Kabouter said:
While I agree that as far as yearly franchises go, AC has done pretty well so far, Brotherhood just really isn't the best in the series to me. Rome was disappointing compared to cities like Florence and Venice in AC2, the story wasn't nearly as good as in AC2, the 'The Truth' sequences were considerably worse (and with a less satisfying conclusion), the Da Vinci missions were at best boring and the city investment stuff wasn't as satisfying as upgrading Montereggioni was in AC2. Of course the game did do some things better, I really enjoyed being able to call in assassins (though I would've liked some deeper management of it), and it really felt like it belonged as a part of the gameplay. I also enjoyed taking down those towers that oppressed parts of the city, although I thought that type of mechanic was done better in the Saboteur. However I would say my favourite thing about Brotherhood was that they had you play more as Desmond, which I thought AC2 didn't let you do nearly enough, I would like to see more of that still in AC:R and AC3.
Fair points. AC2 does have some great cities, and the plot is very well done. Love Leonardo. But for me Brotherhood comes out on top, if only barely, because so many of its additions work so well. Assassin helpers are fun to find, fairly engaging to level up, and awesome to call into combat. A great idea well executed (though, as you mentioned, with some room for improvement). Assassination combos improve on the stilted combat of past games by making fights much more dynamic. It's nice to be able to take full advantage of your arsenal. In your average combat scenario you're letting a handful of throwing knives fly just before you dispatch someone up close, switching to your sword and countering another enemy with a fatal stab, then popping the last with your gun. Sure, you're overpowered, but arguably that's not a bad thing, since the real challenge comes from attempting discreet assassinations anyway. The Borgia towers are one of the most enjoyable things in the whole series because all the best aspects of the gameplay are involved in taking them down.
Bob Tampinha said:
The problem is that from 2 to Brotherhood there wasn't a evolution, sure they packed more content in it, but the mechanics stayed the same, the combat got even more easier and the stealth still is nonexistant.From what we have of Revelations gameplay, it seems that it's the same shit from brotherhood in a different place, and i doubt they're going to make significant improvement in a year.So yeah, i think there is a reason to complain.
I don't think stealth is nonexistent. There are plenty of missions in which the best approach is to stay undetected, and you're almost always free to hunt a target stealthily if you so choose. Thanks to the crossbow and the improved target lock you can actually clear most of the game without engaging in open combat.
A one year release cycle too rapid, I'll agree, but we really don't have good reason to complain yetonly to be concerned about the series' potential stagnation. Revelations has an interesting setting, a major new mechanic in the hookblade, a unique plot structure, and a bunch of amusing little additions like traps and bomb tossing. It's a sound approach to build on the foundation of the series' established tropes. Fans have certain expectations that should be fulfilled: more of the same, but better. The gameplay doesn't need to be radically reworked because it's already fun.