Ezio returns in yet another miraculous adventure, and he's not alone
*Spoilers, please skip the next 2 paragraphs if you have yet to play Assassin's Creed or AC2*
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood picks up immediately after the first game where Desmund, Lucy and the other assassins have escaped the Templar attack. They have escaped far away to the modern-day Monteriggioni where they must hide from the Templars for the time being. They set up the animus in the basement of the Villa where Desmund must continue Ezio's quest to find where he has hidden the Apple of Eden.
Back in 1499, once again in Renaissance Italy, Ezio barely survives an attack on Rome, led by Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Rodrigo Borgia. The assassins retreat and the city of Monteriggioni is destroyed, and Ezio's Uncle Mario is killed. To make matters worse, Cesare takes the Apple of Eden. Ezio, along with his wife, mother, and other survivors, escape to Rome where the Templar order is. Unfortunately, the assassins appear to be losing the fight to liberate the city. Now Ezio must lead a new order of assassins, liberate the people of Rome, and seek revenge on his new enemy; Cesare Borgia. The Assassin's Creed games have always been known for their great story telling and this one is no exception, although newcomers will be confused and might want to play the previous two first. The rest of the story is full of the twists and turns that the earlier games had and fans of the series will be pleased.
The gameplay follows the same formula as Assassin's Creed 2, but this time you start out with much more like the gun from the last game as well as smoke bombs and poison. All this is given to you early to make way for even more weapons at your disposal. There is also even less relying on counter attacking this time around since striking first is more deadly. However, the AI is much more aggressive this time around as well as they attack more often and sometimes simultaneously. You can counter this by using throwing weapons, like knives, and the pistol during combat. All in all, combat has come a log way since the first game.
Most of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is spent in the city of Rome. Although you might think there is less variety in one city instead of more like in previous entries, Rome is huge and pretty to look at. The entire city has been beautifully recreated to look like 15th century Rome and it's so big, you won't miss playing in more than one city as much as you'd think. The money management system is much deeper than before as there are more shops and buildings to renovate and you don't have to go a long distance out of your way to collect your money, you can just go to the nearest bank. There are side missions to complete as well that get you money and sometimes more equipment but there are also flashbacks that take you back to Ezio's life before he became an assassin. These don't add a whole lot to the story but it's nice to see more characterization of Ezio and it answers questions you may have had during AC2. The main missions follow the same structure as the last game as well, but there are extra secondary objectives to complete for full synchronization, such as "complete without being detected". It definitely causes you to challenge yourself but it can make the mission more frustrating at times.
One of the newest additions to the Assassin's Creed series is the new assassin recruitment system. A part of the game is to fully liberate Rome and rebuild a new army of assassins. To do this, you must eliminate Templar control by burning down Borgia towers. After this, you will get an icon indicating that someone needs your help. Assist them by fighting off the guards and they will join your cause. After your recruit these assassins, you can use them to earn a little extra money by sending them on missions all over Europe. Each mission will have a difficulty and your chances of success (depending on how many you send, you may need to send more assassins on tougher missions to increase your chances of success). When your assassins are successful, they will bring you back money and they will gain experience and level up, in which you can increase their armor and speed. If they fail, you get nothing and you can lose your assassin. You can also call your assassins during the game to silently kill any guard that may get in your way (but only if they are not on a mission). This is especially helpful, but the whole assassin recruitment is addicting and fun to mess around with.
Te other newest addition is the new multiplayer mode. How this works is you, along with 5-7 other players, are placed in a section of the city. Your goal is to track down a specific players as shown in the corner of the screen, while someone else is hunting you. You want to win but the higher you are in the ranks, the more people will be after you (while the lower you are, the least likely you are to be someone's target). You can give yourself different advantages by creating your own classes and giving yourself perks like putting on a disguise. You can earn more by leveling up. The only other gmaetype is a team game where it is split into two rounds; round one has one team hunting while the other team tries to hide and round two has them switch). This multiplayer experience feels unique and enjoyable but you will be frustrated when waiting a long time for a game to start, especially when the game specifically requires at least 6-8 players. Some other issues include occasional bad spawn points and a frustrating "counter" option, but you should have no difficulty enjoying the multiplayer mode.
The biggest problem with this game is it can seem glitchey at times, even more so than the last game. Other than that, the Assassin's Creed series is one quality franchise that seems to improve with each new sequel, and it continue to shows in Brotherhood. The singleplayer gives the player so much to offer for one lengthy experience and the multiplayer component is so addicting, you will find yourself coming back for more every now and then. Newcomers may want to play the first two first, especially AC2, but if you are a fan of the Assassin Creed series, or if you like action/adventures in general, then Brotherhood deserves a spot in your game collection.