I've got something to say. Why is everyone hating on Desmond? You do realize you're gonna have to play as him, for a whole game, at
some point down the line, right? I was giddy with glee when I got to run around as Desmond in AC2, and in Brotherhood I periodically exit the animus for no reason other than to just randomly spaz out and run around outside. He's got a long-running story, people, it's spanned 3 games so far, which is more than any of the other assassins you've been playing with. Chew on that. You're learning
with Desmond, and one day he'll be as badass as all the others and you'll like him just as much, I bet.
OT: I liked AC2 more. I personally got stuck in AC1 because I didn't plan things out, so when my targets ran I couldn't catch them because I didn't know the area. I didn't even know I could view those tactical maps of the area until I got pissed off and farted around in the pause menu to avoid having to do it again.
AC2 gave me more things to tinker around with than simply "go kill this guy, and this guy, oh and this guy too." I say the only option AC1 gave you was who you kill first, and really even that was selective. AC2 it was like, "ooh shall I go upgrade my villa, or maybe go looking for glyphs, or go get assassin seals?"
The seals were my favorite thing, and I'm glad they've been reincarnated in the Romulus follower lairs in Brotherhood - I enjoy the fighting and assassinations and things, but really the climbing has always done it for me in AC games. I always hit up all available viewpoints before I do
anything else. Ubisoft is just making the climbing better and better each game, I'm continually impressed by the strides they take, so much so that I'm afraid to go back to AC1 and experience the broken and slow climbing mechanics I vaguely remember.
tl;dr - AC2 is better, has more things to do that just stabby-stabby business. And stop wailing on Desmond. 8/