22.11.2010

Strap on your hidden blade once again, the templars are far from done in their pursuit for world domination. It's time for you to step back into the animus and help shape the future once more. Time to revisit the renaissance era......STORYYou return as Ezio, only this time older, wiser and ready to become the master of the assassin order. Rome has now become the centre of corruption and templar dominance, it's your job to take the city back and bring peace upon it. Cesare Borgia stands in your way this time, a templar who has reacquired the piece of eden (an ancient artefact with great power) in an attempt to bend the people of Italy to his will. Running parallel to the story of Ezio is the story of Desmond (a modern day assassin),a descendant of Ezio in the present time. Desmond and his team are still on the run from Abstergo (modern day templars), the race to acquire the pieces of eden is heating up and their acquisition can tip the war in favour of the assassins. The key to finding the pieces of eden are hidden in the memories of Desmond, to be revisited through the animus.Personally, the strength of the series is about it's story telling. I've been hooked on how events unfold from game to game and here it is no different. The story surrounding Ezio is brilliant, you truly feel he has come a long way since the previous game and it's he who will lead the charge against the templars. Familiar characters are present and there are many new characters that will cross your path. The focus of the story is also about trust, this applies to both the stories of Ezio and Desmond. You will question your allies and if they are who they say they are, it's a great mechanic and makes you care about the characters. Religion, philosophy, technology, hidden secrets play a huge part in the story but I wont spoil these for you. Ubisoft Montreal are manipulating the story into exciting ways and it will breathe new life into future games.GRAPHICS + SOUNDThe graphics engine has been tweaked from the previous game, textures are more crisp and the pop-in has been reduced. Character models have also been improved, better facial animation and further attention to overall detail. Rome looks stunning and it is absolutely huge! Familiar landmarks such as the Colosseum are present and show off the impressive scale that has gone into recreating these structures. Everything does look sharper on screen and more polished, it's an amazing achievement considering AC2 was only out last year. Voice acting is superb, the characters deliver dialogue with power and feeling. Rome truly feels alive with all the street noises and people scampering about. The soundtrack excels yet again, it matches the mood of the game, whether you take part in rooftop races or to more serene moments.Unfortunately screen tearing is an issue, the screen can become choppy in parts. Framerate is also inconsistent and it can severely drop even in moments of very little action. Rome looks fantastic but so much of it is just open land, i would have liked to see some more architecture perhaps and not have it so concentrated to certain areas of the map. These complaints are minor as I'm very pleased with the positives.GAMEPLAYThere have been some useful additions in order to evolve the gameplay, the climbing/free-running mechanics are still very solid. Ezio moves very fluidly as he did in AC2. New weapons such as the crossbow are very useful in how you can approach stealth kills from a distance. The combat feels more fluid and you can chain attacks together. The new addition I love is the ability to use your sword and hidden gun together to perform some devastating attacks, these can result in quick kills and give you some more space during combat. Aside from the combat/free running, it is your job to free Rome of Borgia control which are part of side missions. Courtesan, thief and assassination missions are examples that add variety to the gameplay if you don't just want to focus on the main campaign. The side missions can result in bonus items so keep an eye out for them. Another useful addition is the ability to ride horses within the districts, this greatly improves your travelling time during missions or just in general. The newest highlight would be the ability to train citizens into assassins, level their skills up as you send them on missions around Europe. Turn them into the ultimate assassin as they can be summoned during missions to give you a great advantage. Virtual training tutorials have also been added to help perfect your skills.I enjoyed the combat but felt it to be very limited, by no means do i want a hack and slash feel from the game but more can be done to add depth to the combos or counter attacks. This is one aspect that can be improved upon just to mix up the combat and make it more fun. The other aspect was the assassins training which I found underwhelming, maybe missions could have been added where you accompany them into certain cities of Europe, this would add some variety and give you specific tasks associated with your recruits. I don't really have many complaints because on the whole I've really enjoyed playing this game.MULTIPLAYERAdmittedly I haven't spent a great amount of time online playing this, the assassination matches are a refreshing change as you are always planning your next move and how you approach your target. Somebody is hunting you whilst you are hunting your target. The gameplay has great energy, there are upgrades to unlock too. I've enjoyed the experience so far and hopefully I shall dig into it more.OVERALLAfter all said and done, AC:B is a fantastic game and a great expansion on the previous game. Gameplay and visuals have evolved but the story has me engrossed above anything else. I can't wait to find out what happens in the next game and how Ubisoft improve on this successful formula. There is around 20 hours of gameplay here so there's plenty to get your teeth stuck into. Multiplayer is a worthy addition to the overall package. Game of the year for me? So far it's looking likely. Time for me to climb my house and start running across rooftops in joy!9/10Ciao.

2.5.2011

Am I the only one who was not impressed by this game ? I loved Assassins Creed I and II and had waited eagerly for this game to be released hoping for something more. What I got though was more of the same.Carrying on directly from Assassins Creed II this sequal uses the same characters and the same setting. Where as Assassins Creed II had allowed you to travel between cities though this third outing is located solely in Rome. While this is a big city it did start to feel a bit claustophobic after a while as there was no change of scenery as you had in the second game.As before you play a very moralistic assassin and the game continues the Creeds tradition of impressive sandbox style action.The graphics are beautiful and the views of renaissance Rome are breathtaking at times. As before you can purchase different coloured outfits for your assassin as well as different armour and weapons to vary his appearance.Combat remains remarkably easy, once you have the hang of the timing. Not once did I die in a straight fight in all the time I was playing it, and bodies piled up around my assassin until I got bored and ran off. This was perhaps a criticism that could be levelled at the other two Assassin Creed games as well, that in many cases it wasn't necessary to sneak about and use your assassination skills as it was usually a lot easier to walk in and kill everyone face to face.So what is new about the third game ? Well, it does include a Brotherhood as mentioned in the title but their impact on the game is minimal. You recruit other assassins as the game goes on and send them off on missions that are dealt with abstractly by sending carrier pigeons back and forth. Your involvement in these missions is simply to pick which assassin you want to send and then hearing back whether they were succesful or not. You can summon those assassins not busy doing a mission to help you in fights but as combat is so easy this is rarely necessary. At no point can you take direct control of these trainee assassins, or even interact with them much other than changing the colour of their cloaks and which weapon they use.Once again Assassins Creed III has the whole back story about time travelling Sam Becket style to control both an assassin in renaissance Italy and his modern day ancestor. This is still the weakest part of the game as anyone playing is playing because they wanted a historical game, not a copy of Splinter Cell. Every time you cut back to the future is frustrating and dull. The modern day assassin has more skills this time round but it still plays pretty much like the manor house training levels in Tomb Raider. I would have been happier if they had just left this out altogether.Game play in renaissance Italy in contrast will keep you very busy indeed. There are areas of the city to restore, buildings to rennovate, assassination missions to complete, new equipment to buy, treasure to find, assassins to recruit and character missions to complete as well as many other activities. As a sandbox game this is one you can lose many hours in, running about Rome trying to get everything done. However, after a while a lot of these activities started to seem a bit repetitive. After fighting all the guards and restoring freedom to one part of the city you then had to do it again, and again, and again. After assassinating one corrupt merchant you then had to kill off another, and another and another. There is some variety in the missions given you by specific characters but a lot of the generic missions are very similar and I found myself losing interest after a while.The one aspect I had great expectations for was the multiplayer option which promised to allow you to play different assassin characters in a multiplayer environment. Unfortunately though this was not what I had expected either as it does not allow you to replicate the single player gameplay at all. Instead you play a very abstract game in a world where everyone looks like one of about ten different characters and you have to guess which is the assassin before they kill you. There is no fighting mechanic, its just a matter of pressing one button to assassinate someone or running off if you are discovered. While this game is very original, and enjoyable to a point, it could have been so much better. I would have much preferred a co-op style multiplayer game with a choice of character and different assassination missions to carry out. It just feels like they could have done more with this if they had copied the gameplay of the single player game rather than trying to create something new.If I don't sound very impressed with this game it is not to say there is that much wrong with it. If this is the first Assassins Creed game you have played you will probably love it. But having played the first two games I felt this sequal was merely a continuation of part II without adding anything new to the series. If the multiplayer game had been better or the setting of the game moved on further ( perhaps a Georgian setting ? ) I would have been much happier. As it is while this is technically a very good game I do not rate it as highly as its predecessors.

30.11.2010

After the series saw a brilliant overhaul in form of Assassins Creed 2, it was clear that Ubisoft had their work cut out to maintain and improve the standard they had set.The first thing you notice right after starting the game is how good the presentation is. The visuals are as good as, if not better than, Assassins Creed 2, and the new setting in Rome has been gorgeously designed at a very impressive level, especially considering how big it's size is in comparison to previous games in the series. The audio, like it's predecessors, is fantastic, and everything from sound effects to voice acting to music is top-notch stuff,helping to engross you in the game irrespective of which part you're in or what you're doing.The story is set directly after the end of Assassins Creed 2, and Ezio finds himself up against Cesare Borgia, who happens to be the son of Rodrigo Borgia. As it begins shortly after a presumed adventure, newer players might struggle to understand the story, so it is best recommended to pick up at least AC2 prior to playing this, especially as this is a story-focused game. Without giving too much away, the story is very well-written, and while it manages to answer a lot of questions, it also makes you ponder a lot of new ones, leaving you wanting more by the end of the game.This time around they have sped up fighting sequences by making the AI of your enemies to be far more aggressive, with it being commonplace for multiple enemies to attack you at one time, thus allowing us to not lazily hold R1 and tap the square button. This is coupled with first strikes being more deadly, hence rewarding the aggressive players and not allowing the game to become bogged down in fighting sequences, which is a nice touch. The animations in the fighting are also far brutal, with Ezio frequently taking out his pistol to blast the enemies' face in order to finish them off.Ezio is also now allowed to recruit assassins. Once you destroy a "Borgia tower", you are able to hire citizens as assassins, and train them up by sending them out on missions all over Europe, and then using the experience that they earned for new weapons and skills. In addition, you can also call on them during your missions. Once the assassins die, however, they will not return, and you would need to hire replacements.Although this makes you feel more like Ezio by recruiting new assassins and sending them out on missions, and gives you the "leader" feel you're looking for, it manages to thump any difficulty in missions if you choose to utilise them in missions, despite the charm of it all. They're optional, however, which is a good move on Ubisoft's part, allowing it to be a matter of choice.You can also rebuild Rome by investing money in it after you destroy a Borgia tower, allowing you to make the city flourish, similarly to how Monteriggioni in Assassins Creed 2 was able to be restored with investments as such.There is also a "100% synchronisation" feature, whereby for every mission you do you are told to fulfil a certain objective, such as not being spotted. For every full segment where you get 100% sync you unlock something. Although this was not one of it's flagship addition it was far more interesting than I had expected it to be, and I found myself redoing missions attempting to attain the 100% synchronisation.As is the case with city restoration, we also see that underground tombs are also available. As this is a different city, however, they had to make them different. This time you can adventure in The Lairs Of Romulus. They're much bigger than the ones in Assassins Creed 2, and are also incredibly enjoyable. Not a necessity, but they're something nice to do on the side.This is also the first game in the series to feature Multiplayer modes. Wanted, Advanced Wanted, and Alliance all have roughly the same methods of function, where you're attempting to find your assassination target/s and kill them while also being chased by your assassin/s. The only difference amongst these is that you're alone in Wanted, in teams of two for Alliance, and Advanced Wanted doesn't specify height. These types of modes are quite fun, and despite being so similar they maintain to stay fresh as different characters have different weapons and abilities.There is also the Manhunt mode. Here there are two teams of four, with one being the targets and one being the assassins. The targets score points for escaping while the assassins score points for, well, assassinating the targets. This mode is also tonnes of fun, and was the mode I most enjoyed amongst all of them.To conclude, this is a must-buy game. The game play is improved, the presentation is as good as ever, and the multi player is far more impressive than had been expected. It isn't quite Assassins Creed 3, but who says that's a bad thing?

21.11.2010

Prior to release, I was sceptical. After less than a year in development, it was unlikely that this could be anywhere near as good as AC2. Yet somehow, it builds upon what AC2 did right and manages to add and expand the AC formula, to create, what I believe, is now the best Assassin's Creed game.But if you already own an Assassin's creed game, and played last year's AC2, why should you buy ACB?Combat: A vast improvement over the original. Quicker, sleeker, more stylish, much more brutal.Rome: Bigger, more beautiful and much more varied than all the cities in AC2 combined. Horses can go anywhere barring interiors (obviously) making getting around a breeze, and there are plenty of tunnels,which act as warp points so you can get from A to B in seconds.100% sync: Completing a mission alone is fine, but fulfilling objectives (such as not touching the water, not being seen, or completing a mission under a certain time limit) will give you further missions which delve into some of the events left unexplained in AC2. These also apply to the Lairs of Romulus areas, making the game a bit more of a challenge.The Lairs Of Romulus: These essentially replace the Assassin's Tombs in the second AC, but they are much better and much bigger (there's a theme developing here) and just like in AC2, they're extremely well designed making them exceedingly enjoyable areas to explore and complete (with added difficulty coming from the aforementioned time limits among other optional tasks).Graphics: It's clearly still the same engine, but Ubisoft have improved it for Brotherhood. Close ups of characters now (especially Ezio) are stunning in their clarity, which I don't remember being the case with some characters in AC2. Facial animations seem to be a little tighter too. The horses are no where near as good as Red Dead Redemption's but they're fluid and relatively easy to control. Water looks a lot better too (I found AC2's water too shiny. It was extremely odd stuff..).Length: I'm currently on the 4th sequence (there are roughly 9 overall I believe) and I've played for almost 20 hours so anyone thinking this was somehow going to be a short game is wrong. Although there may not be as many story sequences as AC2 there are a lot more other things to do. The Courtesans, Thieves and Merchants all have separate sequences and challenges that you can complete throughout the game and even shops will have individual tasks for you to complete which earn you exclusive items/ weapons etc. There are also Borgia captains to kill, Towers to topple, Rome to rebuild, feathers and flags to collect, Leonardo's Weapons to destroy and Assassin's to recruit, send out on missions and build up (stat-wise) individually. Things are continually happening on screen, with information about how much money you're earning, if your assassin recruits have been successful on a certain mission, the availability of new weapons etc. all flashing up on screen pretty much every 20 mins or so (which believe me, flies by). Needless to say, it's a little overwhelming at first, but the game never becomes repetitive as past games have done at points because the sheer amount to do is monumental.The 'Brotherhood': Probably the most satisying gameplay addition to the series, and I'll want to see it back in the next one. By coming to the aid of certain citizens in Rome, you'll begin to amass Assassin recruits who will be more than willing to repay the favour whenever you require it. They are also individually upgradeable via globe-trotting missions which have you sending them off to London, Paris and Moscow, to name a few, in order to train and hone their Assassin skills. While they're away, they're obviously inaccessible to you, but their missions don't take long to complete and once they've achieved Assassin status (though you can use them beforehand if you want), they're a potent and effective force, which you'll call on time and time again. Sure, they make the game easier, but their inclusion adds tremendously to the experience.These are just some of the notable improvements which make Brotherhood's existence easier to swallow and recommend for others to enjoy. The fact that it's taken only a year to make, is even more outstanding too.So no this is not AC3, but it follows the trend of the Assassin's Creed series by incrementally improving itself with every new release and for that, I think Ubisoft should be applauded. If you liked AC, and AC2, you will love Brotherhood. It's as simple as that.

1.12.2010

Ubisoft have done a remarkable thing. They have released a trilogy of games where each sequel has built upon, and improved upon its predecessor.This is no mean feat in the gaming world where so many sequels are rushed afterthoughts, half hearted , glorified updates that offer little other than a boost to the studio's coffers.Assassin's Creed offered us something original. Reasonably authentic parkour and monumental vistas set against a Crusades era storyline. A really distinct offering in a gaming world of vanilla FPS's and Driving Sims. Of course it had as many flaws as it did assets. It was, first and foremost, unbelievably repetitive. While we continued to marvel at the beautifully rendered landscapes and the fluidity of Altair's movement,by the time we had climbed our 40th largely identical tower and "counter-killed" our 1000th guard, things were starting to feel a little ...samey. The game itself was basically a handful of assassinations with a lot of tedious filler, beautiful looking though it was.When AC2 hit the shelves the good people at Ubisoft had gone and taken a good hard look at what they had, and realised that while the game premise and the engine were sound the variety was maybe a little thin on the ground. What we got then was improved combat, accumulation of wealth and property, the marvellous machines of LdV and the Tomb Raider like appeal of ledge jumping against the clock as we explored Assassins Tombs. Here we had a much more complete experience; A multitude of non-storyline activities and missions that were enjoyable, fulfilling and interesting. Okay so there was still some degree of repetition but in Ezio Auditore di Firenze we had a much, much more rounded character , and consequently a playing experience that felt more like a journey and less like a series of unconnected steps.When AC Brotherhood was announced very soon after, I expected , what I suspect, almost everyone else expected; a thin expansion pack dressed up as a third version. I have been pleasantly, very pleasantly proved wrong.While not as dramatic an improvement as AC1 to AC2, it is , Assassin's Creed: Brotherhoood is nonetheless a significant step-up. The open world environment is huge and is the perfect backdrop to a storyline of impressive complexity, colour and depth. Ezio's character is enriched further and his level of interaction with the public lifts another notch. The combat has been further tweaked to make him even more lethal but subtly more vulnerable as the AI are more adept at dodging and parrying. Likewise the introduction of mounted guards often requires the player to churn through the medicine vials while being battered and chopped by a big shiny bully on his charger.A selection of new weapons including the crossbow and a selection of axes is matched by a plethora of new, graphic ways to kill the Borgia's goons.The biggest single change though is in Ezio's community and the introduction of guilds; Mercenaries , thieves and courtesans that Ezio can use, compete with and gain property for as he moves through Rome. His entourage doesn't stop there though. The new, bearded Ezio can recruit assassins which he can then dispatch round Europe, assassinating priests in Moscow or poisoning guards in Lisbon. Unfortunately, but understandably, these missions aren't "playable" as such but based on an odds / percentages system calculated based on the difficulty of the mission vs the experience, weapons and armor allocated to your disciple. It's an interesting and worthwhile addition. Assassin trainee's don't end their usefulness there though, when not on missions you can call them to your aid in and around the streets of Rome. Within seconds of your signal all available Assassin's will converge on the spot meaning that a fight with a dozen guards that would previously have taken you 2 or 3 minutes to sort out , now takes 5 seconds as the Borgia Babylon get roundly thrashed by your band of 15th century Hoodies.So, a very big thumbs up to Ubisoft who have played a blinder with the latest in the AC stable. 9/10. Superb.

20.5.2011

I have a love/hate relationship with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. On the one hand, the game is a natural extension (and direct sequel) to Assassin's Creed II. The open world of the city of Rome and cornucopia of tasks on offer besides the main story missions provide great value.However, while the Ezio Auditore protagonist is well-realised with a veritable arsenal of moves and free-running skills, he cannot be depended upon if you're in a hurry. Several of the missions only award '100% synch' if you complete them within a near-impossible time limit. It's during such spells that you either learn a lot about your controller's innards or even worse, give up with a newly-discovered inferiority complex.The point is, these timed events require absolute precision and allow no margin for error. Is it a coincidence that on such occasions, Ezio seems to delight in doing everything except what you ask of him? A planned forward jump from a platform results in him dropping casually over the edge and dangling, almost smirking at the leisurely pace at which he climbs back up (tick-tock, tick-tock). Or, at the very instant he needs to climb the wall in front of him, it's time for a bravura display of kicking off it to face the one opposite (tick-tock, tick-tock).Obviously, the game designers didn't pick the constraints on a whim. For the utterly committed gamer, at one with his controller in a harmonic, Zen-like synthesis, and who doesn't get out much, I'm sure that an eight-minute completion of a level is worth all those lost moments of life that lead up to it. After taking an hour and a quarter to finish one such memory, I've decided that the game is so much more fun if you do your own thing and aim for 50% synch across the board. You can kill as many guards as you like, take as long as you want and - far from trying to remain undetected - announce your presence in fortified areas as brazenly as possible with a devil-may-care swagger that says, "Bring it on!"So long as you don't care a jot about 100% achievement, you'll love it. Alas, if you're one of those that takes it as a serious challenge, be prepared to doubt your sanity as you realise it's several days of your existence that you'll never get back. Your children will grow up and your pets will die but least Ezio gets some cool armour.EDIT 05/05/14. Three years since I wrote this review, with the release of the PS4 and its bundled edition of Black Flag, my interest in the Assassin's Creed franchise was rekindled. I revisited AC: Revelations and played it until it could be played no more, achieving 100% on every mission, collectible and challenge. And so it was with some trepidation that I wondered if I could do the same for Brotherhood. I was to discover that I would reap the benefits of so much practice: my completion now stands at 99% (despite a few hiccups with the loathsome time-limited elements).However, two of the War Machine memories (Flying Machine 2.0 and Hell on Wheels) award 100% synch if you take no damage. Because the former in particular is a long mission and the flying part is the plenty difficult last bit, should you fail, there's no option to restart from the last checkpoint: it's an arduous go-through-the-motions to get a second attempt.Thankfully, Ubisoft has addressed this issue in AC: Black Flag but for this game (IMO) it crosses the line between 'challenging' and 'downright annoying'. For that reason, I'm content to leave it at 1% short and move on. I've given AC: Brotherhood some 60 hours of my life and that's enough to be going on with.

22.11.2010

After nailing the formula for this type of game pretty well with last year's superb Assassin's Creed 2, it was to be expected that little was likely to have changed with only a year between the release of that game and this new title. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood plays things pretty safe but there are some fun new additions to the proceedings and, sadly, some real drawbacks as well.Again centred on 15th Century Assassin Ezio, Brotherhood picks up immediately where AC2 ended, which I won't get specific on due to spoilers obviously. Needless to say, the plot is still focused on Ezio's vendetta against the Borgia family responsible for his family's deaths,with the action now shifted to Rome and with the added element of Ezio beginning the formation of his own league of assassins, with you tasked with recruiting new members and training them up. The plot here is honestly a little more thin and lacking in real intrigue than the previous games, seemingly treading water most of the time, almost like the writers were treating the game as a filler entry in the series much like PSP game Bloodlines. Understandable maybe, but leaves the plot feeling a bit unsatisfying as a whole.Gameplay is pretty much unchanged, with a handful of new additions, chiefly, the assassin recruiting system which quite honestly feels like it was lifted straight out of Metal Gear Solid Peacewalker, with you recruiting people you come across over the course of the game and then assigning them missions around the world from a menu screen that are graded by difficulty and earns them experience points as they do missions alone or in groups. The way your league/recruits can be utilised could perhaps have been expanded a bit more and you could at least have been given the option of playing their missions, but I guess the idea was to keep it as simple and unintrusive a play mechanic as possible, which it certainly is but simultaneously it can also feel a tad pointless. Beyond this the gameplay additions consist of little more than the parachutes(Think Just Cause 2 but without the grappling hook) and the standalone 'vehicle' missions which add some welcome variety to events and are actually well done for the most part. The game still has all the usual sub quests and missions as AC2 in place here also in addition to some variations like the ability to take out military outposts to 'capture' territory to allow you to rebuild areas of Rome to use to gather cash and set up shops. The Rome map itself is quite vast and rich in areas to explore, so yeah, this is definitely a satisfying game content wise and no mistake.Technically, the game is a serious mixed bag. The visuals themselves have seen a definite improvement over AC2, with improved texture work and less pop up, but at the same time the performance feels like it's taken a hit, with framerates being highly unstable throughout. It really does get distracting at times and hurts what is an otherwise great game. There is a fair amount of screen tearing going on too. Soundtrack and voice work though is outstanding in Brotherhood, as it was with AC2.Overall, it's a must have if you're an Assassin's Creed fan, but don't expect much in the way of new things to do or innovation, this could easily be called more of the same, but it has JUST enough variety to it to prevent it from feeling repetitive or tiresome in any real way. It's definitely worth a go. Just beware of a lacklustre plot and some irritating technical issues.

24.2.2011

I liked this game so much that I played it through on both the PC and the Xbox!After the original Assassins Creed (which I was a bit disappointed with) I decided not to buy either Assassin's Creed II or Brotherhood. It was only when I saw them both on offer did I get them. Boy, I am glad I did as they have given me hours and hours of fun.If you play all the missions and not just the main story in B'hood then this game is going to keep you occupied for days. Here's a summary of good and bad...Good----1. You can now recruit and use other assassins. Assassins can be called on to fight other guards, or if you have enough of them simply kill all of the guards around you (this has a cooldown).2.Lots of side missions to keep you occupied if you want to delay the main mission. This included a mission to get some really cool armour and various missions for courtesans, thieves and mercenaries. There are others too.3. Control system is good and responsive and it is easy to get around.4. Climbing buildings is very natural - if you think you should be able to climb it, you probably can.Bad---1. Because the control system is context aware, sometimes you do things that you didn't mean to do (you might drop from a ledge when you actually meant to grab for instance). Thankfully these occasions are not frequent and far, far less than with the original game.2. Some of the timed missions are a pain, but unlike Assassins Creed II they are often not mandatory to complete in the given time.3. Both versions (PS3 and Xbox) suffere from a bug where sometimes if you dive into the water, you end up under the city. The only solution is to quit the game and re-load. It does not happen very often (I think a couple of times on each platform) though. The same bug was in Assassins Creed II.ONLINE------The Multiplayer aspect of the game is excellent to. Rather than running around shooting at everything the online game is all about stealth. You have a target to take out and you must do so without being spotted - at the same time, you are also the target of someone else. It leads to some quite tense gameplay. It is such a refreshing change!!Xbox or PS3-----------I have both. The game itself looks slightly better on the PS3, it also runs a bit smoother (although not by a great margin, both are totally playable). The maps and other screens take slightly longer to load though.The online experience is better on Xbox Live though - there seem to be more games available and it is more stable. I find that PSN is very unstable and have not been able to complete that many games without a network error.Conclusion----------Great game and very good value for money. With games like Medal of Honor and Killzone 3 lasting about 4.5 hours it is great to see a game that really keeps you occupied for a good long time.

10.5.2011

At the time this game was released I didn't have the funds to purchase a new copy so I had to wait it out listening to people discussing about how good a game it was which wasn't nice having loved both AC1 and 2. As not many people liked the first game because they felt missions and game-play were repetitive which didn't bother me as I loved the parts you had to do over and over. The second game really was an improvement though in both story and game play so it was hard to see how Brotherhood was going to top it being a continuation and not feel like an expansion.The usual flag collecting, feathers are back and restoration of shops although it's now throughout Rome rather than one town.Each shop has certain tasks to complete before they will sell you certain things, this mostly consists of you searching treasure chests dotted around the city and stealing from Guards.Improvements from the second include the ability to ride your horse anywhere, fast tracking around the city though tunnels you can restore and the ability to replay missions to get 100% Sync completion. I also love the fact that certain areas are ruled by the Borgia which stops you upgrading shops and landscapes. To get around this little problem you have to infiltrate their base and kill off the captain than burn down their tower to signal to the area that they are no longer controlled by the Borgia. It gets pretty easy to do but always a fun satisfaction.Leonardo is back and wants you to destroy his weapons blueprints and all the weapons as they have fallen into enemy hands. Doing these sub missions is a nice divert from the main story and a chance to do something different. First you have to kill of a guard holding the information where the weapon is being held than you have to find and burn the blueprints before stealing the weapon and using it for your escape before destroying the weapon for good. All the weapons are different types of vehicles and are set in area's you can't visit in the city so they provide something unique to the main game.A major added feature is the brotherhood which allows you to recruit on other assassins and send them out for work so the gain experience and improve your wealth. The harder the job you send your assassin the more XP and Money you earn although the percentage of your assassin coming back alive changes the harder the work. You can get around this by sending more than one assassin on the same job although XP is halved between them.Another good thing about the brotherhood is that you can call them to your aid whenever you need so long as they are not already out on work. Again the higher the level of your assassins the more chance you have of them surviving.It really is a great improvement on the series and I look forward to the next instalment and continuation of the story.

7.11.2011

I was a fan of the first Assassins Creed, but many people complained that there were not enough things to do or that you spent most of the time riding on your horse from City to City. Some of these complaints were addressed in the sequel, which also boasted a faster and more fluid combat system and an even richer plot.So now we reach its third incarnation and once again we are treated to some more improvements.Graphics have always been strong in this series and this version does not disappoint. Practically every shot is a masterpiece and the animation is smooth and believable. It is a real treat to see a vision of middle ages Rome that has its ancient past crumbling around it.The economics of the world have been added to.Now you can buy and restore a number of sites which in turn give you a regular and increasing income. There is somewhat less sneaking around in this version of the game. More often than not you will find yourself using the army of Assassins you have been training up rather than the courtesans, thieves or mercenaries littered around the city as it is great fun calling in an arrow storm or assistance in battle. You can still pickpocket, but you really don't need to as the once you start making money you usually have enough.There is SO much to do and see you can forgive that the game is limited pretty much exclusively to Rome and even once the story itself has been completed there are still plenty of missions to undertake to fill your headquarters with art, models, and weapons.Now you can pick this game up for less than £10 it represents incredible value for money. It has an addictive quality that will keep you playing for hours even if, like me, you rarely play games for more than one hour at a time and you will want to keep playing until every piece of treasure found, item found or purchased, target assassinated, building repaired, and towers conquered.And let us not forget the multiplayer. I am not a huge online gamer, probably because I was brought up in the days of the Commodore 64 and the word online referred to what mother did with the washing, yet once again the designers of this particular gem has caught me with its magic and even I have enjoyed this element to the game, particularly as I have the PS3 version so don't have to pay any more for the privilege.This is a truly great game. Addictive to the point of insanity, with a depth of gameplay and plot that has few to match. Round 3 has left me gagging for more and very excited about the forthcoming next instalment. If you have not ventured yet into the world of Assassins Creed now is a great time to do so and if you enjoyed either of the other games this has so much more to offer you would be crazy to miss out.

18.12.2010

I simply can't understand the 3 star reviews on this game because it's so good.I own all the Assasins Creed Games and i can easily say that this is by far the best. I'll give you a basic score for all the individual parts of the game:The Story: 9.5/10. This is the main part of the game and is excellent, although slightly shorter than the previous assasins creed story. It contains more missions that are not neccesary to complete the game. For example: The buying of propeties, recruiting and training assasins, romulus shrines and killing templar agents are just some of the optional things that will keep you occupied during the playing of the game. The missions are always engaging and meaningful to the storyline.Sound: 10/10.

9.2.2011

The original `Assassin's Creed' entered the computer game market with great fanfare becoming one of the best selling original IPs of all time, however it was a pretty average game. The second in the series took the criticism of the first and made a far superior experience with better characters, more interesting environments and stronger gameplay. With the series on a solid footing would `Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood' be a cheap cash in as it was released only 12 months later? Far from it! `Brotherhood' is in many ways the best of the series so far. Ezio returns in a new adventure as he must rid Rome of the Templar menace in favour of the people and the assassins.The game is still set over a series of future man Desmond's ancestral memories,

5.5.2011

Brotherhood may not be as improved as AC II was compared to AC I, but it is still a good step forward. The story line develops a whole different complexity and there are new features in the game that have improved gameplay a lot. One such feature is the increased complexity of puzzles within the game. In AC II it was pretty simple to get to some viewpoints and sync the map, in brotherhood however, they've made this aspect a lot harder. One other aspect they've expanded on is the re-vitalisation of Rome. It's similar to the re-vitalisation of Monteriggionni in AC II but the added depth of some areas being under Borgia control and having to remove the Borgia control before being allowed to renovate,

23.11.2010

Yup,As the heading suggests, it's that good and that's the only test of a game for me i.e. will I continue to play until my rational brain implores me to go to sleep.End up turning on the kettle at least 6 times before I make the tea, as there's always one more mission..... Best single player on PS3 as far as I'm concerned.OK, it's very similar in appearance to AC2. 90% of the controls are the same. But why change them if they work? Only additions are kill streaks, which might be faddy but you can use tactically i.e. take out the big guys before your streak kill ends and the brotherhood, who are at your beck and call.For anyone who has played the first two, the synch feature is the same,

2.1.2011

Having played and completed both the first and second Assassins Creed it was a must buy game for me. If you haven't played the first two games you should buy them and complete them before doing this one so the story mode makes more sense but if your getting it for the multiplayer then that's ok.StorymodeThe story just continues from the last 'Assassins Creed 2' even though its shorter its just as good and the ending is a cliff hanger makes you really want to get the next game. Those who have played 'Assassins Creed 2' will know this game is very similar to it but they have added new weapons, new characters and more side missions.BrotherhoodThe excellent thing about this game is you can now hire Assassins to help you in any fights.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Reviews

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