The original Assassin's Creed was a very divisive game among reviewers. Many praised its graphical fidelity, smooth parkour animations, original storyline and setting, and counter-based (albeit not very realistic) combat system. The one big knock on it was its repetitive gameplay, particularly when it came to the pre-assassination research sequences. Ubisoft Montreal has taken these criticisms to heart and has come up with something very special: the "perfect" sequel. Assassin's Creed II is a fantastic game, fixing everything that didn't work about the original and putting everything that did work into overdrive while adding a few more layers of depth to the whole package.
A lot can be said for the new mission structure, which throws out the troublesome system of the original. The new structure is now more quest-based and you always know where the next story objective is just by following your mini map to the "!" cursor. There are a lot of side-missions but you only have to do them once each during the main story when the protagonist, Ezio, first encounters them. The depressing browns and grays of the medieval Holy Land give way to the beautiful cities and lush countrysides of Renaissance Italy. Venice in particular is incredibly massive, and the waterways that cut through it give it a very distinct flavor. Combat is improved by giving you the ability to upgrade everything in your arsenal, including weapons, armor, and even a primitive pistol. Perhaps the best thing about what the developers accomplished is the seamless way in which you slowly acquire more and more abilities, giving you the sense that you're character is actually learning and growing. Everything feels clumsy in the beginning but by the time the credits roll you will indeed be a master assassin.
Taking center stage among the many stellar features in this package is the story. Much like the original, the main protagonist is actually Desmond Miles in the year 2012, thought you spend much of the game living the memories of his Italian ancestor Ezio Auditore da Firenze. The overarching plot ties in a whole multitude of key historical events and figures (including the people you assassinate) and wraps them tightly into its own mythology, National Treasure and DaVinci Code-style (ironic since Leonardo Da Vinci plays a prominent role in this game). Without revealing any spoilers, let's just say there are a lot of twists in the story and a couple mind-bending surprises including a segment halfway through the game that'll mess with you. That's just the warm up, however, because once you witness the mind-blowing cliffhanger ending and collect all 20 segments of Subject 16's secret video, you'll finally get a sense of the tremendous scope the series has to offer. The parts of the story that unravel here make the original Assassin's Creed look like a microscopic speck on the iceberg.
The whole package is wrapped together very tightly and its clear that Ubisoft Montreal actually payed attention to many cinematic conventions that have become basic skills for movie directors. Its nice to see and gives the cutscenes much more authority since they actually look professional. Even outside of cutscenes and in the wild of the actual game, camera movement is very intelligent. This is without a doubt one of the most cinematic games I've ever played. Combine that with its stellar, deep gameplay, and one of the best narratives in all of gaming (and the 400 people that worked on this game), and you start to understand why Assassin's Creed II has been earning a lot of Game of the Year nods.
Overall Grade: A+
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