As far as games go, Assassins Creed 2 stacks intuitive gameplay and skilfully rendered environments on top of a gripping narrative that should entertain the most cynical gamer. As far as sequels go, it re-imagines the concepts of the first and improves upon them greatly; filling in all the gaps and showing us the type of game that was probably first imagined when Assassins Creed was in its very early stages. As the middle part of what will probably be one hell of a trilogy, it progresses the story, asks more questions than it answers and leaves us wanting more. Assassins Creed 2 is one of this year’s must have games.  

Set in renaissance Italy you play the role of Ezio d'Auditore, a young man who is suddenly thrust into the world of templars and assassins as they continue their cat and mouse games of global domination and resistance. Ezio is born an assassin, but he doesn’t realise it until early into his adult life, and he embraces his heritage and destiny on a mission of revenge that is majestically epic, yet still manages to stay heartfelt and personal.  

Hey, its how I took of bullies at my school!

There is no doubt that this is helped by choosing such a rustic and grand location like Italy, or a fascinating time period like the renaissance and all of it painted on top of a sweeping story arch, the end result is a game that is dripping with volumes of personality.  One can’t help but think of old mafiaoso tales, the passionate revenge and love stories that this era seems to remind you of.  It’s a clever move on Ubisoft’s behalf and one they should be applauded for, especially when it’s done this well.  You can’t help but notice that this was more than just a game to the scores of people who developed it; it was clearly a love affair.  

Without giving too much of the story away, the opening seconds of Assassin’s Creed 2 pick up exactly where the first one left off…and that’s all I’m willing to tell you.  I didn’t see what was coming and I’m certainly not going to ruin the surprise like some other reviews have.  The new settings, both in the past and present, are all very thrilling, with key plot twists being paced at just the right times to ensure that the player will keep coming back for more until you unwillingly face the last act, a conclusion that will take you a good dozen or so hours to reach.

What used to happen in old Italy when you returned your DVDs late to the video shop.

The fantastic thing about AC2 is that you have the choice to play it in any fashion that suits you.  You can plough straight through the story missions and not do any side quests or activities, or you can take your time and dive into the deep world that awaits you.  While the first one was light on options, AC2 is all about choices.  There is always something to see, collect, assassinate or appreciate, you can rest assured that this is one meaty experience from beginning to end.  

Now not everything is perfect in the Italian countryside.  There are more than a couple of control issues, so annoying player animations and their reactions to the environment which can oftentimes lead Ezio in a different direction than you wanted him to go, something which can be overlooked if we were talking about anything other than something involving platforms.  I don’t know how many times I leaped from a wall or ledge that I didn’t want to do because my fingers got muddled up from having to input several commands to do one action.  While the controlling issues aren’t necessarily deal breakers, they do penetrate the almost flawless amour that surrounds this game.  

While it’s probably a lot more difficult to match up the impressive repertoire of moves and actions with a control scheme that anyone should be able to play, there are a few key things that ruin some of the fluidity of Ezio’s movements across terraces and rooftops.  If you could overlook such things in the first game, you’ll have no trouble this time around, because although a few niggles are still present, they are certainly more refined and less of a problem here.    

By and large you’ll soon get over the initial learning curve and be pulling off more moves that an acrobat in a Russian circus and when you get to that level, you’ll be touched by more than one or two moments of self satisfaction.   The controls can get a little touchy, correct, but it works a hell of a lot more than it fails.

If you were a guard during this time...your working conditions sucked!

Another possible criticism is that some of the A.I. is a little off, one moment you can be hiding from a guard and he’ll manage to find you no matter what you do and other times you can pretty much walk straight up to one and execute them before they even realize what’s happening.  It presents a little bit of a balance issue because while one method may work at a particular time, you can try that method again and you’ll fail miserably.  In saying that, with a game this big and with so much going on at any given time, I’m surprised the AI works at all.  AC2 is a huge game, I’m talking GTA 4 huge, I’m talking Uncharted 2 huge, I’m talking a huge as the Undertaker’s head with a Katamari stuck to it.   A.I. can get confused but while it might forget itself from time to time, you can expect it to work a lot more than it won’t, and it will challenge you every damn moment it possibly can.  It’s something which I both loved and hated at the same time.  

While the first game offered a few options to explore when it comes to back up, no one has more posse in his corner than Ezio.  From courtesans to mercs to your everyday pedestrian, there is no shortage of people willing to take a bullet for Ezio and help him on his way, for a price of course.  The new ‘hide in plain sight’ mechanics allow Ezio to sidle up to a group of walking pedestrians and hide amongst them which you’ll know is in effect because your covering group will highlight as you enter and leave the group.   It works a treat and really helps getting into those places where you’d be seen a mile away.  

Fighting guards offers more options and polish than the last time around with new weapons to try out, new combos to pull off and a new feature that allows you to disarm adversaries and then use their weapon of choice against them.  It’s bloody and empowering and with new attack modes from ledges, in hiding and from over ledges, the tools to assassinate targets are so varied that you’ll be trying different things just to see what happens.

Sire! Quickly behind you....never mind....

Even if you get bored with the multiple missions and side quests, there is a real life economy working in the background that allows you to improve your villa and surrounding town.  Bringing it back from obscurity by employing the architect and his team to create new buildings and investments are far more satisfying then they sound on paper and you’ll be addicted to making this small place on the map a grand town that will be the pride of the Italian countryside.  It’s all set out in very plain terms and coming to grips with the economic part of the game is very straight forward, but the best thing about this is that it will make you want to seek out hidden loot, do side quests and missions because the more you do, the more money you’ll make which you can then use to renovate your town.  Bravo Ubisoft, this is something I would never have thought I would’ve seen in this sequel and I’m glad that most of the things that were spit-balled were kept and actually ended up being fun rather than just being simply functional.  

The experience of playing Assassins Creed 2 will stay with you long after you’ve finally walked away from it.  It has completely shattered my expectations and raised the bar as far as I’m concerned.  The script is rich with memorable characters that bounce off the screen with plenty of personality, the surroundings look absolutely gorgeous and the visual department has captured old Italy exactly the way you would imagine it.  The use of real life people like Leonardo Da Vinci adds a nice touch that really strengthens the core plot rather than distract from it and the side quests and explorations are all a whole heap of fun.  There are a couple of control niggles and AI issues but nothing that should even come close to turning you off all the fun and joy that this game offers.  Desmond’s dilemma has totally sucked me in and I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this epic series.  By far this is definitely one of this year’s must have video games.  If you can, take a week off, grab a copy and enjoy.