Been playing AC3 on the PC here and there for a few days now, and I just got to the part where Desmond gets the first "artifact" and Connor gets his robes. So far I'm still really enjoying the game (despite the multiplayer giving me the stone wall - come on Ubisoft!!) Here are some more thoughts.

A) I ran around a bit with Connor in his Assassin garb, and it felt great. I think part of the reason it gave me goosebumps is that they take such a long time in getting the story to that point. The anticipation got to me, and man it feels good to finally be the real deal (and have the white hood to prove it).

B) I’m loving the Animus entries by Shaun. Hilarious, witty, and sarcastic. Perfect. I literally have laughed out loud at a couple of them. I don’t have that often in games.

C) Dialogue with Rebecca, Daddy, and Shaun is also really good. I’ve enjoyed going back to see what they have to say, and it’s been a great way to flesh out the story.

D) So far Connor’s bit feels really disjointed, but that’s probably because I’m at that point in the game where I’ve seen a lot of the different parts of the game but haven’t been able to play any of them more than once. I’ll be interested to see how it all comes together. The premise, though (on paper), seems a bit ridiculous - A half native American who becomes an Assassin, runs a homestead and makes trades and business deals, stalks wild animals, stabs dudes in the face in an epic conflict, and takes to the high seas to engage in naval battles? Ha! I’m having trouble seeing it, but maybe it’s all so fun I’ll forget how ludicrous it is. Right? Yeah, probably. :) Again, I’ll give it a chance to impress me. Brotherhood also loaded on the mechanics and systems and was a little overwhelming at first, but that one turned out great.

E) As I said above, this game is just plain fun. I really enjoy leaping around from branch to branch, trying to air kill critters. The naval battle (I’ve only just had the first one) was also WAY better than I thought it would be. It felt really good, actually. I've been hearing people say that for months now (gaming press), and I personally didn’t think it looked that cool, but actually playing it was a blast.