Video Game Review: Assassins Creed Brotherhood
Video Game Review: Assassins Creed Brotherhood (2010)
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: Ubisoft
Official Website
Plot: Taking place immediately after the events of the second game, AC: Brotherhood finds Desmond and crew on the run from the Templars. Trying to find the Apple of Eden, the team sets up shop in the (now destroyed) town of Monteriggioni. Players of AC 2 will remember this as the town you can build up from the ground up, but in the beginning of this game it’s attacked early on once you get back into the Animus.
If none of this makes any sense to you, then you’ve clearly not played either of the first two games and will mostly likely be completely lost.
The game mostly takes place in the Animus, replaying the life of Ezio from AC 2. You’re trying to find where Ezio hid the Apple so you can acquire it yourselves to aid in the battle against the Templars. Ezio’s story (like Altier’s) was never very interesting to me, since 1) it doesn’t have any bearing on current events, and 2) it jumps around a timeline so much that there’s gaps in the events you need to keep track of.
The game introduces some new play mechanics which other reviews said made the game too easy (and I agree they do increase the ease of the game), but they also make the game loads more fun.
The first play mechanic is revision to the Viewpoints. Now instead of just climbing to the top of a tower and syncing with eagle vision, you have to find and assassinate a Borgia tower leader, then climb to the top of the tower and burn it to the ground. This was a lot of fun, since it has you doing what the game is all about – assassinating the bad guys.
The second play mechanic was recruiting, training, and sending other assassins on missions. This is where the game gets a bit easier, but also where the game gets a lot of fun. No longer are you a one-man army – now you’re the leader of an army and the stage is set for the inevitable war with the Templars. I found myself getting attached to my recruits, and I did end up losing one much later in the game; but this was my fault, because I sent her on a mission she wasn’t ready for.
Like the previous game, there’s a cliffhanger ending which should lead directly into the next game, Assassins Creed: Revelations, which should finish off the Ezio story line in the past.
If you enjoyed AC 2, this is more of the same with some added play mechanics. I had a lot of fun running around Rome for another 40+ hours and doing the activities I enjoyed from the previous two games. I recommend buying the game (after playing the first two), and doing as many of the side missions as possible.
