Assassin's Creed II

So I loved Assassins Creed. It was the game that convinced me to buy an Xbox. But, it got really old after a fairly short time, having to run around doing the same thing over and over again. Though there is still a lot of repetition in AC2, it doesn't seem as bad. Probably the reason behind that is that there are smaller goals to be met by doing everything this time, besides just getting an achievement for getting all the feathers or whatever. You can upgrade the family fortress and buy new weapons and armor. Definitely a plus. Storywise, it's just as good, maybe even a little better, in my opinion.

When the first AC came out, I was hooked. I really liked the game a lot. I liked the mechanics, the fighting, the horseback riding - the whole nine yards. I did not like the repetitive missions and the all-too-frequent breaks back to the present-time. This game has fixed that. The main character, Ezio, is more personable - he's certainly more likable and less of a robot than Altair was. The fighting is similar, with some new things mixed in. I haven't finished the game yet, but I have several hours of gameplay in and have yet to be dragged back to the present-day. The missions are more fun, and they vary from mission to mission. I like the world this has created - the replication of Renaissance-era Italy is stunning and gorgeous.

All in all, I'm thrilled with this game. It's holding my attention thoroughly and I can easily see myself replaying it.

This was a great game and definitely lived up to it's predecessor. However, it was much too short (finished it in three days, didn't feel like searching for all the stupid feathers). The gameplay is as fun as the first one, but it is also almost the same as the first one. Yes you get a few new toys and they added/tweaked some of the fighting mechanics, but overall this is pretty much the same as AC1. That is not really a bad thing as the last game was just as fun to play, but if you are only looking for something new, there is not much here. I did like the story, but like many games these days, they did spent a bit too much time in setting up the sequel (I just hope they don't turn it in to another shooter as it looks like the next one will be set in modern times, at least for parts).

Overall a good buy or a great rental. As a side note, get the strategy guide only if you want to try to get all of the feathers, otherwise there is not really a need for it, as the game is pretty linear and the other bonus areas are not too hard to figure out.

got the game after amazon dropped it to 34.99 + free shipping. i played it for a few hours here and there, every other night and it took me about 2 weeks to finish. overall, a very fun game if you enjoyed version 1 of the game. also, bonus that you can go back into the game and complete random achievements, the first version of the game you couldnt...

Ubisoft has figured out their audience cares more about the liminal aspect of the game, and less about gameplay. I don't think this necessarily dooms a game, well Rockstar pulls it off nicely. AC2 however feels like Ubisoft put all the work into the graphics, audio, etc. while forgetting about playability. I felt the combat system was pretty mediocre and controls were counter intuitive and obnoxious. I'd liked the story of course, but you're probably better off seeing a movie for story.

I decided to give the game away to my nephew who'll care more about all the graphics and less about the poor game play. We sadly discovered however that the game won't let you play unless you have constant internet connectivity. lame.