My Most Memorable Multiplayer Moment

Isn't alliteration fun, kids?

With the video game industry shifting its focus from a "Split-screen/local/buddies on a couch" style to more of the online style, it creates more opportunities for ridiculous moments (followed by the obligatory cursing, screaming, stupid internet meme, and "yo momma" jokes).

Gamers today buy games specifically for multiplayer, call it the Call of Duty Effect or whatever, but big, amazing moments happen in multiplayer and I would like to share the one event that stands out above the rest for me personally.

It involves some skill, a LOT of luck, and bringing a gun to a knife fight in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for Xbox 360.

Stabby, stabby, stab!

Brotherhood was the first in the series to incorporate a multiplayer mode, hell, people didn't even know there was a single player campaign until right before the game was released in November of 2010. People eagerly jumped online to see what AC can bring to the table as far as competitive multiplayer was concerned. Of course we now know the system worked since it's been in every game since, getting a bigger and bigger fan base.

I picked up my copy of Brotherhood at midnight and brought it home where my friend and I booted it up and went straight into multiplayer, which I am sure many people did when they got their copies. I ended up winning my first match in a close, hard-fought battle. While I felt very satisfied with myself (and after pondering retirement from competitive AC: Brotherhood play with a perfect record), I decided to press on and a few days later had the moment I will remember forever as my best moment in online multiplayer.

In AC you can level up and gain perks (like in Call of Duty) and I leveled up enough to equip the hidden gun, which allows me an instant, albeit low-scoring, kill. This would prove to be the smartest thing I have ever done.

Shooty, shooty, shoot!

I was having a great game, but I was in 2nd place, barely, as in by around a 50 point margin. Luckily, (or unluckily depending on how you wanna look at it) my target was the 1st place player, so any kill on him would boost me into first place for sure.

The problem was: time was running out on the match, this was going to be the last contract I was going to get for this game and I had to make good on it if I wanted to win. Once the compass told me I was close, I noticed it was directing me straight up the tall building in front of me. As I climbed up as fast as I could while holding that Right Trigger for all it was worth, my foe jumped to a different rooftop just next to where I was going to end up.

No way I was going to get to him in time, there were literally seconds left in the match.

My target crept towards the edge, preparing to perform an end of match celebratory (and taunt-worthy) swan dive into the haystack below. Seeing no other alternative, I pull my "last ditch effort" card and push the gun button.

It was one of those "time stood still" moments.

I got him mid dive, in the air, instant kill with the hidden gun for 100pts and the "buzzer beater". I had won the match and (I am assuming) his rage for the rest of the evening at least.

While I have had many a good (and too many a bad) moment online with multiplayer games, the "Shot him out of the air to win the match at the last second" moment stands above and beyond the rest. I still can't believe I pulled that off.

I'm guessing he couldn't believe it either, though since I have given up hope on online voice chat, I will never know.