Xbox Gaming in South Africa

Ubisoft made significant strides with Assassin's Creed 2, making it better than the original in almost every way possible. Now, barely a year later, we have Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, a continuation of Ezio Auditore's story, and the first game in the franchise to include a multiplayer component.

So how does the new formula stand up against the previous iterations? And is the final product worthy of a full retail release? Here's what the international press have had to say about it so far:

• 1Up: "The multiplayer aspects aren't that engaging for me -- there's just not enough to do to balance out the frustration of not being able to defend myself in a fight. However, I love how deep the team has managed to make the single-player portion of the game (again)." - A-
• CVG: "There's enough quality and scope here to put Brotherhood in the running not just as a top Christmas purchase, but one of the best action games of the year." - 9.2
• Joystiq: "Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a sequel or expansion. I'm not sure even Ubisoft knew which it was while developing it. All that matters is that if you let that ambiguity keep you from playing it, you'll be doing yourself an awfully huge disservice." - 4.5/5
• Eurogamer: "A masterful combination of the many things that have striven to define the series in the past, each presented at its best and accentuated by considered design." - 10/10
• IGN: "Brotherhood is a great game, but it’s hard to wholeheartedly recommend... The game doesn't advance the wider narrative very far, the new mechanics don't really add a great deal and the mission designs rarely explore new gameplay possibilities." - 8/10
• Metacritic rating: 91/100

It looks like we have yet another AC game that deserves a place on our Christmas lists. Look out for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood when it releases locally this Friday.