Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood continues the story of Ezio Auditore shortly after the events of Assassin's Creed II. After the fall of the family estate in Monteriggioni, Ezio takes refuge in Rome, where he discovers that the city is controlled by the Borgias and their towers of terror keep the populace in check through fear and oppression. To succeed, his own sword is no longer enough - he must rebuild the Assassin Brotherhood, recruit allies from among the citizens, and gradually train them into true agents he can then send on their own missions across Europe, while he himself liberates Rome's districts one by one from Cesare Borgia and his commanders.

The game expands the open world with a faction system and a property economy, where the player improves revenue from conquered territories, and adds the demolition of Templar towers as a prerequisite to liberating districts from Borgia rule. The most notable new feature, however, is a full-fledged multiplayer mode, in which players hunted each other as assassins hidden among crowds of civilians - a concept that had been missing from the series before and appeared for the first time in Brotherhood, becoming a fixed part of the brand for several more installments. The campaign and side content remain extensive, with dozens of side quests, collectibles, and Codex puzzles revealing Desmond Miles's fate in the present day. Also included are new animals to ride through the catacombs and an expanded arsenal of weapons, including a crossbow and poison darts that let you infect guards and turn them against their own colleagues.

Brotherhood launched simultaneously on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and arrived in the same form a few months later on PC, where it additionally benefited from support for higher resolutions and improved graphics.

Why play: Brotherhood will appeal to players who wanted a greater emphasis on empire-building and the strategic management of their own brotherhood after Assassin's Creed II, as well as fans of fair-play multiplayer duels, where patience and blending into the crowd win out over reflexes and fast shooting.