RPGs have come a long way since the days of the Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star-dominated world of the early nineties, since then we have had the groundbreaking Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the free-roaming worlds of Fable and Elder Scrolls and the post-apocalyptic Fallout series.

Though many of the most innovative RPGs are being created outside of Japan these days, the land of the rising sun is still seen as the development center for RPGs. It’s heritage in weaving dramatic storylines with typically turn-based combat is virtually unparalleled, but the (Japanese) RPG formula devised in the ’80s has been left largely unchanged.

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There are many games I can point my finger at and say “that was one of the first titles that got me into videogaming,” but there’s only one I can say truly marked a milestone for me.

The game that converted me from casual Tetris-player to hardcore gamer has to be Legend of Zelda, Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy back in 1993. I was seven years’ old and was bought the game by accident by my mother before we jumped onto a flight to see relatives in the US. I asked for Super Mario World, but some how that request was lost in translation between the generations.

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The first Assassin’s Creed had promise and a huge lot of hype when it arrived in stores back in 2007 however many gamers found the game to be a massive disappointment – repetitive tasks and lengthy travelling made the whole experience feel like a chore.

Ubisoft Montreal has done a great job of fixing most of the issues with Assassin’s Creed in its second installment – actually, it’s done more than that, it has improved the whole gameplay to make it one of the year’s best games.

The game is set in the Italian 15th and 16th century and is focused around a new character, a charismatic Florentine named Ezio. Unlike the robotic Altaïr before him, the protagonist breathes life into the game’s storyline and injects a little human touch to otherwise cold-blooded missions. The visual flair also adds to this vibrant feel of the gameplay; from carnivale in Venice to the beautiful reconstruction of Florence, everything looks stunning and really add to the game’s overall appeal. With five of these highly detailed and expansive city states to explore, you’ll find it even more fun to leap from roof to roof, stalking, stabbing and sneaking around in the environment’s cinematic style.

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