A direct sequel to Assassin's Creed, the game focuses again on Desmond Miles after he escapes from Abstergo Industries with the help of employee Lucy Stillman. In an attempt to thwart Abstergo and the modern-day Templars, Desmond uses a new Animus to relive the genetic memories of his ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who lived in Italy during the Renaissance. The player controls Desmond to a degree, but primarily Ezio, who becomes an Assassin after his family is betrayed. While controlling Ezio, the player can explore renditions of major Italian regions and cities through a mixture of action, stealth, and economic gameplay.
It's an amazing game. A LOT of people I talk to, including me, say that this is the best Assassin's Creed game. There is so much I like about this game that it's hard to find a place to start. AC II was the first console Assassin's Creed game I played I really liked it. Ezio is my favorite assassin. In II, he is just a teenage, with teenage angst and full of spirit. When he's thrown into the order it's like the scene in Spiderman (the good one with Tobey Maguire), he doesn't understand how any of this works, and he bumbles about. Levelling up happens very naturally. Overtime you become better at the game, you learn how to counter better, you learn how to climb better. To get more health you go to the blacksmith and buy better armor. To deal more damage you buy better weapons.
Another amazing thing I like about this game is its varying cities. You explore a lot of the big cities in Italy, each with its own special vibe. My favorite map is Venice, due to its vast size and water. One of the places to go on the map is the Villa in Monteriggioni. Here you can upgrade your villa, equipment, and increase your fighting skills. It's a cool feature added to the game that hasn't been the same since.
Like the other games, the parcour is not the best. When I played AC II I would constantly fall from buildings and lose cover because of crappy controls and interpretation (sound familiar?). Really, the only other thing that annoyed me about this game was another thing that is just wring with the series: Following people. Following people is just annoying. You have to be perfect or you get discovered. Whenever you follow somebody, you have to watch them. Always. Look away for 20 seconds, even if you know where they are and the game is telling you where they are, and you lose. Also, whenever you follow someone they just randomly look around suspiciously; for no reason. Like they know they're being followed.
Overall, my favorite Assassin's Creed game.