Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Brotherhood is a great game, but it's hard to wholeheartedly recommend. This is really a title designed for fans of Assassin's Creed II, as it's a continuation of that story, but the reality is that people who finished that game want something new or that at least represents a clear step forward. Brotherhood doesn't deliver that. The game doesn't advance the wider narrative very far, the new mechanics don't really add a great deal and the mission designs rarely explore new gameplay possibilities.

There is no way not to compare this game to Assassin’s Creed II, especially considering that it is a direct sequel. With that said, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood beats its predecessor in every aspect. It has a new team management system, a beautiful environment to explore, fantastic controls that will have you running all over the city, along with an engaging storyline. Throw in one of the most unique multiplayer experiences to date, and you have yourself one of the greatest games of the year. Simply put, do yourself a favor and pick up Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.

Just as lengthy and deeper than its predecessors, Ezio's latest adventure holds the line. Many of the gameplay issues have gone unchecked once again, but assassin recruitment, development, and implementation is far more addictive than you might think. The multiplayer component definitely has its moments, but serious players will be turned off by how random it can be. For the series to remain elite it will need to evolve, but for now, its unique premise and core gameplay are more than enough to make this brotherhood one worth joining.

The story does a great job of furthering both the historical plot as well as the overarching sci-fi elements of the story (Desmond has a much larger role here), and the game's new structure is refreshing for those who may have found the back-and-forth structure of last year's title to be a bit tedious. With plenty of story content and even more to unlock online, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a must-purchase for fans of the series, and does quite a bit to improve upon an already-solid formula.

It seemed to be an impossible task for Ubisoft to turn around a year after the release of Assassin’s Creed II and deliver such a polished follow-up to a game that many critics were calling one of 2009’s best titles. Yet, against all odds, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood exists in 2010, and it not only lives up to the hype, but it manages to completely outclass its predecessor. Brotherhood is a game that Assassin’s Creed fans simply cannot afford to miss, and one of best games this year.

But regardless of such shortcomings, Brotherhood's success lies in taking what made AC2 work and simultaneously making it more coherent and more cinematic. It's an exercise in perfecting what you've already got working; you're not going to find much in the way of completely new material, but this is a superior game to its predecessor and a solid bridge to the next entry in the series.

There is joy in leaping across the Roman rooftops, taking in the grand sights in front of you and realizing that it is all your own playground. Stealing a combatant's spear from him and impaling him on it is a brutal pleasure. And the little touches--the way Claudia meets Ezio's stare with one of her own, or the fluid animations that characterize your agile maneuvers--are constant reminders of what makes these games so enchanting. This may not be Assassin's Creed III, but like Ezio's smirk, Brotherhood is too irresistible to ignore.

If commerce isn’t your thing, take heart: like so much else in Brotherhood, it’s largely optional. While Brotherhood’s central story missions are engaging enough (if a little heavy on stealth, escort and oh-so-tedious tailing jobs), its structure is a little unusual, in that its relatively short central story is propped up by a slew of optional tasks, some of which come with their own storylines, and a few of which actually contain some of the game’s best moments.

Aside from some scenery popping up, and the fact that we’d like to see the radial weapon wheel use better and bolder symbols for identifying weapons, there really is nothing to say. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is everything we wanted it to be and more. It's not just the most epic, focused and action-packed Assassin’s Creed game yet, but it's a real contender for Game of the Year.

The game’s multiplayer is conceptually interesting. Alliance, Wanted and Advanced Wanted are all based on the same concept. You’re given a target to assassinate, and their approximate location is marked as an area on your minimap. Be aware that other players are hunting you. It means that you need to blend amongst the NPCs – performing the rooftop acrobatics of the singleplayer will give you away in a heart beat.

En puesta en escena, en mecánicas de juego y en el desarrollo en sí de la trama. Matizado esto, nos encontramos ante el juego más completo de la franquicia y el que mejor aprovecha las premisas que un día presentó Assassin's Creed. Roma es una ciudad enorme, llena de posibilidades y con un sinfín de misiones, objetos y elementos para explorar. Ubisoft ha pulido la mecánica de juego, dándole más variedad a la resolución de objetivos y obligando a hacer uso de las herramientas que ofrece el juego, que han aumentado en esta entrega.

La Hermandad es un nuevo triunfo para la saga Assassin's Creed. La incuestionable calidad de la franquicia se ve apuntalada en esta ocasión por un pulido jugable sin parangón y por la adición de algunos elementos de interés como el multijugador, destinado a ampliar su vida útil. Un videojuego memorable que no debe faltar en la colección de ningún aficionado y que mantiene a la IP como una de las más en forma en la Next-Gen.

On pouvait craindre le pire avec un temps de battement aussi court et le recyclage d'un univers déjà exploité, pourtant Assassin's Creed Brotherhood est loin d'être une bête extension, même s'il conserve l'essentiel de ses bases (et certaines lacunes). Rome est une ville riche et vaste, Ezio profite de nouvelles capacités et les activités sont innombrables. Quant au mode multijoueur, si on ignore ce qu'il adviendra sur le long terme, c'est malgré tout une étonnante réussite.

De forma alguma Brotherhood veio para revolucionar a indústria mas sem dúvidas que veio revolucionar a série. Se o II já o tinha insinuado, agora fica confirmado, está mais seguro de si, cresceu e colmata as poucas lacunas que lhe restavam, se bem que por natureza abriu outras. De carácter forte e cada vez mais destemido, quando for contada a história de como Assassin's Creed cresceu e evoluiu, certamente o nome de Brotherhood vai figurar aí.

Il problema principale del multiplayer di Brotherhood, quindi, è quello del bilanciamento, che unito allo scarso ritmo di ogni singola partita, rende la modalità un semplice extra che verrà probabilmente migliorato e rifinito nei prossimi episodi della serie. Nonostante questo, comunque, Brotherhood è un gran gioco, un'avventura intensa (il finale è una bomba, ed è riuscito a farmi cambiare idea riguardo all'inevitabile Assassin's Creed ambientato ai giorni nostri, a cui si arriverà prima o poi) e un'esperienza longeva, coinvolgente e gratificante.

Brotherhood lijkt namelijk verder in veel opzichten op het vorige deel maar voegt ook het nodige toe. Zo kun je nu je eigen moordgenootschap managen en zelfs als een groep te werk gaan met de computergestuurde personages. De game vervolgt het verhaal van Desmond en Ezio, maar dan met vele toevoegingen. Als je iemand bent die van snelle actie houdt, is dit niet echt een game voor jou, maar alle andere mensen moeten direct naar de winkel sluipen om de game te kopen, want het leven onder de muts van een moordenaar is nog nooit zo heerlijk geweest!

Jag gillar friheten och att det alltid finns något att göra, och där är Brotherhood bättre än någonsin. Samtidigt är det frustrerande att Ubisoft aldrig lägger den där extra tiden på att verkligen polera klart sina spel, och även om Brotherhood är en riktig uppföljare och knappast någon futtig expansion, så tycker jag att det hade mått bra av några månaders finslipning. Animationsbuggar, tveksam artificiell intelligens, kameratrassel och den frustration som dessa kan orsaka när det är som mest intensivt gör att serien aldrig lär kunna aspirera på de där högsta betygen.