Stabbin’ dudes, with the help of other dudes. Plus now you can stab real dudes from the internet!

I’m admittedly not a huge fan of the first Assassins Creed. From the outset, it appeared to be a game that I’d love to sink my teeth into. It was gorgeous, you got to stab dudes in it, and the idea of portraying a period of time not often visited in games put it on my radar so brightly that I picked up the game day one, Collectors Edition even. Unfortunately though, the game really failed to grab me. I don’t know if it was because I wasn’t expecting the split storyline of two worlds (one inside and one outside of the Animus) or if it was because I just didn’t fall in love with the setting like I thought I would.

STUNNING visuals

It couldn’t be the first because I ended up looking back at that as one of the things I did like about the game. I also reject the second option as my personal failure with the game because I did wind up loving the setting. The only thing I can remember really disliking was the pacing. The way the game flowed, or didn’t, was enough to slowly drive me away from picking it up night after night. I have been told that by not even getting halfway through the story I may have missed on some key points that would have helped keep me tuned in, but the fact that I couldn’t stand to make it that far is proof enough that it wasn’t for me.

So when a sequel was announced, I questioned my chances of enjoying it any more. The setting was again amazing looking, yet just a change of environment wasn’t going to be enough to fix my problems with the game. So I ignored it for months. Ignored it until the praise it was receiving was too much to bare, and a sale was too good to pass up.

I mentioned on a podcast episode that I felt like I had robbed Ubisoft in some way. The thirty dollars I had wound up paying for the game felt like a complete steal and I honestly felt bad for waiting as long as I did to partake in what was to be one of my top three gaming experiences of the year.

Then I hear about Assassins Creed: Brotherhood. While I was immediately more interested in it than I was upon hearing the news about the series sequel, I had questions and concerns. The more time went on, the more it seemed as though my concerns were validated. Brotherhood was touted as a multiplayer experience. I had never before thought, “You know what would make Assassins Creed 2 better? MULTIPLAYER!”

Say hello to...no...I'M ON A BO-..no....I got nothin'

As time went on, we heard more and more about the online shenanigans that were going to take place in old Italy. So the less and less I cared about buying the title. That is until it was released and everyone who played it couldn’t stop talking about how amazing the SINGLE PLAYER CAMPAIGN was.

What?

So a few weeks ago, I picked the game up. I am now done with the single player campaign and can agree with those who have come before me. The single player side of Brotherhood is somewhere in the vicinity of amazing. It’s a box of Haribo Gummi bears mailed direct from the factory to you on your day off from work with a letter from the company’s president telling how much of a valued customer you are. So you take this letter and shout the good word of Haribo from the rooftops, converting all the non believers!

What I’m trying to say is, it’s more of the great Assassins Creed 2 game we know and love, yet so much more.

The game picks up right where the first title leaves off, which by the way is an obvious prerequisite to playing Brotherhood. But what may not be obvious is how much of a prerequisite Brotherhood is for any fan of the series. The way that it ends is not unlike AC2 in just how much you’re left questioning the events in the final minutes. In some way I see that as a negative. The pacing, which is what I complained about regarding the series’ first iteration, was much improved for AC2. That pacing is duplicated in Brotherhood, almost to the point where it’s uncannily similar. But hey, 2 was amazing and I have no problem with buying into a little more of the awesome. My concern will be with the third full installment to the series. I hope the twist comes earlier and maybe more often than in 2 or Brotherhood. I’m at the point now where I expect a gradual climb of excitement in the story to the “SAY WHAAAAAAA?!?” twist at the very end. AC3 needs to challenge that expectation.

press LB for STABBY TIME!

Beyond the great, yet par for the course plot, we have the extra mechanics added to the game. As the up and coming Grand Poobah of the Assassins Order, you are able to start recruiting some new blood to aid you in your endeavors. That’s not even the best part! When you get enough of them, you can hold down on an insta-win button when you want to kill a group of guards and they all DIE under a soft cuddly blanket of ARROW INFUSED DEATH. Oh, THAT’s not even the best part. These new recruits have levels which can be gained by sending them off on missions. THAT is the nifty part. I love leveling things, and giving me a group of characters to manage is intoxicating. I’m damn lucky the plot kept me very interested or I probably would have soaked far too many hours into this aspect of the game.

Another addition that needs mentioning is the Borgia towers. The Borgia towers sectioned off parts of Rome into nasty territories that you didn’t want to just take a stroll through. and where were a great way to test your skills at stealth as well as your ability to read the environment. The only qualm I had with these parts of the game was the task involved with scaling the tower after taking down the Captain of each respective area. It was like a puzzle in and of itself sometimes. I would have rather sent my minions to take care of it. “YO, GO BURN THAT”

Beyond the story, the characters, and the new additions to the game, there is one item worth mentioning that I cannot express my love for enough: Rome. The portrayal of the once great metropolis, still filled with life even after the fall of the Coliseum is simply stunning. Being able to walk its streets even if virtually is a sight to behold. It’s something that makes me want to see the locations themselves with my own eyes.

In the end, Brotherhood is mostly just Assassins Creed 2. But that’s not a bad thing; far from it. They took everything that I loved about AC2 and poured some octane boost in the tank, and the twist at the end of the game has me once again questioning what the hell just happened, and anxious for story to be continued.

The amazing doesn’t end with the single player though. Remember that multiplayer that I nearly discounted the game for entirely? It’s GREAT. But, more on that later.