Displaying items by tag: Assassin’s Creed III
I think everyone remembers the first time they played Assassin’s Creed, from the absolutely amazing graphics to the parkour style game-play, to the simple fact that you play a kick-ass assassin. It was a revolutionary game back in 2007. Then came 2009’s Assassin’s Creed II, 2010’s Brotherhood and 2011’s Revelations. Sadly the game was becoming stale and uninteresting. Ubisoft seemed to be relying a tad too much on gamers goodwill, and our fond memories of what the game was like to play the first time.
Assassin’s Creed III would have been just another entry in the series, one that I would have been happy to let pass by, if it were not for the radical re-imaging of the series.
Ubisoft kept the same soul, but wrapped it up in a new story-line that transported players far outside of what anyone had expected from the game, and turned it into a far reaching open world game that would suggest Ubisoft had been playing a fair bit of Red Dead Redemption.
The game, and I don’t want to say too much about the plot, because there are some pretty major plot twists, begins in England but plays out the majority of it’s life in America set before, during and after the American Revolution from 1753 to 1783. You’ll find yourself running across rooftops in Boston and New York, swinging through trees in the wilderness and commanding a ship on the open seas, and that’s only if you keep to the main storyline, which in itself will take you a while to get through.
The genius of Assassin’s Creed III is that much like Red Dead Redemption, there is so much to do outside of the main storyline, from hunting to aiding early settlers, side missions abound and extend the playability of the game greatly, giving you ample encouragement to explore the beautifully realised open world.
The main storyline will dictate what you do early on, but soon the world will be your oyster. I choose to focus mostly on the main storyline so I could get through as much of the game as possible before writing this review, but have promised myself that I will return and start the game afresh so I can fully explore the world and embrace all that it has to offer.
Assassin’s Creed III uses a new engine, Anvil Next, which promises to utalise the full capabilities of the current generation delivering a next generation experience. And it s truly a visual feast. Because of the huge timeframe covered by the game, you get to experience several seasons, which change not only the look and feel of the game, but also how you interact with it. Running through the snow filled forests in winter, you’ll notice a decidedly reduced pace when running through deep snow. It’s these little touches that make the game great. There are many subtle changes that I’ll let you discover for yourself, but suffice to say that Assassin’s Creed III is as much of an adventure as you allow it to be.
Assassin’s Creed III takes everything I loved from the first time I played Assassin’s Creed and multiplies it exponentially. Ubisoft have pulled one out of the hat and have revived a lagging stale series, breathing new life into it and once again creating a sense of anticipation as to where the series will go next.
