Essentially an expansion to Assassin's Creed II, but as a full game. It plays the same and looks quite similar, but it's all accompanied with improvements. The gameplay is smoother and the visuals are sharper, but there's more.
I like to look at Brotherhood as a hub or platform of content - because it kind of is. There are TONS of various side quests and collectibles to keep the sandbox compelling. Some of the content offers some fun and unique gameplay opportunities, while others allow for more worldbuilding and storytelling. It's kind of overwhelming how much content this game has, and that's not even counting the expansions.
The main campaign is also pretty solid from a gameplay and mission design standpoint - and thank goodness we can replay story missions again. But the biggest gripe I have with Brotherhood is the story. While Assassin's Creed II's story wasn't perfect, it had memorable characters, a compelling plot, and just some good writing. A lot of Brotherhood's story feels a bit rushed. Certain plot points aren't that well fleshed out, story arcs get wrapped up quickly, and characters don't really develop all that much. When it comes to playing through missions, there is the addition of optional objectives that add to the overall completion of the game. They are fun and add some replayability to accompany the replayable story missions (and some of the side missions). But when you fail an optional objective, the only way to try again is to completely restart a mission instead of from a checkpoint (which there are plenty throughout missions). The more challenging optional objectives become MUCH more frustrating and tedious because of this flaw.
The greatest aspect of Brotherhood is the gameplay. While it all feels like Assassin's Creed II, there are some improvements that add to the fluidity of things. Most notably is the chain kill system. To spare the clunkiness of combat, players can now chain together finishing blows on multiple enemies in fluid motion (as long you're not hit or interrupted). This makes combat feel more stylish and snappy. There's also the addition of hiring recruits to assist with getting rid of enemies - while I barely used this mechanic, I appreciate the effort. While the parkour is largely the same as ACII, it does feel a bit smoother with a world that feels more consistently designed for it.
The visuals have also seen very noticeable improvements. Character models look much sharper and the lighting looks pretty great at times. While the setting isn't my favorite, I do have to applaud some of the environmental design.
Speaking of the setting, there's something about the map of Rome that just leaves me feeling conflicted. It's not a bad open world or sandbox by any means, but I never really found it as intriguing as Venice or Jerusalem. The aesthetic of Rome (from the urban landscapes to the countryside) are fine, but admittedly a bit basic compared to what came before.
In the end, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a noticeable improvement over its predecessor, but it isn't perfect. The variety and quantity of content is impressive. The visuals are a good improvement. But the story leaves a bit to be desired, and I personally didn't find the setting to be that engaging.
