Finished the ezio trilogy again recently (for nostalgia purpose and to give a proper review) and to my surprise,i enjoyed the games more this time around.

Gameplay still holds up fine and i found the story to be even better than what i remembered.Part of it is because i emphasize more on story/narrative nowadays and they really did a great job on those categories.Best in the franchise imo.Also,my dumbass completely forgot how good a plot twist Assassin's Creed 2 had at the end.Good ol' me not paying much attention on the cutscenes as a kid :P

All things considered,i do think ac2 holds the no.1 spot for me (tied with black flag ofc <3)

Ah, Assassin’s Creed 2. The first gaming experience that deeply resonated with me as a kid, even if I could only appreciate only half of it at first. This game was already special to me 15 years ago, but replaying it after getting older and having a better understanding of gaming as a medium, made me realize how much care and love had been put into it and how deep it actually is in some aspects.

This game is just one of these games that makes me “feel” things. You know, how a game can move you, evoke deep emotions within yourself just by sheer presentation alone. Running across Venice’s rooftops, with Jesper’s Kyd’s fabulous soundtrack playing in the background and the sound of the bustling streets below; none of the Assassin’s Creed games have been able to replicate this feeling for me, even if some handle gameplay and story elements better.

This game is our first introduction to one of gaming’s most iconic protagonists, Ezio, who is undoubtedly AC’s most loved protagonist for many reasons: one being that he is just very likable, but also because he got the most room to grow as a character thanks to having three games dedicated to him. Though not being the best part of his story, AC2 is a strong starting point that offers compelling characters and some of the most iconic scenes in the series, as well as a rich narrative that delves into subjects such as the price of revenge, or the struggle to find meaning in a conflict you were thrust into without your approval.

It also introduced many of the mysteries that made the AC franchise and its modern-day story so compelling in the first place: what happened to Altair after he defeated Al Mualim, and why did he write the codex pages? Who was Subject 16, and what did he discover while in the Animus? And who are the precursors that created the apple of eden, and what are they trying to warn us about?

Even outside the story, the game communicates through its visuals and gameplay. How each city has its unique personality, with distinct color palettes and level design, pushing you to adapt, and making the parkour rewarding and engaging. Or for instance, how you can see the color grading of Monteriggioni slowly change and the street becoming busier as you renovate the villa, reflecting its financial state. These are small details, but they matter and show the thought and care that was put into this game and now feel absent in current Ubisoft titles. It just enhances the overall atmosphere and immersion, coupled with the ambient sounds of the city and Jesper Kyd’s mysterious yet elegant soundtrack.

From a gameplay standpoint, AC2 pretty much improves and refines everything its predecessor did. More ways to assassinate your enemies with new techniques and weapons, more ways to interact with the world around you for social stealth. The combat, although simple, is stylish and you’ll find enjoyment in trying to look as cool as possible. The game structure has been made less repetitive and offer more interesting side activities to tackle, such as the iconic assassin’s tombs that are intricate parkour challenges in mesmerizing locations. Though I surely miss the more open aspect of AC1 assassinations that gave much more player agency on how to plan them out.

I will never get tired of this game, even if it's a painful reminder of what Assassin’s Creed used to be. It can be hard to believe that Ubisoft used to make games like these when we look at their current catalog. But even so, this will always be one of my favorite games and a clear example of why I love video games.

Definitely better than the first game. Time hasn't been kind to this game, in my opinion. A lot of what AC did that felt fresh at the time became the template for so, so many open world games. To this day we still get games where you have to climb towers to reveal stuff on the map. Even Final Fantasy VII Rebirth does this!

There's certainly more variety in this game compared to the first. I do enjoy the little dungeon areas you can find that are platforming challenges. I've always wished that AC had more Prince of Persia in its blood. The combat in AC has never been good, so I wish the platforming could at least have a bit more depth.

Also Ezio a better protagonist than Altair.

Assassin's Creed II continues the story of Desmond Miles as he now trains to become a modern day Assassin. To do this, he will live the life of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Ezio's story is one filled with loss and revenge as he takes on the Templar Order. This is a direct sequel to the original Assasin's Creed and greatly improves on the existing mechanics. Each assassination takes a unique approach as you learn new skills and use more tools. All of these new mechanics are greatly integrated into the overall story as we see Exio grow up and become a Master Assassin. The Deluxe Edition includes two lost sequences that fill in a time gap from the original game, definitely worth playing. Great controls and smooth performance, although the graphics are outdated these days.

It was special in 2009, its still special in 2024.

Gameplay wise almost everything it does is done better in Brotherhood. The origins of Ezio and his journey is what you play this game for and its still impactful and emotional as it ever was.

The multiple cities feel unique from one another and are perfectly crafted with the parkour in mind, not an afterthought. Venice in particular is a standout, but all of them all fantastic.

Except Forli, that place blows and ubisoft should be ashamed

Before I say anything, I really LOVE the opening sequence with Ezio as a teenager, a dispute between family boys because one of them had it with the other's sister, gets into trouble for it but still continues to have the meetings with her and have sexy time? Now THAT was funny, especially the fact that we beat the f out of Ezio sister's boyfriend for having an affair was just fantastic. Modern games should take a lesson from this to be more open and not afraid to show a bit of flavour to not be so PG-13 with everything, even mature games now a days.

Without further ado, I recently replayed this game because of nostalgia, at first, I thought this would ruin the awesome moments I had playing it. But, in reality, it made me love the game more, giving it a 5*, it's my favourite Assassin's Creed game by far from my memory and it's going to stay that way, this was my first game I ever played on a PS3. I didn't remember much about the story after 15 years but now that I look at it, it was enjoyable, it was not as laggy and buggy as I was expecting it and it made me want to continue with Ezio's trilogy to see the story unfold again.

Now onto more of the gameplay critics even 15 years later, the parkour was a massive improvement from the first game but sometimes a bit clunky and the assassinations mechanics were an upbringing with 2 hidden blades instead of 1. Also, the combat was a bit unresponsive but what do I expect when I play on a more responsive machine that has more framerates, it did make it a bit more challenging to actually counter attack but it was still easier than I imagined.

Overall, it emblazed my love for gaming again and I want to play more games that are just like this (I will play older games), no bullshit, not being woke, sometimes silly when it needed to be and the seriousness was enjoyable as a story.