The Charge:
The Truth is Written in Blood

Opening Statement:
When the first Assassin’s Creed hit consoles in the fall of 2007, the highly divisive gameplay caused a split amongst critic and gamer alike. The game was heralded by some for its unique take on storyline, control, and depth, while others saw it as an exercise in repetition. There was certainly no doubting the technical brilliance from either camp, and for me personally, it was my game of the year in a year that also brought us Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Mass Effect, Halo 3, Bioshock, and Call of Duty 4, lofty praise indeed. The Sequel is now upon us, with a new era, new central character, and several changes in gameplay. Is it a better game? Will it please those who may have been disappointed or dismissive of the first game? Read on…

Facts of the Case:
400 years have passed since Assassin’s Creed, Altair is long dead, and a new protagonist has picked up cloack and hidden blade. You play as Ezio Auditore Di Firenze, and the rooftops and streets of Renaissance Itlay are your playground this time around. Corrupt Templar knights, now openly forsaken by the Catholic Church, plot to overthrow Roman rule, and the Auditore family falls victim to treachery. It’s up to Ezio to rediscover his family’s legacy as members of the ancient order of Assassins, and tear out the corruption within the organizations of Italy by whatever means at his disposal.

The Evidence:
Assassin’s Creed II picks up literally 30 seconds after the closing moments of the first game. Desmond’s time in the Animus, the machine used by the Templars to view events in the past through the genetic memories contained in a subject’s DNA has led to some startling revelations about the past, and his own abilities, and with fellow Assassin Lucy Stillman at your side, you bust your way out of Abstergo Industries, only to find yourself looking into the Animus 2.0. This will all sound like Chinese to anyone who hasn’t played the original Assassin’s Creed, so I’d almost advise you to either pick up a copy of that gem cheap, play through it before plopping ACII into your disc drive, or otherwise hit up Wikipedia.org right about now.

Back? Good. Hopefully you’ve gone and played through the first game, and you now have a feel for the unique style of play associated with Assassin’s Creed. That would be good, as at its core, Assassin’s Creed II plays very much like the first game. Character controls and abilities haven’t changed a whole lot, save for some logic-based choices that make certain things more natural to the Renaissance setting (blending is much easier now, you simply walk into a crowd). Combat has been made a little more robust, with counters that seem easier to pull off, with a much larger slate of weapons, and more options for fighting (including snagging an opponent’s weapon). Those who played through the majority of the first game will immediately feel right at home. There also hasn’t been much done to change the city dynamics, the free running is still as awesome as ever, and you still climb tall structures to gain vantage points which open up your map and add additional side missions. The city streets are still clogged with people, and they all still react convincingly to your actions. The “free roam” aspect still feels virtually identical to Assassin’s Creed, which is definitely a good thing. Everything blends perfectly, and the technical brilliance is on full display, there are very few games out there that play as well as Assassin’s Creed, and now, Assassin’s Creed II.

Mission structure however, is where everything has changed. The rudimentary side missions in Assassin’s Creed certainly felt a little “tacked on” to enhance the game time. They were often the first thing cited by detractors, and accusations of tired repetitive gameplay were common. While I didn’t agree, Assassin’s Creed II completely does away with the old mission style, you no longer have a fixed pre-requisite number of side-jobs you must complete to further your progress; ACII features over 200 missions, all handed out via icons on your map, typically by a resident who stands patiently waiting for you to drop by. They range from run of the mill point-a to point-b runs, to deliveries, races, and side assassinations. None of them is mandatory, and they exist more as minigames to the main event. Storyline missions are uniquely marked on your maps, and one can simply plow through the main missions without ever having to touch the ancillary stuff. The main missions typically blend several types of mission, but all are storyline driven rather than simple tasks or objective markers, and your main assassination targets are buried within these missions. You don’t have the same freedom of choice in choosing targets that you did in the first game, which I for one missed, but it’s hard to argue that the system in place here is vastly superior. Add to that the Prince of Persia – like Assassin’s tombs, hidden areas in each city that open up separate stages full of platform jumping and sneaking, which are awesome, and the games incredibly robust economy system, which allows you to rebuild your own villa, and there’s more than enough to keep anyone enthralled. What’s best, is it’s all entirely optional.

The storyline benefits greatly from this more rigid, less non-linear design, and the tale that’s woven, one of betrayal and deep conspiracy, is wonderfully written and engaging. There are some great moments of drama, and a crew of supporting characters. While Altair’s story didn’t really come into its own, dramatically speaking, until the final act, Ezio’s tale does its best to enthrall the player right from the get go. You don’t get as much Desmond Miles stuff this time around, but what’s there is awesome, and while the Desmond stuff in the original title felt like more of a distraction, holding me back from some more crusades- era free running in Jerusalem, this time around the opposite occurs, I found myself REALLY wanting to get back to Desmond at several points. I’ll also warn ahead of time, the ending is a kick in the pants, and while it’s definitely satisfying, it certainly leaves you fiendishly wanting for more.

Technically speaking, the first Assassin’s Creed was one of those games that really announced that the “next Generation” was truly here. Cinema quality art design, combined with a capable engine, lavish cities, and a beautiful sense of atmosphere that holds up remarkably well two years on. Assassin’s Creed II is even better. The differences are subtle, but many. Every element that made the first game a winner is on display here in full form. I can’t lavish enough praise on the art team and designers at Ubisoft Montreal, these guys are world class. Assassin’s Creed II is a visual marvel, a real triumph of technical design. The sound doesn’t quite match the graphics (a problem shared by the first game) but the voice acting and music are both top notch.

Rebuttal Witness:
Graphically, there is some draw in, you will notice it, but it won’t make a difference to you. I just had to find something negative to say.

Closing Statement:

Assassin’s Creed II is an improvement on its predecessor in virtually every way. It has all of the first game’s strengths, and none of its weaknesses. It’s gorgeous, deep, intriguing, and most of all, fun to play. 2009 has been another banner year for gaming (I swear I haven’t seen another year with so many 80%-90% range titles), and right now, in my book, Assassin’s Creed II is the cream of the crop. This is the best title I’ve played all year, and well worth your attention, even if you weren’t all that crazy about the first one. If you, like me, gave yourself body and soul to Assassin’s Creed, well, Assassin’s Creed II is definitely going to own you all over again.

The Verdict:

Platform: Microsoft Xbox360, Sony Playstation 3, Games for Windows PC
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: November 17th, 2009
M(17+) for Mature.