Assassin’s Creed II

assassins creed ii box art cover review
9.5 Overall Score
Graphics: 10/10
Sounds: 9/10
Controls: 10/10

Improves on the original (which was already good)

Some repetitive fighting

Game Info

Game Name: Assassin’s Creed 2

Developer(s): Ubisoft Montreal

Publisher(s): Ubisoft

Platform(s): PS3/PS4/XBox 360/Xbox One/PC

Genre(s): Action/Adventure

Release Date(s): November 17, 2009 (PS3, XBox 360)/March 9, 2010 (PC)/November 15, 2016 (PS4/Xbox One)

ESRB Rating: M

assassin's-creed-2-kill

I keep losing friends this way

Desmond Miles is once against forced into the Animus.  Tasked with stopping Abstergo Industries, Desmond must reach into the memories of his ancestor Enzio Auditore da Firenze.  Desmond finds himself in Italy and on a secret mission in battle with the Templars and others as the truth threatens to remain lost in time forever.  As the mystery deepens, Desmond Miles finds himself merging more and more with his ancestor as past becomes present, and the secret of Desmond’s ancestors could be revealed.

Assassin’s Creed II is an action adventure game.  Developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft, the game is a sequel Assassin’s Creed released in 2007.  The game was well received upon its release and had strong sales.

Assassin’s Creed II is one of my favorite recent games.  It is a sequel done right.  Assassin’s Creed was great, but there were some small problems that kept it from being a perfect game.  Assassin’s Creed II recognized this and improved upon it.  The good things about the first Assassin’s Creed were incorporated into the gameplay and tweaked some aspects in a story that is compelling and worth following.  The Xbox 360 version was played for the review.

The already smooth gameplay of Assassin’s Creed gets better. There still is some repetition with the attacks and blocking and countering still is very simple. If you get in a fight, you can pretty much set up your “block” move and if you take your time, it will all work out. The AI characters always attack in the same way. Fortunately, some of the fighting was spiced up by the addition of a few new weapons (including guns and poisoned blades).  If you want to have some fun on a kill, poisoning someone and then allowing them to go crazy.

assassins creed 2 gameplay

Fighting in Assassin’s Creed 2 is just like in the first but with some tweaks and upgrades.

Near the beginning of the game, there is a period where you are “learning the controls” (literally from the birth of your character Enzio), and it might scare people away. Stick with it however, and there is much, much more for the player to do than in the first Assassin’s Creed. From pickpocketing, special assassinations, art collecting, weapon collecting, exploring hidden tombs, and trying to find ways to improve your property. It also has the typical hidden treasures found in the first story and even changes up building climbing by making you think before you climb (you can’t always just run up the side).

assassins creed 2 swim

You know when I get out of this water I’m killing somebody.

The Renaissance setting allows not only lush Italian scenery, but more unique buildings and amazing structures. The art and style of the Renaissance comes to life when they start incorporating Leonard da Vinci into the story (as a friend of Enzio). The art also is included in the story as Enzio tries to unwrap the mystery surrounding codexes throughout the game and hidden symbols.

Some argue that video games don’t have a lot offer in the sense of story or character development, but Assassin’s Creed II is a good response to this complaint.  The story of Assassin’s Creed is actually compelling and interesting with the parallel stories of Desmond, Altair (who does make an appearance), and Enzio. When you finish the game, it kind of leaves you in a “what the hell just happened?” moment and gets you excited for the next game. Assassin’s Creed II is followed by Assassin’s Creed:  Brotherhood in 2010 and Assassin’s Creed:  Revelations in 2011 before returning to the proper titles with Assassin’s Creed III in 2012.

Related Links:

Assassin’s Creed

Assassin’s Creed:  Brotherhood

Assassin’s Creed III

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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