Yes, Assassin's Creed 2 is here, and whether or not you enjoyed the first outing as a cloaked assailant, this is one Creed worth following. Assassin's Creed 2 picks up right where the first game left off, with Desmond Miles still being held hostage by a corporation called Abstergo. If you never played the original Assassin's Creed things may get a bit confusing throughout the course of this sequel, but the opening does provide a bit of a recap so you're not completely lost. The basic concept is; you are a modern day assassin reliving your ancestor's lives through a machine called the animus. There's a lot more to it but to spoil much more than that would ruin a lot of what makes Assassin's Creed 2 special. Just know that this time around you are voluntarily reliving a new ancestor's life as Ezio Auditore, a young, carefree man living life without a worry. All that changes however, when your father and two brothers are taken away without notice and you are forced into a conspiracy involving much bigger parties than just your own family. From here on out you become an assassin on a revenge mission. I don't want to reveal too much but I will say that the plot in Assassin's Creed 2 is much bigger than Ezio or you the player realize. It's up to you to unlock all the secrets as well as digest the surprise ending that leaves you wanting more.

Assassin's Creed 2 takes place primarily in the late 15th century Europe, spanning cities such as Florence, Venice, and the Tuscany countryside. Much like the original game, each of these cities is rendered beautifully with an attention to detail that is unseen in games of this scale. Every environment is unique and each area is blooming with detailed textures, fantastic lighting, and hundreds of NPC’s going about their daily lives. That's not to say the visuals are perfect however, because there are some unfortunate blemishes to speak of. Being an open world game has its drawbacks, such as a jittery framerate, some noticeable screen tearing, and the occasional pop-in. While these aspects of the graphics are disappointing, they do not hinder the overall visual package as a whole. Once you climb the highest tower in Venice, stare at all the reachable areas in the distance, then proceed to launch yourself hundreds of feet down into a canal, soaking Ezio's suit, all is forgiven.

The audio in Assassin’s Creed 2 is simply superb. The voice acting is outstanding with the dialogue being funny and appropriate for the time it takes place; the sound effects leave nothing to complain about; and the music is simply phenomenal. Ubisoft Montreal really knows how to pick a composer because this is easily one of the best videogame soundtracks I've ever heard.

When the original Assassin’s Creed came out it was generally liked but also considered flawed by many. The biggest complaint was that the game just got too repetitive with the 4 or 5 different tasks you must accomplish before each main assassination. Thankfully, Ubisoft listened and they listened well because this sequel is much more varied, and the mission structure is much less constrained. It’s still an open world design but the way the story unfolds is in a much more linear fashion. This helps the game feel more cinematic as well as dynamic. You will no longer have to complete a few dull tasks before the main events become available. Now you will go about the world meeting new faces along the way with a variety of tasks that need doing. It works much like a Grand Theft Auto game and it is a vastly improved system that does not get nearly as repetitive as the first game.

A big reason for this is the new currency system. You’ll no longer get new equipment and abilities after completing a certain mission. Now you can pickpocket, finish objectives, and build your own villa to earn money. You can then use this money to buy weapons, armor, items, and even new color options for your suit. This lets you buy the items you want to use for your own play style which generates more freedom in how you accomplish the game’s many missions. Are you a lover, not a fighter? Pack up on smoke bombs. Like striking from a distance? Grab some throwing knives. Want to avoid suspicions? Buy some poison.

Speaking of suspicions, a new notoriety system has been added much like the wanted system in Grand Theft Auto. As you kill guards and perform abnormal acts, the notoriety bar will fill up. The higher the bar, the more prone guards are to attacking you on site. To counter this, you can run around town tearing down wanted posters, killing officials, or bribing heralds to lower the bar. The system isn’t fully fleshed out but it’s not broken and I’d prefer to have it than not to have it. If the guards do happen to attack you, you’ll have many skills for dispatching them at your disposal.

Much like the first game the combat generally revolves around timing your counter attacks perfectly. If you attack at the right moment you are treated to one of dozens of counter-kill animations. These are all animated perfectly and the cinematic camera makes fighting quite enjoyable. Not all enemies are susceptible to this counter attack however. To spice things up a bit, new enemy types have been added. Some of the larger enemies will require dodging to bring them down for instance and some enemies are almost as agile as Ezio making for a much more intense getaway.

If you do decide to run you will be treated to the best platforming system in gaming to date. Reminiscent of free-running and parkour, this easy to learn, hard to master system will allow you to climb almost any surface and race across the rooftops high above the city streets with finesse. It has been slightly improved since the first game in the way that Ezio is much faster and more fluid when climbing. For a nice change of pace, Ubisoft Montreal threw in some indoor platforming levels that will remind you of the older Prince of Persia trilogy. These levels are an extremely fun test of your skills with the platforming engine as well as your puzzle solving abilities. There are still some kinks in the controls however, with Ezio sometimes not jumping where you are intending him to go, but for the most part it’s fast, fluid, and fun, just like in the original. What really makes Assassin’s Creed 2’s gameplay standout is not the combat or the platforming, but the combination of both working together so elegantly.

You can climb the side of a building, drag a guard over the edge, then proceed to assassinate another guard on a lower rooftop, all because the two systems seamlessly blend together. It took me about 20 hours to finish Assassin’s Creed 2, which is very long by today’s standards, and I can’t wait to delve into this game again. I could go on and on about the little details of how awesome this game is but that just wouldn’t feel right. In doing so, I’d be holding you back from going out and buying this incredible game, immediately.

Visuals- 9.0

Audio- 9.6

Story- 9.5

Gameplay- 9.4

Entertainment Value- 9.2

Overall- 9.4