Overall: 9.0