Updated 26 May, 2012, 4:18 pm IST

Assassin's Creed II

07 Dec, 2009, 11:39 am IST | by Avinash Bali | Console Console

Assassin’s Creed was a tremendously hyped title that fell quite short of expectations. The game’s production values were top notch allowing players to experience the Crusades in great detail. Navigating the kingdom was a breeze thanks to the protagonist, Altair’s free running skills - never seen in a game till date - that allowed him to explore the length and breadth of the Kingdom with much ease and fluidity. Unfortunately the novelty of running along roof tops wore out real fast as gameplay was highly repetitive making the overall experience a monotonous one.

All monotony aside Ubisoft still made a ton of money with the game but thankfully they’re a conscientious bunch so they sat down and patiently listened to nearly every criticism levied against their product. As a result of that we now have a sequel that triumphs the original in every possible way making us wonder why Ubisoft never went in this direction in the first place.

In Assassin’s Creed II (ACII) you’ll play as one Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the son of a wealthy banker who like all seventeen year olds spends his time quarreling with rival gangs and courting the local women. Things are going fine for this boisterous young lad until he finds out that his father isn’t just a banker. After certain events that transpire during the initial half of the game, his father gets betrayed by a close ally and is killed along with Ezio’s innocent brothers. This forces Ezio to give up his flamboyant lifestyle donning the garb of an Assassin to not only extract revenge but unravel the conspiracy thus continuing his father’s legacy.

Like its predecessor ACII still follows the free roaming principle and Ezio, like Altair is proficient in the art of free running so exploring Italy, both vertically and horizontally is highly entertaining. In ACII you’ll spend most of your time on the rooftops since walking on the streets will just slow you down. Be careful though; you’ll have more archers to deal with in this round but thanks to Ezio’s repertoire of new moves taking them out is as easy as pie. Just make sure you don’t go on a mindless killing spree or you’ll max out your notoriety meter, one of the new additions to this series.

Tags: Assassin's Creed II

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