Reviews by Kami

8 March 2011, the release date of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood's 4th DLC.
Fans have been expecting it, the rest probably didn't even know or care about it. And this DLC leaves it that way.


At first you've got a few new story aspects involving Leonardo Da Vinci and his student Salai. Those will lead you to hints on events from the end of the main game.
But except a reunion with a few old characters and an introduction of Salai and some new enemies everything has stayed the same.
You still tail, assassinate or beat up targets while mostly remaining undetected. Although the difficulty level has slightly increased you are still left with maximum 5 hours of gameplay.
It's not surprising but Ubisoft could have made this a bit more special and rich in variety when one has to actually pay money for it.

The second additions have been made in the multiplayer.
There are now 4 new characters available (Knight, Marquis, Pariah, Dama Rossa)
and also 2 new game modes with one new map come with it. Those are:
Escort= One group hunts a VIP and another group tries to protect the VIP from that certain group
Assassinate= like the mode „Wanted“, just with no fixed targets (everyone hunts everyone)


The new multiplayer features will probably gain popularity really quick but those of the singleplayer remain weak and just leave an even bigger desire for a real sequel behind.

The “Da Vinci Disappearance” costs Xbox360 owners 800 MP and people with a PS3 will have to pay 10$. The new PC-Version already contains all 4 DLCs.

So if you're not in the possession of a console you should get AC Brotherhood so that you can get the main game together with the DLCs (for free).

If you do possess a console you should think about buying the DLC again. 10$ is not that much but spending your money on this add-on may easily lead to a disappointment. And there are better things around to spend 10$ on. (Excepting you're a complete fan like me and just want to see Leonardo and some new cutscenes C;)

Ubisoft shouldn't rush things too much. They should take their time or else the sequel will be real bad... (I just wanted to say that out loud once.)

I am a big devotee of the Assassin's Creed Series and love all of the games.
But I still consider the second game to be the masterpiece. Let me make clear why that is- by comparing them to the pre- and sequel.

Assassin's Creed has always been a game with its strongest points being the indescribably marvelous atmosphere.
The first game began to tell the thrilling story of Desmond Miles and his ability to synchronize with his Assassin ancestors.
Getting around in Israel in 1191 AD as Altaïr has been a beautiful experience and to keep it real all the historical aspects were correctly included.
The gameplay was also a lot of fun but still were there small setbacks that became more and more frustrating.



That's what AC2 managed to greatly improve. As Desmond's story continues and one also starts to take part in the epic story of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the diversity of the game is on a whole new level.
The controls and abilities are now more than adequate and let you master situations with regard to one's own doings.
The game provides the features of an open world game and let's the player explore the world to his heart's content. It also tries to offer a lot of varying missions with the utmost effort.
Nonetheless special missions are way too scarce and short, as also in the sequel.
You are accompanying Ezio throughout a vast Italy which is realistically designed and especially cities like Venice and Florence are met so well that you sometimes just play for the purpose of enjoying the scenery.
That brings me to the important point of looks.

AC1 didn't look bad at all, but Assassin's Creed 2 of course looked way better.
When comparing AC2 and AC Brotherhood I'm conflicted a bit.
Brotherhood's setting of Rome looks so gorgeous that it even surpasses the other cities of Italy but in return I think some of the characters looked more authentic in the second part. And that's not because they were younger.
So Brotherhood probably beats AC2 in the aspects of graphics since that's what a sequel is supposed to do, but still I find them more convincing in 2.



To attain the wanted ambiance there's needed more than just good graphics though.
Firstly it's about well-created personalities. That applies for all three games which all have their own unique characters that also evolve the more time passes.
Still did I empathise the most with the people in Assassin's Creed 2. Their stories had so many twists and turns, passion for detail and actions so very understandable. It can be seen that Ubisoft really spent a lot of work on this.
While AC1 still has too little focus on the characters, in Brotherhood the whole story is rushed too much. Which makes AC2 the most complete one.

Secondly no mood in a video game can be created without music.
Also something that Jesper Kyd has greatly succeeded with in every part.
Of course they are all different so that they match perfectly to their environment.
And yet, the Soundtrack belonging to AC2 has impressed me the most because it is so recognizable, perfectly adjusted to the setting and never getting old.
A lot of themes were even used in AC: Brotherhood again.



So the reasons why I consider Assassin's Creed 2 the best out of the series are that it is able to completely captivate me and not tiring me even after finishing it over 3 times.
Ingenious setting, characters, music and story line let one experience it almost like film (if one cherishes such things in games).
It's got an inspiring influence on me and is one of my absolute favourites.

In my eyes it's a indispensable experience.
(I do not recommend it to people who hated/disliked the first game or are totally not into 3rd person/open-world/stealth though)

Assassin's Creed x Multiplayer. The thing AC Brotherhood has
been praised for the most.
But does online gaming really work out in the Assassins Universe or is it just excitement for no reason?



The first thing you have to do is "forget" about Ezio and the Order of Assassins for the time being, since the Multiplayer is all about Abstergo and its agents.
That's not too bad because that gives you some entirely new story aspects, even if the story is rather trivial in this case.

The usual features of Assassin's Creed were of course kept:
Killing targets, climbing walls, trying not to be detected.
Those make the game unique and can actually match up to certain first-person shooters.
The controls are very easy to understand and allow "newcomers" to get along quickly.
The characters are creatively designed and for now there is enough variety.
The maps include places all over Italy and require different strategies. Still, there are too little.
Till now there are 6 game modes:
Wanted (and Advanced Wanted) = the player is on his own
Alliance (and Advanced Alliance) = the player acts in a team of 2
Manhunt = the player acts in a team of about 4
Chest Capture = the AC version of Ctf in a team of about 4
All these provide a great amount of fun and fortunately do not get tiring too fast.

You are also supplied with a couple of abilities which make assassinations or escaping easier. By creating many compilations of different abilities the game turns out much more diversified.

The graphics are quite alright but the spawning mistakes that are also present in the singleplayer remain. That doesn't disturb the gameplay though.
And of course there is the fact of transmission, that still seems kind of unfinished.
Sometimes the game just breaks down right in the middle of a session and in other cases it takes ages to even connect to a new session.

Another thing that occurred to me is the good balance of the single- and multiplayer mode. In my case I have finished the singleplayer first and then moved on to play the multiplayer. But there are still a few things left to explore in Rome so I'm switching between playing as Ezio and the Knights Templar. Meaning they are both equally interesting.

All in all I am very pleased with the Multiplayer and I also think that there can't be passed a final judgment yet since Ubisoft is still working on it (adding more characters, maps and the ability to go beyond level 50...I hope).

So yeah, a multiplayer mode in Assassin's Creed works very well and makes it even more special because there's nothing quite like it. All the enthusiasm is justified and if one is not completely averted to the AC series it's really worth checking out.

This film is a questionable film. It's about the everday aspect of a relationship between man and woman. And that's it. A couple that struggles with the ups and downs of their life together.

The lack of action and a propelling plot lets the film take on a very slow pace and will quite likely bore the viewer. And that is, as sad as it may sound, typical for german films.
The only scene that could be considered as a climax is the end. And for this you have to sit through the remaining 115 minutes.

The only interesting fact about this film are the actors. They portray the characters in a very believable way and the on-going changes of their feelings can only be traced in their mimic, gestures and actions.
This lets me conclude that "Everyone Else" is film that analyzes human behaviour in its different forms.
It's not a film for entertainment but a film to watch observantly to realise the different messages it may contain.
For a german film it is one of the better ones but still a very poor piece of work, that even the good actors can't make better.

(At one point I have to give the film credit though. It has actually won a prize at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2009.)

The long awaited sequel to Ezio's epic story has finally come.
But is the next part of the Renaissance Assassin really worth buying?



Looking at the gameplay mostly everything has stayed the same as in Assassin's Creed II. One still has to climb, jump and find several ways to kill or threaten targets of course. But there are a few new features that distinguish it from the other AC-Games.

1. The usage of Ezio's newly founded Assassin's Guild that helps him out and can carry out tasks all around Europe. Although this feature is quite handy I've got the feeling that the fractions (merchants, courtesans, thieves) aren't really needed that much anymore since more missions are focusing on the use of your guild.

2. Ezio has much better fighting skills now. Makes sense somehow I guess. When you pull off a successful counter attack in ACBh you most likely start a Killing Streak. It's useful to deal with many enemies and it looks great. In the end it makes the fighting a bit too easy though when one is just waiting for the enemy to strike first.

3. Besides the use of your blades, guns and now also the indispensable cross bow
you are now instructed to destroy a couple of war machines that Leonardo da Vinci has built. These missions display some very creative variety. Unfortunately there are only 4 war-machine-missions and they are, in my opinion, way too short!

Some other new features are
- the ability to call your horse to wherever you are
- the usage of cannons
- more shops with specific quests
- Lairs of Romulus and Templar Hideouts to explore
- the ability to buy and restore buildings
- the ability to train in a virtual training room
- being able to leave the Animus whenever you want...
- and actually do some stuff as Desmond
(though not of much use for the most part.)
Unfortunately you can only reach very low spots from out of the water, that can be pretty annoying sometimes.
(But as long as they don't go back to Altaïr's swimming-skills it's alright. ;))



Looking at the story it continues right after the events of ACII. Not to spoil anything I'll just say that the story takes an even more epic and also dramatic turn of events-both Ezio's and Desmond's. It is (as also in the previous games) brought across brilliantly. At least I was fully absorbed from the very beginning.
Some new characters are introduced but there's also a re-encounter with many old ones. But as great as the story may be, it is all in all very short and for that much waiting (and money) I expected a little bit more. They could have made it longer, instead of planning another sequel. :/



The thing that fascinates me the most about the game is the way it is presented.
The city of Rome and especially the countryside are so extraordinary beautiful and because this is supported with an equally beautiful soundtrack you sometimes just stand around or ride your horse while enjoying the landscape.
The characters are depicted very believable and human and the changes from an oppressed Rome with desperate citizens to a brighter and more cheerful city is amazing.(Praise to all the fantastic voice acting! :D)

So is all this excitement justified?
I'd say it is in many points and it really is great fun to play but the length of the storyline is definitely a disappointment despite there are many more tasks to do in Rome and there is of course the new multiplayer.
There are also still a few spawning mistakes and in the X-Box360-version that I played were some lags at times. Didn't bother me though. I couldn't miss this game in the slightest. ♥

I'd recommend it to everyone that played and liked/loved the two prequels.
Also to those who are into 3rd-person action-adventure/open world and cherish the atmosphere of a game.

This movie is above all nerve-racking. But what else did I expect from a war movie..? It's cruelly realistic but very well done. The acting is altogether more than convincing and the music matches the situations. I sat there watching it and half of the movie I was like: "Oh shit oh shit [...]", shivering and clenching my teeth non-stop and holding my head. The different emotions in war are amazingly depicted and it may sound pathetic but Black Hawk Down is one of the most terrifying movies I've ever seen.
Sadness, Thrill, Fear and Union define this movie and it is definitely worth watching but for me personally just once. And the most terrifying is that it's reality.

I'd recommend it anyways. If you are a rather sensitive person like me it might stir you up, but that's worth it.

In my eyes Uncertainty is an interesting, partly thrilling, beautiful and refreshing piece of art.
The story is inventive and gives the audience something to think about, but is not too profound so everything is still clear.
I'd also call this movie very "human". The feeling of connectivity with the characters is arroused since they all live completely normal lives which one could easily relate to, each grappling with their own little problems. Especially the feeling of a family is greatly delivered.
Since there are two plots in the movie the atmosphere changes a lot and is contrasted with the help of the talented actors and wonderfully matching music.
Furthermore symbolism plays an important role, it is particularly played with the colours yellow and green.
The way the whole movie is presented is very appealing; the way of filming is not typical-making it more individual, and beautiful sceneries were chosen. Uncertainty definitely succeeds in delivering a lot of feelings and things to think about to the audience. That's what a movie's all about, right? :)

I do recommend it to each and everyone who likes individual movies that do not always follow a strict line of action but do have a statement nevertheless.
And to people who like Joseph-Gordon Levitt and/or Lynn Collins. ;)

Cillian Murphy was great in it but the movie itself was a bit slow. Interesting nonetheless although some more explanations could have been helpful. And I don't know, I may be too stupid but the end wasn't like an end to me. Kind of.
Well I liked it anyways, just because Cillian did such an amazing job. :)

Batman Arkham Asylum really impressed me. The Characters are cool and have got nice voice actors, the looks are convincing, it's varying and the mood is well delivered. I just didn't like the ending, the characters acted so OOC. ô.o It's probably not perfect but very close to it. It's great fun to play and one of the best super hero games I've seen so far.
Let's see how Arkham City will become :)

OMG this must be one of the best tv show I've ever seen!