History YMMV / AssassinsCreedII

* PolishedPort: The Ezio Collection Remaster enhances the games visuals as expected from a port from PS3 and Xbox 360 to PS4 and Xbox One, but the real star of the show is when the game is played on Xbox Series X or Series S where it runs at 60 FPS through the FPS Boost program.

** Mario Auditore's introduction: "[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros It's-a me, Mario!]]" was already funny enough, but the fact that [[Creator/RogerCraigSmith Ezio's voice actor]] would later go on to voice [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]] only added to it.

* CompleteMonster: UsefulNotes/TomasDeTorquemada is a member of the Templar Order and [[TheInquisitorGeneral the overseer]] of the UsefulNotes/SpanishInquisition, a brutal event that led to thousands being tortured and killed. Given a list of targets by Rodrigo Borgia to eliminate, Torquemada would also execute those who are not Christian. Torquemada later lays siege to Granada to kill Sultan Muhammad XII, potentially killing hundreds in the city. In [[Film/AssassinsCreed2016 the film]], Torquemada kidnaps the Sultan's son and [[HostageForMacGuffin holds him hostage in exchange for the Apple of Eden]], while [[ForcedToWatch making the son watch]] as he puts most of the Spanish Assassins to the stake to be burned alive.

* [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels Awesome Video Game Level]]: The final level in Rome. Regardless of the rather lackluster dealing of the FinalBoss, the buildup to it is a perfect test of all the skills you've acquired along the way, starting with multiple straight up fights with a horseback section in the middle and then becoming a stealth section requiring you to assassinate several guards quietly before moving on. It's the right amount of challenging and serves as the perfect conclusion to Ezio's development to a Master Assassin.

* EvenBetterSequel: As seen on Metacritic, the [[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/assassinscreed first game]] got "Generally Favorable Reviews" (81), while [[http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/assassinscreed2 the second game]] received "''Universal Acclaim''" (91). General complaints with the original game were addressed, and the most spectacular set of gameplay improvements in the series from one game to the next to date ensued:

* ShockingMoments: The final boss is [[spoiler:Rodrigo Borgia, a.k.a. '''[[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope Alexander VI]]''']]. You have to infiltrate [[spoiler:the Vatican]] to get to him, and you fight him in the middle of [[spoiler:the Sistine Chapel]]. And after that's over, you chase him down again, where you proceed to [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen settle it like men]]. Sadly, he's [[AntiClimaxBoss not particularly difficult]].

* CompleteMonster: [[SinisterMinister Tomás de Torquemada]] is a member of the Templar Order and [[TheInquisitorGeneral the overseer]] of the UsefulNotes/SpanishInquisition, a brutal event that led to thousands being tortured and killed. Given a list of targets by Rodrigo Borgia to eliminate, Torquemada would also execute those who are not Christian. Torquemada later lays siege to Granada to kill Sultan Muhammad XII, potentially killing hundreds in the city. In [[Film/AssassinsCreed2016 the film]], Torquemada kidnaps the Sultan's son and [[HostageForMacGuffin holds him hostage in exchange for the Apple of Eden]], while [[ForcedToWatch making the son watch]] as he puts most of the Spanish Assassins to the stake to be burned alive.

** The page quote for {{Munchkin}} on Wiki/ThisVeryWiki is: ''"Munchkin: One who, on being told that this is a game about politics and intrigue in 17th-century Italy, asks to play a ninja."'' The latter part of that sentence has at times been potholed into [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII the main page]], though it's preferred not to.

* MagnificentBastard: [[Characters/AssassinsCreedEzioAuditore Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] is an Italian nobleman from the Renaissance who joins the Assassin Brotherhood to seek vengeance on the Templars who murdered his father and brothers. Ezio uses his wits to kill off the Templars in unexpected ways before subjecting their leader Rodrigo Borgia to a {{cruel mercy}} making him watch as he steals Rodrigo's dream. When Monteriggioni is attacked and Ezio arrives in [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood Rome]], he rebuilds the Assassin Brotherhood there, becoming its Mentor and using his influence to take over Rome and remove the Borgias from power. Arriving in [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations Constantinople]] to search for Altaïr's library, Ezio puts the Assassins into a position in power within the city while uncovering and dismantling the Byzantine Templars. When Ezio learns that the Byzantine Templars are hiding out in Derinkuyu he travels to and destroys the underground city, despite countless innocent people living there, to ensure the Templars' destruction before defeating their leader, entering Altaïr's library, and relaying a message to Desmond Miles, leaving an everlasting legacy as one of the most brilliantly unscrupulous and charismatically well-known figures within the franchise's history.