If you played last year's stellar Assassin's Creed 2, chances are you've been craving more. You'll be happy to know then that Battle of Forli, the first downloadable content to be released for the game, is exactly that: more Assassin's Creed 2. Unfortunately it is for this same reason that the DLC is a little underwhelming, as it never feels like anything other than simply more of the same.
In fleshing out the plot of Assassin's Creed 2, Battle of Forli succeeds splendidly. It allows access to the first of the two corrupted memory sequences encountered in the main game, providing insights as to Ezio's exploits during the gap period set between his time in Venice and the story's climax. The DLC integrates seamlessly with the game, with its inclusion getting a satisfying narrative justification.
New cut-scenes set Ezio up to seek the aid of Caterina Sforza of Forli, only to find her city under siege and needing Ezio's protection. While Sforza had only a brief cameo in the game, she finally receives proper screen-time here. We get to see where her fiery reputation comes from, and she easily becomes one of the most memorable and likeable characters in Assassin's Creed 2. The storytelling in Battle of Forli is as striking as that of the main game, and those who enjoyed the game's plot will find the DLC's contribution to be more than worthwhile.
It is in the mission content where Battle of Forli underwhelms. The lack of any new areas to explore is easily forgiven considering that there weren't any real main missions set in Forli originally, and while the DLC remedies this it's regrettable that the developers haven't tried to do anything new and different. Instead, the two hours or so worth of new content is pretty standard compared to that of the rest of the game, and you won't do anything here which you haven't done before. Furthermore, while each mission is certainly enjoyable, none match up to the very best missions found in the game, and none of them will stand out as high points. Da Vinci's flying machine makes a return, but disappointingly isn't used in any of the new missions, despite one in particular seeming a natural fit for the device. Instead, its inclusion serves little purpose beyond providing players a second chance at getting the 'Fly Swatter' achievement.
The familiarity of the mission content is disappointing, but more of Assassin's Creed 2 is after all more of an excellent game. While it could definitely have benefited from more imagination in the mission design, it's hard to argue that the addition of Battle of Forli doesn't result in a slightly richer, fuller game. As such, fans will find this DLC to be worth the time and money. Sweetening the deal is the price point: Battle of Forli is available at a paltry 320 Microsoft Points, making it one of the cheapest instances of proper playable content released for a major game.
Pros:
- Great new story details and characters
- Excellent price
Cons:
- Missions don't offer anything new
- Flying machine is not properly utilised
Rating: 
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