Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Ezio (center) being surrounded by various characters from the main story.

So after writing about this game for the past few weeks, I have at last been able to get my hands on a copy (Collector's Edition!) and I am not disappointed at all. While it is true that the game play does feel like Assassin's Creed II, but I don't see the fault in that. That game handled pretty well and it was a lot better then things were in the original game. And anyone wondering if this is just a expansion, with only a couple of changes here and there, that cannot be further from the truth.

Topping my list of changes that I am loving is obviously the ability to recruit, train and call upon your brothers and sisters of the Brotherhood. I am hooked to it and even if this didn't turn out to being a RPG feature (the recruited assassins don't seem to have ANY personality to them at all), I still find myself caring about their success and ultimately their well being.

I didn't think I grew attached to my little band of misfits, but when I lost two (one died during a mission and the other was overwhelmed by enemy soldiers) that kind of stung. I am pleased to no end to report also that I have not lost another Assassin and many, many enemy soldiers have been slain in their honor.

The addition of these Assassins fits in perfectly in the scheme of things. Just lock onto a target, hit L2 (for the PS3 gamers out there) and ta-da! They appear (from piles of hay to just flat out dropping off the top of a building) and make dead whatever you deem so. Well... that is, after you train them up by sending them on a ton of missions. It is a little sad that you have no part to play in these missions, but maybe that will be changed in a future game (if this feature survives).

All of this extra missions and work ends up being worth it, as each level gives you a point to add into either weapons or armor. My crew (around level 8-9) have fully upgraded armor and nearly so with weapons. Now when I call upon them, they work miracles whenever I am outnumbered (and that is quite often). 

Another touch that I am liking and has caused me to wish for maybe an actual Assassin's Creed game for, is the character of Desmond Miles (the guy who's DNA is being used to draw the memories of AC's Altiar  and ACII's Ezio.

I didn't care much for the character Desmond in the original game, mostly because that portion of things was pretty bland. That changed with ACII, as Desmond's role was reduced so that the times you did see him, it meant something to the story. But this time around, everything about Desmond as well as Lucy (whom bailed Desmond out of the lab he was trapped in during AC) has changed. I really enjoyed the area where you team up with Lucy to navigate through the underground passageways that lead to Ezio's Sanctuary. I thought that part really helped establish both characters and it makes me wish there would be a game featuring those two (as the Assassins they really are of course).

The music is also something I am enjoying, as it is darker and I guess a bit moodier then in ACII. I mean I like the calm and mellow music that was there, but I enjoy this stuff a bit more. It serves the scenes in the game well and it certainly sets the mood perfectly. I will continue to keep an eye out for any other works by Jesper Kyd.

The only thing I kind of wish for in this was a bit more depth to the Brotherhood recruiting aspect. Maybe more room for customization? But that is minor this time around. Besides that? I can't really think of what could make this game any better then it is. Saying it is like ACII should be viewed as a good thing in my book, because as I said earlier that game is what the original AC should have been like.

I want to write more, but you know what? I have a Brotherhood to build. Nearly have a few of my trainees to the point of becoming actual Assassins. After that? Revenge!