"Ezio! I meant for you to keep running not to start climbing the walls! Why would I want you to take a dive from ten stories up onto solid concrete below? Keep climbing!" Don't be surprised if early on in your play time with AC2 you hear yourself yelling out to your covert assassin to control a bit better. The mechanics never entirely meliorate but you get used to them enough to enjoy directing Ezio a la free running and parkour-esque scaling through beautiful Renaissance-era Italy. Add varied objectives, engaging combat, side missions that you'll actually want to take on, and you have the ingredients to spruce up AC2 for even those who soured on the original. Further control streamlining will be a task left for the third act.
Rating: B
Via Carlos Unbound
