Assassin's Creed II follows the storyline of the original Assassin's Creed in that Desmond relives the existances of his ancestors. In this one, the story takes place in Renaissance Italy around Florence and Venice. Fans of the original game will have no problems in learning the controls or concepts as they are the same, only the number and types of actions have changed. To those new to the series, the story, so far, breaks down as this. Desmond is captured by Abstergo, a company seeking to control the Pieces of Eden and thus humanity. They force him to interact with the Animus, a device that allows Desmond to relive the lives of his male bloodline. In the previous game, the setting was in the Levant (Syria, Israel, Lebanon, etc.) as Altair, an assassin. This time, it is in Italy as Ezio.Gameplay: The game is almost the same as Assassin's Creed, but better. It is almost as though Ubisoft listened to the players and took out the aspects that people did not like and enhanced those people loved. Unlike the original, the cityscapes are not only large but filled with tasks that have real meaning to the game. In the original, there was a simple, and mostly pointless, flag collection minigame that did not alter anything in the game. Aside from mostly information gathering or assassination quests, this was almost everything the game had. In this one, every painting, every weapon, every codex entry, every glyph, every seal, and every statue, changes something. For instance, if you buy a weapon, you not only get a new way to off people, but also increase the value of your villa which acts like a headquarters. As the villa prospers, it goes from a depressing hole, to a bustling town that draws in greater and greater income that can be used for upgrades. Some fighting styles in the game are different, you can disarm enemies or counter them. Some weapons work better than others since the developers introduced new enemy types. This makes battles flow more dynamically instead of the repetitive slaughter-fest of the original. Enemies are smarter in Assassin's Creed II, they will actively search out Ezio within a radius, but, if you are able to leave the search zone, the enemy will not follow you. Or, you can hide, then assassinate the guard from the safety of your hiding place. Contrast that with the original where they would hound Altair from one side of the city to another, as if they were on a leash. As an assassin, you don't run through towns and villages causing mayhem, you bide your time until you have the perfect chance to strike. You can not only blend into crowds, but you can hire others to distract guards or fight with you. When you play the game, don't expect all abilities to be open to you. The game introduces new concepts and equipment as Ezio learns to use them, as in real life. It takes getting well over halfway through the game before you can do everything.Story: The story in this game follows the first precisely, like a new chapter in a novel. It can be a little difficult to follow at times, but the game does have its DNA and conspirator menus that help lay everything out. Personally, I liked Ezio far more than Altair. Unlike Altair, Ezio is much more charismatic and enjoyable. He's a lovable rogue who kills for honor and shows respect, to some degree, to his targets. Altair, on the other hand, is a stealthy killer with no backstory and is rather callous. Once the main story is over, you can go back to do the collection side quests or secondary missions. I strongly suggest finishing the glyph side mission, it is well worth the effort.Graphics: Like the first, Assassin's Creed II looks very good. Ubisoft took their time in recreating many landmarks and capturing the renaissance atmosphere, culture, and city layout of Italy. There are moments in the game where I just stopped to admire the view, mainly in the temples and viewpoints. On a personal note, I prefer the look of Florence over Venice, but you may think differently or prefer Tuscany. The PlayStation 3 version of the game does have graphical issues, mainly flickering or popping. But these aren't so bad to render the game unplayable. It's just not as smooth or as error-free as many games. Considering the size and detail of the areas, Ubisoft has done a remarkable job and some issues could be ironed out with patches. If you have the choice between the PS3 or the 360 version of the game, the 360 version is smoother and has fewer problems, but both are very well done.Misc.: I loved this game, it took everything I liked in the first one and made it better while getting rid of most of the stuff I couldn't stand. They still kept the annoying harrassers, though. The game does have issues though, aside from the graphics. First off, I have been caught on the scenery or had an NPC caught. For example, I reached a point in a mission where a group of NPC's I was with had to stand. The game stopped when I reached the waypoint and I stood there along with two of the NPC's, but the third was caught on the edge of the building. I had to restart the mission from the checkpoint. Second, the free run system can be irritating until you learn the layout of the cities. You can run right off the roof and go splat very easily. Or, you can be trying to escape from guards but didn't hit the free run button causing Ezio to stop at the edge instead of running and jumping off. Completionists, or trophy fiends, will love this game as there is plenty to do and collect. You can get all trophies in one sitting with some patience, there are no multiplayer trophies, or ridiculous "play the game again but on a hard setting" trophies. The only one you have to be careful with the one you get while flying the glider. If you don't get it then, you never will. I suggest getting the guide for this game as many of the collectables would be difficult to obtain otherwise, though you could find the maps online, I suppose. I also enjoyed the UPlay system where the developers reward you with points for completing game tasks. Those points can be redeemed for downloadable equipment upgrades and maps. This means you are rewarded for playing the game. I hope that Ubisoft continues with plenty of DLC for this game. I would like to see what happens to Ezio. What was his ultimate fate? What happened to Maria, Claudia, and the other (still living) NPC's? Did the villa prosper? Did he fall in love? Were his children trained as assassin's too? Did he go to other cities? Was he involved in other conspiracies? There are plenty of avenues to explore between now and Assassin's Creed III. This is a must buy not only for Assassin's Creed fans, but to newcomers too.