Assassin's Creed II (2009)

This title is a huge step forward from its predecessor in nearly every way, it drops player into Renaissance Italy as Ezio Auditore da Firenze, on a quest for revenge who evolves into a master Assassin, it shines in its rich, atmospheric recreation of historical cities like Florence and Venice, filled with bustling streets, hidden rooftop paths, and stunning landmarks. The story is more intimate and character-focused than the first, making Ezio a more charming and relatable protagonist, the parkour and combat feel smoother and more refined, while side missions, collectible quests, and upgrades add depth and variety.

I particularly like the newly introduced weapon and armor upgrade mechanics, since this add much variety to the game compared to the more simple and limited first entry. Overall, Assassin’s Creed II is a classic action-adventure game that successfully expands on its predecessor’s formula and stands as a high point in the franchise, another major step forward is adding a new cast of characters for you to interact with, compared to the first title which only had two memorable ones, one being the protagonist.

One of the most impressive aspects of this sequel is how confidently it blends fiction with real history. Throughout the journey, the protagonist crosses paths with iconic figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Lorenzo de' Medici, and Rodrigo Borgia, who are seamlessly blends into the conspiracy narrative. These encounters don’t feel like cheap, they enrich the world and reinforce the sense that you are moving through a living, breathing environment. The codex pages, glyph puzzles, and hidden mysteries further deepen the lore, rewarding those who take the time to explore beyond the main storyline.

As for the visuals and soundtrack, it also stands out for its time, the detailed architecture of Florence, Venice, and Tuscany is complemented by a beautiful OST, whose tracks perfectly capture the elegance and danger. Climbing to the top of a cathedral and synchronizing viewpoints remains one of the most satisfying gameplay loops in the series. Even for today's standards, this title remains a benchmark for how to craft a compelling sequel. Expanding scope, refining mechanics, and delivering a protagonist whose journey is genuinely memorable.

I am on a journey to beat 360 random Xbox 360 games. Here's my next adventure

Game number 51 was Assassin’s Creed 2. As I moved into the second game in the Assassin’s Creed series I was extremely excited about things to come. I played AC2 in about 2010, but I haven’t played it since then. For years, I have considered it my favorite AC experience because of the beautiful scenery of Italy (especially Venice), the absolutely enthralling story, and the introduction of my favorite AC protagonist: Ezio Auditore.

While AC 1 was set in the 12th century Middle Eastern Crusades, AC 2 takes place at the end of the 15th century in the Italian Renaissance. We follow Ezio Auditore, the second son to a Florentinian noble family. Ezio is just great! He is fun to follow, smart, kind, and just generally cool. The fun thing about him is that we get to follow him for his entire life. AC 2 shows off his young adult years, AC Brotherhood his middle years, and AC Revelations his twilight years. No other AC character receives this much attention and you really get attached to someone when you see them go from a brash teenager to a wise old man.

The plot of AC 2 is centered around a betrayal very early in the game that causes extreme grief and hardship to Ezio. (I don’t want to get too much into it in case a spoiler that happens 1 hour into the game is too much.) The rest of the game sees Ezio come to terms with this betrayal and how it affected his life. He then sets out on a plot of revenge against the Templars who plotted against him. Usually I would say that revenge plots are antiquated and unrealistic; however, as the plot unfolds (this game spans the course of decades) Ezio begins to cool off and reflect on his reasons for opposing the Templar order. His growing maturity is something I wish we saw in more video games.

Italy is absolutely gorgeous! From the winding streets and towering cathedrals of Florence, to the pastures of Tuscany, to the canals of Venice (and even the ugly swamps of Forli) you get to spend hours basking in the beauty of Renaissance Italy. This game has so many moments where I looked out from a viewpoint and just sighed at how beautiful the game was. I think AC 2 may have the best atmosphere of any AC game.

The climbing/parkour system that the Assassin’s Creed series is known for is back in AC 2 and considerably improved. Ezio just feels like he moves up buildings faster than Altair did and he gets a jumping ability about 60% of the way through the game that makes climbing even faster! That being said, getting to viewpoints still feels like a challenge in AC 2. I won’t go over it too much here, but climbing in the AC series eventually becomes too fast/easy. I think Ezio in AC 2 strikes a good balance between challenging parkour and ease of use.

The combat is even slightly improved in AC 2! Only the weakest enemies die in one hit from the counter attack! This is really nice because spamming the counter attack was too easy and got really boring by the end of AC 1. I wouldn’t say that the combat is perfected here, but you actually need to break guards’ stances or dodge/quickly attack them. It's not nearly as one noted as AC 1.

Thankfully, I didn’t go and 100% AC 2… but that doesn’t mean I didn’t engage with much side content! There are tons of different side quests that range from delivering parcels within a set amount of time, to assassination contracts, to straight up brawls! It’s never nearly as good as the actual story quests, but these side quests contain fun and I would encourage someone playing AC 2 to play a few of them.

Overall, I think AC 2 is a great game with one of the most memorable stories in gaming. There are so many iconic moments in this story and it will have you so emotionally invested in Ezio. The combat isn’t great, but the gameplay is a huge step up from AC 1. The story and atmosphere of AC 2 really pull through and anyone that values these things highly (which I do) is sure to love their time here! (9/10)

I spent 15 hours, 21 minutes, and 9 seconds playing AC 2.

Ezio needs to stop taking orders off of every person who says this that or what not. Not to mention when a damsel in distress, that's been shot in the leg from her own actions, starts screaming at you to help her like you owe her something, drop her. she stole your money when you first arrived with Leonardo, Ezio, don't be simping on this thief.

Other than this a really fun game with a long legacy of character development for our boy Ezio. My only big issue with gameplay is the fixed camera angles during parkour, an example being the timed tomb runs where you cant turn your camera angle to run like you would for normal gameplay. Its inefficient and is THE most frustrating thing for me in this game. But the game levels are fun and entertaining.

Having played only the first one only a couple of years back and not liking it at all

I wasnt too keen on playing any more of the AC series.

Thankfully I decided to pick this one up and give it a shot.

Of the first one I only liked the story and in this one it doesnt disappoint neither, on the contrary.

Tons of new mechanics are introduced as well as missions types, which was what was lacking in the AC1.

The game is 11 years old and holds up well both graphically and gameplay/control wise, with few minor hiccups here and there in screen tearing and control wise especially when climbing/jumping off buildings (played the PS3 version)

The settings and the lore is the star point here though, maybe the fact that I am Italian myself make it bias, I don't know.

As the game progresses and the main story unfolds, I started getting bored of climbing towers, doing "side missions" and finding Feathers so I just rushed the main story, as I usually do. Im not a trophy chaser.

Minor spoiler. Do get all the Codex pages otherwise you won't be able to progress the main story and will need to backtrack (fast-travel is an option) to get all 30 pages.

Looking forward to playing the other two in the Ezio triology, eventually.

3/5 Templar Crosses

A hundred times better than the first game, in pretty much every aspect! Combat is better (though still tedious sometimes), stealth is better, and you can finally swim, thank GOD. The story is much more enjoyable, and though I do like Altair, Ezio is honestly my favorite assassin with a lot more to his character than you originally think. Every mission/assassination actually means something and plays an important role in Ezio's own life, as opposed to the cookie cutter jobs Altair had in the first game. It's a more emotional game and also has a pretty good sense of humor- oh, and you become best friends with Leonardo Da Vinci. 10/10.

With all this said, I do have to say that though the ending (no spoilers, promise) was a pretty crazy twist, it seemed weirdly out of place because of how much it involved the science fiction/magic(??) aspects in Desmond's plotline. After everything you do with Ezio, as he's really the main focus and you barely see Desmond, it was strange to suddenly bring in that extra plot point and make it the be all end all. I know, they need to tie in Desmond somehow, and I don't mind that, but it ended up kind of pushing Ezio to the side and didn't really give him any closure. In fact, Ezio was just as confused as I was. But hey, I guess that's why Ezio got his own trilogy, huh?