Review: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood PC

Now a legendary Master Assassin, Ezio must journey into Italy's greatest city, Rome, center of power, greed and corruption to strike at the heart of the enemy. Defeating the corrupt tyrants entrenched there will require not only strength, but leadership, as Ezio commands an entire Brotherhood that will rally to his side. 

Release Date: March 17, 2011
Also on: Xbox 360, PS3
M for Mature: Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
Genre: Action 
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Online Play: 8 Versus

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The Review:
The game introduces a brand-new management system: the player can recruit new members by destroying any of twelve "Borgia towers" around Rome where papal troops are stationed, then rescuing disgruntled citizens in their districts from harassing guards. The player, as Ezio, can then send them to assignments around Europe or call them for support during missions (if they are not already occupied). The assassin recruits are also able to provide arrow support for the player. Tasking the novice Assassins is essential to make them gain experience, and the player is able to customize their appearance, skills and weapon training by spending the skill points they've earned. Assassins can die on missions, from which they will not return.

The combat system has been upgraded to be faster and more dynamic. Striking first and offensive actions are more deadly in Brotherhood than previous games where counter-attacks were the most efficient. Before, this made the player wait until the AI struck, which slowed down the pace of fighting. The AI in this game is thus more aggressive and enemies can attack simultaneously. To dispatch them, Ezio can use melee and ranged weapons at the same time, as well as introducing the hidden pistol in combat. After killing one enemy the player can start an execution streak to dispatch multiple enemies quickly. Ezio can throw axes and spears toward his enemies. There are new enemy archetypes in addition to those seen in Assassin's Creed II such as horsemen, arquebusiers, papal guards and others.

Horses play a larger role in Brotherhood, not only used as a means of transport (inside the city for the first time), but as a component of acrobatic sequences and advanced combat as well, allowing ranged weapons to be used while riding them. Brotherhood also introduces various types of horse-related assassinations, featuring horse-to-horse assassinations. 

There are eight Multiplayer game modes (Wanted, Alliance, Manhunt, Chest Capture, Advanced Wanted, Advanced Alliance, Escort and Assassinate) and different maps, including the areas from the second and the third game like Florence, as well as new maps like Rome, Castel Gandolfo, Siena and Mont Saint-Michel. The gameplay in multiplayer mode is similar to the core gameplay of the series, as players are required to use their assassination and stealth skills. The players must hunt down targets while being hunted themselves. Players earn points by performing assassinations, defending against pursuers, attaining bonuses or completing mode-specific objectives. The multiplayer mode also includes a leveling system, which allows players to unlock rewards by earning experience points during the matches and gaining new levels. Players can then unlock abilities, perks and streaks. Abilities are active skills, which can be used again only after a cooldown time. Perks are passive skills, which can be equipped before the match and they are active all the time. Streaks are bonuses awarded for reaching certain number of successful or failed contracts.

Final Thoughts:
Like the previous installments, the gameplay's core mechanics are based on parkour movements, crowd-blending stealth, assassinations and melee fighting system. The combat system features several improvements and for the first time in the series, the game offers a multiplayer mode alongside 40+ hours of single-player gameplay.

Rating: 4.0 = Good
Reccomendation:A must Buy for PC gamers