User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2704 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. Oct 19, 2010
    7
    Pros: Graphics, Story line, combat.
    Cons: Logic.
    I also have been seeing countless responses to the DRM, i am not sure what it is or why people are annoyed with it but my experience with AC2 on pc and on ps3 was flawless from a technical perspective.
    7/10
  2. Mar 17, 2011
    7
    Enjoyable from 0.5 hours in to finish. The start of the game is woeful. Apart from that, the feeling of speed, motion and exploration are rendered well in a rich historical backdrop. I found the storyline attempted to be too grand and a bit silly at times, and despite best efforts the repetitive missions are still a bugbear. The gameplay makes up for it however, and judged on it's merits,Enjoyable from 0.5 hours in to finish. The start of the game is woeful. Apart from that, the feeling of speed, motion and exploration are rendered well in a rich historical backdrop. I found the storyline attempted to be too grand and a bit silly at times, and despite best efforts the repetitive missions are still a bugbear. The gameplay makes up for it however, and judged on it's merits, make this a good bit of light fun. Expand
  3. Sep 29, 2011
    7
    Assassin's Creed II is very slow at the start. I remember I was finding myself rather bored during the first 4-5 memories (out of 14). The missions weren't interesting, the areas were bland and the story was taking too long to get started. However it does pick up eventually and gets much better and incredibly fun. There are about 5 cities in this game, which is slightly more than the firstAssassin's Creed II is very slow at the start. I remember I was finding myself rather bored during the first 4-5 memories (out of 14). The missions weren't interesting, the areas were bland and the story was taking too long to get started. However it does pick up eventually and gets much better and incredibly fun. There are about 5 cities in this game, which is slightly more than the first game, and it also made improvements on many aspects from the first game, like the climbing and stealthy combat. The face-on combat is pretty much the same (it was already great to begin with, so I guess no improvements were needed), except fist fighting has gotten significantly improved. The game is also a lot more diverse. There are a lot of areas to explore, a lot of side quests to do, and even various mini-tasks such as refurbishing one of the cities to the full. One could probably spend many hours playing this game. So AC2 is better than the first in many areas, including graphics, storyline, gameplay and perhaps even the background music too. But it has some drawbacks however. The controls for example, which were already one of the biggest flaws of the first game, are even harder now. I had to go back to the controls menu to check up on some of them even in late stages of the game. They are hard to memorise and they are also very inconvenient, forcing you to hold like 3-4 buttons at the same time just to run after someone, making chase parts of the game rather difficult. I was also not too fond of many of the side quests and such. They were bland and so I ended up mostly just playing the main story. AC2 is a good game. I am guessing because of controls issues it's not supposed to be played on PC, but on a console. My bro has it on Xbox360 and the controls issues are virtually non-existent, so I'd probably advise you to get it on Xbox360 or PS3, not on PC, not to mention the killer graphics requirements the game has on PC. Expand
  4. Jun 20, 2013
    7
    The story kept me interested, but the gameplay was not interesting enough to keep me wanting to play more of it, meaning, the controls worked really hard against me, even using a controller, and the camera aswell. Other than that, it sometimes felt the story stretched on a bit too much, it could have been shorter, and so would have been better.
  5. Aug 27, 2012
    7
    OK it sucks that you have to be connected to Ubi to play, but I've not had any technical problems with the game yet and overall it's not a bad game. Combat is unchanged, if not worse than the first Assassin's Creed, so it's still by far the worst combat I've come across in this genre. Free running is stupidly boring and unsatisfying, never mind how little to no skill there is in holdingOK it sucks that you have to be connected to Ubi to play, but I've not had any technical problems with the game yet and overall it's not a bad game. Combat is unchanged, if not worse than the first Assassin's Creed, so it's still by far the worst combat I've come across in this genre. Free running is stupidly boring and unsatisfying, never mind how little to no skill there is in holding down two buttons. However, if you can ignore the pointless complications of the modern day story which confused us all at the end of the first game you'll find an open-world adventure game which unlike the first game, packs the content to be classed as a GTA clone done properly. Side missions are not as repetitive, collectibles are far more rewarding and satisfying to get, let alone more varied. There are more RPG elements but without the unnecessary complications which accompany them. The devolpers haven't made stupid decisions with this game, but they have made it a proper free-roam game with a decent story, good length and side missions and well-designed towns. The graphics aren't anything special even when maxxed out, but they are still pretty good and stand up to inspection. All in all Assassin's Creed II has the credentials of a solid action-adventure free roam game, but unfortunately the gameplay mechanics are archaic and outdated, sometimes even buggy. If you want gameplay and level design consider Arkham Asylum, but if you want an immersive game Assassin's Creed II is better in every way. It's just a shame that it excels in everything but the most important element of a game- the GAMEPLAY. That said though, it's targeted towards a more casual audience who want more of a cinematic experience rather than intense and skillful gameplay as seen in Arkham Asylum. I guess this is more for the passive gamer rather than someone who really appreciates a solid combat system and will analyse every inch of level design. If you are a hardcore gamer chances are you won't enjoy this game very much because it's quite boring to play. A nice break though if you want something which is effortless and almost not even a game. Expand
  6. Nov 16, 2011
    7
    First of all, you need a gamepad, second, you need to stuff around with some control settings, after that the game itself is absolutely fantastic. Great story, graphics could be better but they are still very nice. Gameplay is terrific, very addictive and a decent challenge. This game is miles ahead of the first one.
    If you can ignore the DRM and solve the control issues you are in for a
    First of all, you need a gamepad, second, you need to stuff around with some control settings, after that the game itself is absolutely fantastic. Great story, graphics could be better but they are still very nice. Gameplay is terrific, very addictive and a decent challenge. This game is miles ahead of the first one.
    If you can ignore the DRM and solve the control issues you are in for a treat. I would give it a 9 if it werent for these issues.
    Expand
  7. Apr 26, 2012
    7
    My original review: 4/10 Bought the game on April 19, 2012, expecting most of the issues to be fixed and based on generally positive reviews for the series. I thought it would be a good place to start that's not too far back while still being relatively modern. I can see the appeal of the game immediately: it's an immersive, very beautiful game with a funky UI and great story-telling. I'veMy original review: 4/10 Bought the game on April 19, 2012, expecting most of the issues to be fixed and based on generally positive reviews for the series. I thought it would be a good place to start that's not too far back while still being relatively modern. I can see the appeal of the game immediately: it's an immersive, very beautiful game with a funky UI and great story-telling. I've played it for about 2 hours now. HOWEVER, it gets MASSIVE low points for VERY VERY VERY bad control set-up. I'm not against innovative controls, or controls that work both on the PC and on consoles. Skyrim is a good example of that - you feel that the controls were made to be console-friendly, but they're never inhibiting your game play. This game, however, made controls not only un-intuitive, but also very difficult to understand, having to go through menus to understand which button is the 'Head', the 'Open Hand', the 'Armed Hand', and the 'Feet'. None of this is explained in the game itself. NONE. The color-coding presumably makes it easier for console players to understand, but doesn't work at all for the PC. Do yourself a favor and buy the console version of this title. This is a bad port.

    After finishing the game: 8.5/10. You basically have to memorize the different key bindings and get through the first bit to learn the controls. Don't be mislead by my high score - the controls are the single most annoying thing in this game. It's a set of 4 basic controls, which change if you right click the mouse, and then you have to execute sequences of them to do many things... and the game decides that it would be fun to make you do some harder sequences as the game goes on. If you look past that, however, the game is very deep, has multiple meaningful side quests, and is generally a fantastic game. Music is phenomenal. If it's possible, I would recommend you play this with a controller.
    Expand
  8. Aug 13, 2012
    7
    Assassin's Creed 2 on PC haves stunning graphics, and It stands with It's positives, but the problematic controls and the disappointing DRM just make the PC version even worse than console version. Still, PC version isn't bad, and It's fun for a while. 78 out of 100.
  9. Aug 30, 2012
    7
    The main story outside the animus is more extended as in the first game. Ezio is a good character. Good storytelling inside the game.

    But the DRM is ...
  10. Dec 13, 2012
    7
    Would've been great if they cut down on the recycling of areas and timeline leaps. More of Desmond and more present day non-combat storytelling would've helped to break things up. Overall though it's a lot better than the original. Requiescat in pace.
  11. Mar 17, 2013
    7
    Even today, this remains one of the best assassin's creed games ever, I love this game, and everything about it. The only thing that disappoints me is the controls, I have played AC3 on PC, and loved the controls, I hoped that the controls on this game would be the same, if not at least similar. However, these were completely different, and so awkward, it took me a good 10 minutes or soEven today, this remains one of the best assassin's creed games ever, I love this game, and everything about it. The only thing that disappoints me is the controls, I have played AC3 on PC, and loved the controls, I hoped that the controls on this game would be the same, if not at least similar. However, these were completely different, and so awkward, it took me a good 10 minutes or so to fix the stupid thing (and it still wasn't perfect). I have had NO COMPLAINTS with the Uplay DRM, I really don't see what the trouble is, my only issue is the controls, otherwise it is an incredible game! Thats why I give it a 7 and not an 8 or 9. Expand
  12. May 22, 2015
    7
    This sequel is pretty good. Since most people liked to complain about the lack of variety in missions from the first one I'm reluctant to say it hasn't improved a lot. You have mostly assassinations, a few races and collectibles to find. What shines much more than its predecessor is the story, it flows much better, the narrative evolves more linearly, but in a cleaner pace. The controlsThis sequel is pretty good. Since most people liked to complain about the lack of variety in missions from the first one I'm reluctant to say it hasn't improved a lot. You have mostly assassinations, a few races and collectibles to find. What shines much more than its predecessor is the story, it flows much better, the narrative evolves more linearly, but in a cleaner pace. The controls are a mess but completely bindable, just go adjusting to whatever feels better and you should be fine. Expand
  13. Feb 21, 2015
    7
    It's a beautiful game, with great story and great action. But I have found it too easy on many occasions and as far the story goes it didn't give me a satisfying ending.
  14. Jul 1, 2015
    7
    - Good: Story, Concept, Parkour, Locations
    - Mixed: Gameplay
    - Bad: ---

    Better than Assassin Creed I but still lacking in gameplay department. Combat system is mediocre again and controls are pretty bad with M/K.
  15. Dec 30, 2016
    7
    Much more ambitious approach then original AC, but game just fails to execute the concepts. From what was supposed to be the great story you get a shadow of great story, quantity over quality and lack of consistency. Its still good and interesting, but there are some serious quality issues with all of this. Graphically thing is the same, cities are big and overall graphics looks quite niceMuch more ambitious approach then original AC, but game just fails to execute the concepts. From what was supposed to be the great story you get a shadow of great story, quantity over quality and lack of consistency. Its still good and interesting, but there are some serious quality issues with all of this. Graphically thing is the same, cities are big and overall graphics looks quite nice and atmospheric, but LOD is so horrible that you can see very low quality textures changing into proper ones in front of your face. In terms of character design, some characters are well made, and some, like Catarina or Cristna, look like made on a knee 30 minutes before game release. Combat - the same, mixed bag. Ambitious, but like it usually happens with this kind of endeavors, you get quantity over quality and half of the rushed and unpolished. Overall I liked the game and I will have big sentiment for it, but this is just such a mixed bag of great and poor things... Expand
  16. Nov 6, 2021
    7
    Продолжение истории Дезмонда Майлза, который попался в руки современного аналога Тамплиеров, проходит в эпоху Возрождения с 1476 по 1499 года. Главный герой в Assassin's Creed 2 примет роль Эцио Аудиторе де Фиренце, аристократа во времена буйства клана Борджиа. На протяжении всего слешера от третьего лица мы встретимся с четой Медичи, узнаем больше подробностей о Леонардо Да Винчи иПродолжение истории Дезмонда Майлза, который попался в руки современного аналога Тамплиеров, проходит в эпоху Возрождения с 1476 по 1499 года. Главный герой в Assassin's Creed 2 примет роль Эцио Аудиторе де Фиренце, аристократа во времена буйства клана Борджиа. На протяжении всего слешера от третьего лица мы встретимся с четой Медичи, узнаем больше подробностей о Леонардо Да Винчи и Никколо Макиавелли. В то же время нашими врагами будут Борджиа, Франческо Пацци и Джироламо Савонарола. Expand
  17. Nov 26, 2018
    7
    Voy a intentar centrarme en Assassin's creed II como un juego independiente y no como si fuese la antigua ''joya'' de lo que era la saga en sus buenos tiempos. Definitivamente la saga de Ezio Auditore ha sido una de las más aclamadas por la comunidad en distintos campos, sobre todo por la propia Banda sonora, ya que de alguna manera consigue inculcarnos una ambientación histórica yVoy a intentar centrarme en Assassin's creed II como un juego independiente y no como si fuese la antigua ''joya'' de lo que era la saga en sus buenos tiempos. Definitivamente la saga de Ezio Auditore ha sido una de las más aclamadas por la comunidad en distintos campos, sobre todo por la propia Banda sonora, ya que de alguna manera consigue inculcarnos una ambientación histórica y fuertes sensaciones que te remiten a las emociones del propio personaje.
    Sin embargo, fuera de lo visual y lo musical, hay ocasiones en las que a nivel narrativo se ve un poco pobre y plano, es decir, son esas típicas partes en las que tienes que ir a tal lugar y matar a X persona, o bien ir a rescatar, o hablar con alguien, pero es que lo hace de forma tan repetitiva que no te cuestionas si realmente se hace de esa forma por alguna razón en específico, y esto provoca que no haya una dinámica dentro de lo que es la evolución de algunos arcos argumentales. Si es cierto que el juego tiene una buena escaleta progresiva a nivel general pero son este tipo de mecánicas repetitivas las que quitan ese potencial a una gran historia porque durante unas fases puedes estar en un momento de clímax en el que saben como manejar la situación y hacerla acorde con la dinámica del universo pero hay otras que simplemente tienes que ir hasta cuatro puntos distintos del mapa para hacer lo mismo.
    Si bien es cierto estamos hablando de un género mundo abierto, y saber adaptar a la perfeccion una historia de este calibre es realmente complicado, aunque recalco que no lo hace mal como tal ya que tienes sus misiones que nos hacen explorar los callejones de Florencia y los canales de la bella Venecia, nos contextualizan en su época histórica con sus acontecimientos y los habitantes de ese mundo. Sin embargo, después de todo lo anteriormente mencionado pienso que este tipo de misiones y mecánicas dentro de una narrativa se podrían adaptar de una forma mucho más práctica e interesante. Dentro de lo que cabe es un buen juego para su época, lo recomiendo.
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  18. May 22, 2019
    7
    While the filth known as Assassin's Creed was an unplayable mess and a waste of time, the sequel is actually good. It fixes most of the problems from the first game, but not all of them. Also it adds some problems. Let me tell you, what I like about this game. I loved the story, graphics were nice, some missions were cool. That's it. What I hated? Most of missions are repetitive and theWhile the filth known as Assassin's Creed was an unplayable mess and a waste of time, the sequel is actually good. It fixes most of the problems from the first game, but not all of them. Also it adds some problems. Let me tell you, what I like about this game. I loved the story, graphics were nice, some missions were cool. That's it. What I hated? Most of missions are repetitive and the controls are awful. The controls ruin the experience and they could have done them better. So, what's the new problem here? Well, it's ubisoft and their servers. I had many problems playing this game. Disconnecting me many times... it does not make the game fun. If you bought the game, I recommend you getting a pirated copy, that won't get disconnected because of their s***y servers. Also, I heard that some people don't get these problems, so good for you. Still, the game was fun. A major improvement over the awful first part. Pickens approves! Expand
  19. Jul 17, 2023
    7
    Переход серии на более блокбастерные (массовые) рельсы. Отход от философии к действию и ощущению действия. История проста, полна решающих действия, но последствия этих действий вам не дадут ощутить в полной мере. В свое время безусловно отличная игра для массового игрока с более удобным геймплеем, приятного и порой чарующей атмосферой городов, запоминающимися персонажами. Сейчас лично мнеПереход серии на более блокбастерные (массовые) рельсы. Отход от философии к действию и ощущению действия. История проста, полна решающих действия, но последствия этих действий вам не дадут ощутить в полной мере. В свое время безусловно отличная игра для массового игрока с более удобным геймплеем, приятного и порой чарующей атмосферой городов, запоминающимися персонажами. Сейчас лично мне было тяжело в нее играть, что не умоляет в любом случае заслуг этой игры. Expand
  20. Apr 30, 2020
    7
    Very good story but that's it. Gameplay is boring and not-smooth. Some guards need to be hit with the same attack several time to be executed. Graphics is a little disappointing but nothing serious. Controls are OK, a little bit intricate for the precision parkour needs to be performed well.
    In my opinion only worth for the story.
  21. Jul 28, 2021
    7
    lousy optimization.fps drop every 10 seconds.
    Better than assasins creed 1 but still poor episode designs
    all codex recalls towards the end of the game 12 end-user profile pages with endless missions
    characters 7/10
    music 8/10
    game length 6/10 (collecting codex pages towards the end and 12 assassination missions)
    *
    best ac game but not counting optimization...
  22. Jan 30, 2020
    7
    This is a cool game, but it has its drawbacks, for example, disgusting parkour and spoiled dialogues before the death of the victim (in the first part they were much better). Of course, there are many more advantages, such as its own Villa, which can be equipped, the plot, the most beautiful Italy and a well-developed open world, but there are disadvantages and they, especially poorThis is a cool game, but it has its drawbacks, for example, disgusting parkour and spoiled dialogues before the death of the victim (in the first part they were much better). Of course, there are many more advantages, such as its own Villa, which can be equipped, the plot, the most beautiful Italy and a well-developed open world, but there are disadvantages and they, especially poor parkour, spoil some moments of the game. In General, I was very happy with the game, it is, of course, not a masterpiece, but still a great game about assassins, which drags you for a couple of dozen hours and you always want to return to it. Expand
  23. Feb 24, 2020
    7
    Эта часть стала на порядок лучше предыдущей. Обзавелась адекватным сюжетом, харизматичными персонажами и красивыми городами. Но на этом всё и заканчивается. В остальном игра почти не изменилась , а местами даже стала проще. В итоге всех важных боссов , я брал в захват и бросал на пол. После чего запинывал до смерти. Момент казни семьи Аудиторе. Эцио неопытный малец, напяливший чужойЭта часть стала на порядок лучше предыдущей. Обзавелась адекватным сюжетом, харизматичными персонажами и красивыми городами. Но на этом всё и заканчивается. В остальном игра почти не изменилась , а местами даже стала проще. В итоге всех важных боссов , я брал в захват и бросал на пол. После чего запинывал до смерти. Момент казни семьи Аудиторе. Эцио неопытный малец, напяливший чужой костюм. Он должен убегать ведь на него спустили стражу , к тому же ЭЛИТНУЮ. Но я решив что не пальцем деланный , разворачиваюсь и убиваю всех голыми руками. Откуда-то он это всё уже умеет. И таких дыр очень много. А доведённое до бреда собирательство, самое ужасное наполнение мира что я видел. Собрал все перья, ожидал что мать очнётся от депресняка , взглянет на Эцио и начнёт уже говорить. А в итоге она просто всучила мне всратый плащ который мне доставляет только неприятности. ЧЕГО!? 7 баллов это ещё оценка с барского плеча. Я искренне не понимаю фанатов серии. Постановка игры на уровне дет. сада, она ужасно простая и контент в ней минимален. Но 7 баллов поставлю за неплохой сценарий и дизайн городов. Expand
  24. Mar 31, 2021
    7
    Gespielt im 2021 / Played in 2021

    + Die Geschichte ist spannend und an reale geschichtliche Ereignisse geknüpft + Gute deutsche Vertonung + Parcour macht richtig Spass + Gute Kletter-Rätsel + Sprünge von Aussichtspunkten machen jedes mal Spass + Viel automatisches Zwischenspeichern - Die vorprogrammierte Steuerung ist grauenhaft. Das gilt sowohl für Maus und Tastatur wie auch für
    Gespielt im 2021 / Played in 2021

    + Die Geschichte ist spannend und an reale geschichtliche Ereignisse geknüpft
    + Gute deutsche Vertonung
    + Parcour macht richtig Spass
    + Gute Kletter-Rätsel
    + Sprünge von Aussichtspunkten machen jedes mal Spass
    + Viel automatisches Zwischenspeichern
    - Die vorprogrammierte Steuerung ist grauenhaft. Das gilt sowohl für Maus und Tastatur wie auch für den X-BOX Controller. Selbst die Tutorials haben komische Knopf-Animationen
    - Es hat aber auch echt nervige Mainquest wie dieses saudummme Flaggenrennen, wo dieser dreck NPC einfach immer Vorsprung hat und man muss die Mission 100x spielen bis man weiter kommt.
    - Wenn man eine kleine falsche Steuereingabe macht, macht der Charakter nervige Stunts die man nicht will, wie z. B. von Gebäude springen, ins Wasser springen etc. Das nervt.
    - Die Gespräche nachdem man jemand wichtiges tötet, sind unnötig / geben nicht viel her

    __

    + The story is exciting and tied to real historical events
    + Good German voice-acting
    + Parcour is really fun
    + Good climbing puzzles
    + Jumps from viewpoints are fun every time
    + Lots of automatic saving
    - The pre-programmed controls are atrocious. This applies to both the mouse and keyboard as well as the X-BOX controller. Even the tutorials have weird button animations.
    - It also has really annoying main quest like this stupid flag race, where this filthy NPC just always has a lead and you have to play the mission 100x until you get further.
    - If you make a small wrong control input, the character does annoying stunts that you don't want, like jumping off buildings, jumping into the water etc.. This is annoying.
    - The conversations after you kill someone important are unnecessary
    Expand
  25. Jun 10, 2023
    7
    not bad , game story was interesting ,game-play is little bit boring , but after all I liked it
  26. May 20, 2023
    7
    It's not quite my nature to exaggerate things but this game is great or I'm just a nostalgia addict who can't enjoy new things anymore.
  27. Aug 23, 2023
    7
    An old classic and one of the bes Assassin's Creed game. It is phenomenal..
  28. Dec 25, 2021
    7
    A good game for its time, but superficial mechanics age badly. A 7 for having loads of content, decent story and being the ubisoft trope trendsetter.
  29. Apr 25, 2022
    7
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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 22
  2. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Assassin’s Creed II is a gem, a truly masterpiece also on PC. Developing a new economic system, and bringing more attention to combats, notoriety and context-script, Ubisoft achieves an awesome and epic experience. This sequel is far better than the first one.
  2. The PC version of last year's beautiful action adventure is lots of fun, but you'll have to overcome its online-only copy protection and high price point.
  3. Two years later, Assassin's Creed tries again to make real those promises from Ubisoft, and prove itself as a better game than it was. The truth is that, despite the Renaissance setting, the vivid locations and the historical landmarks, the new features added don't really improve the sequel: the same repetitive mechanics remain, as the flawed enemy AI, a rough combat system and moments of frustration coming from issues with the camera and the control response in the platform sections. Assassin's Creed II it's still a good game but far from the masterpiece Ubisoft has been promising.