Assassin's Creed II has been getting lots of attention, and for good reason. It's waaay better than the first game, so that's a good sign that Ubi gives a crap about its fan base. Ezio has a fancier outfit, more money, friends, and the ability to swim.

That swimming thing alone is enough to make most gamers automatically declare the sequel a success over its predecessor. Anyway, here's the review from Neoseeker.

Prior to its release, Assassin’s Creed II was one of the most anticipated games of 2009, riding the success of its predecessor. The first Assassin’s Creed garnered a great deal of attention, thanks to Ubisoft’s innovative take on open world adventuring. We were introduced to a stoic and arrogant Assassin who made up for all his personal shortcomings with great agility, a firm sword arm, and the coolest outfit imaginable.

In the sequel, Ubisoft addressed just about every flaw gamers found in the original. The combat has become a tad more complex, assassinations are no longer preceded by a repetitive investigation process, and our new Assassin, Ezio Audituerre de Firenzecomes, is armed with a lengthier name and more moves than Altair ibn La-Ahad could have ever hoped for.

If you avoided the first Assassin's Creed and have only just given in to the hype, Assassin's Creed II recaps with a quick synopsis of where we'd left off. Our clueless young hero, Desmond Miles, is back and quickly goes over past events for the player's benefit. Once you're up to speed, Desmond is yours to control once again.

This lush rendition of 13th century Italy is littered with puzzles, which Desmond decrypts to reveal minute details bit by bit, slowly unraveling a myriad of mysteries. These puzzles reveal the present day plot parallel to Ezio's life story, in a storytelling formula similar to the one used in The Matrix. As Desmond is drawn further into the centuries old secret war between Templars and Assassins, the plot thickens and conspiracies multiply.

RabidChinaGirl via neoseeker.com »