Assassin’s Creed has quickly become one of Ubisoft’s major franchises, if not its number one front runner. When Altair first hit the scene in 2007 it was a revelation with a few needed improvements. Those improvements were made in Assassin’s Creed 2, one of the best games of last year where players took control of Ezio. The now famous assassin will make a return in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood which is receiving a fundamental addition this year.
Multiplayer.
When the idea of multiplayer in an Assassin’s Creed game was introduced and confirmed with the announcement of Brotherhood many noted some concern as it might not be a great fit for the franchise. We have been playing the multiplayer beta on the Playstation Network for a couple of weeks now and are ready to give you a preview of what’s to come when the full version hits in November.
Currently there are three maps but only one game type available. Rome, Castle Gandolfo and the recently unlocked Siena which is a night map. The playable game type is Wanted which allows 6 to 8 players per game, the duration of each match is about 9 minutes.
The goal of this game type is to assassinate other players on the map which are playing as different classes and character types. In order to fulfill the ‘contracts’ which are players you are tasked to eliminate, you will need to sneak up to them while staying hidden in order to take them out. While this sounds easy, players need to avoid being assassinated themselves. At the very time you are looking to complete the objective, another player is doing the same with you being the target. All playable characters are also NPCs on the map making it difficult to spot actual targets. This makes for some interesting scenarios depending on how players behave. I have found that when players are playing the game ‘as it was designed’ to be played the matches are tense and very rewarding. Staying hidden and assassinating an unsuspecting player is one of the coolest things I’ve done in a multiplayer game. However, the other side of this is players sprinting around not looking to play the game properly which turns the match into a frantic and truthfully frustrating experience. Finding a target is handled via a circular radar which points into the direction of the contract until he or she is in arms reach. Running after a target will cause it to be alerted causing a chasing sequence giving the targeted player a chance to escape via pathways and doors closing which provides a few extra seconds to blend with the crowd. Targets can be marked also which allows players to flank them or blend in with the crowd until the target passes in an alley for the easy silent kill.
As I have mentioned, there are several different classes which all use different weapons and look very distinct. The doctor for instance wears a mask and kills with a syringe. Brotherhood also implemented a progression system as well as load-outs in the multiplayer allowing players to customize their character. New abilities and perks are unlocked by leveling up and can then be used during matches. In order to reach higher ranks players will need to earn points by killing enemies, escaping followers and applying skill moves.
Visually the Brotherhood looks and feels very much like an Assassin’s Creed game. The animations are smooth and it’s fun to move characters around in this lush and active environment. I would contest that the final version would have to have some more polish and improvements in the audio department but aside from some pop-up it looks good graphically. While this might not happen with the game being this close to launch, a couple more character classes would add to the verity.
I have come away with the opinion that multiplayer in an Assassin’s Creed game can certainly work and is an immense amount of fun when played properly. Playing a match with a group if friends, planning to take out the opposition in creative ways which Brotherhood allows will be a great experience. Of course this is only a beta with limited options and the game is still a ways off but my experience with the Brotherhood multiplayer beta has been a pleasant one and I am very excited to get my hands on the final version.
