No traditions are remembered, all glitches are permitted.

 

Summary [7 out of 10]

Assassin’s Creed III is the indirect follow up to Assassin’s Creed II with two stop gap titles between, those being Brotherhood and Revelations. The story got a bit convoluted with those two titles, some new mechanics were introduced for better or worse, but now we continue on with the main storyline concerning the protagonist Desmond and crew as the set out to keep ancient technology and knowledge from the hands of the Templars. As we’ve been told, this one is the main pay off and a wrap up to the series. In game time, the world is supposed to end December 21st 2012 and we are just about at that mark once the game begins.

The controls are different from other Assassin’s Creed titles and not quite as polished, gameplay is a bit further removed as Assassin’s Creed was to II and II was to Brotherhood. The landscape has drastically been altered and you now find yourself smack dab in the birth of The United States of America. Desmond’s Animus journey (think about it as genetic time travel with computers) this time brings you to his ancestor Ratonhnhaké:ton, better known as Connor, you know to fit in with the honkies.

A new graphics engine was implemented and while things can look absolutely breathtaking, the overwhelming amount of glitching/spazzing Connor does is unparalleled in either previous game.

Review Note: Because we both played the game and had very strong opinions on the game, Patrick will also be chiming in with his take on the game. When he adds a bullet point, Patrick’s will be in italics.

What Is It Like?

This is very much an Assassin’s Creed game, but there are some key components that have been changed, replaced or disregarded. We are now dealing with an overhauled control system and graphics that dress to impress.  Colonial New England, while glitchy, is brilliantly recreated.

Gone are the days of owning shops and banks like some kind of Renaissance Don Vito, instead you are now a self-styled Tim ‘The Tool Man’ Taylor land baron. One the plus side you get to be a pirate captain and that is kind of cool. The story is well put together, but it feels difficult to give the characters any emotional weight they should deserve. Most of the time I just ignored the side missions to carry on with the main quest line because I felt like they had no bearing to my end goal.

The Great

Naval Battles: Yes, these are full on drag-down slobber knockers of masts and cannon balls on the high seas. Navigation can be a bit difficult, you really need to use your mini-map to steer the ship. While this mechanic seems a bit out of place for the franchise, once you get the hang out of it you’ll see that this an interesting addition to the game and one of the few instances that I bothered to invest and upgrade to do side quests.

(Patrick’s Take: I have to agree with Charles here as I felt the naval battles were one of the few truly fun things in the game. The controls are well implemented and the slight learning curve required to become proficient is nothing compared to how fun this part of the game can be. I have played a lot of games that have tried to pull off pirate style naval battles and all have been left wanting. ACIII is the first one that I feel has actually nailed it.)

The Graphics: As a native New Englander, the woods in this really brought me into the game in the same way that the landscape in Red Dead Redemption reminded me of the Southwest where I currently live. The new engine is quite impressive in this respect, as well as the characters. There is quite an improvement from the past titles in the graphic mapping of faces and lip sync.

The Present Day: The missions in the present day when you play as Desmond really shine out as some of the best parts of this game. Minimal glitches and the removal of the HUD and Health really help immerse you in the action.

(Patrick’s Take: If the entire game had been the present day sequences or if the main portion of the game had been as smooth and glitch free as these sequences, I would have liked it a lot better. The climbing segments of this are the best in the game and I had no problems doing what I needed to do. Likewise, combat and stealth were smooth and well implemented here in ways the main portion of the game only hears about at parties. I really enjoyed myself during these segments and I wish there had been more of them. On the other hand, given how badly the game ends, maybe less is more.)

Multi-player: It has kind of an irritating tutorial but once you get into the multi-player it is a lot of fun. The process could have been a little more streamlined and sometimes control problems pop up, but in general this was the most fun I had playing this game. I often find myself going back for ‘just one more’ session when I should have stopped half an hour ago but it is kind of addicting in its simplicity. Even if you are frustrated by parts of the main game, I would suggest checking this out.

The Good

Storyline: It can be a bit convoluted and difficult to trudge through this has one of the best examinations of the Templars and their motives since the first game. Each time you brought down a main target their explanations made me question my own motivations and that of those who I aided. To me that is always a sign that they are hitting some marks right in the story. I found Connor a bit difficult to get behind after the stone cold badass that was Altaïr and the smooth operator that was Ezio. I do not fault the character I fault his story arch and some dialogue. Speaking of which, this might be a minor spoiler, when Connor meets his dad for the first time ever AND as an adult there needed to be some kind of weight to that scene.

(Patrick’s Take: This is where I part ways a bit with Charles as I found the story to be fairly boring and unengaging. Connor, as a character, is kind of an asshat and he never really gets better. Maybe it is because I am more familiar with American history than the histories told in previous games, but this one felt a bit like Forrest Gump with Connor showing up at just about all the major moments in the American Revolution including riding on the same horse with Paul Revere. This moment was absolutely asinine and is a good illustration of the point. Your mileage may vary here but it really irritated me.)

What was a huge loss here was the complete abandonment of the Assassin’s Order. At one point Connor’s mentor comments to him, “we use to have a ceremony, but no one remembers it.” Seriously, fans of the series damn well remember.

The Environment: Ubisoft brought their A-game here in crafting this world. I was a bit hesitant at the idea of an open world adventure in the wilderness; even Red Dead Redemption had its towns.

The Bad

Controls: This overhaul is just way off the mark; I thought I was being a bit whiny and unfair so I played Assassin’s Creed: Revelations for about 2 hours last night and the difference was huge. Even in the opening, which I say is mirror in Assassin’s Creed III in the narrowness of the world, the controls worked like a charm. I was able to easily takedown 4 to 5 guards without the loss of a combo or taking a hit.

(Patrick’s Take: This really cannot be overstated. When I first started playing, friends who hadn’t gotten to play yet were asking ‘is the combat still just hitting counter all the time?’ I really wish it were. That would be better than what we have here. The combat is ridiculously frustrating and inconsistent. I never knew going into a battle if how it would turn out and it was often just random as to whether or not anything was going to work. I would assume I just sucked but I have been playing these games since the beginning and have never struggled with combat at all. Here it is just broken and makes no sense. Add to that the fact that button presses often don’t work both in game and in menus and I wonder if there was any play testing at all. The first time I was asked to shoot a gun at a specific target, I stood there watching my character punch his hands together for 20 minutes. It wasn’t until I screamed and slapped the face of the controller with my right hand that he ever fired. AAA titles should not have this kind of control issues. Also, try hitting the B button to cancel out of item crafting or sales. Mine never worked even once.)

Interface: Again, another change up that just does not make sense. The Revelations HUD and Weapon/Item select menu had been on the plate since the beginning and did that job well. I did not find the new ones to be slick or more engaging, the loss of the health bars made it a little more difficult to gauge your effectiveness as your completed your tasks. Many of the exchanges I had with British Soldiers were tooth and nail, versus before once you completed most of the game you had some breathing room for your typical fight encounters.

Pacing: It hit me there was a pacing problem when I got to sequence 7 or 8 and I could not afford any weapons or upgrades and had few options to generate incoming, a very unusual occurrence given that past three Assassin’s Creed titles. Another thing that struck me as odd was being able to sack and take a fort for American when the Shot Heard Round the world event had yet to even occur, but there I was raising Betsy Ross’ handy work.

(Patrick’s Take: It is also worth noting that a full half of the game is essentially a tutorial. I understand that you are meant to work on sidequests and things like that to pad out your play time but if you are just going through the game sequence by sequence you aren’t going to meet adult Connor until just about halfway through the game. Give how much of a douchebag he is, I guess that is not a bad thing. But don’t make me play four or five sequences as the much cooler Haytham and then make me deal with Connor. That is just mean.)

Collision Detection: It is kind of maddening throughout the game how bad this is. From climbing trees you are nowhere near to having a character running right up to you that when you hit the button to assasinate him he rolls off and keeps running, the game seems to have no idea where your character is in relation to anything else. Given the important nature of assassinations this is kind of a crippling issue.

Glitches: This game is just glitchy as shit. From hovering horses on their hind legs to hay bails that you stand on top of instead of jumping inside, the game is just riddled with issues. I am not sure if there was any amount of quality control done here but if there was whoever did it is absolutely terrible at it. 

Ending: I won’t give any spoilers but I don’t think this game could have ended any worse if included the development team coming to my house and punching me in the stomach. I don’t ever want to hear anyone bitch about Mass Effect 3 after this. To say it was a let down is a massive understatement. 

 

WTF Ubisoft

Lock picking: Seriously. Lock picking has to be one of the most frivolous add-ons, it serves no other purpose than to be annoying. It was much better holding one button and keeping an eye over your shoulder. Speaking of which…

The CAMERA: What happened here, why does the camera like to hide behind trees while I fight? Is it a pacifist camera? If you have an action platforming game the camera is king and this camera is more like the piss-boy.

The Randomly Awesome

Lobsterback: I have not heard this term since elementary school and it was a classic insult if you have a way back machine.

Paul Revere: Wow, I don’t remember him riding cupcake on a horse let alone being basically your annoying sidekick/backseat horse driver.

(Patrick’s Take: I mentioned this above so I won’t belabor the point here but if you absolutely have to share a horse with this guy then at least he could drive since he actually knew where he was going. Having him tell you where to go when your horse can’t cross a river and he keeps shouting ‘to the right!’ is irritating. Having him then tell you he doesn’t recognize any of this when you cross the bridge to actually go where he was telling you is almost controller throwingly annoying.)

Ezio Armor: Using UPlay points you are able to unlock Ezio’s Armor as a friend commented you finally feel like a legit assassin, granted you stick out like a sore thumb.

Conclusion [7 out of 10]

Assassin’s Creed III is the not the best in the franchise and I can say I will not be seeking out any DLC for this one. Potential sequels are a bit up in the air as they would be handled by different studios, but at this point this title was a letdown for me considering my words in the previous X-COM: Enemy Unknown review. I hope Ubisoft can get this brilliant creation back on track but I may not be so interested in the next title.

(Patrick’s Take: The bottom line about this game for me is that I really didn’t have much fun playing it. Almost every aspect of it was frustrating and the ending not only lacks payoff it feels like a sucker punch. The naval battles and multi-player go a long way towards saving the title. At about sequence 9 I would have given this a 3.5 but after it is all said and done with the multi-player component weighing in I would go to a solid 6. It pains me to say this because I have really loved some installments of the series but this was a mess of a game that felt really rushed and did not live up to the pedigree of the series. This was probably one of my most anticipated titles and it was very disappointing. I don’t know where the series goes from here but one likely place it will not be showing up is in my Xbox.)