Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

A few weeks back I picked up AC:B but did not mention it due to all the events in WoW and not wanting to waste my 100th post on a non WoW topic. However we still have a week until Cata and I am not raiding until later so now is the perfect time to review it.

Remember how cool the Fable 3 collectors edition was? This Collectors does not just top it, it waits on the roof for it then drops down killing it with his hidden blade.

First just look at this box


Open it up and you find the whole set enclosed in a box that looks like a marble tomb decorated with the Assassins symbol.



Inside, nothing.


Obviously a false bottom but you get;


Behind the Scenes DVD
Soundtrack (not embedded on the DVD like two's was, thank god they did not make that mistake again)
Map of Rome

12 Cards containing pictures and backgrounds on all the multiplayer characters

Codes for two bonus multiplayer characters as well as bonus levels and armor
3 Cards with amazing art from their art studio

Finally a leather bound Codex that is split in two sections. The first is a physical representation of Altiar's hand written codex pages as seen in AC2, the second half is beautiful concept art.




For only $10 more than the Fable CE this set comes out as one of the best I have brought yet.


To the game itself. The Solo play begins as the second game did, in the exact moment that the game before it finished. From there you are given a quick action packed refresher coarse on the gameplay followed by your standard slow intro the the new storyline.
Once you get to Rome and out of the intro the game really opens up with many different places to go and thing to see, it only gets bigger from there as well. By the time you start getting Assassins to train you have half a dozen different paths to take outside of the story, quests and events that can tie you up for quite a while.

One of the best and most time consuming features brought into the Solo play is the addition of different levels of Synchronization through memory's. Just running the mission how you want and being successful is not enough to get 100%. To come out on top you must complete certain criteria i.e. meet a set time, kill no one in the level before your target or maybe perform the kill with a certain technique. The variety and challenge of some of them will have you redoing whole missions just to get that perfect run through.

The new addition to the game franchise is the addition of a multiplayer mode. Not your standard multiplayer games you are required to hunt down and kill over players in solo or team play with more points given the more stealthy and artistic the kill.
There have been many times where I will come 1st place after 6 odd kills while place 4 has 11 odd kills.
As you level through your kill score/exp you will earn new skills to make you a better killer such as disguises, smokebombs and throwing knives.
To make matters more complicated the zones are filled with NPC's that look exactly like you and your targets.

Game modes include 'Wanted' which involves each member being assigned a target to kill while someone else is assigned to kill you. Later in the match the targets change so that the higher up the list you are the more people are assigned to you. In big games of 7+ this means that those who come late or are having a bad day can pull themselves up the ladder without having to worry about being taken out.

Next we have 'Alliance' which is a basic 2v2v2 game which functions a lot like 'Wanted' but with a partner. In this game bonus points can be earned by working with your partner but this proves difficult in a random online pairing. The game is broken into two segments where you chase one team and then reverse the order in the second half.

The final basic type is 'Manhunt' which is a 4v4 team game. Each team shares a look and is given a 5min round at being the hunter while the together team must hide. The aim in this game is simply about earning the most points ether by killing the other team or by avoiding being killed.

Over all the game is very fun and full of things to keep you busy well into the future. While the graphics have not been updated since the second game the rest of the experience has evolved nicely. The multiplayer is a very welcome addition that brings a unique and enjoyable experience.
This is a really well made game for it only being a year since the last one was released. I defiantly recommend you give this ago even if you have never played an Assassin's Creed game before.

Kinect or Move

Not a lot has been happening inside of WoW at the moment, not only because the Sundering is only a few days away but also because I have barely been home this last weekend.

On Friday after a work dinner my partner and I were off to a guildies place to try their new Xbox Kinect.

My initial observation was that the Kinect has a very slight delay in its avatar movement, you move your hand and the little cartoon you moves half a second later. I don't think it caused any issues in game but it defiantly seems to be a limitation to not having a controller.
However once we were in game I quickly forgot that gripe and got on to having a lot of fun. We were playing the "Kinect Adventures" title, which as you can guess by the name is very exhausting.
You really need all your free pace for the Kinect and with all the jumping and quick moving you do you can not afford to have anything valuable to close ether.
I will also take pictures of you as you play so later you can laugh at how you look, although many of the action shots are blurry due to the speed at which you are moving.

Pros:
No controller.
Easy for new players to swap in and out.
Potential for very fast, high energy activity's (See the new "Dance Party", "Zumba" and the Martial Arts Demo from pre release shows).

Cons:
Sometimes hard to know where on screen you are aiming.
Needs a lot of free space.
No distinguishing between different voices or hands issuing commands.

Conclusion:
I loved playing the Kinect, sure the drinking may have helped but this was a fun game that works really well with groups. Still has some way to go before it reaches its potential but until then its still doing well.


The next night we went off to some work friends house for dinner and to play on the PlayStation Move.
First impressions, that those controllers look stupid as hell. Once I had one in my hand though they were not only really easy to use but I was amazed at just how easy they make the movement. Not only is the ball on top really handy for knowing where you are pointing but the camera know just where it is and what angle and rotation its at. This means that when say playing table tennis you can go as crazy as changing the angle and direction of your serve.
Our first game of the night was "Move Sports" which has some really fun activity's like Archery and Sword fighting however they are both so much more fun with two controllers so should you have more than one person playing then to get the most enjoyment you really need a second set.
The second set really became necessary when we switched to play "TV Super Stars" where the constant passing of controls particularly with the need to always redo the wrist strap got old quick.
However the game also brought about a new feature, the inclusion of the camera and microphone. When you set up a new avatar for the game you have your photo taken to be used as its face and then you can record a catch phrase for it to use when on screen.

Pros:
Simple control and pointer movement.
Player game interactivity i.e. Photos, signatures and voice use.
Diversity of games through use of buttons and control rotation.

Cons:
Limitation of physical controller for multiplay.
Needs lots of floor space.
Learning curve.

Conclusion:
The Move has great potential for producing some amazing games with the inclusion of control rotation as well as voice etc but the multiplayer use is hampered by the requirement of several controllers.


Overall its had to decided which one comes out on top, they both cover two different areas of gaming. The Kinect wins hands down at present for multiplay as well initial physical requirements. The Move wins in variety of games and potential for future variety, also once you get into the harder levels and certain activity's the Move can be very tiring also but its not using you whole body like Kinect.

If your looking to get one, just get the one for what ever console you have. If you have both then it will come down to how many people you want playing at once and whether those people want to spend their game time always moving.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Last night I went to see the first part of the final Harry Potter movie, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Part 1'. I will keep this relatively short as I do not want to run the risk of spoilers for anyone who (in the off chance) has not read the books.

I have been looking forward to this movie for quite awhile. Like many I have read the book series upon each release through out my teen years, in fact the Harry Potter books are some of the last true books I have read of late. Likewise when the films came out I followed them, each upon release.
They have had their good and bad moments, one point that always sticks out to me is the terrible piece of cinema that was the opening scenes of 'The Prisoner of Azkaban'. One thing that each film has gotten right so far was the increasing maturity of the books as the series went on. This thought worried me as TDH came closer to release because I know just how much further the book took that path. To not ruin the books the film would almost have to be not suitable for the children that love them so much.

My worries were unfounded.

This penultimate film barely holds back at all, without any spoilers there is one scene in particular where Harry, Ron and Hermione are in a lift and through the grate mesh door a hallway of Dementors reach for the Heros. The Birds Eye View from the roof shows two dozen shadowy skeletal hands clawing at them in a manner that you could swore was from a zombie flick if not for the distinct lack of rotting flesh.
Heck the movie even get almost a little R18, Adults only at one point.
Obviously the film does not carry a serious rating so every precaution has been taken to not go further than they can but they do a solid job of riding the line at points.

Sitting at 140 odd minutes its not a short film and while it cuts a few scenes short the running time nicely covers the majority of more than half the book. Assuming a similar run time this gives the second and final part ample time to fully delve into the darkness that lies ahead.

If you are a fan of the series in anyway then I recommend you go and see this movie, you will not be disappointed. My only major problem with it is that I now have to wait another 6 months to see the final part and that says a lot.