Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

[LK]

It's Assassin's Creed 3, pretty much. They aren't going with sequel numbers because they don't want to create the impression that a sequel brings. They are playing around more with the Italy setting and that's great.

Previews for the game emphasized multiplayer for what I believe was an awesome reason: I got absolutely no story spoilers, though it did create the impression this was a multiplayer expansion instead of a full-fledged chapter in the series.

[Rendakor]

Picked this up tonite. It's really more like AC 2.5; AC 3 would imply a new character, new setting/time period, etc. However, I loved 2 so 2.5 is fine with me. The multiplayer is pretty good so far; my only complaint is that it uses matchmaking instead of giving you a list of games to join, which means finding a game can take 10m or more while you simply stare at a loading screen. "Searching for a game...Searching for more Agents 4/6...Searching for a game..." 

Once you get into a game, it's pretty good fun. I've only played the one FFA mode so far; unlocked a few abilities including the gun, although I still use the Morph one the most. The pacing on the multiplayer is spot on; it's a game of cat and mouse, where you stalk your prey rather than go balls out chasing them. Most people seem to be playing that way too, which is good. The few idiots who run around like they're playing Halo just make for easy kills. 

As far as the single player goes, they added a lot more options. You can now reply missions, and there are optional goals now which you can complete to unlock...stuff, I guess. Not sure yet, although I did replay the one mission I didn't get 100% on. There are both feathers (10) and flags (101) to find this time around, as well as those "The Truth" glyph puzzles. My big complaint about the single player is that they did the cliche Everything else I've seen so far is positive. They've touched up the UI a bit too, and added some challenge modes that you can access directly from the menu. All in all a solid entry for an AC fan.

[stu]

I saw Eurogamer gave it a 10/10.

I'm torn. Lots of choices this time of year. I'm kinda surprised they didn't adopt some form of Demon's Souls MP, although what I've seen so far looks very niiiiice <Borat>


edit: Having never played AC, I might be way off the mark with the DS comment.

[Margalis]

I thought this was multiplayer only.

[Hawkbit]

Nope, has a roughly 25 hour single player, though the reviews state that it does little to progress the overall story.  Review seem to think that if you liked AC2, you'll like this one.  It was made with those fans in mind. 

Reviews also feel that the brotherhood tactics simplify the game a bit too much and if you don't actively get into kills yourself that you can end up just commanding troops and not in the action yourself much.

[Modern Angel]

I hear tell that they same guys who made The Ship got hired to do this, specifically for their take on multiplayer

[NiX]

I hear tell that they same guys who made The Ship got hired to do this, specifically for their take on multiplayer

Damnit. Now I might have to pick this up.

[Modern Angel]

It's got me all aflutter and I've never touched any of the other AC games. This is Xbox exclusive or did it launch on PC, too? Actually, that's stupid. I know how to google. It's just early.

[Rendakor]

It's certainly not Xbox exclusive, I have it for the PS3.

[LK]

I cry for anyone that picks this game up without playing the previous two and seeing the evolution of the series and the story.

[Rendakor]

I hated the first one; played it for an hour or so and just got bored. The repetition combined with the initial shock of "What, I'm not really Altair but some ancestor of his and we're using some silly memory machine!? WTF?" made me drop it pretty quickly. It took some serious convincing on the part of a friend to get me to give AC2 a shot (which I loved, once I dismissed the story as absurd).

Edit to add: I've now been sitting in queue to join a Ranked Match for 30 minutes. Anyone else having an awful time finding multiplayer games? Took me about 20m last night, still haven't gotten in today. I'm wondering if this is just a PS3 problem or if it's happening on Xbox too.

[Ginaz]

Is this available for the pc and if so does it still have that full retard DRM that AC 2 had?

[Modern Angel]

PC will be Q1 next year, according to the wiki piece.

This isn't my kind of game. It's only the multiplayer that has me salivating.

[Riggswolfe]

I hated the first one; played it for an hour or so and just got bored. The repetition combined with the initial shock of "What, I'm not really Altair but some ancestor of his and we're using some silly memory machine!? WTF?" made me drop it pretty quickly. It took some serious convincing on the part of a friend to get me to give AC2 a shot (which I loved, once I dismissed the story as absurd).

Edit to add: I've now been sitting in queue to join a Ranked Match for 30 minutes. Anyone else having an awful time finding multiplayer games? Took me about 20m last night, still haven't gotten in today. I'm wondering if this is just a PS3 problem or if it's happening on Xbox too.

The repitition in AC1 certainly sucked and while the story wasn't groundbreaking I'm not sure why the idea of the ancestral memories bugged you so much. It was kind of boring in the first one because Desmond had very little to do but in AC2 I quite enjoyed it and I'm hoping AC3 will be mostly about Desmond this time and not another memory.

[jth]

combined with the initial shock of "What, I'm not really Altair but some ancestor of his and we're using some silly memory machine!? WTF?" made me drop it pretty quickly.

I think you mean descendant, but anyway that was why I also dropped the first game right after the tutorial, and the second is still on my shelf unopened. Maybe I should try to ignore the silly plot and give it (or AC2) another chance someday.

[Koyasha]

Funny, I've heard this complaint about the series often, but I don't see what the big deal is.  Yeah, the idea of genetic memory is silly for so many reasons, the most clear of which is there's simply no physical space to store that amount of data in our genetic material, but in the end it's not really any sillier than any of the other plot devices that appear in all sorts of stories.  It's applied phlebotinum.

[Malakili]

If I want a good story I'll read a book.  If I want to jump from roof top to roof top assassinating people with various bladed weapons, I'll play Assassin's Creed.

[kildorn]

Desmond isn't as horrible a character this time around. Which is nice, but I still prefer Ezio's gameplay/character. And yeah, the scifi behind the series is at this point just comical.

This is a lot of fun as AC 2.5, it seems far shorter than AC2 (just as a quick idea, there are 20something eagle nest points versus the 60something in AC2), but they added some fun new features. They also made an easy button if you ever found AC2 difficult. The full sync requirements per mission also add a fun see if you can pull this off aspect  (things like take no damage or don't kill anyone during a mission. Not required to beat the mission, but bonus missions open up if you do enough of them)

[LK]

It's just fun to be around these characters again. If AC3 is a full-blown Desmond as Assassin adventure, then AC2's training of him combined with the small amount of implementation of that training in Brotherhood has been a convincing progression. The story arc in the modern day feels great even if it's minimal.

This is a solid entry in the series and worth the money.

[Rendakor]

Yea, descendant, sorry. And it bothered me because I wasn't expecting a sci fi game, I was expecting a crusades-era game with fantasy elements at best. It was really shocking and off-putting.

What's the 'easy button' in this one? Hoping to put some more time in either tonite or tomorrow morning before work.

[kildorn]

Yea, descendant, sorry. And it bothered me because I wasn't expecting a sci fi game, I was expecting a crusades-era game with fantasy elements at best. It was really shocking and off-putting.

What's the 'easy button' in this one? Hoping to put some more time in either tonite or tomorrow morning before work.

Call Assassins. It's pretty much the "I don't want to deal with this fight" button.

[ffc]

It's just fun to be around these characters again. If AC3 is a full-blown Desmond as Assassin adventure, then AC2's training of him combined with the small amount of implementation of that training in Brotherhood has been a convincing progression. The story arc in the modern day feels great even if it's minimal.

This is a solid entry in the series and worth the money.

Totally agree. I think the modern day stuff here really pulled me in whereas I never got into AC1 or AC2 and left them unfinished.  I did have to wiki the plot of those games and watch the ending of AC2 to figure out where things picked up, and after AC:B's first present day sequence I'm liking this tornado of a story.

I just spent way too much time in the Mirror's Edge virtual training facility, haven't even touched multiplayer, and I'm all smiles.

[LK]

I did multiplayer for the first time. Apparently they got the guys who did The Ship to do this? It's awesome... for now. Compelling gameplay + Modern Warfare advancement structure. I had trouble getting into a game but once I did it was nothing but "oh hai" and murder.

[kildorn]

I did multiplayer for the first time. Apparently they got the guys who did The Ship to do this? It's awesome... for now. Compelling gameplay + Modern Warfare advancement structure. I had trouble getting into a game but once I did it was nothing but "oh hai" and murder.

It's hilariously hard to look and act like a brain dead NPC. The best story I've heard so far is someone being chased, rounding a corner and as a last ditch "shit need to evade capture" started pushing up against a corner wall and twitching back and forth to try and look like a glitched NPC pathing script. And it worked <3

[LK]

I think the best part about this multiplayer is that it's a great game that doesn't rely on twitch and split-second reactions.

[ffc]

Ok, I'm not only getting 7th place in multiplayer, it's a distant 7th.  Halp!

How does the incognito bar work? Does it only go down if my target or my hunter or both see me doing something non-stealthy, or line-of-sight doesn't matter? And when it goes down, does my target and/or hunter get an indicator of where I am, or do I start glowing until the bar fills up again?

Can I throw a smokebomb only when my screen turns red and I get a notice to run? Will that smoke stun my hunter, or is there another way to stun/block a hunter attack?

And are there unlockable weapons or is the assassin shiv all there is?

[Rendakor]

The incognito bar only refers to your target; it should only go down when you're doing "non-stealthy" things in LOS. It will eventually let your target notice you, via a red arrow over your head. I'm not sure exactly what the smokebomb does, haven't used it at all. I believe your weapon used varies based on class (the executioner uses an axe), but I don't think there are unlockable ones.

In single player, getting 100% sync in some of these missions is fucking annoying. But I am determined to do so!

[kildorn]

Ok, I'm not only getting 7th place in multiplayer, it's a distant 7th.  Halp!

How does the incognito bar work? Does it only go down if my target or my hunter or both see me doing something non-stealthy, or line-of-sight doesn't matter? And when it goes down, does my target and/or hunter get an indicator of where I am, or do I start glowing until the bar fills up again?

Can I throw a smokebomb only when my screen turns red and I get a notice to run? Will that smoke stun my hunter, or is there another way to stun/block a hunter attack?

And are there unlockable weapons or is the assassin shiv all there is?

You can only stun/block effectively from behind (from the front, assassination is faster than stunning)

Smoke bombs can be used whenever. When you smoke someone, you can run or stun them (when you stun them they get a QTE, no idea what it does)

Incognito only goes down if your target is in LOS when you doing something stupid. If it drops enough they spot you and go into Chase.

You can unlock a hidden gun or throwing knives as anti "idiot who free runs/hangs out on rooftops" tools. Because prior to the gun at level 8, there's jack shit you can do about a good player sniping from rooftops.

edit: and remember, a fully stealthed kill is worth 6x what an overt kill is. So while it sucks when the game decides to stick three people on you and you have to hike across the map to get to your target, you can still turn it into an advantage if one of your pursuers is gunning for volume of 100 point kills.

[ffc]

Armed with your guys' tips I went from embarrassing 500 point games to 2200+ point games.  Heard a few massacres too, hope they were mine. 

I'm paying more attention to the number of people targeting me.  There are times when nobody is hunting me so I use that gap to stop being stealthy and quickly close distance to my target.  After a few good kills I'm suddenly in 1st with 3 people hunting me.  That's when I stop hunting and start sprinting around trying to force my hunters into chase mode; got 500 points from that in my last game.  There's probably a more subtle way to do it like wait on a bench for people to converge on me and then smoke.  I also have to work on timing stuns to counter an exposed hunter, which would certainly be better than being chased around for a minute straight.

I almost want to log into the uplay business to unlock that extra multiplayer character.  Almost.

[kildorn]

If you're in first it's a gamble between hiding (which is almost impossible, to be honest), and just calmly going about your murderous business and being killed frequently while doing so.

I usually opt for #2, with the occasional stand in to reduce the heat on me (if I round a corner and see 2-3 of my model walking, I'll hang with them for a few seconds to see if I can bait a hunter into wasting one)

For the most part though: keep going for the stealthy kills while in the lead. You won't get many (because the game rigs itself against the leader for good reason), but every one you manage puts you leaps and bounds ahead of the overtly free running murder machines.

[ffc]

Gotta say it's hard not to start sprinting when in first but by keeping mellow I managed my highest score of 3050 with 6 kills, second place wasn't close with 12 (!) kills.

Any idea what triggers the ability to see red triangles over my hunters without triggering chase? Got in some good stuns with that, although I tried leaping off a roof to stun a marked hunter but I caught a bullet in the chest while in mid-air and my body continued forward to crumple at his feet.

[kildorn]

Gotta say it's hard not to start sprinting when in first but by keeping mellow I managed my highest score of 3050 with 6 kills, second place wasn't close with 12 (!) kills.

Any idea what triggers the ability to see red triangles over my hunters without triggering chase? Got in some good stuns with that, although I tried leaping off a roof to stun a marked hunter but I caught a bullet in the chest while in mid-air and my body continued forward to crumple at his feet.

If they overt below "discreet" or whatever the top bar is, they become red triangles to you if in LOS.

If they overt and bottom out their stealth bar, you go into chase.

[Mazakiel]

Some single player DLC was released recently for this, The Da Vinci Disappearance.  Da Vinci's been kidnapped, and you set out to rescue him.  The missions take place in 1506, shortly before the final Ezio scenes in the game, but are viewed by Desmond after the final events of the main game. 

Missions wise, there's a mix of tailing, combat heavy, and infiltration missions.  The entire group of missions don't take terribly long though, I probably got through them all in 2.5-3 hours.  It also adds a dice game to the Thieves Guild, but I didn't stop to play. 

Plotwise, it had some interesting moments, especially for anyone who likes to get into the guessing as to what comes next, but nothing too earth shattering happened. 

Overall, while I had fun playing it, I'm not sure it was $10 worth of fun.  If you're a huge fan and don't want to miss out on any tidbits, it's worth checking out, but if you're not, you'd probably be best saving your money.  This would be the type of thing I'd say to wait for a Steam Sale on, if it ends up on Steam anytime soon. 

[Azazel]

I'm waiting for the inevitable GOTY-type edition with all the DLC rolled into one package with the main game.