4/5 ★ – TheBlazeCoderer's review of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

Re-played on Xbox One with the Ezio Collection Just gonna get it out of the way, I did not like this game on my first playthrough. It certainly had upgrades to AC2 but it was worse in most ways aside from gameplay. Now, I still have some of those same gripes, but I don’t think this is a bad game at all anymore. Gameplay, graphics, missions, side content, etc, is all improved from AC2. This game is so much more fun to play. With additions like the crossbow, assassin guild, and many more, I found myself actually enjoying stealth for once, and having a good time while doing it. Combat is a lot smoother and easier, having a kill-streak setup where you can kill multiple enemies in a row, which is not necessarily better than AC2 but I prefer it. Renovation is back, however now you renovate shops and buildings throughout all of Roma, which then grants you more money the more you renovate. There’s also Borgia towers, which you destroy to remove Borgia influence and gain more people to induct into the Brotherhood. These are just few of the many additions made to this game, and it makes for a really great experience. I think the most significant change is the location the game takes place in. Instead of having multiple areas you travel in throughout the game, you instead spend the entire game in Roma, which is larger and more expansive than any location in AC2. Roma is gorgeous and fun to explore. I think it definitely works better than AC2’s setup, as traveling around was very tedious in that game at times. I’m glad Revelations sticks with this formula. Now, the story is where I think the game falters most. The game opens amazingly, picking up right where AC2 left off. And then, after instilling a sense of calm in the player, the Monterrigoni and the Villa are attacked and nearly completed destroyed. It’s an incredible sequence that ends with Uncle Mario dead by the hands of Cesare Borgia, the Apple of Eden in Templar hands, and the Auditore fleeing their home. We then see Ezio leave for Roma, ready to face the Borgia and get vengeance... we then get 6 subsequent Sequences of padding :/. Now, I’m not saying I dislike this part of the game. It has quite a few great scenes and furthers the plot. However, nothing of importance happens in this time outside of the rebuilding of the Brotherhood. We assassinate very few people, and none are really memorable. We barely get any time with Cesare, which sucks as he’s supposed to be the main villain. The plot doesn’t truly move along until Sequence 8, but by then, I’m not immersed in this story anymore. Speaking of Cesare, I think he makes for a really uncompelling villain. Rodrigo Borgia made for a great villain in AC2. He was threatening and was a great foil for Ezio. By the end of the game, the player wants him dead just as much as Ezio. And when Ezio spares him, you understand why. Rodrigo is amazing, and even with not that many scenes in the campaign, he’s memorable and incredible every time he’s on-screen. Cesare however, fucking sucks. I don’t hate him as a character, but I don’t like him much at all. In one of the opening scenes, we see him walk into Monterrigoni and kill Uncle Mario brutally. This sets the stage for a great story and a great villain, however, Cesare killing Uncle Mario literally leads to NOTHING. It has no bearing over the story in really any shape or form. It’s almost completely ignored until the ending, where it’s just a throwaway line. It’s insulting, dude. And even aside from that, he just has no presence in the story. He’s constantly mentioned and everyone you kill is connected to him, but you don’t get to know him at all. He’s just some annoying guy who screams like a baby in every scene he’s in. It’s so incredibly disappointing and I’m sad that he kills Rodrigo so unceremoniously. He leaves a bad stain on this game, and he didn’t need to at all. So yeah, I had a good time with AC: Brotherhood. I had quite a few problems with the story, but I enjoyed it for what it was. I hope Revelations is still good, but Brotherhood’s story doesn’t make me hopeful.