The “Assassin’s Creed” series of games has taken players through locations around the globe such as, Israel, Italy and Istanbul in alternate versions of history filled with the struggles between the Assasins and the Templars. In the present, Abstergo, the modern face of the Templars, seeks to control the world and Desmond Miles and his team seeks to stop them and the looming threat of December 21, 2012. Desmond does this by reliving his ancestors’ experiences throughout history.
In “Assasin’s Creed III,” elements come closer to home as half Native American, half British assassin, Connor, fights for personal revenge and freedom of the people around the time of the American Revolution. This is new territory for the series and the source material is a great fit with much content but there are some disappointing aspects as well.
Without spoiling things, “Assasin’s Creed III” starts out slow with a mystery guest to expand the story and a quick recap of the events of the last few games. After the first few hours of many in the main story, players assume the role of Connor and his quest to free the people begins.
Historical figures like Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, George Washington and more from the time period all play a part and interact with Connor in Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Connor also travels through the Frontier and his Mohawk homeland and can even sail the eastern seaboard with his ship.
Besides playing out some famous events like the Battle at Bunker Hill and signing the Declaration of Independence, present day segments with Desmond make a return. The mix of old and new stories works well and always keeps players guessing as to how exactly things will turn out.
This time around, the combat has finally been fixed. Enemies will now attack together instead of waiting to be killed and each encounter is a challenge. Connor’s heritage also plays a part, and players can move just as swiftly through trees as rooftops and can also hunt animals in the wild for profit. Other additions, like mobile hiding spots, using disguises, eavesdropping on people, and more add to the overall assassin experience. Another first for the series is a dynamic weather system that affects Connor’s movement and contributes to the top-notch graphics, better than the previous entries.
There are, however, a few problems to note. Despite the expansive story and its surprises, it all feels like too much of the same. The new additions help somewhat but this third part in the main trilogy could have been so much more.
Content aside, there are several glitches that could have been fixed. From floating weapons and enemies trapped in barrels to having Connor himself getting stuck in a building while climbing and needing to be reset, a software update can’t come soon enough. The assassin training system from “Brotherhood” returns but a new crafting and trading system feel a bit unnecessary.
Several multiplayer modes supplement the campaign mode. There are still the hide-and-go-seek feeling modes where players must determine AI from humans and kill the right targets. Co-op modes like “Wolf Pack” fit well where teams hunt for NPCs instead of humans. Players can choose from several character classes and upgrade their persona with different embellishments. Combined with all the extra activities the single player mode affords, like liberating Templar forts, debunking Daniel Boon’s urban legends, searching for treasure and naval warfare, there is a lot of content packed into “Assasin’s Creed III.”
For new players, it’s probably best to catch up on the story with the other games first. Returning fans will find a nice continuation of the series if they can look past its few flaws. Despite the timeframe, this is more of an evolution than a revolution.
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Ok, so typically, I take the stoic route, and shut up and let things unfold as they come, but I feel so passionately about assassins creed’s story, I felt it necessary to reach out, I did so, to Ubisoft themselves, the following is my message and response to their supposed glitch:
Ubisoft, firstly, let me begin by saying I’ve always been a fan of your games. I don’t mean to use the past tense there, as I’d like to believe that resolution will come swiftly. Assassins creed is by far my favorite game for the story alone. Although the gameplay has always proven to be incredibly fun. I’ve experienced a few glitches in your game though, and for the most part I’ve let it slide. This brings me to my question though, i have now officially experienced every glitch you can, with my dual wielding Conner losing his secondary pistol whenever I use it. And it has led to my inevitable death on more than one occasion already. I spent an inordinate amount of money on the collectors edition, the season pass, and many other pieces of novelty items pertaining to the franchise. And it breaks my heart that with how beautiful this game turned out, the glitches are completely retracting from my enjoyment at this point. I did my part as a consumer. I went out of my way to spend more money than I should have to support you as a company. And its just appalling that this is how I’m repayed. When did we get ushered into an era that gameplay suffers from the same software hiccups as full blown operating systems and cell phones? I don’t recall ever having Link be severely limited by his income because his convoy wouldn’t go out to collect rupees. Nor do I recall mario or donkey kong suddenly losing their ability to mash or bash because they stepped out of the general store. And I certainly didn’t pay as much for them as I did for Desmond and Connor. So do us fans all a favor. Patch it. Not in a month, not in a few months, but now. I dont think that’s unfair of me to ask. I paid to have a game that works, not a uplay shop, not a multiplayer game either, I barely touch multiplayer as it is. And lucky for me too, because I heard you guys were left holding the bag there too. Patch the regular story mission game, so that the next time I play through it I don’t have to watch as connor reaches for an empty holster while I’m being gang raped by a bunch of red coats. So that when I have my homestead built up it doesn’t take me an hour to break 10k because one of my convoys just refuse to get out of ‘attacked’ mode. And so that when I finally destroy the powder stores on one of those ships the game doesn’t freeze suddenly and make me have to try 10 more times to do it properly. Only to freeze again. Do it because as a consumer who bought a product that he expected to be fully functional I got crapped on. And I’m hoping you give a crap enough to right the wrong you’ve committed. Or maybe you are the very Templars we’ve been warned of.
This was their response 5 days later:
Hello ,
Thank you for contacting us. It isn’t stated in the game, but you are not going to be able to duel wield a double barrel pistol in this game. One of your other guns will be replaced with a single shot pistol instead when paired with a double-barrel pistol. Were you able to download the title update for the game? You may also want to try deleting and reinstalling your game data as well. Delete everything except for the save files for the game. See if this fixes the issue for you. I went ahead and reported your issues as a complaint and will forward the information to the development team. Please contact us again if you have additional questions.
Needless to say, I’ve lost all hope in ubisoft, and expect that they will produce mildly entertaining games, however, their care for their product has gone out the window, and I, for one, have no intention of ever providing them with another single red cent. Good luck to them in providing mass cannon fodder, to be enjoyed by lesser consumers, that could care less for gameplay and quality