Assassin's Creed III

My expectations for Assassin’s Creed 3 were very high. A few shorts months ago I was trudging through Assassin’s Creed Revelations; the last entry in the main Assassin’s Creed franchise to deal with Ezio Auditore. Revelations gave an interesting closure to the characters of Ezio and Altair, but the familiarity of the experience wore on me. The promise of a new numbered entry in the series gave me the push I needed to complete it for the sake of story. Assassins’ Creed 3 places the player in the boots of a new ancestor exploring the American Revolution, while also looking to push the plot forward for Desmond and his band of present-day assassins. The result is an uneven experience that takes two missteps for every one thing it gets right.

The Animus will pop you into Revolutionary times in a rather jarring way; playing as someone other than the main character. While it’s not a terrible way to introduce the setting and key characters, it goes on far too long. It was difficult to become invested in the game’s open world activities knowing full-well I’d soon be playing as the game’s real protagonist; Connor Kenway. Connor, as the son of a Native-American woman and English man, provides a unique perspective for the player to experience during this tumultuous time-period. This makes for some interesting story beats and conversation as you navigate key moments in North American history. In contrast to Ezio however, Connor is naive, impetuous and stern. While the game appropriately developed this adolescent character, the voice acting is stilted and grating after several hours. Fortunately, the youthful Connor plays like a master assassin.

The true joy I had with this game was the combat. Ubisoft makes some minor yet meaningful changes to the way you handle yourself in a fight. Engaging with a crowd no longer feels like they are waiting in line to meet the business end of your blade. Enemies attack while you are occupied with others and countering, disarming and managing their weaknesses is immensely satisfying. Connor battles opponents with brutal precision and the finishing animations are stunning. I often felt like an unstoppable bull, wondering away from my mission objective to gore a group of Red Coats. Highlights include the stealthy use of rope darts and taking a human shield to block a firing line. While the combat throughout feels solid, the open-world mechanics are where the game struggles.

Boston, New York and the frontier in-between are meticulously crafted. Tip-toeing through tree-tops, hunting animals and rushing through crowded streets feels appropriate yet unique for the franchise. It`s a shame however the several activities dotting your mini-map throughout the world are so hit-or-miss. Naval battles, a first for the series, put you in control of your own ship and crew. Managing your speed, weapons and course during a battle are made easy with the intuitive control scheme. On the other hand, pit-stops like assassin contracts, courier missions and delivery requests are completely forgettable. Good or bad, all side-missions fail to recognize the crux of entertaining open-world game play; reward. You will find little in the way of enhancing your experience from completing these activities. While it initially seemed interesting, developing your homestead (this game`s analog for city investment) never felt necessary and its interface was a convoluted mess. I`d often find myself rushing back to the story.

The story missions themselves are consistently entertaining. The choice of antagonist is smart, impactful and a high-point for the series (I don`t even remember the villain in Revelations). The content of these missions is varied and you`ll encounter some unique set pieces throughout. Conversely, missions involving eavesdropping and stealth are incredibly rigid and are the cause of some frustration. In between trying to thwart the Templar`s influence in the past as Connor, the story is broken up by unobtrusive Desmond missions. I`ve always been bothered by the lack of UI in the real-world, but these assignments are quick and attempt to wrap up franchise spanning story threads in equal pace. The final sequences of Connor`s journey left me satisfied and hopeful for his inevitable future appearances. On the other hand, ``apathetic`` is the best word I can use to describe the conclusion to Desmond`s story.

Ultimately, I would recommend fans of the franchise play this game. There is enough of a fresh experience to be salvaged here from underneath the bloat of meaningless side-quests. More focus needs to be placed on quality of content and not quantity. The strength of setting and characters presented in Assassin`s Creed 3 position the franchise for successful sequels.

Quick Thoughts:

· I played through the entirety of this game after it had been significantly patched.

· Synchronizing in trees can be annoying. I`ve jumped to my death several times (not being able to see the ground).

· Surprisingly hunting larger animals like bears and wolves with quick-time-events was entertaining.

· While they aren’t that rewarding, homestead missions offer fun encounters with a growing cast of quirky characters.

· I often struggled with lock picking controls.

· The current form of assassin management is dull. I like the idea of each of them having their own abilities, but I rarely used them. Sending assassins on missions every few minutes is tedious.

· I played multiplayer for a few hours. It’s as fun as it’s always been and the addition of the Wolf Pack mode is great.

Next Up:

· X-Com: Enemy Unknown