Assassin's Creed II

 Xbox 360
Assassin's Creed II Image
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 82 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1612 Ratings

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  • Summary: Assassin's Creed II is the product of over two years of intensive development by the original creative team behind the Assassin's Creed brand. In a vast open world environment, the game invites players to incarnate Ezio, a privileged young noble in Renaissance Italy who's been betrayed byAssassin's Creed II is the product of over two years of intensive development by the original creative team behind the Assassin's Creed brand. In a vast open world environment, the game invites players to incarnate Ezio, a privileged young noble in Renaissance Italy who's been betrayed by the rival ruling families of Italy. Ezio's subsequent quest for vengeance plunges players into an epic story that offers more variety in missions, surprising and engaging new gameplay elements, diverse weapons and a profound character progression that appeal to fans of the original Assassin's Creed as well as entice players new to the brand. [Ubisoft]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 79 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 82
  3. Negative: 1 out of 82
  1. GamePro
    100
    Few games so deftly balance the contrasting qualities achieved here. It's at once both epic and intimate, earnest and lighthearted. The scale of it is truly magnificent, but often its largest and most moving moments come from the smallest and most carefully composed scenes.
  2. GamingExcellence
    97
    Assassin’s Creed II is one of those few games that manage to be both intimate and epic.
  3. GameWatcher
    95
    Not only an unreservedly brilliant and compelling follow-up, but one of the finest games we’ve ever played. Boasting a suitably grand soundtrack, majestic aesthetics and masterful level design, Assassin’s Creed II is everything we could have ever wished for and so much more. Forget Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed II is without a doubt this year’s biggest and best.
  4. HellBored
    92
    By being better in almost every department than its predecessor, Assassin’s Creed 2 does exactly what a sequel should.
  5. Total Video Games
    90
    Perhaps the ultimate testimony is the fact that it left us longing for another sequel, something the original certainly never achieved.
  6. Thunderbolt
    90
    Minor annoyances aside though, Assassin’s Creed II is a superb game. Ubisoft have clearly listened to the reaction to the first game and have gone out of their way to remedy its problems.
  7. Destructoid
    45
    The game's variety and length come across as nothing more than smoke and mirrors, the endless, grinding busywork that contributes nothing to the overall gameplay is inexcusably plentiful and mind-numbingly repetitive, and to top it all off, the game can't even compete in the visuals department and somehow looks worse than the original.

See all 82 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 205 out of 246
  2. Mixed: 28 out of 246
  3. Negative: 13 out of 246
  1. reepermanx
    Jan 14, 2010
    10
    Unbeleivable scope and ambition by the dev team. just about pulled off. Only critisism is that is goes on a bit too long and there is too Unbeleivable scope and ambition by the dev team. just about pulled off. Only critisism is that is goes on a bit too long and there is too much to do. This may be a good thing though for many palyers.… Expand
  2. sash8306
    Apr 9, 2020
    10
    Best game of all AC Games even in 2020. The main character is likeable and relateable. The story makes fun and kept me interesting fromBest game of all AC Games even in 2020. The main character is likeable and relateable. The story makes fun and kept me interesting from beginning to end… Expand
  4. GamingSoldier
    Nov 24, 2013
    10
    assasins creed 2 improves on absolutely everything from the last
    pros: combat improvement, better story, better characters, desmond was more    assasins creed 2 improves on absolutely everything from the last
    pros: combat improvement, better story, better characters, desmond was more involved and useful here, ezio is even cooler then altair, a more interesting setting, better side activities
    cons: I kind of miss altair sometimes    … Expand
  5. Alex_Pilgrim008
    Jul 2, 2020
    9
    "Assassin's Creed II" is a huge improvement over its predecessor. Featuring a great story, likeable protagonist and good mission variety, it"Assassin's Creed II" is a huge improvement over its predecessor. Featuring a great story, likeable protagonist and good mission variety, it represents a course correction. This is what the first AC should've been all along. The open-world is amazing and the gameplay is fantastic. I would easily compare it to "Grand Theft Auto III". Players that become bored with the first installment will love this one. I would rate it with a 9.2 out of 10.… Expand
  6. Rox22
    Nov 7, 2013
    9
    This is what a sequel should be. Assassin's Creed 2 has almost anything you could expect. Fantastic visuals. Deep complex story. Rich variedThis is what a sequel should be. Assassin's Creed 2 has almost anything you could expect. Fantastic visuals. Deep complex story. Rich varied characters. A large variety of missions and side missions.

    Ezio is by far superior to Altair in every way, being extremely charismatic and likable. Not to mention this game also starts you off with Ezio as a nobody and shows you his ascent into becoming a full fledged assassin. This creates a strong bond between the player and the character, making it easy to identify with Ezio.

    AC2 carries over all of the gameplay mechanics from the first game and improves upon the immensely. Travel outside of the city is now more fluid and doesn't feel as forced and limited in the first game.

    Story this time round is better flushed out and well paced. The writers still keep allot in the dark, as clearly this franchise is far from over, but not so much to be maddening (like in the first game.)

    Overall:
    Assassin's Creed 2 is a fantastic game that has firmly established this franchise in the annals of gaming history.    … Expand
  7. jcasetnl
    Apr 21, 2014
    8
    Turns out my initial impressions of this game were wrong. It's true, it does suffer from a bit of miasma early on, but once you get going andTurns out my initial impressions of this game were wrong. It's true, it does suffer from a bit of miasma early on, but once you get going and get a feel for the controls, it's an engaging feast of action and adventure. I played it relentlessly to the end, and while the finale could have been better, this is still a very solid game.… Expand
  8. necifix
    Oct 28, 2010
    0
    Honestly, it's the worst game I have ever played. The difficulty level is way too high and even e of the first missions, "Sibling Rivalry" theHonestly, it's the worst game I have ever played. The difficulty level is way too high and even e of the first missions, "Sibling Rivalry" the difficulty is to great for someone not familiar with the series or these type games. An epic failure.… Expand

See all 246 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2009
3
#3 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2009
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2009