Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Final Multiplayer Impressions

by Anthony Gallegos - IGN.com | 10 November 2010 12:00
 
We check out the last two modes just before launch.
 
A multiplayer game has to be pretty unique to draw an audience in a season crowded by the likes of Call of Duty, Halo, and more. Not that uniqueness matters to a lot of developers, who often treat multiplayer as an afterthought -- a way to goad us into holding onto the game after finishing the campaign instead of trading it in.
 
These were the fears and thoughts I took into the recent time I had with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood's multiplayer. To make an impression that lasts for more than a minute they'd have to create something I can't get elsewhere, and it needs to be immediately entertaining if they ever want the franchise to have a multiplayer future. Thankfully, Ubisoft does just that.
 

Watch our multiplayer video preview.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood's multiplayer is robust, satisfying, and scratches an itch that few multiplayer games can. It's got a host of the faire we expect these days (unlockable abilities, levels and perks) along with enough variations of its core gameplay element – a sort of "hunt while being hunted" scenario -- to make it entertaining for hours. We've previously covered the Wanted and Alliance modes, but I finally got a chance to sink some time into Advanced Wanted and Manhunt, the final two modes that players get via a free day one title update.
 
Advanced Wanted is similar to regular Wanted with the main twist being the radar isn't specific as to a player's height on the map. The goal is to kill your assigned target while not revealing yourself to your hunter, a task that's made easier thanks to the large number of player clones running around the stage. Normally that'd be something I'd come down on a game for, as it typically looks really lame to see only a few character models filling out a population, but in Brotherhood it serves the gameplay. It's thrilling to try and mimic the AI while also straining to see who deviates just enough to out themselves, and the times where you are face to face with three clones of a character – one of which is the target – are some of the more intense moments I've had in a multiplayer game.
 
Climbing and running along the rooftops and walls of the world is always an option, but you make yourself easily identifiable by doing so. Still, while it is risky to climb and hunt from above, it does make Advanced Wanted more intense, as players have to constantly rotate the camera to look above and below them.
 
Hunting and killing is fun, but evasion is also a key component of Brotherhood's multiplayer. Players will inevitably figure out where you are, resulting in moments where you have to flee, stun them or be killed. The map is full of closable doors and ropes you can climb to help you get away, but it's considerably more difficult for the hunted to escape the hunter. Stunning your assailant is an option, but in a face to face fight you'll almost always lose, forcing you to save stun for the very few times you manage to get the drop on your killer. You might think that the killer having an advantage would be annoying, but it's actually a great motivator to not out yourself and makes a successful fleeing all the more satisfying.
 
Manhunt, the final mode of Brotherhood, also allows you to do all the actions discussed previously but is different because it changes up a few key rules. Instead of a free for all setup, Manhunt puts players into teams of four. Each team looks like a specific character (making it easier for the opposing team to seek them out in the level) and take turns being the hunters and the hunted. Victory goes to the highest scoring team after both rounds end.
 
The hunted players have to coordinate as a team to avoid being killed, with massive points being awarded to those who manage to stun the assassins. Additional points are slowly awarded to hunted players who manage to go incognito, encouraging players to seek out their clones and stay put. It's harrowing to watch as your assassin approaches and wanders around a group of clones you're in, forcing you to choose whether you're going to stun him or simply let him take a chance and kill a civilian (which temporarily disables his ability to kill anyone).
 

Every character has a unique weapon they use to do their assassinations.

The modes are fun for new players, but a clear emphasis has been placed on those who stick with Brotherhood for the long haul. Leveling up yields new Abilities, Perks and Streaks. Abilities are defensive and offensive actions you can do to either help kill players or avoid assailants, and they come in the form of things like guns and smoke bombs, respectively. Perks are passive powers that give small benefits like bonuses to run speed, and Streaks are score bonuses (for kill streaks) and helpful gameplay tweaks (for death streaks) players can give themselves. If you want to put in the time, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has an abundance of rewards. And don't worry, new players have a fighting chance, too, evidenced by how well I held my own against people considerably higher level than myself.
 
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was already a must buy for many fans of the second, and the surprisingly fleshed out multiplayer should be ample reason to hold onto it after the single-player story ends. While I don't expect it to take the multiplayer world by storm, I can easily see it developing into a fantastic way to break up the pacing in a night of gaming with friends when you get bored of answering the call of duty or saving humanity from aliens.
 
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