Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Review (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

Genre: 3rd Person Action Adventure, Open World, Free-Roaming
Rating: PEGI - 18+
The Assassin’s Creed franchise is back and this time your back with Ezio in the animus, but this time, nearly all of the game is set in Rome.  Also, there is a brand new multi-player game mode which is very unique.  The main worry about the game are that it is not too different from Assassin’s Creed 2 and that what it does change is only small tweaks.

Firstly, the single-player,  this is a direct follow on to Assassin’s Creed 2 and this time Ezio, is a bit older and a bit wiser now, is trying to remove the Templar influence from Rome.  Along side this runs Desmond in the present and there are a few bits of gameplay with Desmond (although I did want more) and a big twist at the end.  I did find the plot less engaging than AC 2’s but the improved aspects of gameplay make up for this. The secret locations, additional memories and the views of Renaissance Italy are up to scratch with Assassin’s Creed 2, giving you hours of extra gameplay.  Although the game is almost entirely set in Rome, the amount of space is just right because Rome is about three times the size of Florence is AC 2.  The new additions in the game such as the Assassin’s guild (which can be used to train your own assassin’s to fight with you) and the fact you can ride horses inside Rome fit in well, but they are only tweaks because the guild does what the thieves,  mercenaries and courtesans did back in AC 2.  Finally, the single-player gameplay in AC Brotherhood is a development on AC 2 with a slightly new, more aggressive fighting style and more of the same, loved free-running from AC 2.

Secondly we come on to the brand new multi-player experience in which you play as an Abstergo Agent in an animus, playing as a Templar back in the early 1500s.  This is fun for a bit but the novelty does wear off, showing the repetitive nature of the game and how it is in need of some development.

To finish off, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is a great development on the previous titles in the series and although it lacks anything new, it makes and excellent “AC 2.5”.  I would recommend this to anyone who has played and enjoyed the previous two in the series and anyone who wants a game they can take at their own pace whether they want to roam the streets (or rooftops) of Rome or get immersed in the unique multi-player.  I give Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood a solid rating of 8.5/10