Assassin's Creed II

Going in I didn't really know what to expect from Assassin's Creed II.  I never got a chance to play the  first game and having heard many mixed reactions from a lot of people I was a bit worried when I first booted the game up.  The opening hours of the game didn't exactly help either.  Luckily, it's slow start is essentially it's only flaw and once the game opens up to you there's no turning back.

 

Assassin's Creed II picks up right where the original left off.  However you must now escape with Lucy and get to the new hideout to keep safe for the time being.  Once there you hook up with a new version of the animus.  From there it's time to meet the new star.  Ezio.

 

As the game progresses you watch Ezio grow over the course of ten years from just another boy to an exceptional Assassin.  The point of it all is the hope that Desmond might be able to pick up some of Ezio's skills himself.  While it did take some time to get myself used to the story I found Assassin's Creed II to have an amazingly well crafted storyline and truly enjoyable from beginning to end. 

 

Gameplay is well varied as you'll be doing a lot of different things with Ezio.  From assassination missions, races, climbing and the occasional sneaking through crowds of people.  You have a lot of techniques at your disposal for disposing of your enemies and it never gets old.  Whether you want to throw money on the ground to distract guards or perhaps hire some bandits to go into a fight with you.  It's up to you.

 

Side missions, unlike in most open world games, are actually a lot of fun to do and are varied enough to keep you wanting to do more.  I'd spend hours going around seeking out viewpoints, running races, and finding glyphs as I found myself truly engrossed in the game.  If the gameplay wasn't enough it was perhaps the way they captured the setting so perfectly that got me the most.

 

Assassin's Creed II is a huge open world game.  And each location you go to is carefully crafted to seem believable.  And they nailed it perfectly.  As I walked through the streets of Venice I felt like I was there.  Everything from the people to the architecture, It felt so very real to see all of it so masterfully crafted in a game.  Even though it's not the best looking game Assassin's Creed II is definitely a beautiful game nonetheless.  The architecture of the buildings is phenomenal and looking all around you from one of the many viewpoints in the game is absolutely breathtaking.

 

Assassin's Creed II is one of the few games this year that absolutely blew me away.  The gameplay and story worked perfectly in keeping me engrossed in the world and it's characters.  While the beginning was a bit slow once the game picked up it never stopped going.  Assassin's Creed II is an absolute must buy and is probably one of the best games released this year.