When you see it, you'll sh*t brix.

Ubisoft's latest entry to the Assassin's Creed series is an odd sequel. Whereas Assassin's Creed 2 was a step up from the original in almost every way, complete with an all new time period, setting and protagonist, Brotherhood makes few changes to the formula. Ezio (the protagonist of Assassin's Creed 2) returns, and once again you are in renaissance Italy, literally seconds after the end of the previous game. This familiarity is not that surprising; after all, it is specifically not called Assassin's Creed 3.

Unfortunately, Brotherhood does a good job of showing the player that it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Assassin's Creed 2 was a wonderful game and it provided a complete experience. Yet, after all the plot revelations and a complete character arc for Ezio, there was little reason for his story to continue; especially after the ending had made it clear that Ezio's purpose had been fulfilled. This is the root of Brotherhood's problems. It still has most of what makes the Assassin's Creed series so great, but it's an indicator that if the series wants to be relevant and interesting again, it has to do something different, because there is just too much familiarity. Brotherhood does of course bring some new things to the table, but none feel like really meaningful additions or real refinements to the formula, barring one or two.

Caesare Borgia

A similar sequel in video games doesn't seem like that much of a shock, a recurring protagonist is to be expected in many series and returning locations are not unheard of. This isn't usually a bad thing either but Brotherhood manages to do a rather poor job of it; the heart of this problem is the lack of change around the core. You still have the beating heart of Assassin's Creed 2 and what is there is great. However, there needs to be something around it and this is where Brotherhood lets you down. A highlight of the Assassin's Creed series has been its story, and in that respect Brotherhood is a complete disappointment. In reality Brotherhood doesn't have much of a story at all. At the beginning you are thrust back into the assassin lifestyle by Cesare Borgia. Your mission is simple, get back a missing artefact and kill Borgia, a very simple story drawn out over a very long game. The only real story progression happens at the beginning and right at the end, and although the events are ultimately very important, they leave a floundering middle section devoid of any interesting narrative. Assassin's Creed 2 suffered somewhat from this issue also, but it filled story gaps with character development. This is where the decision to bring back Ezio backfires on Brotherhood. Ezio, as a character, has already been developed by the kind of situation he is placed back into. This means that throughout the game there is not only little plot but no character development, and while Ezio keeps his winning personality, it's all too familiar.

Shoot and Stab, Shoot and Stab, Shoot and Stab, You get the idea.

Many other game sequels do reuse elements of the previous titles, and as such, it usually isn't an issue. If the gameplay is good enough then a nice, new story is all the distraction you need to keep you invested. Brotherhood has lost this safety net, because the long sections of pure gameplay with no narrative start to wear after a while. It is then when you start to notice faults in the game and start to realise that the gameplay isn't quite good enough to hold the game together by itself due to some odd and infuriating design decisions. As far as combat goes, the gameplay has improved. Previous Assassin's Creed games have been very slow in combat. You stand in the middle of multiple enemies and wait for one to attack so you can counter them; then repeat that until you are done. In Brotherhood they have introduced kill streaks; in this game a kill streak means you can stack counter kills. After successfully countering one enemy you can move towards another enemy and kill him in one hit, and this keeps going until an enemy manages to get a hit on you. It's an interesting system and some quick enemies stop it from being too easy. The problem here is not the combat system itself, but some frustrating enemy placement. The designers are all too aware that killing normal guards is very easy, however, they seem to have forgotten it is also very fun. The way Ubisoft has added difficulty is by adding in enemies that you can't counter, which were also in the second game, but now there are just more of them. They are still easy enough to take down but aren't as fun. Kicking a guard with a scary axe until they kindly allow you to stab them isn't as enjoyable as swiftly evading your opponent then brutally murdering them. You can still take down these brutes instantly with your kill streak, but the game makes it hard to start one by throwing several heavies at you at once. In the heat of battle it is usually better to focus on them first which is effective, just not fun.

SQUEAL FOR ME!

This is only one small issue; another problem with the game's design is how it handles bringing back your powerful character from Assassin's Creed 2. Like many other games before it, Brotherhood finds a way to weaken the protagonist, putting him back to square one so you don't enter the game overpowered. This is a necessary game mechanic that is used in numerous titles, as it allows for gameplay progression and caters to the players that want to build the best character possible. The issue with this in Brotherhood is not the weakening of the character, but how you build him back up. In most games you will unlock your lost abilities, but in Brotherhood you have to buy them. Buying new armour makes sense, but there are strange touches like having to re-purchase your second hidden blade and a glove that can make you climb higher. Not only do you have to buy these things, but they only become available after a certain amount of story progression. Meaning that after Assassin's Creed 2 gave us the revelation of not knowing how we ever put up with just one hidden blade, you are forced to do just that. On top of this, when the vendor turns up in the story you have to have the money on you then, and if you need to go get more money to buy an item, you will have to find the vendor again, who relocates. This shouldn't be too much of an issue, but at this stage the city map is so cluttered that you have to turn off several indicators to find him. This isn't a big issue but it is annoying, and seems so pointless.

Guild Customization is one of the key features of Brotherhood

Apart from this issue, the economy is mostly very good in Brotherhood; you are not just building up your villa this time but renovating the whole of Rome. Rome is under Borgia control so you have to take down the control towers dotted around the map and then you can buy shops and even landmarks. Removing Borgia control makes a lot of sense for the main character and being able to buy all of this new stuff does make you feel like you are influencing the world more than in 2; while the steady flow of cash it supplies is also a bonus. However, it does seem a bit odd that Ezio decides to become a property tycoon in his spare time, fighting against control by "the man" and then controlling everything himself. This slight oddity is not enough to outweigh the gameplay advantage of this mechanic, though. Seeing as you spend your whole time in one city, it's nice to see you having an effect on it. Sticking to just the one city is also a step back from Assassin's Creed 2, and while Rome is certainly sizable enough, the sense of discovery is gone. Every time you entered a new place in 2 it was great, because the cities all had subtle, but important differences, and being in a new place encouraged exploration. You only get that feeling once in Brotherhood, and a change of venue would have really helped the flow of the game. The middle part of the game could have been vastly improved by adding in a new location, and it would have made the gameplay feel less stale, at least partly due to your attention being taken from it. It is important to say how well modelled Rome is though; the city is beautiful and is a pleasure to run around in; it is just that after a while you realise you are just running backwards and forwards over the same place and might wish for some variety.

There are some great bits in Brotherhood though; these include assassin recruitment and some great new weaponry. Assassin recruitment works in a similar way to saving citizens in the first Assassin's Creed, however, now the citizens you save join the assassins, a marked improvement. You can recruit assassins all over Rome and send them off on contracts to level them up and even utilise them in battle. Managing your recruits and their assignments is addictive in and of itself, and the reward for numerous powerful assassins is simply awesome. Any recruit that isn't on assignment can be used to aid you in battle. With one simple button press, your recruits jump out from off screen and swiftly murder your enemies. The more you use and the higher level they are, the more effective they become. It's always a delight to walk past an enemy, press a button, and walk away while you watch your assassins leap onto unsuspecting guards. It makes things easier for you and it is extremely enjoyable. Unfortunately, the story makes the recruits seem a little irrelevant, but in gameplay they are amazing, the best addition to the single player in Brotherhood. Other improvements in the game include better facial and character modelling; the game is as pretty as ever, but is still bogged down by some technical issues. Be prepared for a few minor glitches in your playthrough.



As far as the campaign goes, Brotherhood is a bit of a disappointment. The mission design is another victim of this. Most of Assassin's Creed 1 and 2 let you focus on combat or stealth if you wished; the stealth was never terribly deep and was always very gamey, but fun enough in small doses. Brotherhood, on the other hand, is very stealth heavy. There are plenty of missions that will end if you get noticed by guards, and the frustration here is increased by spotty guard AI who range from stupidly smart to just stupid. It's a shame that it doesn't let you carry on once stealth is broken like in the previous games; it's true that 2 did have missions like these but they were few and far between. The missions in Brotherhood just aren't as enjoyable as those in 2, and arguably 1, and this is very disappointing. Those of you who were pleasantly surprised to hear this supposed small spin off had a large campaign will be really let down by the quality of it. It's nice that the game has a proper campaign, but a better designed one would be better. All in all, Brotherhood is still a brilliant game, but terribly flawed. It still has the brilliant heart of Assassin's Creed, but the design around it makes this pale in comparison to the superior prequel. If you like the series then you will like the game, just don't expect to love it.



One big plus point in Brotherhood though is the truly superb multiplayer. Many of you may have been apprehensive about multiplayer being forced into yet another franchise, but this time it really works. It is an inventive online mode, and one unlike any other on consoles. The standout mode is Wanted, in which you have to track down another player and kill them. In each game there are about 8 human players and countless more NPCs. At the start, you choose your class and the NPCs in the match reflect the class you picked. You then have to kill your chosen target. This is not as easy as it sounds though, because there is somebody else chasing you, so you have to try and hide whilst hunting your prey. This is made even more interesting by the lack of any kind of HUD indication as to who is your victim; besides a picture of their class or a "compass" that directs you to their rough location. The compass will then say if they are in sight and you have to work out who is your target and who is an NPC. Kill an NPC and you lose your contract. Kill your target and you gain valuable experience points. This makes for a really tense game mode where you must play smart; you have to try to convince the other players that you are an NPC, so, if you run around like a crazy person, you will die. This is where the other NPCs come in; you can hide among them, and if you really want to fool your pursuer, hide among members of your own class. Spotting your target is a great feeling and stealthily taking them down is rewarding in and of itself. Even playing overtly can be rewarding though. If you are very obvious, then the game will tell the player you are there, instigating a chase. You have to chase your target while they try to escape, killing them will net you experience, and if they escape then the contract is lost and the experience theirs. The other few modes are fun as well; the team based ones are a variant on the same theme, but nothing is quite as fun as wanted. Some players may experience matchmaking issues, but when you get in a match it's incredible.















  
HOW DOES IT LOOK? Assassins Creed Brotherhood presents superb graphics, and like it's predecessors the franchise gets better as it goes by. With facial animations, as well as environmental queues this game has got to be one of the best looking ones up to date.

HOW DOES IT SOUND? The music of the game is wonderful, Jesper Kyd is brilliant when it came to the soundtrack of the game. Also, the sound effects are not bad either. Voice acting is superb and you could not expect anything else bu great audio in this game.

HOW DOES IT PLAY? The game like it's predecessors has some minor flaws when it comes to combat as well as free-running but you can tell Ubisoft's team has been working really hard on improving it for the next coming titles. So hopefully, in Assassin's Creed 3 this will be perfected.

HOW LONG WILL IT LAST? The game will last you quite a few hours, in fact I would say 15-18 hours worth. Although, that is just the main story line. This game has side quests, and that would probably give you +10 or so. But, I finished the main story in a day, so that could tell you something.

HOW IS IT PRESENTED? The game is presented wonderfully, and it is surely one of the biggest hits in 2010. It is not bad and it is quite enjoyable and lives up to the Assassin's Creed name.



It really is quite surprising that the standout part of Brotherhood is the multiplayer, although the campaign is still good (and you need to play it if you want to keep up with the overarching storyline of the series), it just isn't as good as the previous titles. Most of the changes feel like a step back, or sideways, and the things left untouched make the game feel a bit empty. It's still a great game though, and outside the main missions there are fantastic platforming segments in caves (similar to the tombs from AC2) and plenty of things to do and collect. However, the multiplayer just outshines everything. If you were put off by the seemingly tacked on multiplayer, then you will be very impressed. Let's just hope that the next Assassin's Creed takes us somewhere different and has a better designed single player. Until then you still have the multiplayer to keep you coming back for more.