Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – Hands-on Impressions from E3 2010

As the first of my MANY hands-on, or behind the scenes, impressions of games witnessed at E3 this year in Los Angeles, I will jump straight into the highlights, lowlights and why these games should be on your radar, or at least your wallet’s. Without further adieu, let’s talk about Ubisoft’s upcoming assassin masterpiece, the next in the line of the Assassin’s Creed family, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood.

Having been able to check out both the singleplayer and multiplayer modes in action on the expo floor, as well as the trailer reveal and walkthrough at the Ubisoft press event, I can accurately fill you on all you need to know.

Unlike Green Day, Ezio doesn’t walk alone - The focus of Brotherhood will feature Ezio going up against an even stronger Templar power, however, this time, he won’t be alone. Requiring the assistance of the Brotherhood, a powerful group of assassins, Ezio can recruit and place these skilled killers throughout the city to help with his efforts, or call upon them during more difficult missions. The implementation of tactical decisions can turn a near impossible mission into child’s play with the correct decisions while utilizing your compadres. Obviously with Rome being the setting for ACB, Ezio has tons of new missions, locations to discover and parts of the collapsing capital city to revitalize with his earned currency. The singleplayer campaign is expected to deliver over 15 hours of gameplay in a single playthrough, so multiplayer isn’t the only mode to tout for this next iteration.

Weapons of fast destruction - Ezio will again mix and mingle with old school celebs like Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Caterina Sforza to learn of new technologies. You’ll be able to unlock and utilize many new deadly weapons, which should make any assassin smile. Hidden guns, double hidden blades, poison darts, parachutes and flying machines are all just a handful of the numerous new items at Ezio’s disposal this time around. Having witnessed the double hidden blades and flying machine in person, I can tell you that Ezio is as deadly as ever. According to Ubisoft’s lead developers on Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, this game is about Ezio being on the offensive, so no more Mr. Quiet Guy, if you so choose. You can either play as stealthy as you want, or go for all out bloodshed if you are impatient like me. Depending on your actions, citizens of the city will rally to your efforts and provide unlockable factions and missions, as well.

Memorable multiplayer doesn’t mean rushed modes - I’ve heard a lot of talk from people in and around the Ubisoft exhibit that they were concerned the multiplayer would be an afterthought and basically be a quick co-op mode. Well at-show, Ubisoft delivered 8-player competitions with their exciting new multiplayer mode where you try to be the top assassin. This mode basically pitted 8 players trying to track down the player target they were given and kill him or her, without inciting too much attention. Depending on the kill, whether from stealth, humiliation, or in the open, players would receive points. The winner of the round was the player able to earn the most points, duh. However, the higher you are ranked, the more players will have you as their target, so you may be trying to track down your target with four guys after you. If you can avoid your hunters, you’ll gain more points, and if you can even kill them, you’ll boost your points even higher. With the ability to adjust your looks, what weapons you use and a number of other details, you’ll be in a fluid world of multiplayer action without every looking like Ezio. Needless to say, I had an absolute blast. Unfortunately, I didn’t win, because each round’s winner (usually Ubisoft’s own gamer) would walk away with their own Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood t-shirt. Not a bad reward for playing an absolute gem of a hands-on version of ACB.

Now that I’ve highlighted what I’ve seen and heard, I’d gladly answer any questions below that you might have. Do note, Ubisoft hasn’t revealed everything yet, as they’ll need press fodder leading up to the November 16 release date. What I can tell you is that Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is a must-buy. Playing a ten minute multiplayer demo hasn’t been so fun in quite some time. I still can’t believe I only got like fourth place. What the fudge?!

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