The Good
- Huge, beautiful city stuffed with amazing details
- Lairs and other platforming sequences are fantastic
- Long, with lots of fun and varied activities
- Economy is more meaningful than before
- All sorts of improvements, big and small.
The Bad
- Main story is disappointing
- Assassin recruitment is contrived and ultimately meaningless
- Glitches.
The ladies of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood have both bark and bite.
If you played Assassin's Creed II, then you
already know Caterina Sforza, the comely Italian countess with a soft spot for
sly, rugged assassins. She's not the only female character with an important
role to play in Brotherhood, however. Claudia Auditore is no longer just a
submissive bookkeeper, but rather a strong young woman who eventually learns to
handle a blade. And then there's Cesare Borgia's cunning sister Lucrezia, whose
sharp tongue is matched by her severe, almost vampiric appearance. These willful
women are ensemble players in the continuing drama of Ezio Auditore, the
self-assured star of Assassin's Creed II. His story continues in Brotherhood,
which begins directly after the events that closed its predecessor. This
follow-up tale doesn't have the same impact of the story that spawned it, but
Ezio's world is a wonder to inhabit, filled with amazing architectural detail
and bursting with tons of enjoyable content.
Ezio is not the only leading man in this ongoing tale. He's an ancestor of Desmond Miles, the near-future bartender who has remained a series constant. You play Desmond in several terrific sequences, the final of which concludes with a moment so staggering it rivals Assassin's Creed II's ending for pure shock value. It's unfortunate that Ezio's part of the story isn't as memorable as Desmond's, or indeed, as memorable as his previous journey. The setup is simple: After a battle at the family's villa in Monteriggioni, Ezio's nemesis, Cesare Borgia, steals the all-important artifact known as the Apple of Eden. With the help of Caterina and other old friends, Ezio heads to Rome to retrieve the Apple and rid the city of Borgia influence. There's a bit of drama when an associate is accused of betrayal, but for the most part, Brotherhood's straightforward plot doesn't have much emotional impact, and because Ezio exhibits little personal growth, there's the slightest hint of staleness to his escapades.
That doesn't mean there aren't special story moments to savor, however. One set of side missions is a series of heartfelt flashbacks that put you in the shoes of a younger Ezio, and they let him show off that old charm that he rarely exudes in Brotherhood. Other indelible moments come by way of your glimpses of Lucrezia Borgia, who has a complicated relationship with Cesare. She knows what she wants, and she isn't afraid to test the boundaries of human decency in the pursuit of power. Lucrezia aside, few of the important players are new, but they're all voiced by a great cast that gives further gravitas to a story and world that are presented without the slightest hint of irony. Furthermore, certain story elements are given poignancy by way of their presentation. For instance, spying on a scheming Cesare and Lucrezia through a palace window makes their dialogue seem even more devious.
While Brotherhood's story falls just short of series standards, its sense of
place and time is as impeccable as fans could possibly hope for. You spend the
majority of the time in Rome, and while you may miss exploring multiple cities,
the city is nevertheless huge and gorgeous, brimming with so much visual variety
and exquisite detail that Brotherhood feels as consequential as its forebears.
You might roam into a cathedral to discover a palatial view punctuated by red
tapestries and golden candelabras. Citizens wandering the streets munch on
apples, carry lanterns in the evening, and flirt with each other behind pillars.
It is all rendered with amazing detail and lit beautifully, undercut only
occasionally by visual blemishes that will be familiar to fans of the series.
There is some texture fade-in, and you'll glimpse citizens popping in here and
there. More notable for PlayStation 3 owners is the obvious screen tearing and
less consistent frame rate. Regardless of your chosen platform, the soundtrack
enhances the atmosphere with operatic soprano warbles and French horn melodies.
Large portions of the soundtrack are lifted from last year's game, which is
mildly disappointing; how nice would it have been to hear a new theme when
synchronizing the map from atop a high perch? Regardless, the music is a
graceful complement to the splendid visuals.
Within this grand world is a ton of stuff to do. The staples of the series--rooftop platforming, blending with crowds, silent assassinations, rhythmic swordplay--have all returned, and most have been enhanced or adjusted in some way. It's as joyous as ever to bound across roofs and climb to the tops of towers. Lifts that rapidly fling you to a rooftop are a great new addition and provide a second of high-speed thrills, though the movement mechanics are generally the same as before--it's the architecture and level design that have been altered for the better. As in Assassin's Creed II, you may search for glyphs hidden on walls and on rooftops, and they are perceptible only when you activate eagle vision. Finding one allows you to solve a puzzle, which in turn unlocks a small hint of a larger mystery. While most of these glyphs took only a modicum of effort to find before, they are now often hidden on sizable landmarks with tons of nooks and crannies to explore. Expect to put in more effort if you hope to uncover more of the conspiracy that drives the series. Luckily, it isn't wasted effort: ledges and outcroppings are carefully and intelligently placed, which makes it a pleasure to climb these structures.
Many towers you climb don't allow you to simply ascend with little care; they
require more conscientious navigation. In fact, numerous towers not only require
climbing, but must be burned to the ground as well. The Borgias have spread
their influence around Rome, and to undermine their rule, you destroy their
edifices. Before you can do that, you must assassinate a commander in the
vicinity. Often, your target will flee if you directly engage the guards that
surround him, so you will want to approach carefully. In many cases, this gives
you a chance to put a new weapon, the crossbow, to good use. Not only is it
handy for picking off one of these key figures, but it's also useful should a
number of enemies charge you on horseback. In any case, once you have offed the
key officer, you may climb to the top of the nearby tower and torch it.
Afterward, you automatically take a leap of faith into a hay bale or wagon of
leaves conveniently placed beneath, while melodramatic organ chords signal the
importance of your endeavor.
Eliminating Borgia influence is important because you then gain access to local vendors, though this access isn't immediate. The economy, an interesting but messy feature in last year's installment, has been fleshed out in smart ways. As before, you must spend money to make money, but Brotherhood's catalog contains a lot of big-ticket items. If you want access to blacksmiths, doctors, tailors, and so on, you first must purchase and renovate their shops. Not only does renovating an empty storefront give you access to supplies, but it also begins to generate income. As you bring in money, you eventually purchase landmarks, which cost a tidy sum. In many cases this is only so you can add to your periodic bank deposits, though there are gameplay benefits as well. For example, you might be able to climb to a particular synchronization perch only after you renovate a portion of the aqueducts. Shop quests are another nice economic tweak. When you loot corpses, tackle escaping pickpockets, and empty scattered treasure chests, you may discover special items, such as prayer beads and jars of leeches. These items can be offered to designated vendors in return for high-quality weapons, tougher armor,.. etc
More of all this an excellent action game to play with ..
Ezio is not the only leading man in this ongoing tale. He's an ancestor of Desmond Miles, the near-future bartender who has remained a series constant. You play Desmond in several terrific sequences, the final of which concludes with a moment so staggering it rivals Assassin's Creed II's ending for pure shock value. It's unfortunate that Ezio's part of the story isn't as memorable as Desmond's, or indeed, as memorable as his previous journey. The setup is simple: After a battle at the family's villa in Monteriggioni, Ezio's nemesis, Cesare Borgia, steals the all-important artifact known as the Apple of Eden. With the help of Caterina and other old friends, Ezio heads to Rome to retrieve the Apple and rid the city of Borgia influence. There's a bit of drama when an associate is accused of betrayal, but for the most part, Brotherhood's straightforward plot doesn't have much emotional impact, and because Ezio exhibits little personal growth, there's the slightest hint of staleness to his escapades.
That doesn't mean there aren't special story moments to savor, however. One set of side missions is a series of heartfelt flashbacks that put you in the shoes of a younger Ezio, and they let him show off that old charm that he rarely exudes in Brotherhood. Other indelible moments come by way of your glimpses of Lucrezia Borgia, who has a complicated relationship with Cesare. She knows what she wants, and she isn't afraid to test the boundaries of human decency in the pursuit of power. Lucrezia aside, few of the important players are new, but they're all voiced by a great cast that gives further gravitas to a story and world that are presented without the slightest hint of irony. Furthermore, certain story elements are given poignancy by way of their presentation. For instance, spying on a scheming Cesare and Lucrezia through a palace window makes their dialogue seem even more devious.
Has
platforming ever looked this stylish?
Within this grand world is a ton of stuff to do. The staples of the series--rooftop platforming, blending with crowds, silent assassinations, rhythmic swordplay--have all returned, and most have been enhanced or adjusted in some way. It's as joyous as ever to bound across roofs and climb to the tops of towers. Lifts that rapidly fling you to a rooftop are a great new addition and provide a second of high-speed thrills, though the movement mechanics are generally the same as before--it's the architecture and level design that have been altered for the better. As in Assassin's Creed II, you may search for glyphs hidden on walls and on rooftops, and they are perceptible only when you activate eagle vision. Finding one allows you to solve a puzzle, which in turn unlocks a small hint of a larger mystery. While most of these glyphs took only a modicum of effort to find before, they are now often hidden on sizable landmarks with tons of nooks and crannies to explore. Expect to put in more effort if you hope to uncover more of the conspiracy that drives the series. Luckily, it isn't wasted effort: ledges and outcroppings are carefully and intelligently placed, which makes it a pleasure to climb these structures.
Clearly,
the novocaine has yet to wear off.
Eliminating Borgia influence is important because you then gain access to local vendors, though this access isn't immediate. The economy, an interesting but messy feature in last year's installment, has been fleshed out in smart ways. As before, you must spend money to make money, but Brotherhood's catalog contains a lot of big-ticket items. If you want access to blacksmiths, doctors, tailors, and so on, you first must purchase and renovate their shops. Not only does renovating an empty storefront give you access to supplies, but it also begins to generate income. As you bring in money, you eventually purchase landmarks, which cost a tidy sum. In many cases this is only so you can add to your periodic bank deposits, though there are gameplay benefits as well. For example, you might be able to climb to a particular synchronization perch only after you renovate a portion of the aqueducts. Shop quests are another nice economic tweak. When you loot corpses, tackle escaping pickpockets, and empty scattered treasure chests, you may discover special items, such as prayer beads and jars of leeches. These items can be offered to designated vendors in return for high-quality weapons, tougher armor,.. etc
More of all this an excellent action game to play with ..
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