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.
jimmy-google
AC III has a bit too much filler and you spend too much time travelling, though the ship battles were slightly more enjoyable than I’d expected. Connor is probably the weakest lead in AC games so far and the plot around him was fairly predictable, that’s okay with a lead who you can either care about or has a good presence. The cities have also lost the charm the previous games had. I personally found the bits with Desmond a lot more interesting playing wise and story wise. I ground though each section with Connor just to get back to see how the whole AC story progressed through Desmond.
AC III isn’t a bad game but it’s far from the best in the series and I recommend Liberation of it. I rented it which worked well, can’t see a good reason to own it especially when you know another one will be out before long. Rent it.