Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the direct sequel of 2009's Assassin's Creed II. Featuring Ezio Auditore da Firenze once again, the game pictures him, now a legendary Master Assassin, leading his newly found brotherhood in a hunt for Templars in Rome. This is also the first game of the series to include a multiplayer mode of any kind.

Desmond Miles will make an appearance in Brotherhood, so the main storyline does progress. His voice actor Nolan North had admitted to be working on a new Assassin's Creed game, and game developers announced that his story would "take an interesting turn."

Story
Following the events of Assassin's Creed II, the modern day Assassins escape to the Assassin Sanctuary in Monteriggioni, where Desmond Miles relives more of Ezio Auditore da Firenze's memories. These new memories take place straight after those from Assassin's Creed II, in which Ezio made the discovery of the Vault, and Minerva delivered the mysterious prophecy to Desmond through Ezio. After Ezio's discovery, he met up with his uncle, Mario and the two fought their way through the Vatican. They escaped through the vast city of Rome, until they reached Tiber river. Mario encouraged Ezio to drop the Apple of Eden in, so it would be lost forever, but Ezio could not get rid of a artifact of such power, thus Mario decided he would take care of the Apple of Eden until Ezio made his decision.

Afterwards they returned to the Villa Auditore in Monteriggioni, where Ezio informed the other Assassins of what had happened, but Niccolò Machiavelli believed that Ezio had made a great mistake by keeping Rodrigo Borgia alive. Furious, Machiavelli left Monteriggioni. Ezio then completed a few missions for the preparation of Claudia's birthday, but a surprise Templar attack on the town of Monteriggioni, led by Cesare Borgia, caused the Assassins to be brought to the verge of extinction, and the Apple of Eden to be lost.

With his uncle Mario dead and his villa in ruins, Ezio travelled to Rome, the center of power and corruption, and home of the Templar Order in Italy, in order to regain the Apple of Eden and bring the Templar Order to its knees once and for all. Not only does Ezio succeed in creating an all new brotherhood of Assassins and destroying the threat of the Templars led by Rodrigo Borgia, but Desmond himself faces problems of his own as well.

Characters
Below is a list of known characters to appear in-game:

Renaissance Assassins

 * Ezio Auditore da Firenze
 * Mario Auditore
 * Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli
 * Bartolomeo d'Alviano
 * La Volpe
 * Claudia Auditore da Firenze
 * Assassin apprentices

Modern-age Assassins

 * Desmond Miles
 * Lucy Stillman
 * Shaun Hastings
 * Rebecca Crane
 * Subject 16

Templars

 * Rodrigo Borgia
 * Cesare Borgia
 * Lucrezia Borgia
 * Juan Borgia
 * Micheletto
 * Duke de Valois
 * Il Carnefice

Allies/others

 * Leonardo da Vinci
 * Caterina Sforza
 * Vasco da Gama
 * Nicolaus Copernicus

Enemies

 * Papal Guards
 * Brutes
 * Seekers
 * Agiles
 * Arquebusier
 * Militia Guards
 * Horsemen
 * Crossbowmen
 * Followers of Romulus

Multiplayer characters
Note: Ubisoft has stated that some of the multiplayer characters will make an appearance in the Single-player game as targets for Ezio to kill.



Each character in Multiplayer will also have several options for customizable appearances that can be unlocked.
 * The Doctor
 * The Courtesan
 * The Executioner
 * The Noble (Banker)
 * The Priest
 * The Prowler (Hunter)
 * The Barber
 * The Engineer
 * The Blacksmith
 * The Captain (Soldier)
 * The Smuggler
 * The Harlequin (limited edition/pre-order exclusive)
 * The Officer (limited edition/pre-order exclusive)
 * The Footpad
 * The Thief
 * The Mercenary
 * The Hellequin (Uplay exclusive)

Singleplayer

 * Rome
 * Monterrigioni
 * Monte Circeo
 * Naples
 * Tivoli
 * Viana
 * Florence (Cristina missions)
 * Venice (Cristina missions)

Multiplayer

 * Rome
 * Florence
 * Venice
 * Siena
 * Forli
 * Castel Gandolfo
 * Monteriggioni
 * San Donato

Weapons
The weapon wheel in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood remains the same with the addition of the Crossbow. Also, there are smaller symbols added to the set weapon symbols, such as the Hidden Gun paired with the Longsword, the Throwing Knives with the Short Blade, and the Poison Darts with the Poison Blade. These symbols represent the weapon that can be combined with the current weapon. This combination is shown in the E3 2010 Demo of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and in a screenshot when Ezio kills a guard with his Sword and then quickly shoots another with the Hidden Gun.
 * Singleplayer

Note: Weapons with an asterisk (*) next to them are introduced in Brotherhood.

Ezio's Weapons
 ]]
 * Longswords
 * Crossbow*
 * Double Hidden Blades
 * Poison Darts*
 * Hidden Gun
 * Daggers
 * Spears, Halberds and Pikes
 * Throwing Knives
 * Warhammers and Maces
 * Axes
 * [[Apple of Eden|Apple of Eden

Enemy Weapons

 * Longswords
 * Crossbow
 * Daggers
 * Spears, Halberds and Pikes
 * Warhammers and Maces
 * Axes
 * Arquebuses*

Assassin Apprentice Weapons

 * Daggers
 * Hidden Blade
 * Axe
 * Longswords
 * Multiplayer
 * Axe - used by the Executioner.
 * Bladed Fan - used by the Courtesan.
 * Syringe - used by the Doctor.
 * Trench Knives - used by the Footpad.
 * Holy Blade - used by the Priest.
 * Dual Daggers - used by the Harlequin.
 * Switchblade - used by the Prowler.
 * Claw - used by the Noble.
 * Razor - used by the Barber.
 * Hammer - used by the Blacksmith.
 * Captains Swords - used by the Soldier.
 * Inverted Hidden Blade(s) - used by the Smuggler.
 * Scissor Blade - used by the Thief.
 * Compass - used by the Engineer.
 * Epieu - used by the Officer.
 * Twin Daggers used by the Hellequin.
 * Short Sword used by the Mercenary.

Multiplayer Abilities

 * Morph
 * Disguise
 * Sprint Boost
 * Hidden Gun
 * Smoke Bomb
 * Poison
 * Throwing Knives
 * Firecrackers
 * Power Charge
 * Dishonor

Multiplayer Perks

 * Enhanced Autobash
 * Blender

Multiplayer Streak Bonuses

 * Streak Bonus +100
 * Streak Bonus +300
 * Extra Sensitivity
 * Reset Cooldowns
 * Spawn Distance

Other Tools
Other than the weapons, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will include some old and new tools available to Ezio Auditore.
 * Horses
 * Advanced Flying Machine
 * Mounted Cannons
 * Merchandise Lift
 * Chase-Breakers
 * Parachutes
 * Boat Cannon
 * Chariot Machine Gun
 * Armored Car

Singleplayer
Ubisoft claims (through conferences, videos and announcements) that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will include new features, especially small, "exotic" gameplay add-ons (i.e.: the flying sequence in Assassin's Creed II, different from the rest of the gameplay). New weapons such as the crossbow will be introduced, as well as new combat elements that reward those who take the offensive and strike first, for example. Additionally, enemies will more likely attack together, instead of just one or two at a time, as seen in previous installments. Ezio will also make use of a parachute throughout the game, most likely designed by Leonardo da Vinci himself. . They are maneuverable enough to land on horses and other specific spots. Unlike in Assassin's Creed II, you can re-play to a previous memory. While possible in Assassin's Creed II, it was only available for secondary memories such as courier assignments or Assassin Tombs. The player will be able to see how Ezio actually completed the missions and then can try and replicate his actions exactly to try to achieve 100% synchronization with that memory. Interrogation missions return in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, along with stalking targets and burning important information. This implies that the genres from Assassin's Creed have returned to the gameplay.

Ezio enlisted aid by recruiting rebellious citizens who were being bullied by Templars. Upon being saved, each knelt before him and swore their allegiance. Twelve Borgia Towers tyrannized Rome, and Ezio found more allies with their destruction.

Ezio's ability to train and send other Assassins on jobs and missions may have a key gameplay element, in such that their success may have a small impact of the storyline, much like the progression of the game through upgrading Rome. This success will depend on abilities of the Assassins sent, where younger, less experienced assassins will have a higher failure rate than older, more experienced ones. If your Assassins die on a mission, they will not return. Ezio may also have the ability to select and bring along a group of Assassins to assist in his missions, wherein Ubisoft has said that, in Brotherhood, leadership is as vital a skill as the ability to use a sword. Also mentioned was the ability to select an Assassin as Ezio's "personal Assassin," though no further information about this was given. Ezio will also be able to visit Spain according to the Dev Diary 3. From a singleplayer gameplay video when Ezio is speaking to Machiavelli he buys some things from a Blacksmith, in the menu there is an option "Sell Items"

Multiplayer
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the first Assassin's Creed game to feature a multiplayer mode. The players are Templars in training at the Abstergo facility. They use the Animus and the Bleeding Effect to train in combat, stealth and free running. The simulation consists of stalking and killing one another. The area in which the Templar assassins train is selected manually, as pre-set maps.

One of the multiplayer game modes, called "Wanted," was announced in the July edition of PlayStation magazine. Here, six to eight players are dropped on a map where they must find and kill each other. Each player is given another player as a target, and the goal is to find and kill them without being seen or killed by the player's own hunter. If you break cover and your hunter sees you, a chase sequence will commence, wherein they will try to catch and kill you, until you are able to hide.

In Hunter mode, one player will take the role of an Assassin, while other players play as guards. Before the beginning of the mission, the player will have to choose his class - there is no information how many classes will be available, but each class will have different animations and weapons. After the player has chosen his class, the radar will show him the area where his target is located, as well as the number of enemy players that are searching for him. After the player has found the location where the victim is hiding, they must then locate their target. The NPCs that populate the multiplayer world will be modelled on the characters that actual players are using making it harder to identify the actual target. Killing an innocent bystander will result in the contract being terminated and the player not receiving any points.

Another mode recently revealed is Alliance. In this multiplayers are encouraged to pair up with one-another.

No further specifics about other game modes are known.

Interestingly, in the recent screenshots it seems all of the characters are customizable and most of them have a female counterpart. However it is not known how the players are able to customize themselves.

Physics and effects
After some criticism from PC gamers about the ragdoll physics in previous installments, Ubisoft has stated that the physics will be improved upon in Brotherhood, as well as several graphical effects in the game.

Ragdolls fall much more realistically due to the new, edited "Havok" engine. In previous games, ragdolls sometimes would convulse when hitting the floor after being thrown off a building.

Controlling the Assassins


During the game, you will have the option of sending Assassins to different areas to complete tasks. Ezio manages The Assassins Guild by using the pigeon coop communication system set up by Machiavelli, to send messages to his apprentices. You will have the ability to send new assassins to other European countries and complete missions to gain status. The cities you can send Assassins are Florence, Venice, Barcelona, Rome, London, Calicut, Lisbon, Constantinople and Cologne. Once an Assassin has proven themselves effectively, they can accompany you on missions in Rome. The new Assassins are recruited when Ezio rescues them from harassing guards, which inspires them to join the Assassins. Before rescuing and recruiting the novice assassin's Ezio has to blow up an observation tower where a Borgia commander along with a bunch of soldiers rule and make sure the local area remains under their influence and power. Once the deed is done and the tower is destroyed "save missions" will be unlocked and Ezio can start recruiting young assassins.



If an Assassin fails to pass a mission, he or she can't be used again. You can also customize the assassins' armor and weaponry, and each one has a different personality. Later on, you can use experience points they've gained to upgrade their fighting and free-running abilities.
 * Ezio is able to train up to 12 apprentices, male or female.
 * The number of assassins you can have in your brotherhood depends on the number of Borgia Towers that have been burned. Once there is an empty slot for a new recruit, many different locations for the rebels will appear all throughout Rome.
 * In Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Dev Diary #1, it shows how effectively Ezio can use his apprentices.

Limited Editions
Three special Editions have been revealed so far for the game. Europe will have the 'Codex' and 'Auditore' Edition. The Codex Edition will only be available through Play.com or Ubisoft.com, while the Auditore Edition will be available through other retailers. North America will have the 'Collector's Edition' with the exclusive Harlequin figure available at Gamestop, while the Collector's edition with the Doctor figure is available at other retailers

The Codex Edition

 * Renaissance Collector Chest.
 * Altaïr's exclusive Codex book.
 * Hard Copy Strategy Map of Rome.
 * Multiplayer characters cards.
 * DVD of the Assassin’s Creed: Lineage short-film (European version only).
 * Game Soundtrack.
 * Bonus Disc.
 * Exclusive Making-of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Video.
 * Digital Sneak Peak at the comic book series.
 * Trailers.
 * Two exclusive single player maps (Aqua Gear & Trajan Market).
 * Two exclusive multiplayer characters (The Harlequin & The Officer)
 * Helmschmied Drachen Armour.
 * Three ubi workshop artcards

The Auditore Edition

 * Transparancy box with 3D thermoformed portrait of Ezio Auditore and "Animus" effect.
 * Multiplayer character cards.
 * Aqua Gear exclusive single player map.
 * DVD of the Assassin's Creed: Lineage short-film.
 * Helmschmied Drachen Armour.

The Collector's Edition

 * Collectible black package.
 * The Harlequin Jack-in-the-Box Collectible exclusive to GameStop customers only, or The Doctor Jack-in-the-Box if purchased at other participating retailers.
 * Two exclusive single player maps (Aqua Gear & Trajan Market).
 * Hard Copy Strategy Map of Rome.
 * Exclusive Art Book.
 * Bonus Disc.
 * Exclusive Making-of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Video.
 * Digital Sneak Peak at the comic book series.
 * Trailers and Dev Diaries.
 * Game Soundtrack.
 * Helmschmied Drachen Armour (Amazon.com pre-order only).

Special Edition

 * Exclusive Packaging.Ac_brotherhood_case.jpg
 * Trajan Market exclusive single player map.
 * The Officer Multiplayer Character.

HMV Exclusive Edition

 * Exclusive Packaging.
 * Aqua Gear exclusive single player map.
 * The Harlequin Multiplayer Character.

Trophies/Achievements
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood will have 51 Trophies and 50 Achievements; the full list can be found here, http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/assassins-creed-brotherhood/trophies/

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/assassins-creed-brotherhood/achievements/

One of the Trophies/Achievements for AC: Brotherhood which requires the player to "Solve all of Subject 16's puzzles" is titled in Morse Code ".. .- -- .- .-.. .. ...- ."; when translated spells "I AM ALIVE". It is unknown what relation this has to Subject 16, as he has long been thought to be dead.

Trivia

 * In the E3 2010 Single Player Walkthrough, the "Press Start/Enter" menu background keeps cycling every few seconds from the original Abstergo "blue" Animus (1.28) of Assassin's Creed to the "white" Animus 2.0 of Assassin's Creed II.
 * In the multiplayer mode, despite all the characters being Templars and using Abstergo's Animi, the desynchronization animation with the numerous white lines, and the blend animation with the white lines at the character's feet is from the Animus 2.0.
 * The outfit of Ezio's apprentices look similar to that of the Assassin guards on the first game. Ezio's own outfit has also changed, being more plain and simple rather than flashier, nobility robes from Assassin's Creed II.
 * The "Sprint Jump" from the Assassin's Creed II Bonfire of the Vanities DLC is said to appear as a regular part of free-running sequences.
 * The covers of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game show Ezio with dual Hidden Blades in an "X" pointing upwards, while on the PC version cover, the Blades are facing downwards.
 * According to Xbox360Achievements, the achievements have been released
 * According to Eurogamer, once a player has achieved 100% synchronization with a sequence/memory, a "cheat" will be unlocked. [9]
 * Apples seem to be very significant in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, as many civilians are seen eating apples and Cesare was poisoned with an apple. This may be a reference to The Apple of Eden.

Videos
Video:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Debut Website Teaser (HD)|Debut Teaser Trailer [[Video:Assassins Creed Brotherhood Weapons Trailer HD|Weapons Teaser Trailer Video:Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Rome Vignette|Presentation of Rome Video:Shaun Hastings Teaser|Shaun Hastings' Reveal Video Video:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Enter Rome Trailer (HD)|Enter Rome Trailer Video:Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Multiplayer Trailer|E3 2010 Multiplayer Trailer Video:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Multiplayer Beta Trailer (HD)|Multiplayer Beta Trailer Video:Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - The Story Trailer|The Story Trailer Video:Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - Exotic Gameplay Trailer|Exotic Gameplay Trailer Video:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Singleplayer-Gameplay|Singleplayer Gameplay #1 Video:Assassins Creed Brotherhood - Singleplayer-Gameplay #2|Singleplayer Gameplay #2 Video:What you get when you pre-order Assassin's Creed Brotherhood|Retailers Bonuses Video:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood: Gameplay trailer - Character Desmond|Desmond In Asassin's Creed Brotherhood Video:Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - Codex Edition|Codex Edition Video:Assassin's Creed Brotherhood|Beta Gameplay Video:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - launch trailer|Single Player Launch Trailer Video:Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Walkthrough Part III|Recorded Footage

Other Videos

 * Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Videos
 * Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (Try replacing .uk with .es, .de, .fr, .us or .it to see unseen UK footage.)