| Assassin's Creed II Sony PlayStation3 GOOD: great setting to explore BAD: free-running can be unpredictable FINAL: You NEED this game. |  Courtesy Ubisoft |
Although gamers have criss-crossed historical Europe in a million World War II games and marched through hundreds of bleak future landscapes, Renaissance Italy is not often a setting you run across. So in "Assassin's Creed II," you will run and run and run.
Set in the late 15th century, "Assassin's Creed II" pairs players with important figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Lorenzo de' Medici during the rise of Rodrigo Borgia (yes, Borgia) to the papacy. Casting players as street tough-cum-assassin Ezio Auditore, what begins as a tale of family vengeance quickly dives into corrupt Renaissance politics. Ultimately a centuries-old conspiracy is revealed, one that pits the church-based Knights Templar against the shadowy, populist Assassins.
So why does the game begin in the year 2012?
Because Ezio's tale is told as a long series of "memories," chronologically unfurled to a modern day man as one of his past lives (a conceit that started in the first "Assassin's Creed"). By reliving these events in a machine called the Animus, Desmond Miles works against the 21st century Templars, who seek to control humanity through the legendary Pieces of Eden.
The really ingenious part, from a game design perspective, is how "Assassin's Creed II" leverages the modern Animus elements as an overlay across Renaissance Italy. Since players are, theoretically, already in the future with Desmond, it makes sense to cite the Animus as the reason why treasure chests "glow" to the player's eyes. Outside the game, we know a glowing treasure chest means it is something we can open. Inside the game, it glows because it is an object that the Animus seeks to bring to Ezio/Desmond's attention. It is an exceptionally clever way to mask classic video game conventions in a way that makes sense within the game's narrative.
Much of what you will do in "Assassin's Creed II" is reminiscent of gaming giants like "Grand Theft Auto" and "Metal Gear Solid." Several Italian cities are provided for you to explore at your leisure, populated with mission points both central and superfluous to the main storyline. Collectible items dot the map, ranging from chests and pigeon feathers to secret Assassin Crypts and hidden holograms (another Animus history tweak). Renaissance Italy has been turned into a giant, jumping puzzle to better fit Ezio's impressive free-running skills, but generally the cities are very well-presented, sumptuously detailed and packed with people wandering about.
Thanks to some non-intuitive controls, Ezio's free-running frequently becomes free-falling. This sparingly-explained control scheme provides a very subtle distinction between jumping across rooftops and dropping down rooftops, so it is easy to screw that up in the heat of pursuit. The good news is that the game does not seriously punish you for suffering a 20-story fall; a massively benevolent save system brings Ezio back from death every time with no loss of mission progress. It is a lucky thing that Ezio's acrobatics and combat skills are enjoyable enough that recovery in those situations is not an onerous task.
"Assassin's Creed II" has a strange SimCity angle where Ezio can use his money to buy upgrades for his uncle's hometown villa. However, the upgrades are few and easily purchased. The villa also serves as the storage point for all of the game's collectibles. The more collectibles you stash, the more the villa is worth. Based on the combined value of the town upgrades and collectibles, the villa generates money every twenty minutes of real-time. Maybe I was just outpacing the game, but by the middle of the plot I had more money than the Pope. It seemed to me that the game was too generous with the florins!
One detail that bears mentioning is the inclusion of a wide array of real-world period artwork. Ezio can buy paintings in all the Italian cities to be displayed at the villa in a museum that would make any art student drool. "Assassin's Creed II" also makes fine use of paintings and photographs from other eras as part of some fascinating Animus puzzles.
"Assassin's Creed II" is an intriguing mixture of historical and science-fiction elements and the game smartly chooses the best of both. If you chase down all the side quests and collectibles, you will find hours and hours of gameplay stacked inside the unique setting. The interesting story and engrossing replay value more than compensate the game's few flaws.
