November 17, 2009 -
Excellent - We've been quite cautious in our coverage of the game, believing that the original's flawed design had too many pitfalls to overcome. However they've done it. Perhaps the ultimate testimony is the fact that it left us longing for another sequel, something the original certainly never achieved.
Good - Assassin's Creed II is a fun and beautiful game that gives you the freedom to explore while still offering a focused adventure steeped in atmosphere. It's also an expensive one, retailing at $60, a full $10 more than most PC games sell for at launch.
Mediocre - It's brilliant. Don't buy it. The copy protection of Assassin's Creed II requires you to be connected to publisher Ubisoft's servers every moment you play. Any interruption to that connection kicks you out and erases all the progress you've made since the last checkpoint. We cannot wholly recommend a game that imposes such stringent and potentially problematic restrictions on paying customers without good reason.
