With tremendous success from the game's predecessor, Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft wanted to step it up and see what improvement could be obtained in Assassin's Creed II. With more weapons, armor, and climbing tactics, this game really packs a punch. The developers were interested primarily with evolving the story's plot and improving the combat capabilities as well. Ubisoft took Assassin's Creed II to a whole new level by creating it as a sort of historical fiction. Artist Leonardo De Vinci makes a significant appearance, leader of Florentine Lorenzo de' Medici appears as well, and even Pop Alexander VI contributes to the story. Integration with these historical figures up the game's excitement and authenticity. With a vast array of weapons and attack combos, combat in this game is extraordinary. You can purchase weapons to use, pick up fallen weapons on the ground, or even take weapons from enemies to fight with. Combat abilities include lunging, dodging, blocking, grabbing, countering, and even taunting. Animations for countering have also improved, with more realistic movements and many varieties as well.
In the game you control Desmond Miles during the year 2012, who starts off escaping Abstergo Industries with employee Lucy Stillman. Once you arrive at your new location, you meet several new characters before entering the "Animus", which allows Desmond to recall and relive the memories of his ancestors. Instead of controlling Altaïr ibn La-Ahad from the early 12th century like in the first game, your memories progress to the late 15th century as you control Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Italy. When your father and brothers are murdered, you receive orders to take armor and equipment from a room in your house which turns out to be the Assassin's garments (your father's), and a single sword. Many references to Assassin's Creed are included, such as the Apple of Eden (a Piece of Eden seen in the previous game), a brief reenactment of an endeavor of Altaïr where he can actually be controlled, and many signs left by Subject 16-the test subject from Abstergo just before Desmond-who hacked the Animus and left clues for Desmond strewn throughout Italy.
Gameplay can best be described as open-world. While the game follows a tight story line, it can be interrupted at almost any time so you can complete various sidequests. There is virtually nothing Ezio can't climb! Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, scaling high walls, and leaping from an awning to swing on a post proves best use of environment is mandatory for catching thugs, following officials, and when in pursuit of a time-based mission. Guards are fought frequently, such as in the first game, and with three different kinds of soldiers, it makes attack-and-runs all the more challenging. There are the Agiles, who are best at keeping up with your speed, Brutes who are the strongest fighters, and Seekers who will check hiding places in search of you: no longer can you hide in a bale of hay and simply lose your enemies! Fighting feels a lot like the previous game's combat, but with more abilities. Variety in fighting will cause the enemy to be defeated more easily. But when Ezio is overwhelmingly outnumbered, you can always hit the streets or even dive in water for escape.
Controlling has been nearly perfected. I didn't hardly have a problem with controlling Ezio's various acrobatic movements, which is very important as there are many places where you rely on the accuracy of control. Buttons have been ingeniously formatted to fit practically any free-roaming situation. Holding the right trigger button changes the function of many of the other buttons, thus giving you many ways to maneuver. Blending using a button has been omitted, and the action can now be accomplished by mingling with a select crowd of individuals. I have no complaints about the camera in the game, and am also eager to praise it. With a control stick dedicated to movement of the camera, a first-person perspective option and even a contextual camera at command, the game's viewing is extremely flexible and you should have no problem keeping up with your Assassin's movements.
The game's presentation is fantastic. Ubisoft developed three short movies preceding the release of the game with real actors. This went a long way to develop the background story of the game and adds to its real feel. The graphics are phenomenal, and the voice acting is authentic. Environments look realistic with careful textural detail and convincing lighting and shading qualities. Almost all environmental objects react realistically when touched. The game's music also enhances the game, remaining either pleasant or exciting and never becoming boring or obnoxious.
This game is rated M for Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, and Strong Language. I would say this rating is accurate, as over a dozen occurrences of the F-word appear, as do a few other expletives. Blood and gore are most prominent also, although blood can be turned off in the games options menu. Also, an in-game cutscene hinting at sexuality is brief, but still present. Another negative element in the game is the moral, which is unseen at first, but presents the opinion that any sort of religion is false.
These elements aside, Assassin's Creed II is an excellent game. Crafted with an historical edge and an even more free-world style, this game can easily be rated a 9.3/10. It even possesses decent replay value, as collecting all 100 feathers, piecing together the remaining glyphs and obtaining the rest of the Assassin's tomb seals will keep you going even after the story is finished. For historical interest, a database is provided with information on people, places, and events relevant to the story. The map also reveals areas not yet explored, and various sidequests remain from requested assassinations to city races. If you've played through the game's storyline, you'll probably be saying, "I can't wait for Assassin's Creed III!"
