ASSASSIN'S CREED 2

“My name is Ezio Auditore Da Firenze. I am an Assassin.”

We all have those things that will always have a special place with us. For me, one of those things is Assassin’s Creed 2. No matter how good the new instalments might be, no matter how badly the graphics have aged, it will always be perfect. And there ain’t no changing that.

Set in the latter half of the 1400s, Assassin’s Creed 2 follows the story of Ezio Auditore, who, after his family is executed by an enemy he didn’t even know existed, becomes an Assassin and is thrown feet first into the century’s old conflict between the Assassins and the Templars. As he travels through Renaissance Italy, nothing will ever be the same.

I guess one of my favourite things about AC2 is it’s evolution. Not only the way it evolves from the first game, but also the evolution in the plot itself. What starts out as a simple revenge story, whilst it essentially remaining one throughout, develops into so much more as the story progresses. Evolution is what makes great games stand out from the good ones. Evolution is where you can reach the end of the game, look back at everything that’s happened and, well, just be stunned. As for the differences from the first game, AC2 introduced a host of new weapons into the franchise, as well as an improved free running model and a far superior story lay-out than the first game.

I’ll admit, the graphics really haven’t aged well. Not like with Halo 3, where no matter how many years pass, it still looks beautiful. AC2’s landscape graphics do still look great, there’s no denying. Florence and Venice stand out the most here, as they are the game's two biggest locations that'll have you running around and exploring for hours. But it’s people graphics sadly are…well, nowadays I’d guess you’d call them terrible. Honestly though, I really couldn't care less. Graphics aren't everything.

Something which makes it stand out from the rest of the series, especially the newer additions, is that it, unlike them, isn’t based on it. That made a lot more sense in my head. Anyone who has played Unity will tell you that, when it’s stripped down to the bare essentials, it’s just AC2 but set in France. Hell, I’m pretty sure they just copy and pasted Ezio, made him 1080p and called him Arno. That’s what is great about AC2. It isn’t just an updated version of an older game in the series. It’s, or at least at the time, it was something new. Something that didn’t rely on the good things about an old game just to become popular.

Something else AC2 has that it’s descendants don’t: Characters. Proper, actual characters with emotions and back-stories. Clearly, when Ubisoft made AC2, they weren't doing that thing they do now and only focus on graphics. AC2’s characters have substance behind the style, and it pays off massively.

On a slightly smaller note, but still important, it has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. I don't just mean the main theme like in Halo. AC2's soundtrack is pure gold from start to finish. If you've got time, YouTube it and give the first three songs a listen, as they're by far the best.

I could write about this game for hours, but I'm not going to. Instead, I'll say this: Tied with Halo 3, AC2 is my favourite game of all time. The story never grinds to a halt, the characters are thought-through and it's locations continue to amaze, even seven years after it's release. That, mixed with the countless hours and play-throughs I've done, make for some great memories.

Here's a video I made from my gameplay: