Screenshots & trailers
What players say
Why the number is what it is: aspect mentions counted across 298 sampled Steam reviews (262 positive / 36 negative), recent and most-helpful. Plain keyword counting, fully reproducible; nothing here is written by a machine.
What positive reviews talk about
- Story & writing29% mention it
- Combat9% mention it
- Controls & UI6% mention it
- Music & audio6% mention it
- Bugs & crashes5% mention it
What negative reviews complain about
- Controls & UI14% mention it
- Bugs & crashes14% mention it
- Story & writing8% mention it
- Combat8% mention it
- Multiplayer & servers8% mention it
Satisfaction by hours played
Same score, different games: see how sentiment holds up the longer people play.
Under 5h
63%
41 reviews
5-15h
91%
70 reviews
15-40h
91%
150 reviews
40-100h
97%
33 reviews
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 90 | 6 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 92 | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 89% | 83 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 91 | 21 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 91% | 85 | 139 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 300 reviews sampled · 396 total reviews in window · weighted 233.8 up / 23.4 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (81)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 95
“A game that takes the free-running and huge cityscapes of its predecessor and adds in a host of action-RPG elements that combine to form a much deeper and more satisfying game, and a surprise frontrunner for the best of 2009.”
read full review ↗ - 100
“Ezio feels complex and human. This virtual version of Florence feels vital and real. From the ashes of the overwrought, flawed original comes one of the few videogames that truly qualifies as an adult, mature experience.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“This is one sequel certainly worthy of a purchase, and no doubt a contender even for game of the year.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Assassin's Creed 2 is an amazing sequel. It outclasses the original in almost every way, but in doing so only enhanced my appreciation for the original game and the foundation it provided.”
read full review ↗ - 95
“Not only an unreservedly brilliant and compelling follow-up, but one of the finest games we’ve ever played. Boasting a suitably grand soundtrack, majestic aesthetics and masterful level design, Assassin’s Creed II is everything we could have ever wished for and so much more. Forget Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed II is without a doubt this year’s biggest and best.”
read full review ↗ - 97
“Assassin’s Creed II is one of those few games that manage to be both intimate and epic.”
read full review ↗ - 96
“I admit the first 30 minutes of the game feel really slow and disappointing, but once you move past that it easily becomes one of the best games I have played this year.”
read full review ↗ - 83
“Assassin’s Creed 2 isn’t perfect, the controls continue to requite a bit more fine tuning but it’s also impossible to deny that the sequel improves upon the original in almost every conceivable way.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Fans of the original Assassin's Creed will find a lot to love here, but anyone who left the first game feeling unsatisfied will want to rent before they buy.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Assassin's Creed 2 has more variety than its prequel, and it's a great gaming experience. Despite a graphics engine which is good but that no longer represents the cutting edge, the real difference is now the storyline and the gameplay. Ubisoft has listened to what people were asking for, and we are now in front of what Assassin's Creed was supposed to be.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Assassin's Creed II is what you'd want an action sequel to be: bigger, better, and more beautiful.”
read full review ↗ - 92
“Ezio has no problem beating Altair's efforts. On the technical side there might be some problems, but Assassin's Creed II is one of the best open world games out there.”
read full review ↗
The A.V. Club
GameWatcher
ZTGD
Worth Playing
Eurogamer
GameSpot…and 69 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
No patch announcements found on Steam yet.