The Skinny: Current-day assassins, Desmond Miles, re-enters the Animus, thrusting players into the leather boots of Italian playboy Ezio Auditore di Firenze. On a mission of vengeance, Ezio must track down those behind the murder of his father and brother and repel the political invasion of the Templars.
The Good: Once again, Ubisoft delivers an unrivaled, immersive experience, this time in Renaissance Italy. The voice acting is phenomenal (actress/hottie Kristen Bell reprises her role as lab assistant Lucy Stillman), the historical architecture is not only accurate, but beautifully rendered, and Ezio Auditore and his arsenal makes Altair (the main man in Assassin's Creed) seem like Hannah Montana. The plot takes a few twists and turns through history, buying into some of the more popular conspiracy theories (i.e. three shooters killed JFK in Dallas) to progress the story. The combat, as can be expected from this series, is brutal, and you'll never get tired of jumping off a ledge, taking out two guards with your hidden blades in the process. 
The Bad: While it's pretty neat hustling along the Venetian rooftops and all, the climbing mechanism the game's engine uses led to numerous moments of frustration. For example, we watched Ezio fall to his death too many times instead of grabbing for a reachable ledge. There's definitely room for improvement there. Also, for all of those clammoring for virtual biscuits, there seems to be a glitch where PS3 trophies are not awarded. It occurs randomly and as of press time, another playthrough is needed to secure them.
Party Hearty: If you think Ezio is a party animal, you should check out how Maxim puts on a party. Oh, we did...for this game.
Buy, Rent, or Disembowel? Weighing it at a whopping 20 hours of assassinations and unlocking historical secrets, Assassin's Creed 2 is solidly a game of the year contender.