Power On Games

Ubisoft sent word today that the beta for Assassin's Creed Brotherhood will hit on October 4, for those who pre-ordered the PlayStation 3 version. It will include nine playable characters to choose from, including the executioner, doctor, priest, and courtesan. Players can experiment with two maps (Rome and Castel Gandolfo), and two game types.

"Wanted" is a scored mode in which players try to be the first to reach a set number of assassinations. "Alliance" is a cooperative mode that matches players to fulfill killing contracts. The company hasn't announced how long before the game's November 16 release date the beta will end. Since this test is exclusive to PS3-users, it will probably give Ubisoft feedback on balance and usability issues, rather than system-specific game bugs.

Check out our multiplayer preview for more details, but don't forget the game has a single-player component as well. We recently took a closer look at that too.