Although Assassin’s Creed was an enjoyable game, it had a number of flaws. Most irritating of all was the repetitive nature of the combat and the lack of variation in the mission design. The foundation for a franchise was certainly strong and all indications from the developer made one conclude that the sequel would be a vast improvement over the first.

The most obvious change is that Assassin’s Creed II takes place in Renaissance Italy and the player can explore 15th century Venice, Florence and Tuscany. The cities are more diverse than their counterparts in the first game, in both landscape, architecture and city life.  Great care has been giving to make more bustling, vibrant cities and greater interaction possibilities within them. The player can visit shops to to buy weapons, armor, maps and even famous works of art from the time period.  The large villa in the city of Monterrigionni is where these collected items are displayed and where the player can choose to build improvements to the cities various shops and services. Investing in the city is nothing but beneficial as it increases the amount of money the player receives from the businesses as well as item discounts.

The realism of the world is also improved by the enhancement of the artificial intelligence. The AI in Assassin’s Creed made most tasks monotonous, as both the combat and sneaking elements were elementary. Fights would be entirely one sided whereas if desperate situations did arise, the “blend” move would make the player disappear no matter what crimes were committed. Luckily, the AI in Assassin’s Creed II is greatly enhanced. Although it makes the game more difficult, it also makes it more enjoyable. No longer can players simply run through large crowds, kill a target and fade into anonymity. Instead, assassinations take some planning, both in the process of killing and the escape route, as guards are much more diligent in the chase compared to the previous game. Fortunately, moving around the environment has been completely reconstructed. The character controls are much tighter, largely due to a free-run button which allows the player to move more fluidly while climbing on walls or running on rooftops.

Despite improvements to the AI, the combat in Assassin’s Creed II is still easy. Besides a few exceptions, enemies’ attacks can be parried or countered without too much effort.  The inclusion of new weapons and devices freshens up conflict, but the player’s variety of killing techniques is not mirrored by the enemies and therefore these inclusions do not increase the difficulty. There are certainly enemies of differing strengths, but there will never be a situation in which the player is repeatedly being killed.  Even the final boss of the game can be taken down relatively easily.

The surprise premise that awaited gamers in Assassin’s Creed made the story was one of the more memorable elements of the game. Ironically, the story in Assassin’s Creed II was overshadowed by the improvements to the gameplay experience. Many people marveled at the conclusion of the game, yet I found it largely incoherent and superfluous. The interactivity in the world was so engaging that modern day sections interrupted the game world immersion. Interacting within large cities in another era while seeking advice from Leonardo DaVinci and other historical figures was always more entertaining than Desmond Miles’ underground fight.

Thankfully, the vast majority of the game will be played in the Italian Renaissance era. Whereas, in Assassin’s Creed the recurrent combat and missions were made the game feel overstretched, Assassin’s Creed II’s refurbished mechanics and re-imagined cities will have you wishing for more.