So for kicks, I'm talking, or rather writing, here about Assasin's Creed 2

to sum it up... YOU MUST GET!

The freerunning is a little more complex than the original game, but you'll get the hang of it in no time. On the reverse, you won't be using it as much. Oh sure, its fun as heck to run around on the rooftops and stab every guard you meet (because even when you become a guard of the city, they still tell yah to get off the roofs) but it is no longer, well, nessiary. It can be much easier to blend witht he crowds right into your destination.

This is by no means bad, but for those of you who were expecting a perfect copy- oh who am i kidding? Its the same awesome thing but better! The above points are made, but there is really no diminishing effect on any gameplay. if anything, its better! You CAN blend through crowds to your destination, but you could also have a forementioned rooftop stabbing spree. There is a large amount of... choice in Assasin's Creed 2. With all your new gadjets, you might think there are some objects which ight be useless. Well, I'm happy to say, that isn't the case. with one exeption

I'm gonna say it- The gun is useless. Exepting major assination tagets themselves, of which by that point are very very few, you'll never use it. it only carries six shots (wait, i have 20 throwing knives, but can't carry six bullets?) so event though it can instentainously destroy anyone exept the final boss(s) you'll only use it... once or twice, in favor of the throwing knives. I mean, knives kill any guards in two shots before they can scream, so they are basically silenced guns. The gun has no advantage of range either, because they both use lock on systems, and you can't use the gun from water very effectivley either.
But once again, this isn't bad- the gun was more deigned to make people interested in trailers anyways. Its almost useless but not a disadvantage in any way.

i also must say I'm impressed how well they worked swimming into the game. It is almost never slow enuogh to get annoying, but you'll still like to take boats across the water rather than swim. Using gondolas is fun, by the way. Whenever you crawl onto an NPC's boat, they jump off, and as it turns out, no one in venice can swim! They sure picked a poor location to live, huh?
Even though it is never really nessisary, with one insignificant disguised boat tutorial exeption, I always like the gondolas. There is never a better way to escape then to jump off a roof, land on a boat, watch the guy jump off and drown then sail away. As it turns out, the guards can't swim either, and they had the great sense to put all the archers n the roof where they can't hear the shouts of the men chasing you below. they still do that thing where they throw rocks at you though. Where they get them from is beyond me.

The cities are done beuatifly, and you'll spend many a joyful hour runnign around on the extremely convienently spaced rooftops with the funny poles sticking out of them. (made a bit more sense in the last game) But it works for gameplay. Along the way, you can complete a bunch of scavenger hunts or side quests, all of which involve messing around on the rooftops somehow. You can collect feathers, decifer runes (some of which are bar codes. no seriously) and locate statues.

It is obvious the creators of AC2 were showing a rare idea and listenign to their fans. There are no side jobs which are ever nessisary, and a good amount of those involve creativly killing people anyways (I love stabbing from haybails, off rooftops and from walls) There is no stupdly large area between the cities, no long speaking wordy talk when you shove a spike down their neck and anything you might have complained about before is eliminated.

If you want to know the easiest way to kill a large number of people, keep reading, if not, skip to the ending paragraph. When you get smokebombs and poison (I poison) get to a high place, kill the first 2 weakest guards with a double blade stab, throw a smokebomb on down, poison the toughest guard you can find, climb a roof and watch as they blugeon each other to death! and even if they miss each other they die of the poison anyways. Brilliant!

Ultimatley, Assasin's Creed 2 is... Awesome! Of all the games I've played, it ranks a current 2nd, fallout being... marginally, marginally better. think 0.0000101% better. YOU MUST GET!