Without a shadow of doubt, this should be Game Of The Year. This was an impressive sequel from Ubisoft, its graphics and gaming environment are a visual treat with a fluidity to the action that is everything that the original should have been!
It is still an open world or sandbox type of game which you can explore on foot, by horse or gondola (this Assassin can also swim like a fish). A point to note is that you still have to climb Viewpoints to synchronise the memory of the person in the Animus. This will unlock other areas of the current map but some Viewpoints will not be able to be scaled until you have helped the thieves in Venice! As you play through the story, you can attempt different missions, such as assassination contracts, races and revenge beatings! One of my personal favourites was the search for the six assassins tombs. This was very similar to Prince of Persia, where you have to solve puzzles and be quite rapid along the way.
Interplay between characters has been tremendously improved. Examples are blending into the crowd, either by hiring Courtesans or thieves or by mingling with other pedestrians. This is particularly helpful when your notoriety levels are high.
Another development is where you are able to renovate the family villa. As you collect monetary rewards, you can purchase paintings, upgrade Ezio’s armour and so forth along your travels and then return to the villa. From here, you can then decide what to renovate, which in turn, enables the villa and the estate to provide a stream of income. This will rise as the property develops (and you get a discount from the estate’s shops too).
A thoroughly deserved rating of 9/10. There is also downloadable content available later this month.