Assassins Creed 3, a captivating series that's been drawn out a little too far.
The game begins in an inadequate attempt to help players fill in the back-story. 4 games and heaps of lore shoved into a small cut scene, no thanks. The gist of the Assassins Creed storyline is about saving the world from a largely unexplained threat, whilst ensuring freedom for all. The age old enemy the Templar's, vaguely seek the same goal, but believe to ensure peace the world must be ruled with an iron fist. I soldiered through the opening sequence and levels to find what I was looking for, the action and fighting sequences. These certainly did not disappoint me as I blocked swords swipes, disarmed enemies and dodged musket fire.
The more I played the more I grew to like the characters and storyline. Haytham Kenway for example is certainly an entertaining character and as you explore further into the game there are some interesting plot twists that prove the competence of Ubisoft's writers. But when I reached the majority of the game where you play as Conner, Haytham's son, he proved to be an unemotional, detached and unlikable character; his irritating decisions infuriated me at every turn. Although I managed to endure Conner enough to thoroughly enjoy the finer aspects of the game, his personality was certainly a downer.
The combat and control mechanics were slightly changed from previous titles, with adjustments to the sprint and counter system. This took a while to get used to, but added the requirement of more timing and finesse to successfully take out an opponent. The addition of pistols and muskets added further difficulty creating enjoyable fight progression as you take down bad guy after bad guy; in style. There were huge improvements to so many aspects of the free running world, with a huge expanse of land called the Frontier, which is 1.5x bigger than Rome in brotherhood and another 2 cities to explore, there is huge potential for fun. Being a largely unpopulated area, there is little opportunity for the awesome free-running experience offered by buildings. Although Ubisoft have tried to cover it up with a tree-climbing mechanic, the system still needs a lot of work and is frustrating at times. It still holds the possibility for awesomeness though with the introduction of the rope dart, which can be used to hang, stab and trip others.
As you pass further through the game you are introduced to the homestead, essentially a hub for you and all your homies. Here you can engage in fun and exciting homestead missions, or launch off in your very own ship, the Aquila. At the ships store you can spend some of your otherwise useless money on upgrades, than embark on missions that seriously improve this game. Whether you are chasing down Templar ships or clearing out a pirate vanguard, naval warfare is downright amazing. Managing the speed of your ship, navigating through fields of jagged rocks and firing broadsides at your enemies makes an amazing experience. Although lacking in a full campaign of missions, there is a good variety of escort, fort assault and sea battle tasks.
The environment and lore of this game is expansive, a history book in its self. I spent hours just flicking through the database, intrigued by its secrets. Its rich history is accompanied by an extremely detailed replica of Northern America's cities and frontier; I stood awestruck when I first stumbled upon the expanse of the games world. It is also possible to exploit its rich wildlife with the hunting system, setting traps and using your bow you are able to hunt down deer, rabbits and other animals. This detailed world of full of wonder and fun is what makes assassin's creed games great, unlike other games full of mindless killing, you have meaning and purpose.
The multiplayer, although having existed in previous titles is still a relatively new and exciting part of the game, offering 7 individual game modes, several playable characters and multiple abilities to use. After some quick games I slowly picked up how to play and it established itself as an important part of AC 3.
Assassins Creed 3 is a great game at the very least, glitch and bug ridden, but still a decent game. Whether you be sneaking up behind unsuspecting soldiers, running across precarious rooftops or taking in the beautiful landscape; it's loaded with fun. But I do believe it is a step down from the pioneering precursors, with repetitive tasks and little variety in assassination, so I am inclined to give it a generous 7/10. I believe for people that have not tried an assassin game before it is a must try, but it is really nothing special to people that have tried previous titles.