In my opinion the Assassin’s Creed series is one of the defining series of this generation, and not just because Ubisoft seem determined to get the games out as quickly as is physically possible. No, much like Uncharted the series has been entirely contained within this generation of hardware so far, and it’s one of those titles that really gives you a feel of what current hardware can achieve.
In fact I felt that the original Assassin’s Creed served almost entirely that purpose, frequently seeming more like a tech demo than a fully fledged game.
Fortunately Assassin’s Creed II got past that issue, and gave many a more substantial reason to latch on the series. In my opinion the Ezio based entries in the series went from strength to strength, but all good things must end and III moved things onto a new character and a new setting.
Connor, or Ratonhnaké:ton if you want to be technical, is the new historical star, with Desmond remaining in place in the modern world. Peter’s first comment on Connor in our review is that he has a “as a calm assuredness and resolute, dark stare,” which certainly sounds intriguing. He later remarked that Connor’s less passionate association with the Assassin’s Brotherhood helps to distinguish him from Ezio or Altair, something that’s important if player’s are going to latch onto this new character in the same way.
Peter was also impressed by the sheer scale that the game has to offer, with the presence of the wilderness adding to the game’s trading mechanics and generally helping to breath more life into things. He weighed in on the game’s naval combat too, calling it “a thoughtful inclusion” given the extent to which “sea travel was so important to the struggles of everyday life” during the period of the game’s setting.
The combat also came in for some praise, with Peter noting that there’s “much more fluidity than any previous instalment” and that he found himself “picking fights with impossibly large groups of enemies simply to enjoy beating my way through them.” It’s always fun when combat’s that good.
Ultimately the game earned a 8/10, not quite living up to the highs of Brotherhood or Revelations, but not being far off either. In conclusion Peter had this to say about the game:
Generally, Assassin’s Creed III delivers most of the things that fans want. It’s a fresh new setting wrapped around the familiar core mechanics. We’ve lost the less engaging elements that they experimented with in Revelations while adding a couple of new tricks to the range of gameplay. Sneaking, running, climbing and combat have all been marginally improved but will still feel incredibly familiar and there is the usual spattering of open-world game glitches which – before the day one patch, at least – might make elements of the game incredibly frustrating for some.
So that’s his take on things, but what’s yours? If you feel like sharing your opinion on this entry into the Assassin’s Creed universe then all you need to do is drop a comment below before Sunday afternoon. Remember to add a verdict of the game from the Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It, Avoid It scale though, it allows us to create the community’s overall verdict of the game in Monday’s WeView Verdict.
LTG Davey
Much like Fallout New Vegas, if you can look past the countless bugs and the occasional flat moments there is a fun game to be found here – just don’t expect it to wow you in the same way AC2 did. RENT
avengerrr
Bargain Bin It AKA buy it and trade it in for good price.
Indeed the scale of AC3 is superb and as a whole the game has done what was required for a numbered sequel: evolved. But for me story took a major hit after Brotherhood and AC3 is little better. The bigger picture (aka the present) lost its importance or intrigue – mainly because the more we get information about the ‘End’ the less attractive it is (I’m talking specifically not generally).
So what is left is game-play, that’s great. there wasn’t much of that when retail the game is broke and pathetic. With ages being taken to patch the game just to make it whole again, and the fact that a person requires the Internet to do it is pathetic. It really is a good game, but they pushed things too far with 1+ year for a game that has indeed ‘evolved’. It isn’t a RPG either so play time is moderate for an open world, hence the game is worth buying and selling on with a least amount of money spent as possible. And if a person doesn’t have the internet…. Avoid IT.
SpikeyMikey23
Boring as hell for the first 5 hours or so. I now am at the point where its good to go but can’t bring myself to go back to it until I have finished Far Cry 3
Taylor Made
Rent it. I still haven’t played it ever since it came out, I played like until he got called Connor.
The problem with this AC, the character is not likeable, the dialogue does not go with the game. I might get back into it but nothing is drawing me back into it. I love AC series (Not one though) but this is just not doing it for me. It feels more like a demo for the next instalment.
JohnnyBoy
I was really looking forward to this coming out as I really enjoyed the previous games. But for some reason it just didn’t grab me in the same way as those previous games – I think it just had too many little bits that didn’t work for me:
– the frontier environment (Boston and New York are great)
– side missions felt a grind (I gave up on them after a while – couldn’t even be bothered sync’ing all the viewpoints)
– Connor himself didn’t seem totally invested in the ‘Assassins Creed’ unlike Ezio or Altair so didn’t really fit into the story very well.
– It could have also been the half dozen or so other games on my shelf from xmas that were urging me on to finish it.
On the plus side the combat and missions in the main story are great – lots of variety and the inclusion of sea battles was fantastic.
I would say it’s a decent addition to the AC series and worth a play through so Bargain Bin It
chall5
haven’t bought it yet, price is still stubbornly high
doomsday619
BUY IT i have completed it and keep finding myself going back to it one of the best games released last year along with Far Cry 3. Huge environment and loads to find and do.
gazzagb
Really hard to give this game a rating. The first few hours as Haythem I really enjoyed, but Connor is just so boring and emotionless, it really ruins the latter half of the game. He comes across as a person who’s not interested in the Order, in the Creed, he just wanted the skills to use for his own personal vengeance. The setting isn’t great either: Boston and New York just don’t go well with free-running, where as the Renaissance cities and Constantinople had perfect rooftops. Overall though, if you’re a fan of the previous games; buy it.
gazzagb
Realised I never really mentioned any pros, just cons. I guess there isn’t much that’s good that’s new apart from sailing the boat which is great fun. You’ve really just got to judge it from whether the previous games were to your liking.
flatspikes
BUY IT: Large immersive world, interesting and controversial historical period with character who are so different from the precious games. I’ve invested many many hours but still don’t want the game to end.
tactical20
As Chall5 said, haven’t played it yet, as it’s still insanely priced everywhere. Surprised it’s still in the charts actually.