Assassin's Creed II: Bonfire of the Vanities Review (Xbox Live/PlayStation Network)

Ezio's got some killing to do, even from the air.

After a mesmerizing debut back in November and the release of the above-average Battle of Forli content last month, the Assassin’s Creed II legacy has finally come full circle with Ubisoft's release of Bonfire of the Vanities, the second and final pack of DLC for the game.  In it, you’re once again back in control of Ezio as he hunts his latest target, the evil priest Girolamo Savonarola (now that’s a business card name).  It seems that this holy man has it in for Florence, along with nine lieutenants following every order he dishes out.  You’ll need to cut them down to size, in order, before taking a stab at the top dog.

It’s easier said than done, however.  Where Battle of Forli leaned heavily on a huge battle and an annoying escort mission, Bonfire of the Vanities goes back to what made the original game work so well in the first place.  You’ll have to find each of Savonarola’s lieutenants, tucked away in rooms or surrounded by guards, and figure out a way to dispatch of them while avoiding certain death.  There’s more action here than stealth, which suits us just fine, but may disappoint those looking to creep their way into a room to slit someone’s throat.

One major part of the gameplay we’re happy to see come back is free-running.  Here, you’ll vault across rooftops, evade capture and take advantage of a new springboard jump ability, which enables you to leap over distances you couldn’t normally cover.  It’s a little gimmicky, but it makes Ezio look stylish in the long run, so it’s no big deal.  And, of course, there’s no shortage of satisfaction when he catches a lieutenant off guard, putting him in his place and getting that much closer to retribution with Savonarola.

The main Vanities mission sells for four dollars, and it’s certainly worth the price, with about two to three hours’ worth of gameplay to keep you busy.  However, if you’d like a little something more, you can plunk down an additional $2.50 to get three templar lairs, which were previously offered as exclusive content for GameStop pre-orders.  There’s nothing here that’s memorable, but these are good places to visit, especially if you’ve tired of the previous lairs.  It is optional, however, so if you don’t want them, you can buy Vanities by itself.

Vanities certainly looks great, especially once you locate the new viewpoints throughout Florence and glance down on the unsuspecting targets as they try to do their day-to-day stuff for Savonarola.  Ubisoft has done a marvelous job giving it the same amount of polish as previous missions in the game.  However, it should’ve done a little clean-up in the audio department.  There are times that the lip synching is a bit off, and an occasional crackle or two.  It’s like you’re running into occasional static trying to recover this specific memory.  It’s not so annoying that you’ll stop playing, but you’ll definitely notice it.

Also, why has Ubisoft not included additional Achievements or Trophies?  Part of the fun of DLC is earning new rewards for successfully completing these impromptu missions.  They’re still satisfactory, but a few points for our trouble wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world.

In the end, though, Bonfire of the Vanities is a superb close to the Assassin’s Creed II saga, not to mention a good set-up for what’s to come with the third tale.  The action doesn’t stop and the new abilities and templar lairs (if you feel like buying them) will allow you to kill some time in style.