This game is the reason Assassin's Creed became Ubisoft's flagship AAA title. It inspired me to take an interest in history and Italian history specifically. I have this game to thank for introducing me to many friends and for inspiring me to visit Florence, Rome, Venice, and Milan a decade after I played it.

The problem is that Assassin's Creed II has not aged well as a video game. The combat is extremely weak, the stealth is too rigid to be passable, the character designs are incredibly ugly, the story is historically inaccurate and it endorses a lot of problematic conspiracy theories and Ezio is about as cliché for a protagonist as it gets. What really sells this game is the music and the environments. Florence and Venice are almost as beautiful and vibrant in this game as they are in real life, the rooftops especially. Jasper Kyd's music is the best in any Assassin's Creed game and I'm not ashamed to admit that I was listening to his score when I ran around Venice myself.

A lot of nostalgia for this title, even if I can't bring myself to play it anymore.