'Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood' DLC Adding Single-Player Content And Then Some

"Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" represented a giant leap forward for Ubisoft from what was already an excellent game in "Assassin's Creed 2." The 2010 sequel has already seen a couple of free multiplayer-focused DLC packs surface, but today the publisher announced plans for its first paid DLC, "The Da Vinci Disappearance," which is also the first to include new solo campaign content for the game

As the title suggests, the single-player portion of "The Da Vinci Disappearance" focuses on Ezio Auditore's missing gadget-building pal and Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. Ubi's synopsis reads, "After the fall of the Borgias in Rome, Leonardo Da Vinci is kidnapped by the Hermeticists, an underground cult dedicated to transforming mankind." Ezio will embark on a quest to locate da Vinci's stolen paintings, with two new locations and two new gameplay features being introduced along the way.

The DLC will also bring new content into the game's popular multiplayer mode, amounting to one new map, four new characters and two new gameplay modes. The map, Alhambra, is set in Spain's Albaicin of Granada, which also suggests that Ezio's adventure will leave Italy behind for the new destination as well. The four new characters are Dama Rossa, the Knight, the Marquis and the Pariah.

Escort and Assassinate are the two new modes. The former is a team-based four-on-four game in which players must either protect or assassinate a VIP, depending on their team. The latter is a free-for-all deathmatch for six to eight players competing in one 10-minute round.

"Brotherhood" is already a stellar game, so any additions are really only going to be an improvement. More is better certainly applies in the case of a game like this, and new locations, features and quests certainly amounts to more. Added multiplayer features only sweeten the deal, but the chief allure here is definitely the extension of the single-player experience. The DLC is coming to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 early next month, for 800 MS Points/$9.99.

Tags assassin's creed, assassin's creed: brotherhood, the da vinci disappearance, ubisoft