In a world filled with betrayal, revenge, corruption and evil, one might ask to whom you can turn for advice or a helping hand. Why, Leonardo da Vinci, of course! Welcome to “”Assassin’s Creed II,”” where this kind of creativity and balance runs on an even keel with the relative absurdity of certain devices.
In “”Assassin’s Creed II,”” you follow the life of a young Italian named Ezio Auditore da Firenze. You start your tale well before you become the bad-ass assassin you’re destined to be, and, after a significant event, you begin to learn the art of the kill. For those unfamiliar with the series, Assassin’s Creed is an open-world third-person action game in which you can choose your own missions, much like the Grand Theft Auto series. Meant to be a trilogy, the story continues where it left off; however, it is superbly executed so a newcomer will not be lost.
The combat revolves around timing and is an absolute joy this time around. The only downside is that the game is not very challenging until the end, but fortunately the mission structure keeps things interesting and vastly improves over the last outing. Gone are the boring eavesdropping missions. Now there is a wild assortment of tasks.
The Italian Renaissance cities are done impressively and the character models are definitely up to par. Sound design is simple and effective; the two-tone music sets the mood perfectly. An economy has been added as well, and managing the villa is fun and engaging as you can see the results of your upgrades immediately.
The best thing I can say for “”Assassin’s Creed II”” is that I never once got bored while playing. The missions never get repetitive, and having the ever-bright da Vinci as your best friend makes things interesting every step of the way. Unfortunately, the game does feature a few technical problems: texture pop-in and some slight screen tearing happen, but it’s nothing too noticeable and doesn’t hamper the experience. Altogether, if you want a long, entertaining title that can amuse just about anyone, be sure to check out this game. Rent it, buy it — just play it.
Score: 9/10
