Played Assassins Creed I for Xbox 360, liked it a lot so getting part II was a no brainer. I agree part 1 was very repetative but the concept was sound, part 2 does a much better job of not being as monotonous, probably gonna have to buy the guide if you want to do all of the side missions (finding feathers and glyphs) but otherwise you can play right through and still enjoy the game. Great graphics, love the conspiracy storyline as always all around great game.

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I was hesitant to purchase this game at first. I have played the first one and unfortunately it came up short in alot of the game play and content. In this sequel Ubisoft seems to have listened to all the fans and have fixed some of the problems Assassins Creed 1 had and raised the bar for the gameplay and content. All in al this game is worth it. It is fun,the graphics are amazing.. waay better than 1 and is a well balanced game.

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This game is one of the best games I've ever played. People have already mentioned the graphics, and the recreations of Italy, so I'll tell you about the art. They included so much art, it's amazing. There's all kinds of cryptograms and mysteries...a million different things to do... PLUS there's the main story, which is great. This game is everything and much much more than I hoped it would be.

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I promise to keep this short and spoilerfree. Assassins Creed II continues the story right off from where the first game ended, that is to say, you wake up in the exact room where Desmond lay down to sleep at the end of the first game and start off in that same room. From then the story takes off with more gameplay in the "real world" and more gameplay in the new setting of the 1400-1500s of Italy.

Assassins Creed II enhances the mechanics that people came to love in the first game. There is more variety in missions (that is more than 8 types of missions), climbing mechanics have improved by feeling more smooth and fluid, the fighting combat on the ground has been improved with a few more skills added to the repertoire, and finally the ability to use tools. Stealth tactics are still used with more options being given to the player for working in with the dynamic crowds (they can respond to change being thrown or their kind being shoved), and lastly during chases enemies are also more responsive with being able to run and climb up to meet you rather immediately.

Additional enhancements include a monetary system, improved environmental graphics, lengthier gameplay (more than 15 hours, excluding sidequests), trophies, strong voice acting. Of these, the monetary feature feels a bit out of place, it really feels like a beta addition. The only feasible aspect of it that I see is using the money found and earned by looting to just throw on the ground to attract a crowd. Paying to be healed by an apothecary seems kind of backwards based on how the first game was with healing by being synchronized.

If you get the game be warned that there are a few weird issues that really should have been avoided after Ubisoft's past experience with Assassin's Creed. There are random and weird graphical issues that continuously crop up from the moment is player (random screen tearing in places, weird framerate hitches (not that it slows the gameplay down but it is noticeable when you are running around), some slowdown when there are lots of characters on the screen, character models look like they are from Assassins Creed 1 (blocky figures, bland/flat textures on random buildings), all of these though pale in comparison to how beautiful the environment looks.

Ultimately, ignoring the character models, and graphical oddities, Assassins Creed II is definitely better than the first game. With trophies, new mechanics to the gameplay, a lengthier and more varied story, and an interesting and engaging story (with interactive cutscenes) and high production values (we should commend the voice actors and the musical staff, they were excellent), this game is the best in the series.

Hopefully, Ubisoft does "patch" the graphical oddities, but they arent enough to warrant avoiding this game as it still feels playable and really well put together.

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This is A MUST HAVE game. I really enjoy the graphics and the history. Recommended

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Not much to say except the setting is amazing. Sometimes the controls can be weird and the ending is a little soft but overall a great game.

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If you've played Assassin's Creed 1 you will know what to expect. This sequel maintains the same look and feel, the same types of gameplay and controls, but just offers so much more than the first one. More variety, more locations, more history, more (better)characters, more story. It's a huge improvement on everything that made the original fun , while it alleviates much of what made the first one slightly tiresome. Ubisoft has included currency and shops at which to buy upgraded weapons and armor as well as more collection-type items such as artwork and clothing dye. There is even a little bit of a town-building simulator which is basic, but adds a lot to the game.

The graphics look lovely during gameplay and the locations are rendered beautifully, though during closeups in cutscenes, the character models really can't hold up and look pretty weak. I really enjoyed the setting of renaissance Italy, an the crowds, music, and architecture really set the mood, and the voice acting is much improved.

If you are a fan of the original Assassins Creed, this game is a no-brainer. It is simply a far superior take on that same style of open world play. Even if you did not play or did not care for the orignal, it might be worth a look, since most of the issues people had with AC1 have been addressed. This game is lengthy, polished, versatile, unique, and most importantly, really really fun.

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I have played the game for few hours and i am so hooked.

Defenitely game of the year.

But i am wondering why on Xbox people give it unanimously high rate whereas for ps3, it is only 4 star

is the gameplay experience inferior to that on xbox????

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AC2 improves upon an already outstanding game in just about every way imaginable. The Story is fluid, the characters are rich, the combat has been lifted to new levels and the gameplay for lack of a better word rocks. The inclusion of such a rich historical background such a italy is just icing. Not to metion the great interactions with your personal friend Leo DaVinci. I personalley found nothing wrong with the game except that it eneded. But Lucklily for me I hear AC3 is coming down the pipeline. Ubisoft Forever!

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I gave my husband this game for Christmas. He loves the game. He says it is very challenging (for some fight sequences training must take place to be effective).

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Arrived quickly in perfect condition for about $20 cheaper than everywhere else I looked (also got free shipping!). My boyfriend absolutely loves it and plays it every chance he gets.

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ACII is much better than the first. It takes all of the elements of the first game that made it fun and addicting and removed all of the repetitiveness. The combat engine is updated and much more robust. The free running is even more complex and responsive. The story is deeper, more involved and more interesting . All in all, ACII is a MUST if you even remotely enjoyed Assassin's Creed.

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(NO MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD)

First off by reading my title you will assume I am going to write a boot licking review of AC2. And for the most part you are right. However, there is an issue that I have to address with regard to the PS3 vs Xbox 360. This game looks better on the Xbox. Sorry, I am a huge fan of the PS3 but comparing them side to side the colors are richer on the Xbox, the motion smoother (less tearing) and better shadows. Check it out for yourself if you have both systems. I am on a new slim PS3 which has even better video processor than first gen. Ok, now to the good stuff.

Compelling story:

In AC1 the main character started out already as an assassin and you were stripped of all of your toys and methods. Earning them back meant you just had to do some basic missions and poof, you could now use hidden blade and so on. In AC2 you play as Desmond again, but the mission now is to learn to be an assassin from scratch so you can use it later, (enough said). This means that your beginning missions while appearing, eh, bothersome you do get to learn the how and why of the assassin. The story has you do some mundane missions so that you can appreciate the character and his family and social circle. This is key for building raison d'être of the main character. Simple things like escorting your mother help you to feel the bond between Enzio and her. When the world comes crashing down for him, you understand the gravity and feel genuine anger at the criminals.

Insightful game play:

Many of the major glaring issues with AC1 are fixed. The guards chasing you for 20 minutes across all terrain is now gone. Get a reasonable distance away and, bam! your safe. Now no longer do you have to hit a button to become merged with a set of monks, instead any crowd of 2 or more, you get close and now are semi-hidden. The towers are now not as plentiful but cover a greater area. In AC1 you had to climb every 20 feet or so it seemed. Now there are less towers but each covers a larger area. They have now included a money system which is in effect an experience system. With this you can purchase better weapons, armor, tools, artwork and eventually fix up your family home.

Combat:

Now with the addition of taunt you can use the counter system much more effectively. In random times it seems, Enzio will pull some outstanding combat kills and it leaves you wanting to pull it off again. Being its a rare occurrence it is special each and every time it happens. You can now pick up weapons the guards drop and use them in combat. This lends itself to smooth and interesting combat. In AC1 combat became so mundane and boring, I just wanted to get through it to get to the end.

Puzzles:

There are entire areas of this game that you do not even have to do. There are massive hidden puzzles that will give you great rewards but if you are playing for speed, can skip all together. Its a very open world they set you in. The towers you climb are no longer find the spot on the bottom and scoot up the one wall. Now there are places you must use to go around and around a tower to climb. There are plenty of save points so those hanging my your toenail moments leading to a fall wont make you start completely over. There are also many sub puzzles that test your problem solving skills without being in the location (Animus puzzles).

History:

I have been to just about every location in this game. The accuracy of the locations are absolutely incredible. You can even find the same places on Google maps if you dont believe me. It is so accurate that they can incorporate real data into a sort of history lesson. You purchase art and place it in your home. While looking at it you can get a history lesson on what the artist was painting or about the subject. It is all done very well and not in-your-face with the teaching.

Summary;

Pros:

>> Amazing locations replicate Renaissance Italy in glorious detail.

>> Complex and challenging puzzles

>> Compelling and inclusive story that pulls you in completely

>> Intuitive combat system is much improved over previous version

Cons:

<< Sometimes jumping to a spot on the wall misses and you fall a bit more than in AC1. Its not bad just a bit tougher.

<< PS3 Issue: - Looks smoother and richer on XBox 360. It is still very playable on PS3 and if you dont have an Xbox to compare it to its a moot point.

Overall I give this the game of the year award. It is massive, inclusive, makes you want to look for every piece and feather. This level of interest is not to be scoffed at. When a game costs as much as these do the bang for the buck is major issue. You are getting massive bang for the buck with this title. Replay ability, interesting stories, and addons that you earn through playing will keep you coming back over and over.

Thank you for reading my review.

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I purchased this game with some pretty high expectations, and I would say they were almost all completely met. Like most people have said, the game not only looks amazing, but has a great storyline, an improved weapon system, and a ton of new features and side missions that keep the experience lively. I was a big fan of ACI, even though it was more like a repetitive pac-man style chore to complete the game, but the payoff was worth it to me in the end.

The fighting system is basically the same as ACI. Several guards take turns swinging at you, and you can counter and kill them off one by one. A few things Ubi improved on though is the addition of a second arm blade, enabling you to take out two guards at once, and the addition of metal covered vambraces, giving you the ability to block attacks while you have the arm blades equipped. This was a big bonus for me, because my favorite weapon in ACI was the arm blade, and is now my favorite weapon in AC2 (besides a sweet butchers knife).

The action this time around feels far more brutal also. With the addition of more weapon types, comes the sweeter kill moves. Bludgeoning a guards head in with a warhammer never felt so good! Instead of sword, dagger, arm blade, and throwing knives; there is the addtion of warhammers, different dagger and sword types, customizable armor (and you can even dye your assassin robe), poison blades, smoke bombs, and vambrace-pistols. You can even disarm guards if you are fighting bare knuckle and take their weapons!

One of my gripes about the game (along with many others) is the climbing controls. I have found that in many, many situations it is hard to control Ezio and get him to do exactly what you want. For example, to free run (which allows you to basically run, and climb whatever is in your way) you hold R1 + X. R1 alone will enable you to run, and X alone will allow you to jump. If you are climbing a building, holding down R1 sometimes isnt enough depending on the situation so you will need to hold X down as well (for free run). Many times if you are climbing something it can be tricky because pressing X at the wrong time, or if you are facing the slightess degree off where you are trying to go will cause Ezio to jump in the opposite direction of where you intending to. This will often cause you to either plummet to your death, or just fall down really, really far and have to start over again. On one particular part in a crypt I found myself retrying a timed "hit the switch and run before the door closes" event atleast 20+ times before I got it simply becasue I had to keep fumbling around with the controls. As for the other controls, I would say they are fine. I only have a problem when in certain situations and trying to climb or jump around.

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Pros:

Graphics and locales are amazing

improved combat system

addition of new weapon types

Sandbox type gameplay has the "just one more thing" effect

You can swim!

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Cons:

Overlapping jump + run + climb functions can cause some major frustration at times

Gondolas (great idea, but pretty hard to drive around)

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Overall, I would recommend this game, especially if you are a fan of AC1. Like many have stated before me, the whole jump+climb controls can be down right maddening if you arent super cafeful. I am about half way through the game, and so far I have only have a few problems with falling off things and jumping to my death on accident. Patience is key when playing this game. If you are patient and learn to work the controls, you will probably get a good if not decent experience out of this game, I wouldn't say this is a candidate for GOTY though.. hell, its no Uncharted 2!

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I got this as a Christmas present from my wife cause she needed to get some stuff done and wanted to keep me busy for a couple days...it worked. I had been excited about the game and when it came out I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I opened it up and immediately was hook on the story line...I related to the character (which is something I really like...it pulls you in and you can forget you are playing a game you are that into it), and the climbing and attacks are just awesome. Your fighting skills increase as you progress through the story line...so it never gets stale. The puzzles and symbols are a fun sidetrack if you decide to pursue them. I completed the main story line content in 3 days of 20+ hour a day playing...way over board and wouldn't recommend it ...but I had the time and I was just that into the game. This is a must have game!

Downsides:

Well I'd like to complain about mechanics but I really can't so far...most of the issues I had with the game were mostly me not playing to the best of my ability. Operator error doesn't count. The only real bummer are the minstrels in this game...minstrels like guards in my opinion should be fair game...kill as many as you want...but alas they are not and they are constantly bugging you and bumping into you and ruining your missions...but hey...ubisoft had to screw with us somehow right?

I know this is a candy coated review...but I have just been that pleased with it....don't believe me...try it yourself it's an awesome game.

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