Assassin's Creed II

We’ve long grown used to developers’ empty promises. Upon creating a flawed game that draws critics’ ire, yet sells the required copies to justify a sequel, the story is usually the same from the developers: ‘We’ll fix the things players didn’t like’.

Take that, foolish braggard!

All too often, however, sequels have similar problems, glossed over by the odd new mechanic – but they’re still broken at heart. While you’d be hard pressed to say Assassin’s Creed wasn’t a beautiful or atmospheric game, it was a flawed and hollow diamond. Its core mission structure was broken, revolving around too few repetitive gameplay types at odds with its cool free-running and assassinations – rendering it a grind. Naturally, developer Ubisoft promised changes for Assassin’s Creed II, to which we nodded sagely but didn’t hold our breath. But in ACII, Ubisoft not only responded to just about every criticism, but improved its game in myriad ways. With an engaging new character, exciting new time period, refined mission structure and a more cohesive narrative, Ubisoft has made us believe again. And we’re happy to report that, thanks to additions and graphical polish, the PC hosts the definitive version of ACII.

Picking up right where the last game left off in its tale of Desmond Miles (caught in the war between the ancient Templar and Assassin’s Orders, and forced to relive the memories of his ancestors in a search throughout history via a machine called the Animus) ACII sets an increasingly engaging and blistering pace. With the need to obscure the sci-fi reasons for all of this taking place out of the way it dives right into the story, as Desmond escapes the clutches of modern Templar front Abstergo with hidden assassin Lucy Stillman. Setting him up in their own version of the Animus, Stillman’s coterie of assassins send Desmond into the memories of Ezio Auditore de Firenze, an ancestor living in 15th Century Renaissance Italy. Ezio is the dilettante scion of a powerful family living a care-free life, but a series of life-changing events soon drag him into the Assassins/Templar war and on a quest for revenge. Not only does Ezio uncover the 15th Century Templar plot in his own intriguing story, but gives Desmond revelations that will leave you on the edge of your seat for Assassin’s Creed III.

While the 12th Century Holy Land of Assassin’s Creed had more than a fair share of atmospheric cache, it simply pales compared to the magic of Renaissance Italy. The detailed beauty of ACII on PC makes the Italian city states characters in and of themselves. Venice, Florence and the wilds of Tuscany are filled with details that bring them to life, fully immersing you in this historical world rendered by the Animus. Ezio’s interactions with famous historical characters like Leonardo da Vinci (who serves as his weaponsmith) helps solidify this great sense of place. The opening to the portion of the game and Ezio’s early life are perhaps a little slow – feeling like an extended tutorial – but they really help immerse you in this world, which feels culturally deep and whole.

Up on the roof.

… continued