Game: Assassins Creed II
Certificate: 15+ BBFC
Price: £36.99 (Tesco’s)

Ok hello everyone, this is my first review that I am going to do for the site, I hope it helps everyone who is sitting on the fence regarding this game based on the last one.
I have not written many reviews yet, however I have submitted some reviews for Eurogamer in the past. Hopefully this will help some people with their decision regarding this game.

 

 

Story (spoilers ahoy!) 8.6/10
This game is set in two different times, modern day and the 14/1500′s in Italy. Most of the game is set in Italy, however there are some parts where you play as Desmond again, which this time include action scenes and fights. The story for him picks up where the last game left off, and is a fairly good continuation of the series. The new character, the stylish Italian Ezio Audiotoire, is just a teenage member of a rich family when his father and brothers are arrested for treason and executed. Obviously, Ezio is a little bit upset about this and murders the man that set hsi family up. He then flees the city and meets his uncle Mario (no he’s not a plumber) and escapes to the families villa. From there the story continues, however I don’t want to spoil it for you here. Needless to say, the acting and emotion are well portrayed, with the characters having good Italian accents, and using some Italian words to add to the realism. However if you haven’t played the first game you might get a bit lost in the story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Design 9.2/10
This game is a lot less linear than the last game, and has more branching paths, side quests and hidden extras to find. This adds greatly to the value of the game, and makes it less tedious as the last game. You can still do the same type of missions that were required in the last game (pickpocketing, beating people up etc) but now they are optional extras to earn you money. As a result you find yourself enjoying the bits in between the big assassinations, which was not the case in the first game.
They have now added a new RPG-style system that involves your villa. By doing missions, killing targets and if you are desperate pickpocketing, you can earn money that is firstly used to buy new weapons that improve your killing power, and secondly to upgrade your villa and the town next to it. By upgrading different shops and services, you improve the economy and discounts that you receive. From the money earned by the different shops in town, you get a percentage every 20 minutes, Fable II style. This gives you an incentive to upgrade as more money means a better chance of survival due to a more deadly arsenal.

 

 

Gameplay 9.5/10
The gameplay in Assassins Creed II is as fun as ever, with free running, fighting and climbing making up the majority of the game. Free running is great, by holding A and RT you instantly scale any surface that is climbable. It feels fun and fluid, and the animation is just superb, because of this you will find yourself getting distracted just so that you can try climbing everything that you see in the city. The combat is also great, however you do find yourself relying on counters a bit too much still, however other than that the fighting feels good and counters are rewarded with gory finishers, some of which are pretty brutal. The hidden blades are back, and are as awesome as ever. Now you can get two hidden blades, which allow multiple simultaneous stealth kills. You also have a lot more options in regards to situation kills, for example you can now throw guards off ledges, jump out of some hay for a quick kill, or even drag an unwitting guard into the waters of Venice for a silent kill. These new additions really add to the game, and make it an altogether more rewarding experience.

 

 

 

 

Presentation 9.3/10
(Please note that this game was played by me with both full 1080p and standard definition on a 19 inch TV.)
The graphics in this game are great. Played in full HD they are clear, crisp and beautiful, with the stunning views of rural Tuscany spread before you. In SD, they are a bit dimmer, but still improve on the old game in every way. The new additions such as being able to dye your clothes different colors add greatly to the customization of the game, and allow everyone to make their clothes their favorite color. The sound is better than the last game too, with the accents more believable (however the Middle Eastern Altair in the last game spoke with an American accent, so its not hard to improve) and the use of the Italian language adds to the authenticity. The sound effects are excellent, with sword clashes sounding realistic and guards screams sounding suitably terrified. Overall it has an excellent presentation, which has improved over the first game.

 

 

Overall
This game is a massive improvement on the last game in almost every way. Fans of the original will certainly love this entry to the series, however even people who hated the first game will be hard pushed to find faults with this. However if you really loathed the first game, rent it first and see what you think then. Anyone who is sitting on the fence should not be unsure, and should pick this game up as soon as possible, or at least wait until it goes down in price if you are really not sure. This game is definitely one of the best games of this years Q4, and if Modern Warfare 2 is not your cup of tea then you should certainly pick this excellent game up for 20+ hours of sneaking, climbing and fighting in beautiful medieval Italy.

Overall score: 9.2/10
Buy, Rent or Miss: Buy

 

 

Review by Urban Surfer