Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

[dimples]

Have you heard about it? Is it like a full game? Or dlc or what? Sounds good whatever it is!

[MurphyTheSaint]

I love the Assassins Creed series, Brotherhoods multiplayer is FANTASTIC. Anyone wanna play, just hit me up! >.<

[Eden]

Wait, I haven't posted here before?
How can that be? Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is one of the best games I have ever played. I have played the multiplayer for some rounds, just testing. It was interesting.

[Daggers]

Thinking about getting this next week. I loved AC and with AC2 I don't think I've ever played a game to the same extent on the 360 before (got over 900 of the GS from it which I usually don't bother too much about).

[MurphyTheSaint]

if you have it, just hit me up with a friend request.. the more the merrier :)

[CemeteryGates]

I got it for Christmas, and though I've spent very little time on it so far, I'm liking a lot. I still haven't checked out the multiplayer, but it does look rather interesting.

[JustaBitOutside]

I just finished the whole thing last night and I really really loved it. It's not been marketed well and I think the problem is that no one really knows what the hell it is. It's basically another EZIO adventure which picks up after AC2. It is quite a large campaign with a lot to do, but most of the stuff is optional. You recruit assassins and train them, can call upon them when you need help. One cool thing you can do is target a group of guards and hold down the left bumper. A storm of arrow fire comes from all around the buildings and just slaughters them all. Also they have added the kill streak mechanic which is similar to Arkham Asylum. That's wicked fun.

Things which have not been improved in this game: there are still some annoying sticky platforming elements. The economy system is trying to emulate fable 2, but you still end up with WAY more money than you could ever spend. The notoriety system is still no challenge whatsoever. It would be nice if they could find a happy medium between the alert system in AC1 and the current one. I don't want it to be annoying, but it really is nearly pointless.

The missions are fun, the multiplayer is unique. I can't say that I'll be playing it all the time, but there isn't another game quite like it (at least that I'm aware of). It's a twisted game of hide and seek.

The marketing made it seem like it was an all online game, but that is not the case at all. Anyone who enjoys this series must play this game. Newcomers will enjoy it as well, but the story won't make any sense. (honestly, the story is making less and less sense anyways).

Great game, you will enjoy it. The ending is unexpected, but the shitty Desmond platforming sequence is quite irritating before you get there.

They still haven't found a way to make Desmond interesting at all, maybe the next game will hit that mark.

[Eden]

I stopped playing shortly before the end of the game and played other games. I really need to finish it...

[dimples]

Just "finished" it. Was a bloody good game! Now for the rest of the stuff I have left to do :D And that will take a while. Gotta love games like these. Where you play through the main story, but still bother to keep playing it

[Jason]

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised by Brotherhood. Not quite sure if I'd have paid full price for it, but as I picked it up for half price, I was happy with it. Still could quite happily stab Desmond in the neck though.

Have you tried the multiplayer yet?

[Daggers]

I picked it up a couple of weeks ago and played it for an hour or so. This is the last week of Uni till Easter then exams so I'll get back on it next weekend!

I've played multiplayer once which was...interesting lol. Are we able to party up in it? If so that would be awesome if we could get a group of us together one night to play :D Wouldn't mind knifing you a few times Jason :P

[happysister]

imma ask this here instead of make a new thread cause it's somewhat relevant.

i've never actually played this series, though it kinda grabbed my interest slightly. i always enjoy playing the sneaky thief/assassin types in games, but the overhype back in the day kinda turned me off. i'm considering grabbing 2 on Steam maybe (mostly cause it's cheaper than Brotherhood). do you guys have any input? anything a newb should know about the series?

[Jason]

Yeah, that sounds good Daggers - I really enjoy the multiplayer when played with people who play the game the way it's meant to be played (IE not just sprinting around like a nutter). Give me a shout sometime - I know Murphy plays it/has played it as well.

And Happy - it's difficult to know what you'd think of it, as it's a fairly unique game - somewhere between Grand Theft Auto and Metal Gear Solid set in Renaissance-era Italy, if that helps any (which it probably doesn't). Number 2 is probably the best place to start gameplay-wise, although there may be small sections in the plot that don't make much sense if you've not played the first, which suffered a bit from repetitive missions and combat.
The atmosphere/setting of the game is pretty good, and there's often more than one way to skin a cat with regards to approaching missions. The story is ok - it's not going to win any awards for originality or intelligence, but it won't have you attempting to gouge your brains out with a blunt object either.
Overall, I'd say it's worth trying, as there's not a lot out there like it, and it's a pretty well-made game for the most part. Just don't blame me when you start thinking about murdering Desmond, the dullest man in the universe.

[happysister]

yeah, i figured there weren't many games out there like it. that's another reason why i'm considering them. i'm always up for new experiences. and yeah, i haven't played GTA or Metal Gear Solid before, so that doesn't help too much, lol. >_> to me, what it seems like you have to do in the game, is stealthily kill off a list of people and be inconspicuous and stylish about it.

[Jason]

Hmmm, thinking back to AC:II, the option is certainly there (at least, most of the time - some plot missions require a more... direct approach) to remain inconspicuous and approach kills, but on the same note, for the most part, there's no penalty other than inconvenience should you decide you're going to be a one-man army, walk through the front door and cut down every single thing between you and your target. If you're looking for something where stealth is more of a necessity, I can highly recommend the Thief games - although they're from a first-person perspective, and therefore tend to be lumped with FPS games, the Thief games are thoroughly entertaining stealth games that encourage and reward a patient and intelligent approach.
That's not to suggest that the Assassin's Creed games aren't good games in their own right, but I felt I should at least warn you that stealth isn't as integral a part of the games as the title might lead you to believe. It's still a part though, and there's nothing to stop you playing it any way you like.

[dimples]

Yeah the multiplayer was nice. Gets kind of boring quickly tho :/ And my god it's annoying when some people just run around and ruin it for everyone. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of being an assassin right?
I got mine for like 17€. So money well spent :)

[Konrad]

I've finished brotherhood recently and I had a blast, the game was bigger than I expected it to be - and I have yet to finish some of the side missions.

As for getting into the series happy, I suppose it's a bit of a gamble. There are few series of anything where I would recommend anything other than starting from the beginning. Apparently, a lot of people weren't that happy about AC1 whereas I really, really liked it. Ill admit there was a bit of tedium and by the end I didn't have the patience to do every single side/preparation quest but I still look back on the experience fondly.

The sequel is just like the original except... better in pretty much every aspect. It's bigger, more elaborate, everything from combat, to movement, to side-quests has been considerably upgraded to make one really, really epic game that, I daresay is difficult not to like.

Long story short:

If you want a safe-bet, a satisfying one night stand with Assasin's Creed, start with ACII as it's very much a more likable experience and Altair isn't that important to the main plot. The downside: There is no going back, AC is going to seem like a boring hassle in comparison and you'll essentially be "spoiled" by the improvements in ACII, missing out on what I personally thought was a great game. And in general, there is no way not to miss out quite a bit on the story and setting if you skip such a large portion of it. I don't like starting any series from the middle.

If you're not easily put off by annoyances in games, I'd start with the first game as it will certainly make continuing much more rewarding. AC is not as fun as ACII, but playing AC, ACII and AC:B in succession is without a doubt - the way to appreciate gameplay improvements and storyline the most.

[Kozahk]

My only problem with AC is I finish it once and never touch it again. Collection quests are just not my thing ('cept for Altair's armor) and the side missions were too repetitive. I like the games, it's just too shallow once the story's over...

[Konrad]

Agreed. I had a strong mind to finish all the side quests before I finish the story in Brotherhood. Unfortunately, I stumbled into the ridiculously long endgame completely by accident before finishing everything, I knew it was going to be one of the last missions - but I didn't know they wouldn't let me go back to regular ol' free-roam for the next five missions until I beat the game.

And now I have trouble picking the game up again, even though there I have maybe... 65% percent completion.

[happysister]

hmmm, fair enough. thanks all for the input. i'll prolly grab 2 sometimes, or maybe even 1. one of the reasons why i considered starting with 2 was because it didn't really tie into 1 very much. but then i'd be missing out on an entire game, even if it isn't all that good.

[dimples]

I don't think I'll be finishing every side mission. You don't really gain anything for it. You don't get any achievements for completing a certain amount of the game. And I think that sucks. Of course I wouldn't have liked to have a achievement where you needed to get 100% complete, but something like 60% or 70% would have been nice. Would inspire to finish more things.

[Konrad]

Hmm. I generally wlike to complete the side missions because... well, it's more to do in a game that I enjoy. Though I don't think I've ever gotten 100% completion in any game, ever.

[Jason]

See, I'm almost the opposite of that - I very, very rarely undertake more than a handful of side missions unless there's considerable benefit to doing so - particularly in the Assassin's Creed games, where said side missions tend not to have an awful lot of excitement or variety to them (the Borgia towers in AC: B being a notable exception, and I enjoyed those), and seem to be mainly there to artificially extend the game time rather than to deepen the experience.

Of course, having said that, I'm currently 30 hours into Fallout: New Vegas and approaching what I believe is the final quarter of the game, and I'm still merrily exploring the wastelands and completing almost every mission I can get my hands on - although this is definitely the exception rather than the norm.

[Lance]

I did all 100% of AC:B, just because I felt like it really - no real special reason why

Though Jase, what you said about snapping Desmond's neck? Is that just a personal dislike of his character, or what he does at the end?

I get the distinct feeling that what happened may have been because that person may have been a Templar (in which case, I reckon go Des)

[Jason]

I just hate the character with a passion. He's probably the least interesting, most generic protagonist ever - there's absolutely nothing likeable about the guy. In Dead Space 1, Isaac didn't say a word and you never saw his face, and he STILL had more personality than Desmond.

[MyNameDidntFit]

And Desmond walks really slowly.

[Kozahk]

It also never really explains why Desmond is so important. Sure they are looking for that 'apple of eden' or whatever, but surely there would be other assassins who had ancestors a bit closer to the present day than 300 odd years ago. Perhaps it was because of those aliens at the end of AC2, or whatever they are, but your left with cryptically useless information. If any of this is explained in brotherhood, please enlighten me.

psst. Let's spoiler up spoilers. - Konnie

[Lance]

Nope - I'm asssuming they'll be answered in 3 though (I believe some stuff happened in the Da Vinci Disappearance DLC, though I've not played it yet)

And thanks MNDF - you're like that bloody HIMYM episode - now that you mention it, he really does walk annoyingly slowly -.-

[MyNameDidntFit]

*glass shatters*

[JustaBitOutside]

There are definitely diminishing returns to ACreed side missions. I thought the davinci war machine ones were pretty good, at least you got some new tech from them. I will say however that the new download memory is quite entertaining. Some of the parts suck, but it's long and adds a bit of fun to a game I beat the hell out of. Didn't try to get 1000 on this one, but I never do.