Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was the virtual Rome found in "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" - it only seems that way.
Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was the virtual Rome found in "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" - it only seems that way.
The arrival of "Brotherhood" comes less than 12 months after "Assassin's Creed II" wowed gamers and critics, alike. Given such a short development cycle, I, like many gamers, cast a somewhat skeptical eye toward "Brotherhood" when it was first announced. In this age of publishers milking their IPs for all they're worth, it was only natural for jaded gamers to view "Brotherhood" as another quick cash-in.
Rest assured that "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" is anything but a rushed attempt to make a fast buck. "Brotherhood" offers a deep and compelling single-player experience that rivals either of the campaigns found in the first two "AC" titles, and adds an exhilarating multiplayer mode that puts a new twist on competitive gameplay.
The campaign continues the saga of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the Florentine playboy turned master assassin who was the central protagonist in "Assassin's Creed II." After dispatching Rodrigo Borgia and gaining revenge for the murder of his family, Ezio returns to the renovated villa in Monteriggioni to unwind and plan his next move. The respite is short-lived, however, as Borgia's son mounts an assault on Monteriggioni and destroys everything Ezio - and the player - had worked so hard to build in "AC II."
Injured and with only the clothes on his back, Ezio once again finds himself in a quest against the Borgia, this time on the cobbled streets of Rome. The vast city, which is a site to behold with landmarks like the Coliseum free to explore, is divided into zones and each zone includes a tower from which a Borgia captain keeps an oppressive watch over the commoners. Eliminating those captains and burning down their towers frees that section of the city, granting you access to any services contained within its borders like stables, banks or tailors and providing a steady source of income. Eliminating the towers is optional, but the benefits you reap make it worth your time.
Standing up to the Borgia provides more than economic benefits for Ezio. As you free the people from their tyranny, some will want to join you in your fight. "Brotherhood" introduces the ability to recruit apprentice assassins that you can use to carry out missions. Calling in one of your followers is as simple as pressing a button, and watching them swoop in and quickly eliminate a target is beyond cool. Your fellow assassins gain experience for completing missions, and as they gain experience they unlock new abilities like smoke bombs or upgrade their armor. Your apprentices aren't indestructible and can be killed, but I didn't have any trouble keeping my assassin's guild full of willing followers.
While the inclusion of the assassin's guild is the biggest change in "Brotherhood," it is not the only notable addition. Others include the the ability to ride your horse throughout the city (and given the size of Rome, taking to horseback is a must if you want to cover great distances in a short time) and improved hand-to-hand combat complete with special finishing moves that incorporate multiple weapons. I was most intrigued by the new secondary objectives tied to each mission. In order to achieve a perfect 100 percent synch, players are required to meet special conditions within the mission, like eliminating a guard in a certain way or completing the mission in a given time limit. These secondary objectives are totally optional, but I'm guessing a significant portion of gamers will be replaying missions over and over again to get that elusive 100 percent.
While "Brotherhood" brings some new twists to the campaign mode, the game will feel instantly familiar to fans of the series. The established "Assassin's Creed" formula remains unchanged -- Ezio can scale buildings to explore the highest reaches of city and search for hidden treasure, hire courtesans and beggars to distract guards during missions, blend into crowds to escape pursuers, and take on a number of side missions to earn more gold. You'll also spend more time controlling Desmond, Ezio's modern-day descendant who is reliving his relative's memories through the Animus machine. "Brotherhood" might not be a significant leap forward in the gameplay department, but developer Ubisoft Montreal made a wise decision by not messing with a good thing.
Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither was the virtual Rome found in "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" - it only seems that way.
The arrival of "Brotherhood" comes less than 12 months after "Assassin's Creed II" wowed gamers and critics, alike. Given such a short development cycle, I, like many gamers, cast a somewhat skeptical eye toward "Brotherhood" when it was first announced. In this age of publishers milking their IPs for all they're worth, it was only natural for jaded gamers to view "Brotherhood" as another quick cash-in.
Rest assured that "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" is anything but a rushed attempt to make a fast buck. "Brotherhood" offers a deep and compelling single-player experience that rivals either of the campaigns found in the first two "AC" titles, and adds an exhilarating multiplayer mode that puts a new twist on competitive gameplay.
The campaign continues the saga of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the Florentine playboy turned master assassin who was the central protagonist in "Assassin's Creed II." After dispatching Rodrigo Borgia and gaining revenge for the murder of his family, Ezio returns to the renovated villa in Monteriggioni to unwind and plan his next move. The respite is short-lived, however, as Borgia's son mounts an assault on Monteriggioni and destroys everything Ezio - and the player - had worked so hard to build in "AC II."
Injured and with only the clothes on his back, Ezio once again finds himself in a quest against the Borgia, this time on the cobbled streets of Rome. The vast city, which is a site to behold with landmarks like the Coliseum free to explore, is divided into zones and each zone includes a tower from which a Borgia captain keeps an oppressive watch over the commoners. Eliminating those captains and burning down their towers frees that section of the city, granting you access to any services contained within its borders like stables, banks or tailors and providing a steady source of income. Eliminating the towers is optional, but the benefits you reap make it worth your time.
Standing up to the Borgia provides more than economic benefits for Ezio. As you free the people from their tyranny, some will want to join you in your fight. "Brotherhood" introduces the ability to recruit apprentice assassins that you can use to carry out missions. Calling in one of your followers is as simple as pressing a button, and watching them swoop in and quickly eliminate a target is beyond cool. Your fellow assassins gain experience for completing missions, and as they gain experience they unlock new abilities like smoke bombs or upgrade their armor. Your apprentices aren't indestructible and can be killed, but I didn't have any trouble keeping my assassin's guild full of willing followers.
While the inclusion of the assassin's guild is the biggest change in "Brotherhood," it is not the only notable addition. Others include the the ability to ride your horse throughout the city (and given the size of Rome, taking to horseback is a must if you want to cover great distances in a short time) and improved hand-to-hand combat complete with special finishing moves that incorporate multiple weapons. I was most intrigued by the new secondary objectives tied to each mission. In order to achieve a perfect 100 percent synch, players are required to meet special conditions within the mission, like eliminating a guard in a certain way or completing the mission in a given time limit. These secondary objectives are totally optional, but I'm guessing a significant portion of gamers will be replaying missions over and over again to get that elusive 100 percent.
While "Brotherhood" brings some new twists to the campaign mode, the game will feel instantly familiar to fans of the series. The established "Assassin's Creed" formula remains unchanged -- Ezio can scale buildings to explore the highest reaches of city and search for hidden treasure, hire courtesans and beggars to distract guards during missions, blend into crowds to escape pursuers, and take on a number of side missions to earn more gold. You'll also spend more time controlling Desmond, Ezio's modern-day descendant who is reliving his relative's memories through the Animus machine. "Brotherhood" might not be a significant leap forward in the gameplay department, but developer Ubisoft Montreal made a wise decision by not messing with a good thing.
"Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" is worth the price of admission for the single-player campaign alone, but the addition of competitive multiplayer makes the package even more appealing. Featuring four gameplay variants, the multiplayer in "Brotherhood" is the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse. Players control either an assassin tasked with eliminating a target or a hunter out to stop them. Assassins can blend in with the crowd or even change their character model to better disguise themselves, while the hunters can attempt to track their foes via radar. Players are graded on their performance during each match, and more points are earned for stealthily dispatching your target, which means matches are often much more methodically paced than, say, your typical first-person shooter. As you earn points, you'll increase in rank and unlock new abilities and character skins. Many gamers have been clamoring for multiplayer in the "Assassin's Creed" universe and "Brotherhood" doesn't disappoint.
After two successful entries, the "Assassin's Creed" franchise has established itself as one of the premier brands in video games. And despite its sudden arrival, "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" does nothing to tarnish that reputation. Offering both an outstanding single-player adventure and a refreshing take on multiplayer gaming, "Brotherhood" completely blew away my expectations and is one of the best games of 2010.
"Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Available for: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 ($59.99)
Rating: M for mature
Score: 9.1/10
