This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Warren Vidic still has so much to discover with you.
OH, F…!!!!
It's fair to call the multiplayer in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood inspired (possibly by the Assassin's Creed 2 iPhone game) and a worthy change of pace from standard-issue deathmatches, team deathmatches, and capture the flag modes. Under Dr. Vidic's acidic guidance, you trained to be a perfect killer in the Animus' virtual reality, both hunting and hunted by other Templar trainees. Ultimate safety lied in convincing observers you were just another A.I. bot wandering Rome's streets. The downside? Waiting forever to connect to a match.
Assassin's Creed: Revelations revises that formula to give players better tools to use against their pursuers…and to tell more of (Templar front-company) Abstergo's side of the story. According to multiplayer Producer Andreane Meunier, a lot more.
In Brotherhood's multiplayer, once you passed orientation, Vidic and Abstergo vanished from the equation. This time, Meunier promises to continue the story — a behind-the-scenes look at modern-day Templars at work — as you advance through the ranks. More cut-scenes unlock as you level up, advancing a narrative.
That opens up several intriguing possibly, given the open-ended nature of multiplayer games. When I quizzed her about an ending cut-scene (to date, not one of the franchise's strong suits), Meunier deferred a bit. She insisted the templars' story will get a proper ending, but indicated it wasn't locked in yet. Depending on the game's popularity, Meunier hinted more cut-scenes might arrive in the form of downloaded updates until it's time to wrap things up.
He's blinding me…with science!
Considering how fast some players shoot up the ranks, that might not be quite as smooth a process as Ubisoft's hoping for…particularly since, depending on your play style, it might be easier to pull in the experience points. Brotherhood's players only had little more than a stunning sucker punch to use on their hunters, and few opportunities to use them outside of luck. This time, they're getting a host of upgradable tools and powers to throw enemies off the scent.
My play-through stuck to the Hunted mode, where teams take turns on offence (as opposed to Wanted, where you're assigned specific targets while someone's assigned to kill you). Playing on defense, I quickly joined a crowd of people talking and activated a new holographic tool that turned everyone there into carbon copies of my avatar. Then, at Meunier's direction, I mined one of the easy approaches with a smoke bomb. Sure enough, a Hunter plowed right into it, leaving him incapacitated for a few minutes while I just stood there, pretending to be nobody.
Your entry is very important in the Olympic sport of Synchronized Hay Diving.
When he recovered, he instantly assassinated one of my bot companions, losing the contract on me, but earning a karate chop that stunned him again before I went on my merry way. More bombs — some not so gentle — unlock with time, and more tools to trick your would-be killers are waiting in the wings.
And you'll be able to equip them while waiting in the multiplayer lobby. Meunier promises they're working hard to cut the time it takes to pick up a multiplayer game, but if you are waiting, now you'll be able to use upgrade and customize menus so it's not completely idle time.
That's good, because a narrative thread makes for an interesting hook to keep players coming back…if progressing the story doesn't feel like a bore or a chore. But with a narrative as rich and intricate as Assassin's Creed's, this could prove a smart and irresistible lure for players to dive further into one of gaming's more interesting canons.