Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Just plain fun"

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Gameplay: A-
Storyline: B+
Sound: A
Graphics: A
Replay Value: High
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GOOD:
*Beautifully detailed landscape
*Large variety of missions and weaponry
*New stealth technique
BAD:
*Targeting is a bit off
*Minor gameplay glitches
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"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." were the words used in Assassin's Creed by the character named Altiar, who lived during the 1100s. In the new and improved installment to the new series, you play as Enzio Auditore, during the Italian Renaissance . The story in Assassin's Creed II is more stimulating than the first. Enzio is more of a lovable character than Altair. While playing the game you'll notice how loyal Enzio is to his family. You don't just play as Enzio in the game, you also have a good amount of time to play as Desmond Miles (remember him).

The gameplay in Assassin's Creed II is phenomenal. The detailing put into the game is fantastic. The lighting and shading have been improved a little bit more, making landscape even more lifelike. Details with buildings have been improved, you can notice cracks, as well as bricks that have been replaced. In gameplay there are some minor problems. The targeting system is slightly off; you might be looking at one enemy, when the targeting system is actually going for a totally different enemy. While climbing you'll notice a slight glitch, where Enzio seemingly disappears and reappears in less than seconds, which sometimes gets annoying. What's really cool about Assassin's Creed II is that you can actually swim, compared to the first game. The enemies are more intelligent in Assassin's Creed II, they will at random stab a sword or a spear into a haystack to see if anybody is hiding in there. Even when you run from enemies and hide in little shacks, they might not have seen you, but they will still stab that sword or spear into it to try to get you out.

In Assassin's Creed II you have a large range of weaponry and armor compared to the first game. You start out the game with your fists, but later on you obtain the hidden blade (like in Assassin's Creed), however you get two hidden blades. You can go to blacksmiths and buy weapons and armor, also by buying armor you increase your health. Unlike the first game where your health increased by level, in Assassin's Creed II you increase your health by wearing different sorts of armor (such as chest armor, gloves and boots). There is a character in Assassin's Creed II who will improve your hidden blade, he eventually installs a gun to your hidden blade. Other weapons you can have are long swords, daggers, axes, poisoned blades and many more.

The sounds in the Assassin's Creed II is amazing. When you walk through shallow water, it's a light sound of water splashing. When you swim in deep water, you hear loud splashing. You can hear different groups of people talking about different things. Different sounds for each blade you use to stab a templar with. The acting is fantastic, the best voice acting has to be the voice of Enzio.

There is a lot to do in the Assassin's Creed II universe. There is a city called Monteriggioni, where you can learn new combat moves (like melee combat, long sword combat, short sword combat, and many more). There are also a lot of interesting achievements (or trophies) that can be unlocked. The No-Hitter achievement (trophy) is hard, you have to kill 10 enemies while remaining in conflict without being hit. With the Man of the People achievement (trophy), all you have to do is toss more than 300 florins (money) on the ground. You just get sucked into the atmosphere of Assassin's Creed II. There are a lot to find in the Assassin's Creed II world; remember viewpoints from the first game, well you can find 66 of them in the second one. You can also find treasure scattered around every map in the game, as well as feathers, and glyphes.

I would recommend this game to anybody who's played the first game and enjoyed it. I'd also recommend this game to anybody who is interested in the time era that the game takes place in. The Assassin's Creed II storyline is complex, and the only way you'll ever figure out what Assassin's Creed is all about, you should play this game. "I hope you enjoyed this review, and enjoy the game as well. Thank you for reading, and have a good day." : gamer-clemm