Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Message Board older than one year ago

We're sure Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will be jam-packed with surprises. "Boo! I just jumped out of some hay and killed you," "Sproing! I was on that rooftop and jumped down and killed you," and so on. But we're not at all surprised that the game is receiving the collector's edition treatment. Heck, perhaps one day the "standard editions" of games will become so rare, everything will go topsy turvy and they'll be the collector's editions!

But we digress.

So, here it is, the AC: Brotherhood collector's edition. Complete with a ... jack-in-the-box? Yep, no matter if you buy the $100 set at GameStop or some other games purveyor, the package will include a freaking creepy charming Assassin's Creed-ized take on the classic childrens' toy (GameStop has a harlequin, for extra creepiness, while everyone else has a plague mask-donning doctor). Also in the box (along with the just-talked-about box): two exclusive single-player maps (Aqueduct and Trajan Market), an art book, a "hard copy strategy map" of Rome (read: it's paper!), the game's soundtrack and a disc containing trailers, a making-of video and a preview of the AC: Brotherhood comic.

The set will arrive day-and-date with the standard edition on November 16.

#collectorsedition With two different intricately-detailed, creepy cool jack-in-the-box collectibles packed inside the collector's edition of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, the question isn't if you should buy it, but where. More »

PS3 owners get a nice pre-order bonus.

Remember that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood beta for PS3 that Jack Tretton dropped news of at this year's E3? You've only got a little bit over a month to get ready for it, as Ubisoft announced a September 13 date for the beta's release. The only way to get access to the beta in North America (for now, at least) is by pre-ordering the game at your local GameStop.

Odder yet, there are apparently only a limited number of slots available in the beta, so tokens will be doled out to customers on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you already pre-ordered, you can bring your receipt to a GameStop starting on August 9 for entry. No details are given for beta entry if you live on, say, any other continent in the world, but you can be sure we've asked Ubisoft for more info.

#betawatch Want to get into the North American Assassin's Creed Brotherhood PlayStation 3 pre-launch multiplayer beta test this September? Then you're going to have to preorder the game through GameStop. More »

#gamescom2010 Ubisoft's Michael Jackson The Experience will be playable at this month's GamesCom in Germany, alongside Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, R.U.S.E. and a slew of other upcoming titles. More »

If you’ve played through the Assassin’s Creed games, it’s obvious that a lot of thought went into the world of Assassins vs Templars – especially if you’ve unlocked every last thing in ACII. The writers on the franchise spoke about the process of creating the storyline – “exploring the cracks in history,” as they put it – at their San Diego Comic-Con panel Nothing is True, Everything is Forbidden – writing for Assassin’s Creed. But first – feast your eyes on the new multiplayer trailer.

Lead Writer Jeffrey Yohalem revealed more about AC: Brotherhood’s structure: it’s going to chronicle the struggle that leads to true leadership, based around the principles of Machiavelli’s The Prince. It takes more than just charisma to be a leader, but you’ve got to make a lot of right decisions before people put their life in your hands. In AC: Brotherhood, we’ll see how the returning Ezio will exemplify those qualities in the continuing struggles of the Assassins vs the Templars. Expect almost everyone that you met in ACII (but didn’t kill, natch) to return, albeit through deepened relationships. Characters that seemed merely helpful or 1-dimensional in ACII will reveal themselves to be more complex now.

The writers stressed that it’s important that everything fits into the story of Assassin’s Creed. Even the game’s menus are part of the Animus machine that Desmond channels the past in. Multiplayer mode is no different: “Abstergo has been busy,” said Yohalem. Remember that room filled with Animi (Animuses?) during the escape scene at the beginning of ACII? That’s the Templar-controlled company’s training ground for new, counter-assassins. They’ve been uploading the skills that actual Assassins like Desmond have been unlocking into their most adept pupils, and their training simulation is our multiplayer.

However it fits into the story, it looks like a good time. I’ve heard it described as a modern videogame take on hide-and-seek, and that seems accurate. But with more stabbing. Oh, and two new characters were revealed: a Blacksmith and a Soldier, and based on the Q&A that followed the panel, there’ll likely be more revealed between now and the game’s November release.

Some more highlights from the fan Q and A section:

Q: Will there be more Desmond gameplay in ACB?
A: Yes, it’ll take a very unexpected turn. Things will change quite a bit in the present day. He’ll also be changing his look.
Q: Will there ever be any female assassins?
A: Yes, wait for November.
Q: Will we learn more about the ancient assassins from that room where you place the seals you collect in ACII?
A: Yes. Everything that we have started will resolve… Eventually.
Q: How many multiplayer characters total?
A: A lot. (but not Ezio or Altair, as that wouldn’t make sense in the scope of the story)
Q: Any plans for DLC?
A: Yes, there are plans in the works.

Oh, one last thing. That Russian/red star Assassins logo that popped up a week or 2 ago was not a hint that the next Assassin’s Creed game would take you to Russia. It’s actually a new comic book based on the Tunguska explosion hinted at in ACII.

How is it possible to make a harlequin seem tough? The right combination of rock music, self-assured strutting, parkour, and stabbity, according to this trailer for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood's multiplayer mode. We thought it was odd that the Harlequin character featured so heavily in this video, since it's a GameStop pre-order exclusive -- and then the GameStop ad kicked in at the end. Oh.

Promotional consideration aside, the trailer is a very stylish look at the game's multiplayer, which tasks players with spotting assassination targets (other players) in crowds and then successfully ending them using each character's unique abilities. There are also new character renders and a few new screens, which you can find by sneaking up on our gallery very quietly.

#assassinscreed Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, out this November, brings multiplayer to Ubisoft's flagship franchise for the first time. It also brings men in funny masks, and women a little short on practical clothing. More »

#preview A good assassin benefits from having minions. That's what I learned watching some of the single-player portion of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood this week. More »

While some still lament the addition of multiplayer to the Assassin's Creed franchise, it seems likely that the online features of Brotherhood will be revisited in future iterations of the series. Speaking to Videogamer, associate producer Jean-Francois Boivin addressed why fans are so opinionated on the subject. "I think there's this dichotomy in the gaming world, that ... people who are sold to single-player don't necessarily care about multiplayer," he explained. "The wink we give to that in our universe is that the single-player [game] is Assassins, and the multiplayer is The Templars. I think in the end we're giving a lot to the single-player, because we're giving a full single-player campaign - so they won't feel cheated with Brotherhood."

Boivin hopes that the addition of a competitive angle to the Assassin's Creed universe will open up the series to a new audience, beyond fans of the single player experience. "Hardcore multiplayers might say 'I'm going to try this multiplayer. Hey, this universe is kind of cool! I might look into the single-player,'" he mused.

But will we see multiplayer in Assassin's Creed 3 (or whatever the next title might be)? While not a confirmation, Boivin admitted that "there's a lot of room for expansion in that universe," and envisions "a multiplayer component being there for a long time." Presumably, that would mean about two years from now.

As we deduced early last month, Assassin's Creed is getting the comic book treatment -- but based on the teaser video found after the break, the time period and setting will be pretty far removed from 15th-century Italy. Set to be fully revealed at next week's San Diego Comic-Con, the three-part mini-series by artists Cameron Stewart (Batman & Robin) and Karl Kerschl (The Flash) coming this fall will apparently take place in Imperial Russia and somehow involve the Tunguska Event of 1908, an explosion that is the source of some supernatural theories.

The series is coming from Ubisoft Montreal's UbiWorkshop, which the publisher describes as being charged with "leveraging Ubisoft intellectual properties in entertainment mediums outside of video games, such as comic books." It's interesting to note that the first piece of Assassin's Creed related comic book artwork to emerge from UbiWorkshop (which has been replaced with this one, depicting a "steampunk samurai" Assassin) actually teased an Egyptian setting -- maybe we're due for mini-series, plural.

If you're going to be attending SDCC, the "Assassin's Creed: Behind and Beyond the Brotherhood" panel (which will also feature Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood writer Jefferey Johalem) is on July 22 at 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. PDT, in room 7AB. No Templars allowed.

Ubisoft seeing strong presales on next Assassin's title.

#ubisoft When Patrice Désilets, the former creative director of Assassin's Creed, abruptly left the game, it left the impression that he was unhappy with Ubisoft's plans to pump out another sequel so soon. Not true, says a friend and colleague. More »

On the eve of E3, Patrice Désilets, creative director of the Assassin's Creed franchise, unexpectedly left his position, just as Ubisoft prepared to woo the media with the first in-depth look at this November's Brotherhood sequel. Looking to quickly bury the distraction, Ubisoft called Désilets' departure a "creative break" and said that his work on Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood was "essentially done."

While we still have yet to hear from Désilets himself, his close colleague, associate producer Jean-Francois Boivin, was not surprised by the creative director's leave. "I totally got where he was coming from because he's been talking about taking a break for a long time," Boivin told UK-based GamerZines.

"In regards to Brotherhood, he did everything that he needed to do," Boivin assured, echoing Ubisoft's initial statement. "Patrice is a very public figure for the franchise, and he's very much the visionary for the Assassin's Creed license, but he's not the only visionary. It wasn't Patrice who did game design necessarily, and we have over two hundred very talented and creative people that work on the license."

"We know what we're doing," Boivin insisted, addressing concerns that the series would be lost without Désilets, who had shepherded it for six years. "I'm not at all afraid of the future quality of Assassin's Creed games." Earlier this week, the producer was also not afraid to admit that the franchise could use a break after Brotherhood's release this fall.

As for Désilets plans? "Right now he's watching the World Cup," Boivin said. (The World Cup ends following Sunday's final.) "Who knows what the future will hold for him."

#ubisoft When will Assassin's Creed return once Ezio's story ends in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood? According to series associate producer Jean-Francois Boivin, a year hiatus might be in order. More »

"I don't think there's going to be an Assassin's Creed in 2011," Ubisoft associate producer Jean-Francois Boivin told Eurogamer. "I think we're going to let it breathe a bit and really focus on bringing something new and exciting for the next time around."

Since the release of Assassin's Creed 2, we've seen the release of three Assassin's Creed games, with two more on the way. Boivin seems justified in being concerned with franchise fatigue, even citing the case of music games like Guitar Hero, whose releases Activision has pledged to curtail.

"Honestly, I think for the benefit of everybody - and business can come back and override everything I say because at the end of the day it's about selling games," Boivin said, "I believe that this license needs a breather. You can't plough a field every year. Once every three years - or once every something - you have to let it breathe." We think he's right about one thing -- that the corporate side of the company can override even the best creative decision to sell some games. Which is exactly what's going to happen in 2011.

Third instalment proper some way off say Ubisoft.

What a week! With eight years of the E3 Expo under my belt, there’s no doubt in my mind that this year was an E3 high point and perhaps the most exciting, inspiring show I’ve personally attended. For me, the highlights included experiencing stereoscopic 3D in games like Killzone 3 and Mortal Kombat (seeing is believing), sampling the various PlayStation Move games (the precision and gameplay versatility were on full display), and the much-anticipated return of Twisted Metal from Eat Sleep Play. Oh, and Kevin Butler.

And of course, games, games, games: From heavyweights like MotorStorm Apocalypse, LittleBigPlanet 2, Gran Turismo 5, SOCOM 4, inFAMOUS 2, and God of War: Ghost of Sparta to head-turning PSN titles like Dead Nation, Journey, and PixelJunk Shooter 2 — this year, the games did all the talking. And don’t get me started on the third-party lineup, with Dead Space 2, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Medal of Honor, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Crysis 2, Mafia II, Portal 2, Scott Pilgrim…I could go on all day and I’d run out of breath before I named them all.

This is an excellent time to be a gamer. It’s also an excellent time to have access to a camera, as this year’s E3 booths were bigger and bolder than I’ve seen in years. I wanted to give PlayStation.Blog readers an inside look at some of the most inspired booth layouts we spotted on the show floor. It’s by no means a complete look, but I hope you enjoy the eye candy.

And if you were overwhelmed by the onslaught of E3 PlayStation news this week, no worries — I’ll be back tomorrow with a comprehensive PlayStation Recap column to get you up to speed. And trust me, it’s gonna be a doozy.

Enjoy the pics! And see more PlayStation E3 2010 photos on our Flickr Photostream.

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 for PS3

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood for PS3

Homefront for PS3

Killzone 3 in stereoscopic 3D for PS3 (so popular it averaged a one-to-two hour line wait)

Left: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for PS3; Right: Yakuza 4 for PS3

MAFIA II, coming to PS3 with exclusive bonus content

Mortal Kombat, coming to PS3 with Stereoscopic 3D

Red Faction Armageddon for PS3

Lord of the Rings: War in the North for PS3

TRON Evolution for PS3

Left: Marvel vs Capcom 3 for PS3; Right: DC Universe Online for PS3

Hello PlayStation Fans,

E3 may have come to a close, but we couldn’t be more excited by the plethora of great games and content available for PlayStation fans. Along with PlayStation Move and a host of exclusive titles coming from our first party developers, our publishing partners were out in force taking full advantage of everything PS3 and PSP have to offer.

One of the biggest surprises at E3 was Gabe Newell from Valve’s arrival on the stage at the press conference earlier this week. He acknowledged his appreciation for the PS3 as “the most open platform of all the current generation consoles.” He went on to not only announce that Portal 2 was coming to the PlayStation 3, but also to state that it’ll be the “best version on any console.”

EA also introduced several exclusives to PS3 including the special edition version of Medal of Honor that comes with the 2002 classic Medal of Honor Frontline, which has been updated and re-mastered with HD visuals. And those of you looking forward to Dead Space 2 can pick up the premium edition, which includes Dead Space Extraction. A prequel to the original Dead Space, Dead Space Extraction will be fully Move compatible and also offer trophy support. Offering these packed-in hits like Medal of Honor Frontline and Dead Space Extraction is something only possible on PS3 because of Blu-Ray.

Fans of Assassin’s Creed can look forward to an exclusive beta of the new multiplayer campaign within Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, with the beta hitting PSN in late summer. 2K Games’ Mafia II will also feature unique content for PS3, including exclusive day-one content including missions, story and gameplay. There’s also the much-anticipated shooter from Crytek, Crysis 2, which will sport 3D-compatible graphics on the PS3.

These along with other great titles, including Kojima’s recently-released masterpiece Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Sony Online Entertainment’s much-anticipated MMO DC Universe Online, are expanding our library of titles and offerings for gamers, and help make our family of products some of the best of the industry.

Once you’ve digested all things E3, keep an eye out in the coming weeks and months for further news and updates from our publishing partners.

Years have passed for legendary assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze since avenging the death of his family for Assassin's Creed 2. Relaxing in his villa in Monteriggioni after a romp between the sheets with a lady friend, Ezio is shaken out of a peaceful cuddle. An attack on the town is in full swing and -- after a cannonball crashes through his bedroom, crushing his armor -- Ezio rushes out to find waves of enemy forces at his doorstep.

Outside his home, Ezio's uncle explains that his status in the region as a legendary assassin has split factions and incites a war between families. To counteract the mass-scale attack, Ezio pushes toward defensive cannon emplacements scattered on the wall of Monteriggioni. It isn't a scene that will end in the assassin's favor; rest assured that Monteriggioni will fall. This is the beginning and the basis for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

Play.com (UK) has added a special edition version of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, continuing the franchise's tradition of rather elaborate "collector's editions." The box goes for a hefty £69.99 -- a full 75% more than the standard game! Are these features worth it?

During a pre-E3 Ubisoft event a few weeks ago, I checked out Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood's multiplayer mode. The good news: it works. Ubisoft has successfully translated the running, jumping and stealth-kill gameplay of the single-player game into a functional multiplayer experience.

The bad news: we only got to play one match, and it's not clear just how durable the gameplay is. But as a first time experience, it was quite impressive as a feat of multiplayer game design.

An online experience like no other.

Jack Tretton just announced during the Sony E3 press conference that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will not only receive exclusive content on the PS3, but will also receive exclusive access to the game's multiplayer beta. We're not sure what that content will feature, but if we were to wager a guess, we'd say "it includes more things you can stab."

The multiplayer landscape isn't as safe as it used to be.

Stunning new gameplay footage of Ezio's new adventure.

New screenshots, artwork and character renders or assassins gettin' freaky.

Ezio returns, and this time he's not fighting alone.

Ezio gets by with a little help from his friends.