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Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a fantastic game in every aspect and has brought a great amount of enjoyment. The creators put forth a great deal of work and made many improvements from previous installments. The game feels like an entirely different game even though it continues the story of Ezio. I am extremely pleased so far.
The Story
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As always, the Assassin's Creed story is exceptional. You continue the story of the battle between the Assassins and the Templars. You dive further into Ezio's life and explore the city of Rome. The story is as great as ever and the leading a group of assassins is a truly great feeling. The missions are well tied to the story. I cannot say too much about the story without spoiling it; however you will not be disappointed.
The Gameplay
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The gameplay is fantastic! It is one of the major improvements the creators made to the game. The combat system has been greatly improved to be more aggressive. No more sitting there, waiting for an opponent to make a move. Leading a group of assassins is great in combat. You can call them to aid you and watch as they assassinate, shoot, and slice your enemies along with you. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood also comes with new weapons, machines, and equipment. Now you can soar down towers using parachutes and quickly air assassinate people. Also you can now truly fight on horseback! It provides a whole new element to the game. The free climbing is as great as ever. The gameplay has been improved in too many ways to cover them all.
The Online Experience
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Online is brilliant. It's a whole new experience that has never truly been seen before. There are several different game modes and maps to play on. Also there are over 10 characters to play as, along with unique weapons and abilities, such as the ability to sprint away, or morph into a different character. An online assassin game is truly amazing. The feeling of sweeping from the roof to an unsuspecting player is great. The online is a HUGE success and I love every minute of it. It adds a huge deal of replay to the game.
The Replay Amount
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The game offers a great deal of replay in contrast to the past games. In Brotherhood, there is a huge amount of challenges to play through. Also, similar to previous editions, you can search for hidden items in the game. There is much more to do when you get bored of following the campaign. This isn't even including the online! The online mode makes the game have a huge amount of replay time. Brotherhood is much longer than other installments of the games due to challenges and online mode!
Conclusion
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This game is truly outstanding. I love everything about it. The story, gameplay, and online make this game exceed my expectations. This game is superior to the other two Assassin's Creeds. If you even remotely enjoyed the previous Assassin's Creeds, than get Brotherhood. You will love every second of it!
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When I heard Brotherhood was coming out so close to AC2, at first I was over trilled and totally hyped up to get my hands on it... but as many have pointed out, a sequel in less than year is worrisome when it comes to quality.
Well, the doubts were completely answered with an amazing, full, and engaging game.
Story wise: It is finally being made a LOT more clear that Desmond is the face of Assassin's Creed. He is getting a lot more playtime and the first section you play with him as is nostalgically similar to the Assassin's Tombs in AC2 (only a lot easier and more latches and lifts.)
The Shrines of Romulus will be the new "assassin tombs" giving a armor that will give you full synchro with Ezio.
On Ezio's side you will see the return of "flags" that were in AC1 and the "feathers" in AC2, and getting all of them unlocks their own rewards.
In conclusion, as to not give any spoilers, the story is what you would expect from this franchise.... awesome. Graphics looks a lot better than what I remember (having played the ps3 version of AC@.)
Gameplay:
Combat-
Assassin's Creed is definitely evolving and I am liking it's progress. AC1 was basically spam the attack button and block... cool at first, right?
AC2 expanded on this with counter kill moves, but then we would be stuck waiting for the A.I to attack us for easy kills.
Brotherhood ADDS all of that and combines it with a stronger and smarter A.I, making the enemies attack you back to back (instead of in turns), and offensive gameplay is now a lot stronger than it was before. So the battles are quick and gory with even larger battles going on compared to previous ACs.
Additions to previous features-
>New Weapons
>New Armors (sadly the "armor" gotten for pre-ordering at Amazon is an outfit)
>Trade Items furthering the element of a role playing game
>Run your own city (in this case Rome) is back on a larger scale
> and of course, the ability to make your Brotherhood of assassins (it's the name of the game!)
Multiplayer-
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is the first game in series with a multiplayer mode!! We asked for it, and they answered.
The animi you see at the beginning of AC2 is the back story of the multiplayer section of the game. Abstergo templars use the animi to gain the skills of assassins with the bleeding effect, and that is us.
Each player is assigned a target (some other player), now the player has to assassinate its target without losing their cover, or they will be killed by the person who was assigned to assassinate THEM!
I haven't gotten into the story mode that much yet, but apparently the multiplayer characters we will play as are in the main story, so everything is tied in nicely, right?!
Uplay pointsAssassin's Creed 2 was the first to have these and of course, every new Ubisoft game has them. Brotherhood is no exception to this. If you do not know what this entails, it is basically ubisoft's version of trophies or achievements. They unlock exclusive themes and ingame media (extra bullets skins, multiplayer character, etc). Pretty nice of them.
If you have already beaten AC2 as I have you get 20 uplay points at the start of the game.
In Closing:
As a fan of Assassin's Creed, I can't help but just praise it with a perfect score. If you have seen trailers, demos, gameplay videos... just take a dive and give it a try, it at least deserves a trial run. You wont regret it.
Buy Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Now
I've followed this story line since game 1. I fell in love with the original just because of the freedom in it. You always went at your pace, you chose what starter quests you did before going for the big kill, and there were almost no restrictions. You could either go kamikaze on your targets or be stealthy. You could stay and fight the guards afterward or bolt away.
The second game added to that. You still had a sense of freedom only they added so much more. The armor, the weapons, everything was customized to your own wants. You got to rebuild the villa which was fun. And the story was a bit longer.
Now Brotherhood, I had high expectations for. Based on how epic the last two were I thought this would be even better. However, I was taken aback by a few things.
First things first, this game is incredibly glitchy. For those that haven't experienced what me and my close group of friends have, you are extremely lucky. Because we've been randomly desynced, gotten stuck to the point where you have to restart the game, didn't have our targets show up a few times and more. It can be really terrible in multiplayer. The heads up factor will sometimes completely disappear in multiplayer sometimes leaving you in a weird sort of eagle vision. Sometimes you lose your kills or don't get your allotted points for them.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Borgia towers, Romulus lairs, and rebuilding Rome. For the most part you had free rein with this, you could do it however you wanted. Customizing the colors of your armor was cool because you could mix and match capes. The addition of heavy weapons to carry around like the big axe and sword was AWESOME. Also the improved mounted horse combat was excellent. I loved being able to ride a horse through the streets of Rome.
To counter that, the free rein for your major missions is almost shot. Sure most of the time you can do it your way.... if you don't want full sync. My first time through, I didn't get full sync on anything. They will actually require you in order to get full synchronization, to kill your targets or do something in a specific way. You either had to use your assassin recruits, hidden blade, smoke bomb etc. This might just be me, but when I play a sandbox type game like this, I'd like to choose how to kill my target. Also a majority of these missions you cant be detected in. I know the game is built around stealth, but the last game had a good medium with that. We all have days where we don't want to tip toe around and we want to go Leroy Jenkins on everything. You're SOL if you're doing a main mission and that's the case. You will get desynchronized if you get caught. Furthermore if a guard even sees you, you BARELY have anytime to silence him. You either need to never be seen by anyone or be right behind him. I've had moments in the game where I silence one guard and a guard beneath me who isn't even in my line of site catches me and I desync.
The multiplayer was really super epic when I first started it. I bought the game the first day it came out and I did a manhunt my first time. I came out in 4th place on my first try which isn't bad. I really enjoyed doing it. I took a break for two days, returned to it and everyone was over level 20 while I was level 2. I was immediately under-powered on every aspect which made multiplayer very unenjoyable for me. They all had the technology on their personas that I didn't have. This is probably my fault because I didn't work at it as hard and took that break, but it IS something worth mentioning. Before multiplayer can actually be something you like you have to withstand a great amount of butt kicking. It just destroyed whatever desire I had to play it, I personally like to be evenly matched with my opponents.
I will continue to play this series because of the story line. If they keep taking the things I like out of it, I will STILL play. The story line is one of the best I've seen in a video game like this. It keeps you at the edge of your seat and leaves you trying to guess and theorize what will happen next. The plot is absolute genius and I will suffer through the next one in order to know what happens next.
Read Best Reviews of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Here
To start off the developer of this game has stated greatly this is not a full fledged sequel but more of a part 2 to Assassin's Creed 2. Knowing this when purchasing this game will greatly help the overall enjoyment of the game with out raising the expectations factor beyond achievement. So what im saying is to go in expecting to finish off Assassin's Creed 2 and you'll be greatly pleased. As with most of my reviews I post the pros and cons and my opinion at top while keeping the in depth review lower.
Personal Opinion: If you loved Assassins Creed 2 there is absolutely no reason you should not like or enjoy this game. I would also greatly suggest playing AC2 before starting this game if your new to the series. If youve played them all i would also suggest warming up on AC2 for a few hours just be reminded of all the work put into the villa and the character growth of Ezio... some of you will understand why.
On a side note I my connection on my ps3 is to low to play any multiplayer matches due to the snow so I will edit my review with the addition of my opinions of online if i deem it necessary.
Pros:
1. Slightly refined combat making for a more offensive approach
2. Economic scale much higher than what the Villa was and balanced
3. The feeling of a badass has been upped
4. Having apprentices and watching them descend upon a group of guards like a pack of wolves
5. Secondary objectives provide challenges for some missions
6. Length of game if your a completionist
7. Almost everything is optional
8. Bringing your horse inside the city and calling it with a whistle like in Red Dead Redemption
9. Conquering that what the hell how am i gonna climb this feeling
10. Desmond has grown some finally
Cons:
1. The camera and its positioning behind objects during fights on occasion
2. Buying some large landmarks for a steep price only to find out they provide very little income
3. Overshooting that one ledge and dying
4. The larger number of do not be detected missions can be somewhat annoying for some
5. Losing an apprentice
6. Having to wait to take over all of Rome due to that stupid wall that unlocks as you progress through the story
7. That what the hell how am i gonna climb this feeling and having it for nearly half an hour (personal problem)
8. Desmonds getting fat...
GAMEPLAY:
Overall you still play as Ezio Auditore and he handles generally the same. While some of the moves appear to have changed everything will be like picking Assassin's Creed 2 back up and going at it. Youll run and jump between buildings,judging distances on the fly, and making those leaps of faith on the fly as been one of the core mechanics as to any entry in this series. One of the more dramatic changes is without a doubt the chain kills. when dealing out a killing blow to an enemy you can aim the analog stick in the direction of another opponent and a click of the attack button will allow you to automatically kill him. Even though it may sound a bit easy at first, but enemies like most games can end your chain kills by hitting you, dodging, or being to far away. It makes for a slight challenge to string together a long killstreak but ultimately more satisfying. While one poor mans review of this game who gave it two stars complained about enemies still taking turns at attacking I have noticed they are not as hesitant now and will swing in at any chance. Weapons are generally the same with the inclusion of a crossbow working generally as a stealth kill pistol. In a personal opinion I still prefer the hidden blades and short swords/daggers due to their more brutal nature and speed at which you can slice kills together.
Rome is huge and the fast travel networks is a necessary addition as well as the ability to use a horse inside the walls. Taking out Borgia towers works as both view points as well as unlocking building's for sale. There are separate view points as well. Romulus lairs instead of Assassin's tombs or to replace them i should say but they still unlock a the most powerful armor in the game.
APPRENTICES:
Generally the apprentices are just a gameplay addition but I am giving them a separate section just due to having to put work into them. If your like me and get attached to something you've put work into you'll enjoy the apprentices just due to the separate leveling and watching them swarm your target while you watch from a roof after signaling them with the left trigger. They are my favorite addition by far and work somewhat like a pack of wolves stalking a small group of deer. They attack out of nowhere and are ruthless and their efficiency only gets deadlier as you progress them through contracts in foreign areas. You can send a number of apprentices to one of many foreign major cities to complete one of many contracts with a range of difficulties. As they level up their efficiency gets higher making the more effective at difficult contracts. If you want to level up the recently recruited civilian who was being oppressed by a group of guards till you intervened you can send them with a higher ranked assassin who has a much higher chance to succeed on a difficult mission making for a large bonus to the newbie. When they are not out doing contracts they will be in Ezio's hideout ready to assists you on your command. The more recruits you have the more Assassins you can call in to aid you at any point. To many guards hold down the trigger longer to allow for a hail of very precise arrows that will clear the street. Having difficulty getting to a target call in back up to either deal with the guards or take out the target themselves. Its all extremely self explanatory in the game but watching these little devils wipe a room clean while you are watching in the distance is extremely satisfying.
ECONOMY101:
If you completed the Villa in AC2 you will get a much larger scale this time around with Rome as a whole. You can purchase a large number of stores/businesses this time around but bring in much less money so collecting large numbers of those stores is necessary. You wont find yourself with an endless supply of money till much later on and closer to the finale rather than halfway. Pouches have received a large price increase as a side note so expect to drop some serious cash.
TIPMake sure your carrying at least 4000 florins as some missions require large amounts of money.
STORY:
Do not expect any large plot reveals either as 90% of the story revolves around Ezio taking over Rome. This time besides on a couple of occasions leaving the animus is entirely upto you. Ezio is after the power seat in Rome while building an army of followers and building an empire up. You will help civilians, assassinate corrupt officials, break into buildings, watch your main targets escape... alot, and good ol Leonardo makes a return thats a plus. its not as earth breaking as AC2. On a downside Ezio is cool but there is that lack of connection to Ezio if you haven't played AC2 in a while. Ezio starts out as the master assassin this time around so without watching him grow its kind of disconnecting. Personally story is the least of my concerns due to the love i have fore the gameplay.
Want Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Discount?
Recently, newer games have been all hype (cough...Star Wars...cough....Black Ops...sneeze...Fallout) and just do not deliver. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood however, has lived up to all the hype and is truly an amazing game. First off, gameplay is as addictive as in previous Assassin's Creed games. It still has that feeling you get when you assassinate someone with your hidden blade. The graphics are far superior from the previous Assassin's Creed games (Not to mention the cut-scenes). Multi-player is like a dream come true. The added characters you can play as (in multi-player) is a definite plus. All in all, there isn't anything negative to say about this game.
