14. Assassins Creed II
Assassins Creed was disappointing. It suffered from a formulaic mission structure and a bland combat system. The one thing it did possess was potential. That was realised with the follow-up: Assassins Creed II. The Renaissance an essential bridge between the Middle Ages and modern era - has never been exploited by the games industry so immediately the game gave us something new. As the brash Ezio you travel from Florence to Rome via Venice. The latter is majestic and grand; everything youd hope from 15th century Italy. The style and cities are beautiful and each one felt like it had its own story. The story, watching Ezio grow from a narcissistic womaniser into a highly skilled assassin, was interesting and along the way we were introduced to a whole host of characters from history: Leonardo da Vinci and the immoral Borgia Pope were particular highlights. Witnessing his growth and progression felt natural never forced. Being able to take part in important moments in Italian history the Bonfire of the Vanities and the Pazzi Conspiracy were excellent and the way Ubisoft fitted these events into the battle between the Assassins and the Templars was inspired. Most of the flaws from the previous game were rectified and the good aspects were fine-tuned to make an almost perfect assassin game. Few game series have made such progression over such a short amount of time. A classic game in every sense of the term.