Preview: Assassin’s Creed III

Assassin's Creed III
Developers: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Website: Assassin's Creed III Official Website

The American Revolution was a dark but glorious time in American history that led us to be this glorious nation that we are today. A conflict grew to a global catastrophe between the British Empire and the independence-seeking American Colonies. After many vicious battles, which led to bloodshed, were sought out, the Continental Congress voted in favor of and signed the Declaration of Independence on the 4^th of July, 1776. America was not recognized as an independent sovereign nation until the Treaty of Paris was finally signed by all parties in 1783.

This is the newest setting of Ubisoft’s newest installment of the Assassin’s Creed series. Assassin’s Creed III is a direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, which was the 3^rd game of the thorough episodic trilogy of Assassin’s Creed II. This new game, Assassin’s Creed III, will put us at the smoky dawn of the American Revolution. We will be playing as the fictitious ancestral character of Desmond Miles, Connor Kenway, who seems to be fighting alongside America for his favored ideology. Many historically accurate figures will also be appearing in this game including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, among the many others who are set to make a recurring appearance. Connor Kenway will have a seemingly mixed native background from what appears to be a tomahawk he yields in many art designs and photos. His developing years, which have left him seeking vengeance, will take a big role in his motives.

This game is designed using the all new game Anvil Game Engine. The series is well-known for its fluidity in the free running mechanics, which is the core mechanic in the game. The game will have a massively ready to explore world called the Frontier. In this installment, we will find ourselves leaping around in the developing cities of New York and Boston. Free-running through this area will prove to be a delightful experience with a good change of scenery. New elements will also be implemented; some trailers reveal that buildings will now have the capability to climb into and jump out of, making for a more detailed and fluid experience. Evolved combat also reveals the dual-wielding of weapons

The game has run into a bit of criticism since it is obvious that the protagonist does seem to be siding with the loyalists and is constantly shown killing Red Coats throughout Ubisoft’s marketing campaigns. It does seem to be making a wrong impression, but is this not what happened in history? I understand that it may seem one-sided, but history is always told by the victors, America. The developers have denied any accusation stating that the evil Templars are in both oppositions.

Now, I just wanted to take a minute to back up and talk a little about this game's predecessor, Assassin’s Creed II and its rough trilogy experience. Assassin’s Creed has always been a fun game, and continues to be a great free-running experience. What separates the series from the rest is its ability to recreate a wicked historical story which is slightly accurately played with historical events, mainly the crusades. It goes into mass detail about Templars of the time and possible secret societies. Although Assassin’s Creed II was an awesome and fun game, it seemed that they were rapidly pushing out sequels to Ezio Auditore’s storyline, the main protagonist of ACII. Even though the games still proved to be a fun experience, I did at times feel that they were overdoing it. Not to mention they were pushing out the same game with little to no change, which was unfair to the consumer’s pocket. It did prove to be worth it though, through the captivating storyline, which would always make up for it at the end. It always did a good job at having the player seeking for more. Some things I didn’t agree with though, were the seemingly ongoing informality that developed within the developers and the player through historical biographies of people, locations, and buildings. It felt as if it the biographies began to get a little more informal and immature in the way it read opposed to feeling as if I was reading it straight from a detailed accurate encyclopedia, which I thought gave the whole idea a more serious notion. So with all that in mind, I make the point that I really hope it steps back to its level of maturity.

The series is great, I love it and will continue to play it no matter how many pointless sequels they make. Putting us in the middle of the American Revolution with hope that my character will have make an ultimate change in history, although fictitious, is a great way to relive America’s roots. I will definitely free-run over to my local game store and pick myself up a copy upon its release. Whoever said history wasn’t fun?