Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Brotherhood took the AC series in a new and intriguing direction, with Ezio now a master assassin and able to recruit new agents and assassins – the brotherhood of the title - to his cause. More strategic than previous games, Brotherhood dug beneath the surface of the ancient Templar Assassin feud, with Ezio dispatching assassin agents across Europe, while simultaneously battling the Borgias for control of the eternal city.
After a night of wild passion with Caterina Sforza (well here's hoping), Ezio awoke to find his villa at Monteriggioni besieged by the Borgia horde. After his uncle Mario was killed and the Apple of Eden fell into the hands of Cesare Borgia, Ezio escaped to Rome where he set about wreaking a terrible revenge on its Borgia overlords. While both Rodrigo and Cesare were eventually put to the historical sword, Desmond used the Apple of Eden to open up the Temple, a gateway to the other Eden artefacts. But the game concluded on a proper cliffhanger with Desmond forced to stab Lucy, while under the control of the enigmatic being known as Juno.
Re-inventing, refining and streamlining, Brotherhood's main success was to really gave you a feel of being in control of an Assassin clan, training them up and even calling on their help in- game. The sandbox was bigger (Rome being about three times larger than any previous city in the series), more bewitching, more inventive and the mechanic of capturing Borgia Towers to extend your control over the city adding an entertaining strategic element. Combat was more attacking, frequently on horseback and stand out moments included rumbling around in Leonardo's tank, the Romulus mission's gravity defying platforming and of course for the very first time, a very decent multiplayer component. For the full story on joining the Brotherhood, see the review.
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Set to swing into action this November, AC: Revelations promises to be exactly that, a complete revelation, laying bare the truth behind the medieval conflict, unifying and the stories of Desmond, Ezio and Altair, wiping the slate clean and paving the way for Assassin’s Creed III.
Revelations’ action will transfer to the jewel of the east, the crossroads of Constantinople, where Ezio will seek five keys hidden by Altair centuries previously which will ultimately reveal an artefact capable of ending the eternal war between Assassins and Templars, saving the world and repairing the shattered mind of the unfortunate Desmond.
New features include the Ottoman assassins’ hook blade, which speeds up travel by around 30%, allowing you to zip line around the city, new bomb crafting abilities, an innovative Assassins Den tower defence mechanic and even deeper and more compelling multiplayer experience.
Yet splendid as all those new gameplay bells and whistles sound, what we’re really most looking forward to is seeing the tales of Ezio, Desmond and Altaïr conclude, as all the loose ends are tied up, the disparate plot threads explained and everything resolved in one climactic, cataclysmic, conclusion. Quite simply, we cannot wait. For all the latest check out our complete Assassin's Creed: Revelations game hub.
October 07, 2011
