plabtunesGame Review assassin's creed brotherhood
February 15th 2011 20:44
Hello all, its PLABA and its my first review on my new blog Game Carbon .I am going to start by saying Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is a badass and incredibly deep game. The only major flaw I believe the series continues to have is it ridiculous story that often times gets way too big for its britches. Other than that, the gameplay is outstanding, the graphics and game-world are vibrant, the action is intense and the game will take dozens upon dozens of hours to complete, dozen upon dozens more to finish every nuanced side-quest, purchase/find every weapon, uncover all the hidden treasures – it’s so impressive and immersible, it makes my short list of possible games of the year, right along side the other recent major sandbox title , Red Dead Redemption. And oh yeah, there is multiplayer this time around.
One thing I never understood about the Assassin’s Creed games though is the way they tell their story. You know what I’m talking about – the fact that you are actually some shlub in the modern era who steps into a Matrix rip-off type and jumps into the body of some mysterious 15th century Assassin named Enzio. Why did Ubisoft decide to go with this incredibly complicated plot device? Perhaps is so the futuristic menus would make sense? Maybe they didn’t think fans would appreciate a title that doesn’t have any connection to the modern world? Which ever way you cut it (and you’ll do a lot of that in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood) it’s a weird way to tell a story that simply boggles me.
This flaw can be generally overlooked because everything else in the game is more or less outstanding. Action has it’s own distinct style to it where you truly feel you are mincing blades with cunning enemies, using timing and a lavished assortment of weapons (swords, axes, crossbows, poison, smoke bombs, one-shot guns, and of course your trusty hidden-blade) to execute enemies in flawless moves of poetic brutality. Well, it’s not always flawless. Some clipping issues can hurt the mainly gorgeous displays, and generally, the controls are a bitch to get a handle on. It seems every step you take, or every time you switch weapons, the buttons seem to do something different. I for one loved the challenge and thrive on games that expect a lot out of the user to fully master the character they are controlling, but I understand how it could be frustrating for some people.
The platforming is a revelation as well. The recent trend of having platforming games where it is harder to miss a jump rather than make it, is foolish. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood has a marvelous blend of crawling, jumping, hosting, springing and diving moves that are fair and balanced, making touring the Italian Renaissance setting completely amazing. Every building seems to have it’s own detailed way to smuggle around it. Best? The paths to the top of some of your more lofty destination aren’t out-right marked for you like many similar titles. AC:B wants you to find your own way around, and yes, your going to fall. Hallelujah, a platforming game that has some actual platforming!
The add-ons in this game also deliver in the best way, building on the improvements of the second game while retaining the core values that made it good. This time around, you are tasked with recapturing and rebuilding Rome from the Borgian Empire which is loosely based around actual events and actual people like Machiavelli and Di Vinci. Taking down a special guard captain, then scaling a Borgia tower to ignite it allows you to buy out the various shops in that part of Rome. Shops include: Tailors, Artisans, Blacksmiths and Banks. All these buildings each give Enzio something different he can buy to help him on his quest. The more towers you burn/quests you complete, the more Rome opens up and the more money you make so you can beef yourself up with the best weapons and armor available.There are dozens of different costumes and little trinkets and the like as well.
Maybe I’m rambling here, but at first that’s what Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood feels like. It takes about 10-15 hours to really get all the core mechanics up and running in the game and see how everything plays out. Just when you do that, you begin to realize how immense this game is. There are loads of side quests, challenges, apprentice assassin’s, recruiting gang members to help you on missions, assassination contracts, thieves missions, treasure hunts – there is just so much in this game it can’t be handled in one article.
You will pilot proto-type hang gliders, leap from horses to assassinate fleeing members of the Borgia, shoot cannons at approaching armies, man an early version of a tank – by games end you manage to rally an entire clan of assassin’s that evolves into an all out war for Rome than can only be labeled as one thing: Epic. What’s more, each synchronization (story mission) in the game, has a specific challenge to it you most likely won’t do on the first go around, so there is incentive to play everything all over again.
Oh yeah, and there’s multiplayer! Truth be told, I spent so much time with the single player, I hardly had any time with the multiplayer, but what I did experience was 4 different game plays modes: free-for-alls, team deathmatches, two on two games, and a hide and go seek game where one team hunts the other down while the other tries to hide. It may not be reinvented the wheel or anything, but the multiplayer is a nice addition to an all-ready overloaded game.
So, if you want a game that you could still be playing for years, and also want to be the most badass assassin since Snake in the Metal Gear series, give Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood a stab. (Get it? Stab?
9.5/10
One thing I never understood about the Assassin’s Creed games though is the way they tell their story. You know what I’m talking about – the fact that you are actually some shlub in the modern era who steps into a Matrix rip-off type and jumps into the body of some mysterious 15th century Assassin named Enzio. Why did Ubisoft decide to go with this incredibly complicated plot device? Perhaps is so the futuristic menus would make sense? Maybe they didn’t think fans would appreciate a title that doesn’t have any connection to the modern world? Which ever way you cut it (and you’ll do a lot of that in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood) it’s a weird way to tell a story that simply boggles me.
This flaw can be generally overlooked because everything else in the game is more or less outstanding. Action has it’s own distinct style to it where you truly feel you are mincing blades with cunning enemies, using timing and a lavished assortment of weapons (swords, axes, crossbows, poison, smoke bombs, one-shot guns, and of course your trusty hidden-blade) to execute enemies in flawless moves of poetic brutality. Well, it’s not always flawless. Some clipping issues can hurt the mainly gorgeous displays, and generally, the controls are a bitch to get a handle on. It seems every step you take, or every time you switch weapons, the buttons seem to do something different. I for one loved the challenge and thrive on games that expect a lot out of the user to fully master the character they are controlling, but I understand how it could be frustrating for some people.
The platforming is a revelation as well. The recent trend of having platforming games where it is harder to miss a jump rather than make it, is foolish. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood has a marvelous blend of crawling, jumping, hosting, springing and diving moves that are fair and balanced, making touring the Italian Renaissance setting completely amazing. Every building seems to have it’s own detailed way to smuggle around it. Best? The paths to the top of some of your more lofty destination aren’t out-right marked for you like many similar titles. AC:B wants you to find your own way around, and yes, your going to fall. Hallelujah, a platforming game that has some actual platforming!
The add-ons in this game also deliver in the best way, building on the improvements of the second game while retaining the core values that made it good. This time around, you are tasked with recapturing and rebuilding Rome from the Borgian Empire which is loosely based around actual events and actual people like Machiavelli and Di Vinci. Taking down a special guard captain, then scaling a Borgia tower to ignite it allows you to buy out the various shops in that part of Rome. Shops include: Tailors, Artisans, Blacksmiths and Banks. All these buildings each give Enzio something different he can buy to help him on his quest. The more towers you burn/quests you complete, the more Rome opens up and the more money you make so you can beef yourself up with the best weapons and armor available.There are dozens of different costumes and little trinkets and the like as well.
Maybe I’m rambling here, but at first that’s what Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood feels like. It takes about 10-15 hours to really get all the core mechanics up and running in the game and see how everything plays out. Just when you do that, you begin to realize how immense this game is. There are loads of side quests, challenges, apprentice assassin’s, recruiting gang members to help you on missions, assassination contracts, thieves missions, treasure hunts – there is just so much in this game it can’t be handled in one article.
You will pilot proto-type hang gliders, leap from horses to assassinate fleeing members of the Borgia, shoot cannons at approaching armies, man an early version of a tank – by games end you manage to rally an entire clan of assassin’s that evolves into an all out war for Rome than can only be labeled as one thing: Epic. What’s more, each synchronization (story mission) in the game, has a specific challenge to it you most likely won’t do on the first go around, so there is incentive to play everything all over again.
Oh yeah, and there’s multiplayer! Truth be told, I spent so much time with the single player, I hardly had any time with the multiplayer, but what I did experience was 4 different game plays modes: free-for-alls, team deathmatches, two on two games, and a hide and go seek game where one team hunts the other down while the other tries to hide. It may not be reinvented the wheel or anything, but the multiplayer is a nice addition to an all-ready overloaded game.
So, if you want a game that you could still be playing for years, and also want to be the most badass assassin since Snake in the Metal Gear series, give Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood a stab. (Get it? Stab?
9.5/10
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Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Jose
Orb of Insight
Political Writing
It's a great idea. I just hope it doesn't go off the rails like The X-Files's conspiracy story did.
Comment by plabtunes
Game Carbon
plabtunes
Game Bard
Btw Jose I guess its you. I have my reasons to dislike it, but you probably have your reasons to like it. p.s Thanks for commenting please email or comment with a request for my next post.