Brotherhood - because family is what it's all about.

When I decide to buy a new game to add to the collection, I tend to stick to the genres of video games I already own. I know it may sound absurd to some that I call myself a gamer when I don't have games like FIFA or Call of Duty on my shelf, but I have my preferences, and as mentioned in previous posts, I do have some degree of variety. My interests go beyond simple hack and slash games. I like games with a broad range of activity and character. It is for that reason that I've chosen a game which I have played frequently even though I would have liked to have written about one not quite as well-known, but equally one which has sold well and has a large number of players.

Assassins Creed (AC), a name that every gamer is familiar with. It introduced us to a huge storyline that spans across every game in the series, referencing many historic events in the process. Brotherhood is the third instalment of the Assassins Creed series and the second chapter in The Ezio Trilogy. It was released in November 2010 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. As with the previous games, its genres are open world, action-adventure and stealth, it also continues to be based on historical individuals, locations and events.

The plot carries straight on from the end of Assassin’s Creed II, where present day assassin Desmond Miles continues to relive his ancestors life through the Animus, a machine allowing the user to access their genetic memories. He hopes to find the location of powerful ancient artifacts known as the Pieces of Eden, in order to prevent a second impending global natural disaster.

He sure spends a lot of his time lying down....

In Renaissance Italy, Ezio Auditore da Firenze continues his fight against the Knights Templar. After the death of his uncle at the hands of the Borgia’s, the family who lead the Templar forces, Ezio travels to Rome to fight the Templar corruption and rebuild the Brotherhood to eliminate the Borgia threat once and for all. Over the years (in game,) Ezio gradually eliminates the Templar forces and their allies whilst restoring Rome to its former glory. In this game the story all takes place in Rome, as opposed to multiple cities as in the previous games.

I chose this game because I feel it is a major turning point in the development of gameplay in the series. It carries on Assassins Creed IIs new open world exploration and interaction, as well as the new economic system, allowing purchasable armour, weapons and utilities. During gameplay in AC Brotherhood you don't have to consistently move from one mission to the next, you can start it whenever you wish and explore or do side quests before you wish to carry on with the main storyline. There is much that can be done that wasn't available in the previous two games. In games I and II, I think many people would agree that after a while it got extremely repetitive and it was very obvious as to how the rest of the game as going to be laid out, AC Brotherhood enables the player to have more freedom and choice of missions.

The introduction of Full Synchronizing is also a new feature. It is rather handy because you can only achieve 100% synchronization by completing the mission while performing the designated tasks. It almost makes you begin to think like an assassin.  Horses are also and additional feature, they can now be used within the city walls for faster transport or to be used in mounted combat, I think everyone who played the first game remembers the pain of having to dismount at every city gate! The other major feature is living up to the namesake of the game; you can recruit NPCs into the Brotherhood once you have removed the Borgia influence from a district. They can then be sent on missions to gain personal experience and rise through the ranks, as well as gathering resources for you.    

Brotherhood features variety; which in my opinion the key to its success and how it has kept the series active and promising. Personally I am someone who aims to gether all collectables in games, and the beauty of the AC games is that everything you can gather is located in the onscreen maps. When it comes to the actual playing, I always feel like I have a choice, depending on the situation and what is available, I can carry out the objective and numerous ways.
The only thing I would say about the series is that when climbing, some of the leaps and jumps seem rather impossible, even for the most experienced of climbers, and I'm sure others would agree - one wrong move and it's a long way down.

This series has always been a joy to take part in, the series is indeed coming to a wrap since it's based around the 2012 theory, so I look foward to seeing what's in store next and who the new ancestor will be.

We work in the dark to serve the light...