Review: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Game: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Sandbox
Developer(s): Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher(s): Ubisoft
Platform(s): PS3, Xbox 360, PC
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Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Pros: Great story, huge arsenal of weaponry, challenging missions, involved gameplay, entertaining multiplayer
Cons: The Brotherhood system could have been slightly more involved
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   Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood continues the plot where Assassin's Creed 2 left off. This time, Ezio, now the master of the Assassin Order, traverses the streets of 13th century Rome in an attempt to free the Roman people from the tyrannical grips of the Borgia. His greatest weapon in this endeavor is his newly formed Brotherhood, a guild of assassins that you can call upon to take out your enemies.


   There isn't a whole lot to say about this game - it is just awesome. It takes the combat system and stealth mechanics of Assassin's Creed 2 and refines them. In addition, you have access to your assassin's guild, a collection of 16 assassins (six of which can be called into combat) to help take out guards. Out of combat, you can use your assassins to perform missions/contracts to help generate income. Assassins gains experience through contracts and killing guards, progressing in level, equipment, and technique. Once they reach a certain level, they attain the rank of Assassin, which gives them more hit points, the use of more gadgets, and not a whole lot else. 


   All of the gadgets of Assassin's Creed 2 are found in Brotherhood, plus a couple of extras. A cool new feature presented in Brotherhood is the Killing Blow mechanic, allowing you to string kill shots together to take down an entire group of guards in the blink of an eye. Different weapons produce varied killing blows, making each killing spectacular and exhilarating. 


   The sync system in Brotherhood is a little more involved than AC2, making it more difficult to obtain full synchronization of Desmond's memories. The new sync system pushes you to be the best assassin you can be, immersing the player even deeper into the life of a master assassin.


   The multiplayer system was also a unique touch. Players take the role of a Templar Agent. These agents use the Animus' training programs to refine their assassination skills to better combat the Assassin Order. The main objectives of each multiplayer game is to successfully assassinate your target (another player) while avoiding being assassinated yourself. The twist is that each level is filled with copies of each player's avatar, making finding the right target a challenge in and of itself. As you play through each game, you obtain experience points to progress in levels. Each level unlocks new abilities, gadgets, and play modes. 


   What would have made multiplayer mode more interesting is to put the players in Rome (or sections of it), like in single player. Players would have to use the stealth and assassination techniques (like crowd blending) developed in single player in order to hunt and take down other players, while also avoiding/combating Borgia guards.


   I would have also liked to have seen the Brotherhood system have more depth. The system was pretty basic: Recruit assassins, send them on contracts to raise their level, call them to kill a couple of guards, and choose how they progress (whether they receive armor or weapon upgrades at each level). It would have been cool to develop the assassin's skill in more depth and then call on them specifically for that skill. For example, you could develop one assassin's espionage skill, making them masters of disguise, bribery, or information gathering. Another example would be to develop one assassin's melee combat skills better than the others, favoring going toe-to-toe with guards than employing assassination techniques. You would then either select your brotherhood line up, selecting the assassins that best complement the skills needed to complete your current mission. Now, your brotherhood line up is determined by what assassins are available (not on a contract mission), and which assassin you recruited first.


   Bottom line: Get this game. Single player has 40+ hours of gameplay alone, not to mention some free downloadable content to add extra missions. Depending on your skill, multiplayer may also take an extended period of time to master, making it well worth the purchase.