Review: Homefront (PS3/360)

There was a tremendous amount of hype leading up to the release of Homefront (THQ, Kaos Studios).  Since it first was mentioned, many were wondering, possibly even hoping that it could be a Call of Duty killer.  Not since 1984, with the film Red Dawn had there been so much yearning to kick some foreign butts on our home soil.  Surely not by coincidence, John Milius, writer and director of Red Dawn, also worked quite closely on Homefront.  

If you totally missed the media blitz surrounding Homefront, it takes place in the not too distant future, 2027.  Due to quite a few calamitous circumstances, North and South Korea have united and basically invaded and started occupying the United States.  Well that doesn't sit too well, with some of the people, so they form a grass roots kind of rebellious group, called of all things ..... the Resistance.

Beginning in Montrose, Colorade, you play as Jacobs, a former Marine pilot, the strong, silent type,  (who was obviously a former stuntman, given the amount of falling he does) along with your prototypical teammates:

• Connor, the foul-mouthed, agitated, gung-ho, brash, leader wannabe.
• Boone, the African-American representative, who is the brains behind the Resistance in Montrose
• Rianna, the token tough-chick, who knows how to handle a weapon, and
• Hopper, the Korean-American, tech-savvy member.

Now there is really not any backstory for the main characters, which is what I was craving.  Why is Jacobs so sought after he's worth a daring rescue?  What made Connor so angry?  How is Hopper dealing with this invasion, being of Korean lineage?  None of which were really answered through the story gameplay, which is a shame.  Now that the price has dropped $20 (or more), does it deserve a look?

Gameplay

Beginning with a cutscene that looks and feel like actual news footage (some of which is), you're kind of thrown into the action.  No shooting or anything, but you're pulled from your home, and placed on a bus, on your way to a detention center.  The scene, for me, was reminiscent of the beginning of Half-Life 2, which was a good thing.  Eerie, bleak, and caught my attention.  There are a few instances where the developers push the envelope and it earns its M rating.  Instead of shooting your way out, it set the tone, and made the occupation feel more real and the experience a bit more intense.  While the Call of Duty games are very cinematic, the single-player game still feels like it's missing something, like an atmosphere that feels dangerous.  There's lots of running and gunning but I don't feel all that invested in the story (sorry "Soap").  If I die, I know I can always restart.  Homefront gave me a different feeling.

That's not to say that Homefront doesn't feel predictable at times, but there are a variety of missions to undertake.  Jacobs is a pretty well-rounded soldier and is called on to do the obligatory gunning down, but also defends areas, snipes, sneaks, flies copters, and remote controls tanks.  While a few of the protagonists have military training, Homefront gives you the sense that most of the Resistance are made up of regular men and women, possibly picking up guns for the first time.

Once the action starts, it seems like North Korea transported their whole population over here.  Enemies will respawn infinitely until you reach a certain checkpoint.  It was early on in the game, and I was playing at the hardest difficulty level,  and I wanted to pick off all of the troops in order to move safely.  However, after about 15-20 minutes, I figured something was amiss.  I decided to run up ahead a bit, and  the troops stopped coming from the area there were spawning from.  Interesting.  Also, hit detection can be quite capricious at times.  I was sure I was making contact, but to no avail, they kept firing at me.  I also was able to fire through my teammates to hit enemies, at times.  Ammo, at least on Hard mode, was not plentiful, and you really had to conserve, to be prepared for the enemy onslaughts.

The gameplay itself is quite linear.  Invisible walls really put a downer on many missions.  The setting sometimes look expansive, but you can only traverse through a small corridor, or go so far until your teammates catch up.  My team was running through some suburban backyards, and I wanted to run through a swing set, but wasn't allowed.  From a game that wanted to be, and occasionally feels, epic, this was a huge step back.  I wasn't looking for a total sandbox experience, but I wanted to be creative in the setting.  As for collectibles, there are newspapers scattered throughout which broaden the scope of the story.  The trouble was that when in the midst of battle, I didn't really want to stop to read a newspaper, but there is no other way to access them.  Of course I didn't realize this until pretty late in the game.  Seems like a waste, considering a lot of time was put into the articles, they should be available to read in an extras section of the menu.

The campaign is pretty short, and the pacing is off at times, but luckily there is online multiplayer, which can support up to 32 players.  While there are only two modes (the obligatory Team Deathmatch, and Ground Control, basically CoD's Domination), online multiplayer really saves Homefront from being a total disaster, and tries to shake things up a bit in the process.  During matches, you earn Battle Points, which are then to be used in-game, for upgrades and purchases for yourself, or to help out the team.  No more waiting until the match ends, you earned them, use them when you want.  They can be used for some pretty cool things, too.  From controlling ground and air drones which can mark players, to different bomb strikes and driving large vehicles like Humvees, along with tanks and helicopters.  As a side note, I will say that I played for a couple of hours straight, and did not get disconnected from a match once, which is something that is rare for CoD.  The online multiplayer is actually fun, and does not feel just tacked on.

Graphics:  The graphics in Homefront are not exceptional, but get the job done nicely.  The  environments are especially well done, as you get the sense that since the invasion, things have really gone to hell.  The NPCs have this strange quality, where it looks as if they were cut out and placed in the locales, as they have a kind of outline around them which was distracting at times.  There are also instances where your teammates will get stuck in doorways or once I witnessed a Korean soldier doing the "Running Man" on a rooftop.  There is quite a bit of product placement in Homefront, which I actually didn't mind, as I thought it gave more of a realistic feel to the setting, even though some of the choices were interesting.

Replay Value:  After the campaign is completed, there really isn't much reason to revisit it, unless you're a trophy or achievement hunter.  The online multiplayer while fun (there are a couple of DLC packs), with only two game modes, does not have the diversity that today's players crave, although I could still play with full teams.  

Score: 7.25

There are memorable, as well as shocking moments in Homefront, but the brevity of the campaign is a big distraction.  Even if they had only doubled the length of the campaign, I wouldn't have been as critical.  Just when you start getting into it, the campaign ends.  This makes Homefront feel rushed and incomplete.  I definitely would have felt ripped off, when this game was $60.  While it will probably spawn a sequel, without fixing some of it's downfalls, it will have a difficult time competing with the Modern Warfare or Battlefield games coming out shortly.

Homefront is currently available for MSRP of $39.99.

Review: Alice: Madness Returns (PS3/360)

It's been eleven years since Alice Liddell began her descent into her deranged Wonderland, in American McGee's Alice, which had earned quite a cult following.  Now, haunted by the death of her family in a tragic fire, that only she escaped, Alice travels to Wonderland once again in Alice: Madness Returns (EA, Spicy Horse Games).  After her release from Rutledge Asylum, Alice still maintains quite a bit of guilt and confusion about the calamitous incident that has turned her life upside down.  Regular sessions with her psychiatrist using hypnosis, seem to be having adverse effects on her thoughts and dreams.  As in the past, Alice retreats to Wonderland to escape, but finds it has drastically changed since her last visit.  Will she be able to unearth the secrets and clues that have led to her "Madness?"  Do the vibrant atmospheres exceed the gameplay?

While technically labeled an action-adventure title, Alice: Madness Returns is basically a 3-D platformer with slight bits of combat thrown in.  Alice has a host of people concerned about her, but who are her friends and who are out to harm her?  Additionally, the familiar cast of characters return, but in limited roles.  It's Alice's Wonderland, it's demise is her doing and she must be the one to repair it.  The story will not be rehashed here, to remain free of spoilers, but it was intriguing and kept me going when some aspects of the game became monotonous.  I kept playing little by little to unravel more and see what was around the next bend.  Before we get to the important stuff, I liked this game, I possibly really like it.  Initially, I was enthralled when I first set foot in Wonderland and that feeling remained with me, almost, to the final screen.  The problem was that the game's repetition in level design, not ambiance, kept it from being Alice's Excellent Adventure.

Gameplay

What would Wonderland be without conflict?  Luckily, Alice has a bevy of weapons (by the end, a total of 4) in her arsenal, all of which have some thematic significance to Wonderland.  These are split into melee weapons, like her Vorpal Blade and Hobby Horse, and ranged weapons like her Pepper Grinder and Teapot Cannon.  The Clockwork Bomb, finds itself somewhere in the middle.  Although I had seen the weapon types in games beforehand, this new twist make them seem fresh and engaging.  Unfortunately, once all of Alice's weapons had been upgraded to the max, I found myself really only using one of the weapons in combat, as it seemed to do the most damage.  

Alice is also quite nimble.  In fact, get ready to jump.  A lot.  Alice: Madness Returns utilizes jumping, double jumping, and floating more than quite a bit.  She also has a power, called Shrink Sense, at her disposal.  When activated, it allows Alice to find hidden doors, platforms, or receive clues on what was ahead, etc.  She cannot do anything but walk, while accessing it, so in the case of hidden platforms that involve jumping to, you kind of have to jump to the memorized spot (although it does leave a brief glowing residue).  As you can imagine, this leads to a multitude of unsuccessful leaps.  I didn't get too frustrated with missing a platform, as Alice's demise is so peaceful and lovely.  When expired, Alice's form morphs into a cluster of butterflies flying away.  Additionally, when she does die, the place that she restarts is quite close to where she met her downfall, so it wasn't too much of a penalty, and surprisingly no loss from her health meter.  I think that the developers might have put those touches in, as they may have noticed that the game was a bit flawed, and their inclusion would reduce frustration

If you've read my other reviews, I've mentioned my affinity for collectibles.  If done the proper way, I don't mind spending extra time on levels, in fact I enjoy it.  This game really does collectible hunting wondrously.  There are multitudes of collectibles, but in this case memories, to hunt for.  The majority are not right out in the open and involve using some crafty contemplation.  Each memory, when located, reveals a little bit about Alice's thought processes or past and delves into her mind, revealing the clues essential in resolving her inner conflict.

The level design starts to get a bit stale on the third (of 6 total) chapter.  While the vistas and locales change, it's essentially jump from and onto platforms, pull levers, fight a few enemies, slide, fight a few more enemies, and repeat 1-2 times more until the end of the level.  The levels, or chapters, are also quite long.  Initially, it threw me, but didn't bother me too much by the end.  While they are broken up into smaller bits, or sub-chapters, they are inaccessible if you need to restart an area (missed a collectible), until the whole chapter is completed.  While I was collectible hunting, chapters could take a couple of hours, or longer to complete.  Obviously less, maybe by half, if you just rushed through, but then again you would be missing key clues to the story, by not accessing memories.

Within each large level, are a few scattered mini-games.  I thought these were well done, as they typified the level they were in.  In fact, I think they should have figured more prominently throughout Alice: Madness Returns.  My favorites were where Alice turned 2-D and had retro side scrolling adventures.  In the underwater levels, she commandeered a ship and had to blast fish and mines, Defender-style.  Alice actually climbed into paintings in the Far East levels and navigated her way around (more jumping!).  Others had you guiding a macabre doll head Super Monkey Ball style, rearranging blocks, pressing musical notes, and even playing rudimentary chess.

Graphics

American McGee certainly has a unique creative vision.  I marveled at the contrast in styles which were exemplified in each level.  Since the Chapters are so long, the same graphical design does not stay constant, thankfully.  The first introductory chapter begins in a lush, psychedelic tropical environment vibrant in color, yet ends in a semi-monochromatic, steampunk kind of metal-infused world.  The creatures and inhabitants, also have taken steps towards the grotesque, as Alice's damaged psyche portrays them.  It's quite evident that Wonderland is in decay.

The storytelling uses a mix of different types of cut scenes to convey what's happening.  Some are what you'd expect from a video game in 2011, but others are influenced by storybooks, with what looks like, 2-D paper cutouts.. The effects are this mix of nostalgia infused with today's technology.  Even in London, the other characters Alice meets have exaggerated features, and look like they could be creatures from Wonderland.

Sound

The voice acting in Alice: Madness Returns is excellent, which makes Alice's story so much more believable and helps you form an attachment to Alice's circumstances.  Music throughout the game is the appropriate mix of violin and/or piano to make the adventure seem a little more creepy.

Replay Value

While there is a New Game + feature available, I can't see much use in it.  Any collectibles missed can be accessed through the sub-chapter level selector.  I do recommend purchasing the DLC outfits and weapons pack for the game.  They make the game a tad easier through various bonuses you get while wearing, and it's only a couple of bucks.  Plus, they look pretty cool.  I played through using them and I think that added to my lack of frustration experienced.  For buyers of the retail copy, the original American McGee's Alice is available to download through a code included (Or available for $10 through PSN or XBL, if you purchased the game used)

Rating

7.7

I enjoyed my time in Wonderland much more than I thought I would.  I expected a run of the mill third-person action adventure and got much more.  A little more of the mini-games and a little less jumping should be in order for her next game.  While the game at times feels a bit rushed and incomplete, I am definitely up for Alice's next adventure.  Alice: Madness Returns is a pleasant change of pace, and some of the sequences and experiences have stayed with me, even after I've moved on to other games.  A good deal now that it available for $40, and definitely worth a look when it drops below $30.

At the time of this review, Alice: Madness Returns is available from Amazon for $39.99, for both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.  

Review: Outland (PSN/XBLA)

I typically don't purchase downloadable games during their first week of release, I must like to physically hold the game box or wait for the eventual sale, but something about Outland made me buy it on Day 1.  For some reason the character art reminded me of Cole, from Infamous.  Anyway, I added funds to my Playstation wallet and got started.

Outland comes from Housemarque studios (Dead Nation, Super Stardust HD) and Ubisoft (Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia) and is a unique 2D action platformer.  It borrows, but also gives nods to games like Castlevania, Metroid, and Super Mario Brothers, but still manages to seem fresh and innovative.

Our Hero is having some bad dreams and does the smart thing by visiting a Shaman, who begins telling of a Great Wheel and two sisters who lived ages ago.  They created the world, then strove to destroy it, but were imprisoned before their plans were complete.  Now, the sisters have escaped and the original hero who battled them has perished, and it seems like the Hero has some link to him via the nightmares.  Thus the quest begins with a trusty sword, to right the wrongs and save the world.

Gameplay

Outland starts off quite basic, as you are eased into your role as the Hero.  Typical moves such as jump, slash, and slide are introduced, and as you progress variations similar to wall jump and ground pound become available.  There are bombs you can hit to open areas or destroy enemies and spikes scattered throughout, and the requisite levitating platforms are also existent.

You begin the game as the Hero with a yellow energy (the third primary color, along with blue and red, representing dark and light, which become quite important later) and can be damaged by any color enemy, as well as a standard health meter.  Navigating the maze of each level is made easier with a map that can be called upon at any time.  Old-schoolers will definitely try to navigate without it.  On the map, a "spirit guide" shows you where you need to get to to progress further.  Sometimes that involves hitting a switch which opens a door that was previously locked, usually involving backtracking, or other times marks the passageway to another area.  There are a few save points strategically placed in each area, which make dying a lot less painful.  

Once the Hero gets the hang of his powers for a couple of levels, light and dark energies are introduced.  This marks the turning point and the basis for the whole game and amplifies what was just an average platformer.  With the press of a button, our Hero can change from light energy to dark energy at will, and it's this polarity feature that makes the game so ingenious.  To inflict damage, you need to be the opposite color of the enemy.  So, if you select red energy you can damage blue enemies but you can still take damage from both.  Another instance this crops up is with platforms.  You are only able to ride platforms mirroring the energy that you are using (the opposite appears transparent).  Many times you need to jump from one color platform to the next, which is a different color.  Switching energies mid-jump can be confusing at first, as you are almost pushing two buttons at once, but after a few attempts, feels more natural.

The moments where the game really wows, is when red and blue streams or dots litter the screen and your objective is on the other side.  The first time I encountered that screen I was mesmerized by the hypnotic patterns, but at the same time ready to shut off my console.  The developers seemed to be smart (or evil, depending on your point of view) enough to not allow just racing through.  It almost always leads to death.  Luckily, if you just watch the pattern for a bit, things generally become clearer and the solution opens up.  Executing it in a timely fashion, on the other hand...

The world of Outland is split up into 5 main areas: Jungle, Underworld, City, Sky, and Eternity.  There are subtle differences between the settings, but nothing major.  Each areas has five or six "levels" to it and culminate with a Boss battle.  The Bosses are really well done.  Difficult at first, but ultimately fair.  The Boss battles also get longer and more complex the deeper you delve into the game. They are all different and their entrances are intimidating and somewhat reminiscent, at least to me, of Shadow of the Colossus.  After defeating 4 Bosses, you need to battle the aforementioned sisters, and complete your quest.  There are some collectibles to collect, if you're into that completionist (or trophy/achievement) thing

Graphics

The screenshots and trailers really drew me into the game, so it's no surprise that the graphical style is frequently mentioned.  Think a mixture of Greek and Mayan mythology, with a fusion of TRON.  The creatures, while somewhat varied, were pretty average (except for the Bosses), but I thought that the human-looking foes were admirably done.  If you jumped over one or hid, they would momentarily look around for you, before resuming their patrol.  If you vanquished one, their "soul" would drift away from their body.  The Hero, with his loincloth flapping, also moves fluidly and responsively, which is a plus in this type of game.  Yes, there are creatures that very much resemble Metroids

Sound

Didn't really stand out for me at first, but it didn't have to.  I was so enthralled with the graphics that I wasn't looking for the next great symphony.  There are the appropriate tribal beats, but also some trance-like melodies, which do really put you in the proper dream state.

Replay Value

Teleport.  An online co-op mode is available, where 2 players can battle through a challenge room, but only one of the players is able to change the light/dark polarity.  Additionally, there are Arcade chapters, in which a whole world needs to be cleared (5-6 levels, plus the Boss) in a certain time limit.

Rating

8

Outland is available from PSN and XBLA for $9.99 or 800 MS points.  I played the PSN version for a little over 8 hours, not quite defeating the 4th Boss (The Winged Serpent).....yet.

*Backlog Buster* Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3/XBOX 360) Review

Ezio Auditore di Firenze is back for his second adventure, and the third Assassin's Creed game from Ubisoft.  While his mission was complete in his mind at the end of Assassin's Creed II, a few of his confidantes didn't think so.  The additon of a few new Borgia members, most notably Cesare, become the main villians.  I actually purchased this game first, before the first two games in the series, but waited a few months to try out the single player as I had never played an Assassin's Creed game before.  It always seemed so daunting and seemed like there were too many actions to perform and not enough buttons and the game too vast.  Once I got the hang of the multiplayer, I gave the single player a try.

After debating a while, even though I had heard you didn't need to play the previous iterations, I purchased and completed the first two games, aptly titled: Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed II.  I'm really glad I did, as it added more to the whole experience of Brotherhood through some inside jokes and older characters returning.  I would recommend at least playing ACII, before Brotherhood.

I was a big Altair fan from the beginning, so I was a bit disappointed when Ezio was introduced.  In fact, even after completing Assassin's Creed II (platinum trophy!) he still hadn't won me over.  So when I popped in my Brotherhood disc, I was expecting to be a little disappointed.  Needless to say, Ezio really won me over with this game (the Assasssin's Creed: Revelations E3 trailer helped a bit too).

Gameplay
After being dropped in a battle scene where you need to just press buttons, Brotherhood opens with you replaying the final moments from Assassin's Creed II, in which Ezio must escape with his Uncle Mario.  The game quickly returns to Monteriggioni, which had changed a bit, however, with a few simple memories to make sure you still remember how to control Ezio, the main game begins.  The quaint town is quickly under attack, so Ezio and friends need to escape.

After a brief interlude with Desmond, Lucy and the 2012 crew, the game, then turns its sights to Rome.  After AC II, with all of the different towns to visit, I was a bit surprised to see Brotherhood only featuring one city.  This is definitely the Liberty City version of Rome, which seems absolutely huge (makes Florence seem like Forli).  Within Rome, however, there are nicer parts, poorer parts, and even countryside settings, which reminded me of the original Assassin's Creed game, with the variations.

The missions are what you'd expect, however I loved the variety in Brotherhood.  It wasn't all about the killing.  Two words sum up why this game is the best in the series:  Full Synchronization.  Someone not as enamored with the AC series could still enjoy this game, but potential "couch assassin's" get so much more out of it.  Each mission could be completed how the user preferred and still progress through the story, but those who take their games seriously could opt to carry out the mission the way Ezio would, and achieve Memory Full Synchronization. This could mean do the mission in a certain time limit, use a particular weapon, don't be detected, don't use the roof, don't kill anyone, etc.  The first time I only achieved 50% synchronization on a memory sequence, I immediately paused and restarted the mission, sometimes multiple times (you know who you are "Hell on Wheels").

This game is loaded with optional side missions, as well.  There are still the Tomb Raideresque missions (this time called Follower's of Romulus Lairs - which are worth it for the bonus after they are all completed), the search for Subject 16's video, feathers to collect (only 10 this time), Borgia flags (101, but you can purchase maps), the usual contracts (Assassination, Courtesan, Thieves), Guild Challenges (Assassination, Courtesan, Thieves), and the capturing of Borgia Towers under command from a Borgia leader (Some fight, others run and hide, leaving you to wait until a guard shift change to challenge them again) . The addition of the crossbow, throwing multiple knives at a time, Leonardo missions (where you try out some of his inventions - Renaissance tanks!), and horseback riding as it should be, make things even more interesting and enjoyable.

But, what would the game be without a Brotherhood of assassins?  For every Borgia Tower toppled, you can recruit one assassin (male or female, even).  These can then be trained (by being sent on missions in other places) and upgraded with better armor and weapons until they reach the ultimate ranking of assassin.  When the assassins are needed, they can be called upon to help you battle forces or dispose of foes without you being spotted or bothered.  They also have a power called arrow storm, which releases a flurry of arrows out of nowhere into multiple targets in your vicinity.  While the training of recruits was quite basic, as you had to pick proper missions to send them, resulting in experience points and subsequent leveling up, they certainly come in handy.

The story progresses nicely, with even a few surprises thrown in.  Ezio is one determined dude, but you do get to see a softer side of him as he matures, especially when it's not all about the assassinations.  Where it does seem to lag, is unfortunately in the 2012 sections.  The interactions between Desmond and Lucy seemed forced, while Shaun is even more irritating than before.  Plus, guiding Desmond around, seems to lack much of the fluidity that Ezio posesses.  At least those sections are few and far between.  Yes, I did achieve 100% Synchronization in all missions, including every side mission, and often liked just roaming around finding treasures, flags, etc, so that my 55 hours invested in the game, really felt like around half of that.

The fact that this game finally has multiplayer, has to be mentioned.  The fact that it is actually very good definitely deserves higher praise.  Multiplayer in Brotherhood is a totally different experience than I'm used to.  There are a variety of modes, some where you're on your own (Wanted), and some where you're part of a small team (Alliance, Manhunt).  Anyone looking for a run and stab kind of game should look elsewhere.  The mulitplayer modes do a great job of mirroring the single player experience, but kicked up a few notches.  It's all about blending in and sneaking around.  In Wanted, you're searching for your target, but are also being targeted by one or more of your opponents.  The more obscure your kill, the more points you'll get.  This is a game where you need to sit up and concentrate!

In Manhunt, for example, for one round, you and your teammates are the hunters, but in the next round become the hunted.  Any mode I've played definitely gets the blood pumping.  It does have to be noted that actually getting into a multiplayer game can be tortuous.  Sometimes it connects with the correct amount of users and the game starts right up, but more often than not, you are waiting 15-20 minutes before you get a full group of 6 or 8.  Extremely frustrating, to say the least.  It's tough going at the beginning being lower leveled, but once you get to level 29 (poison is now an option), I would think things pick up (I'm currently at level 25).

Graphics
The cities are quite detailed, but often a little repetitive.  If you don't mind that kind of thing (I didn't), you'll be fine.  I did like the differences in regions, from the buildings, to the clothes the people wore.  There is, however, quite a bit of pop-up when on a horse.  I didn't notice it so much at the beginning of the game, but later on when I was trying to avoid certain groups of troops, all of a sudden a guy would pop in on top of a building's roof.  I'm not really a huge graphics person and I was so immersed in the story, that it wasn't a game killer.

Sound
The city is vibrant with sound, ranging from people getting annoyed that you ran into them, to those mystified by your agile grace, and the return engagement of those annoying minstrels (which I just tackled this time around).  Also, the score does pick up, especially in tense moments, with the correct mood music.

Replay Value
There is A TON to do in this game, especially if you'd like FULL SYNCHRONIZATION on all missions, and the additional sidequests.  I'd say a quick run through might take around 15 hours, and going for everything around 30-40 hours (or my 55 hours).  Quite a lot, I think.  Ubisoft could have just put out a filler game for half of that.  The multiplayer adds infinite replay, in my opinion.  That is when you get connected.

RATING:
9.3

As enjoyable a game as I've come across, although I am an AC fanboy.  Definitely the best in the series to date.

I paid $37.99 for a new copy of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and played for over 55 hours, not counting additional DLC missions.