9. Assassin's Creed II
Ok, so on one hand you may be wondering why I have chosen to skip AC I and go straight to II. And on the other hand, you may have actually played AC I and have a staunch understanding of how ridiculously monotonous it is. Either way, our focus on this page lies with Ezio Auditore da Firenze - a man whose superiority over his Syrian ancestor is boundless (except perhaps when it comes to a game of chopsticks). We must give Ubisoft credit - they listened to constructive customer feedback, enabling them to hit the nail on the head with their second outing and set a very high benchmark for historical assassin-based action-adventure stealth video games. Having said that, maybe they under exaggerated the stealth aspect in AC II - Altaïr was portrayed as nothing more than a whisper among the residents of the Holy Land, but judging by the picture above, our brazen Italian protagonist seems to think it's perfectly natural to waltz around Florence with a pair of lethal outstretched blades. I suppose it's the way in which Assassin's Creed II envelopes the player into late 15th century life that makes it stand out as a key PS3 game. The environments are rich with the hustle and bustle of Renaissance life, the free roaming activities are far more plentiful and unique, and we feel as though Ezio is living in the world rather than running around as a separate entity as in AC I. Assassin's Creed II's introduction into the gaming realm was a key component in understanding the full potential of 7th generation consoles, making it a must-have on this list. We can only hope Black Flag reaches the same dizzy heights on the next generation ...