PlayStation News, Articles and Information for the UK and Europe

PLATFORM: PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (Digital Download Only)

RELEASE DATE: 28th January 2010

RATING: N/A

DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: Ubisoft Montreal/ Ubisoft

PRICE: £3.19/€3.99 (PSN), 320 MS Points (Xbox Live)

So, Ubisoft have released their first missing sequence (Memory 12), but is the expansion essential to the game’s storyline, and does it give you good value for money? Well, let’s just say that I’ve gotten better value from other things….

As stated above, this DLC adds in the missing DNA Sequence 12 – which the game originally missed out due to a ‘glitch in the Animus’ , although it is widely believed that time constraints in the development of the game meant this was missed out. The DLC sets you off in the poor town of Forlí, Ezio has a certain something in his grasp, and wants to keep it away from the hand of the Templars. Ezio decides that Forlí is the best place for it and asks Caterina Sforza (the Countess of Forlí) to keep it safe.  Some events will happen and the game will set you off on a series of 6 different missions in order to complete the Memory Sequence – sounds good right?

You'll get another chance at using Leonardo's flying machine. But is it really worth it?

This downloadable pack plays out just like any other of the sequences in the game with a variety of tasks to do (although here maybe not so varied, with combat and fighting taking the spotlight here), and I think that because of this you feel a little bit let down by the content. When you download something, you expect to see something new which adds to the game, this pack (because originally meant for the game) just adds a little completeness to the story using the old mechanics rather than introducing something new.

Of course the graphics are on par with the original game and you won’t see anything so overwhelmingly bad that you’ll refuse to play it but by the same token, you won’t see anything that will stun and amaze you either. The pack will take about 1 or 2 hours if you play through it all in one sitting which is a little disappointing, but at a low price, maybe it is acceptable. Any trophy hunters out there who missed the ‘Fly Swatter’ trophy will be pleased, as the game lets you use the flying machine again – although it isn’t used in any missions, just as a free roam thing.

Summary

Although the price tag is low for this little pack, I’ve seen better content available for this price. The 6 missions will keep you busy for an hour or so but don’t expect anything else out of the game after that. However, for those like me (who like to call themselves completionists) this pack is ideal for filling us in on the bits that the original game left out – although they aren’t essential to understanding the rest of the story. The use of trophies and achievements might have just redeemed this sorry pack from it’s fate, but as there are none, there’s nothing in the pack that might just persuade sceptics to buy it (apart from the Fly Swatter trophy mentioned above). My personal recommendation? Buy something else that’ll give you more for your money at the same price – the Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Pack for example, you’ll find that that is a more rewarding experience in the grand scheme of things.