Well, I have to admit that I have arrived to the Assassin’s Creed party late.  It is not that I have felt that Assassin’s Creed was not a franchise for me, more about having the time to play.

There is a method to the madness in writing this first sentence and that is to say that Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is actually the first title in the franchise I have managed to spend a lot of time on.  So if you have felt you may have been left behind and wouldn’t consider buying this title because you haven’t played the other two then this review is to convince you that you need to go out to a store near you and buy it immediately!

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood follows on directly from the ending of Assassin’s Creed 2 with all the twists and turns laid bare.  For Assassin’s Creed II pros, the narrative will seem familiar immediately but for newcomers, you may want to brush up on the plot lines first to get a handle on what is going on.  Desmond is back again as a modern day pawn in the battle between Assassin’s vs Templars and using the Animus system, teleports himself into the mind of relative, Ezio Auditore, to relive his story in helping to find the stolen Apple Of Eden and redress the balance of Rome after the Borgia and Templars have imposed their influence.

The release of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood has had people wondering if this would be a scaled down version of the Assassin’s Creed experience but with the whole of Rome to explore, a solid storyline to back it up and a multiplayer experience that is addictive and fresh you will be safe in the knowledge that your money would be well spent here.

The size and grandeur of the world in which you explore is absolutely breathtaking and Ubisoft Montreal can be very proud of what they have achieved.  Whether it be moving over the rooftops for a stealthy assassination, exploring underground areas or simply mingling within the living and breathing city from ground level, Assassin’s Creed not only offers countless exploration options but also challenges you to dive into the wealth of side missions that are included.

For a first timer, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is relatively easy to get into and play.  When I first took a peek at the instruction manual and saw the amount of commands I was left with my jaw dropping on the floor but when you start to play the game you soon realise how fluid the system is.  In a game that has a heavy dose of stealth, vertical as well as horizontal movement and combat involved then you need the system to come alive and react well.  And very well it reacts too.  Movement feels natural from the controller as you find the best route up a building or flow with ease through a crowd.  Combat is as simple as locking on to your target and striking with deadly effect.  Counter strikes are intuitive and dependent on timing with options to block, grab, evade, kick as easy as pressing a button or two.

Although the main storyline features heavily (obviously) in the game, there are a serious amount of side missions that can be selected.  I have heard from people before that they felt that there wasn’t enough to do in the other titles but Ubisoft Montreal seems to have listened as my exploratory tours were, for the most part, sidetracked in constantly finding myself something new to do.  From Assassination contracts to taking out Borgia captains, the towers that they protect and the areas that they are occupying it is very hard to concentrate on completion of the story when there is so much more to do and trust me, that is a very good thing indeed!

You have heard me talk about Borgia towers and this is something a little extra that has been put into the game to add depth and to also utilise your strategic skills.  These towers are part of the Borgia occupation and control areas of Rome.  Each tower also has a skill level assigned to it which represents the difficulty in taking the Captain and tower down and thus liberating that area of the Borgia threat.  Kill the captain, burn the tower and liberate to open up a world of renovation and trading that will help bump your cash up as well as gain the respect of the people.  Be careful though, while these towers are there and an area is occupied you are restricted from entering it.  Get seen and a whole world of trouble will be coming your way.

Of course, this version comes with the added title, Brotherhood.  No longer are you the lone assassin out to shape the future but now you have a groups of assassins and vagabonds that you can recruit throughout the game.  You can call on these people for certain tasks if you so require, to help out and even train them whilst doing so to make them stronger. Although you should be able to complete most of the tasks alone it would be wise to utilise them for the harder Borgia tower tasks and can also become invaluable as an added strategic element in your planning of certain missions, especially when trying to gain 100% synchronisation by completing a task in a certain way.

So much sheen and polish has been put into Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood that you would think that the multiplayer element that has been added to this outing would result in a poor showing.  Many a time have I seen a title that has always concentrated on its narrative and compelling campaign be shot down in flames with a developer feeling that including a multiplayer component is a must have.  Normally, one of the two suffers but this is not so with Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood.

The multiplayer affair offers an insight into how, with good design and planning on the developers part, you can achieve a perfect partnership and synergy with both components.

Although in its infancy and limited in gametypes you are plunged into one of the many maps and are forced to assassinate a target designated to you.  Simple you may think but you are also being targeted by someone too.  Strategy and planning  are a must here as you decide whether to mingle with crowds to keep your chosen character, at least, a little safe or go all out for the kill and blow your cover.  Bonus points are awarded for more stylish kills and the winner is the player with the most points over a certain period of time.  Get the wrong person and you will be given a new target but you are also vulnerable to a counter attack too.

There are also variations of the mode which involve team based assassinations too which add to proceedings as well as a ranking system that will unlock “perks” and profile slots to customise your character with a couple of skills and weaponry.  It all works perfectly and is so addictive you will wonder where your time has gone.  Trust me, there is nothing more satisfying than sitting next to a character that is the same as you for your foe to get the wrong kill, see him start to run and you get up and bitch slap him for his arrogance in thinking he can take you down.  It never gets boring!

Overall, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is a perfect buy for the AC fan or the newcomer.  A subtle, stealthy mix of compelling gameplay, generous side missions, stunning environments in both level and art design as well as a healthy dose of addictive multiplayer makes Assassin’s Creed stand out as one of the must have games of the year.  I am compiling my Editor’s Choice awards now the big hitters have hit the shelves and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is steadily becoming a front runner.