The introduction of multiplayer to a purely single player experience made for a interesting announcement. How would the roaming assassin gameplay translate well to a fun multiplayer environment. Could Brotherhood offer anything new and refreshing? Thankfully Ubisoft are more than willing to show us with a multiplayer demo on the show floor. Click the link for my impressions.

The mode on offer was a hunt and hunted like game mode. You are assigned a player to kill (sometimes computer-controlled) while at the same time there is someone trying to find and kill you. You have 8 characters to choice from which vary from Nobles to Barbers to Courtesan. You are also given the option of ability skills which are assigned to L2 (LT) and R2 (RT). 5 combinations will be available but only 3 are playable. You may choose from things like extra sprint with throwing daggers, blending it with a hidden gun for example. I picked the former skill set and played as a Barber.

You play in a Civilian infested area, all of which look like all the other character types you’re facing against. You are granted points for successful kills and escaping your hunter. You are also given extra points for impressive and fancy kills by being discreet, silent or from the air. In order to find your target you are given a circle ring radar which points you in the right direction. As you get closer the ring fills up more and if they appear in your sights the ring will glow. Once you are sure you have the right person, go in the for the assassination kill. If you happen to kill a civilian you will lose your target and will be assigned a new one. You will be alerted if your hunter has you in their sights and running towards you, giving you the time to run away. If you are being chased you can escape in a Metal Gear Solid style fashion by out running or hide in haystacks. If you are successful in escaping they will lose you as a target and will be assigned a new one keeping you safe for the time being, along with a nice points bonus.

The idea is the have a nice balance between being discreet and blending in with being aggressive in your kills. I took a discreet approach and ended the round with the best kill ratio of 7-1 but only ended up in 4th because I wasn’t being fancy enough with my kills. I took it slow until I was sure I had the right target and ran in for the kill to make sure he didn’t get away and that I got it done quickly so I can move on. By doing this I ruined my chances of getting a fancy kill because by running my target was alerted to my presence. So in the second round I took a more aggressive approach, used the rooftops more and went for more aerial kills, which are often seen as silent also giving me many more points. But by using the rooftops it made it easier for my hunter to kill me and I ended up dying far more. By blending into the crowd and by avoiding things a normal civilian wouldn’t do your hunter will have a harder time spotting you giving you the time to really narrow down your search. But taking that slower approach will cost you valuable time and future potential targets.

I only had a chance to play 2 rounds, but I enjoyed the small time I had with it. Brotherhood has the potential to offer a great mutliplayer experience along with a solid single player campaign. I hope all other game types will be as creative and fun making real use of Assassin’s Creed’s unique play style.

Assassin’s Creed 2
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Price: $59.99
Platform: PS3

In 2007 Ubisoft released the highly popular Assassin’s Creed that had tons of potential, but because of repetitious missions and a broken combat system it just didn’t reach what it could have been. Ubisoft listened to the complaints and released Assassin’s Creed 2 which towers over the previous title in terms of gameplay, mission variety, and story. Without spoiling much, the story picks up exactly where we left our friend Desmond in the previous game who is quickly rescued by the present day assassins and taken to their hideout. After jumping into the Animus 2.0 we are introduced to Ezio Audituerre in 15th century Italy who gets tangled in a revenge story thick with conspiracies. Ezio is much more relaxed and fun loving than his ancestor Altaïr and you can’t help but like him. The story is thick with humor but keeps it down enough to keep the revenge/conspiracy plot serious.

Just like in the first game, the main mode of travel is the free running system. Ezio can traverse the numerous cities like modern day parkour and climb practically anything you can see. The animations are once again top notch and have even gotten better with Ezio reacting realistically when swinging from plants or climbing up church bells. I should add that Ezio is a bit faster than Altaïr which might seem like a small thing to add but it is quite noticeable and is very appreciated. My only gripe with free running is that unless you recognize that types of buildings and what sort of structure they have you will fall to the ground many times in this game by thinking you’ll make that jump when in fact you’ll be making a quick trip to the doctor’s office.

Assassin’s Creed was plagued with repetitive side missions and overall dull main quest. This time around the variety of side missions will have you wanting to complete them all and aren’t required to do like the previous game to unlock a story mission. These side missions can be done whenever you want and can be accepted or denied if you don’t feel like completing them. There are also Assassin Tombs hidden within each of the cities that hold an expansive puzzle filled platforming segment that Prince of Persia fans will feel right at home in. Flags this time are replaced by feathers that you can collect and deposit in a chest at the villa, and fans of previous game will be happy to know that collecting feathers will yield worthwhile rewards this time around. Codex pages are locked in chests guarded by 3-4 guards scattered throughout the cities that when collected can be placed on a wall in your villa and after taking some time will show a map. This is the only collecting game that is actually required to further the storyline but isn’t a big hassle. There are also hidden glyphs hidden throughout the cities that when scanned will give you a puzzle that unlocks parts of a video that when put together will show a clip that helps make some sense of the ending.

Stealth returns once again but this time you have other options besides the piles of hay and benches. This time around you can blend in with groups of people or even toss some coins on the ground to cause a horde of civilians to flock to a spot all fighting for the gold. A new system is the ability to hire thieves or whores to go distract guards from their positions allowing you a chance to slip by without a fight. Assassin’s Creed 2 also follows the tradition of adding the ability to swim in the sequel. You can quickly dive into the river and hide momentarily from guards or hijack a gondola for a quick getaway.

In Assassin’s Creed the combat reverted to simply waiting for the enemy to attack and hitting the counter button for an instant kill. Assassin’s Creed 2 changes things with counters not always being an instant kill, multiple weapon types with their own feel, and various sub-moves. Your main weapon will be the sword but you can acquire new weapons off fallen foes or even trade in your sword to purchase new ones from the blacksmith. You’re given a much slicker weapon wheel this time around where you can instantly change to your dagger, smoke bombs, hidden blade, throwing knives, poison, or even your pistol. Besides your usual weapons Ezio can also preform various special moves that help add tons of variety to the combat that include tossing sand to blind enemies, sweeping multiple foes, and grapples.

Cash is a new addition to Assassin’s Creed 2 and plays a heavy role in how you play the game. You acquire Florins by pickpocketing people, finding hidden treasure, or simply completing quests. These can then be used to buy new weapons, items, armor, or health vials. Other items can be purchased as a simple makeover to Ezio’s clothing by purchasing new colors for his armor or buying paintings for your villa. The Villa is a small area that is basically your safe haven you can go to whenever you want via fast travel to check on your progress in the game. Investing money in various businesses in your villa will eventually help you since you get a set amount of florins every so often and increases with the more you invest. For example you can invest in the blacksmith for a discount with each investment or simply reopen the pub. Your mansion at the top of the villa is also where you can keep track of all your collectibles like feathers, weapons, armor, paintings, or Assassin Tomb seals.

The Final Word
Assassin’s Creed 2 is the perfect example of how you take a mediocre game and create a sequel that trumps it in all ways possible. With the improved combat system, unique missions, hidden collectibles/tombs, cities full of life, and a length that will take you around 15-18 hours for completion Assassin’s Creed 2 is one of those games that everyone needs to get their hands on and play.

- MonsterVine Rating: Excellent

Only available for pre-order at GameStop!!! Want to have an advantage over all your friends? Pre-order the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 version of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands exclusively at GameStop to be “rewarded” with additional content!!!

Ubisoft promises that you will recieve the extra special exclusive mode called “Forgotten Arena,” which enables players to battle waves upon waves of increasingly toughened foes with the ability to regain health in between rounds. If you preordered the game online, you will eventually recieve a code via email to unlock that scrumptious content while those that ordered in-store will find the code printed on the reciept.

All versions of The Forgotten Sands are expected for release May 18, just weeks away from the feature film based on the Sands of Time franchise starring Jake Gyllenhaal out in theaters on May 28. Unfortunately for PC owners, retailers are reporting a June 1 release – most likely to delay the infamous act known as piracy on the platform. Arrrrr!!!

[Editors Note: I had too much coffee. - Will]

Sorry about the lack of NewsVine yesterday, during the time I had free I couldn’t access the site for some unknown reason. But today, no such problem so here’s the day today in the world of gaming.

Red Steel 2 Scheduled for March 23 Release

Ubisoft has stealthly dated Red Steel 2 for March 23, according to the publisher’s site. We’re hoping they’ve got all the kinks worked out with the extra delay time for its release.

Dishwasher Dev Announces Charlie Murder for XBL Indie Games

From the maker of The Dishwasher and I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1 comes another ingenious creation. Check out the Facebook page for a look at the characters and the gameplay which looks to be an arcade beat-em-up with punk rockers and zombies. The developer says there will be a good chance the game will be in attendance for PAX East and is currently scheduled for a March 2010 release.

Bobby Kotick: Our Spider-Man Games Have Sucked for the Last Five Years

Our favorite CEO Bobby Kotick has finally admitted what gamers have known for years, Spider-Man games suck. Kotick remarked in an issue of Game Informer that the friendly neighborhood hero hasn’t been given its dues in the past gaming installments by pointing out that “they were poorly rated because they were bad games.” Who knew poor quality is directly responsible for low review scores?

Crackdown 2 Demo Coming

Ruffian Games has plans to release a demo of the sequel to the open-world sandbox game, Crackdown 2, before the game hits retail shelves. However, no release date or timeframe was given for the demo’s release nor for the full game. Oh why do you tease us so. And a shameless plug that well be covering it on our Appetizer series when it comes out.

ESPN Sports Streaming Coming to Xbox 360?

Microsoft has a knack to use the Xbox dashboard as a way to “advertise” its featured applications such as Twitter, Facebook, Netflix for those who bother to use it as a means of convenience. Now sports fanatics (not me) can look forward to the possibility of having your 360 updated with the latest happenings in the wide world of curling. Maybe they can also tell us the difference between football and football. However those in the UK can already get access to ESPN via the Sky Player.

This week saw the release of Assassin’s Creed 2 and all of it’s offspring, Left 4 Dead 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Tony Hawk: Ride, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles and my personal favourite Jambo! Safari: Animal Rescue for the Wii.

The week also saw Sony reveal their plans for a paid premium subscription service though that won’t affect any online play as that will remain free, basically turning this into another version of Qore only on a more international level. Sony’s also has shown interest in 3D gaming stating it’s support for it in 2010. It’s bad enough seeing every film being released in the cinema being in 3D, I don’t want that for consoles thank you. The PS3 also saw Facebook support making using a easy-to-use website slightly more complicated.

Nothing interesting happened with the 360 this week, other than the report that 60% of the UK’s 360′s have died, which makes me fear for mine, it better not fucking die.

A shit game has been delayed for the sake of mankind. A port of No More Heroes will be coming for the 360 and PS3 titled ‘Heroes Paradise’ but will not be supported by Ubisoft meaning it’s probably going to be Japan only, Ubisoft fail to explain why they don’t want to make more money from a good game. We also discover no-one likes Mass Effect 2′s new awful box-art so Europe replaces it for something just as bad.

There was the sad news that we must say goodbye to Pandemic Studios but the brand will stay intact. Gaming boycotter’s again show how crap they are at actually boycotting as seen with Left 4 Dead 2, though it’s no-where near as bad as those seen with Modern Warfare 2. Kane and Lynch will now see a sequel with the help with Square-Enix, maybe Square can offer more money to keep people’s mouths shut over a review score problems.

Weather

Expect showers of throwing knives all over Italy, be especially careful if your area is registered at Uplay as you will be expected to receive 5 more knives than usual. Bad freaky fog is affecting the southern parts of the USA so if you plan to go outside be prepared with a gun and melee weapon to be on the safe side, actually carry one at all times. Everywhere else can expect a tactical nuke followed by cloudy skies.

MonsterVine

At MonsterVine we saw reviews for Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 2. Our very own Sarah tells us more Blue’s Clues about the next Zelda game. This was technically last week but we also had an Appetiser for GTA4 DLC, The Lost and Damned.

Question of the Week – What do you expect to see with Sony’s planned premium subscription service?

A visually enhanced port of Grasshopper’s No More Heroes subtitled ‘Heroes Paradise’ will be coming to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, revealed in the latest edition of Japanese magazine publication Famitsu.

Improvements include new graphics, “Advanced Mode,” Japanese voice acting, and “Very Sweet Mode” where all ladies wear revealing outfits. Motion gesture controls from the Nintendo Wii version will not be included.

Heroes Paradise will release in Japan on February 25, 2010, a worldwide release date has yet to be announced. Grasshopper Manufacture’s sequel No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is due to arrive in early 2010.

Source: Shacknews, Siliconera

Admit it, you’re excited for Splinter Cell: Conviction. You’ve basically waited three years since it was originally supposed to be released in 2007 and four years since the last Splinter Cell video game came out.

The wait is pretty much over with its impending release in Spring 2010, despite having been delayed once more. Click the image above for a commentated video of the game which indulges into features like interrogations, sweet googles, sticky camera, and the ‘mark and execute’ approach.

Ubisoft has postponed the release of the often-delayed stealth action game among other titles.

Both Splinter Cell: Conviction [PS3, Xbox 360] and Red Steel 2 [Wii] have been move out the 2009 release window into a timeframe that starts between January 1 and ends March 31, 2010. Conviction was originally due in Q4 2007, however now boasts a total of four delays under its development timeline.

Also delayed are the new Ghost Recon and I Am Alive which have been pushed back to a April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011 release window.

A team at Ubisoft Shanghai is at work on the sequel to Tom Clancy’s EndWar, the developers voice-command RTS title.

The team is focusing on depth of the story and gameplay with the sequel. In an interview with Videogamer, Ubisoft creative director Michael De Plater stated that “It’s just something we didn’t give attention to…” and “…giving more attention to the single-player is straightforward to address and will make the game a lot of fun.”

“Changing the way the combat chain works, the paper, scissors, rock, and adding the differentiation between the three factions, again it’s not something that’s even necessarily hard to do…” “It’s something that we chose not to do with the accessibility.”

De Plater refused to state a timeline on the game’s development, stating only that a small team at the original developer Ubisoft Shanghai are at work on the project currently.

Call of Juarez returns for its expositive sequel Bound in Blood in the hopes of delivering on an authentic old-timey experience of the Americas during the late 1800s. The first Call of Juarez blended stealth, platforming, and shooter elements into one game. The prequel, however, eliminates the first two in favor of refining the first-person shooter gameplay that was integral to the overall experience. At its very core, Bound in Blood manages to be successful in bringing you back to the lawless past, however it falters in areas where it becomes detrimental to the game itself.

Ray and Thomas McCall are brothers on the run from Confederate dudes.

The story begins with Ray and Thomas, two brothers who have deserted their post in the Confederate Army in order to defend their mother’s home from the Yankees. As a result, they become marked men by the game’s main antagonist, General Barnsby, who swears to find the brothers and carry out “justice” for their desertion. Ray and Thomas eventually meet with the third brother William, a seminary preacher, and together they set off towards the West in an attempt to rebuild their lives. William has the role of the static character in the game and is unplayable. However, the war has changed the brothers who have become cold-hearted gunslingers with ornery dispositions against authority and the opposite sex. The dark nature of the game is revealed through the search of the lost treasure of the Aztecs where there is plentiful amount of plot twists that coax the player’s progression in the story. However, the game will often throw rather annoying western clichés through a farfetched and over the top narrative. The voice impressions are generally bad, often making me wonder why Native Americas mainly speak English. These generally detract from the originality of the experience.

Hey Ray, have you gained weight?

The two brothers, when working side by side, prove to be a harmonious experience. Both brothers can be selected before the start of each chapter. Ray, the elder brother, is the stronger of the two and can take more damage than Thomas. This is necessary in firefights where Ray and his two gun toting revolvers can dish out the pain against a multitude of enemies without suffering much damage. In contrast, Thomas plays as an agile character and is useful for stealth and platforming situations where you need to climb a ledge and pull your cumbersome brother up. Also, Thomas is handy with rifles and bows, giving him a marksman attribute as he is able to pick off enemies from afar and while shying away from close quarter situations. Despite playing as a single character, the game often utilizes the brothers cooperatively and works well in playing to each other’s strength. The interplay of the brothers is exemplified during the game’s many slow-motion events where you will enter a cooperative dual mode, which entails bursting through a door and aiming your reticule with precision to dispose of foes. Given how frequently the brothers are utilized synchronously, the absence of a cooperative multiplayer mode is questionable as it could have been something that would have enhanced the gameplay experience.

Holding a gun sideways is how cowboys roll.

The gunplay in Bound in Blood is remarkably fun and familiar. As a first person shooter, the gameplay is apt in reflecting the time period. The guns reload slowly and there isn’t much variety to begin with in those days. With that noted the guns available do well in justifying the necessary abundance of killing that you will encounter. As you progress through the game, you will find that the guns will rank from the subpar ‘Rusty’ to the excellent ‘Superb’ and each type of weapon will have their own strengths and weakness. The Volcano Gun proves the most gratifying in disposing your opposition. It has a neat animation which involves the player twirling their gun, firing a shot each time. Weapons and cache are stored within a rotating wheel that acts as your inventory system. Unfortunately, it is restrictive at best since you can’t sell off your weapons nor can you trade and switch off weapons between the brothers. The heads up display for your weapon will often use the ‘auto aim’ function to indicate where you’re supposed to be shooting. Aiming can also be quite touchy when you want to pick off enemies from afar as the draw distance isn’t very competent in its reach. The integral part of the gameplay is found within the dynamic cover system that places the player in control of a sneak and peek system that functions through the game’s camera controls. The cover system automatically activates when you approach anything that detects it. Despite it being clunky at times, it’s rather unique and could be utilized again in the future.

The environments are sort of bland and generic.

Bound in Blood has remarkable aesthetic detail at first glance but up close there are glaring technical problems. The design of the game is confounded by the decision to include open world encounters, as the majority of the game is quite linear. These open world situations reflect a vastly barren environment, and while visually stunning, offers little to interact with. The environments also hinder the gameplay when enemies become virtually impossible to spot as they are blended to the terrain, creating confusion as to where you’re being shot from. During cutscenes, the game suffers from screen tearing which is unacceptable when playing with a high definition television. The draw of Bound in Blood is seemingly the standoff feature called ‘Quick Draw.’ At the end of every chapter, you will be engaged in a duel at high noon and the goal is to be the faster man. This is the game’s representation of a boss fight which is essentially masked as a minigame of timing and reflexes. Often, this would lead to moments of frustration and frequent retries when unable to pull the trigger faster than the opponent.

The Final Word
The experience of Bound in Blood is a mixed produce of sorts. While the game offers immersion of its first person storytelling, it will often repeat similar gameplay elements that results in predominately cyclical and repetitive action. The gunplay and likable characters make Bound in Blood enjoyable however expect it to have bothersome technical hitches along the way.

- MonsterVine Rating: Average

Editors Note: Missing from this review is the multiplayer compoent. The reviewer wasn’t able to enjoy the multiplayer to its full extent as his internet connection was unable to sustain a complete game.

By William Saw