In Third Person

Over the course of this generation, the Assassin’s Creed series has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Right now, the series is arguably at its lowest point, as Assassin’s Creed III was mired with bugs, poor game design choices and an uninteresting protagonist. Though Ubisoft has dug themselves quite the hole with their last two sub-par entries in the series, I continue to hold out hope that they’ll find a way to recapture the magic they created with Assassin’s Creed II.

Hundreds of years after the original took place, Desmond is back in the Animus to uncover more about his ancestors. This time, he goes back to the Renaissance to relive the memories of Ezio Auditore, a smooth-talking playboy whose bloodlust is sparked after some horrific crimes are done to his family.

One of the key differentiators between this and its predecessor is that Ezio is a very likeable guy. Many criticized Altair for being too brooding, and Ezio is the complete opposite of that. Whether he’s stabbing dudes in the face, or putting moves on the ladies, Ezio carries himself with a swagger that’s easy to appreciate.

Second of all, they really nailed the open world formula. Renaissance Italy is a gorgeous city to explore with a ton of different things to see and do. I vividly remember going out of my way to complete almost every side mission because I wanted to interact with that world and its characters as much as possible.

Finally, that story. The original got the ball rolling, but the events of II carried the story forward ever since. In particular, the outlandish ending really put things over the top. As the credits rolled, my jaw was still on the floor, trying to comprehend the madness that I had just seen.

Though it seems like the series has only gotten worse, I hold out hope that someday the franchise will reach or exceed the heights that Ezio’s first adventure. If you haven’t played Assassin’s Creed II yet, you’re missing out on one of the best games of this console generation.

Buy Assassin’s Creed II – Platinum Hits Edition Now on Amazon.com

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