Assassin's Creed III

Introduction

The original 'Assassin's Creed' was a unique but flawed game that set up an interesting world and premise. Unfortunately, the play mechanics were not as precise as they should have been, leading to a title that held more promise than pleasure. Ubisoft, realizing what could be, perfected the formula with 'Assassin's Creed II'. Not only was the gameplay more engaging, but the new lead, Ezio Auditore, immediately became one of the leading characters in all of video gaming. Ezio was smart, dedicated, irreverent, and deadly. Through 'Assassin's Creed II' and its follow-ups, 'Brotherhood' and 'Revelations', players got to know Ezio intimately. With 'Assassin's Creed 3', the series offers a new protagonist for the first time in years, and the results are decidedly mixed.

The Game Itself: Our Reviewer's Take

'Assassin's Creed 3' introduces you to Connor, a Native American assassin living in the period leading up to the Revolutionary War. Connor is a child of two worlds, and as an assassin, stands outside them both. As a result, Connor is a far more reserved protagonist than Ezio. In fact, 'Assassin's Creed 3' is a darker and more complex game than the series has featured so far, which is saying something given that this has never exactly been light fare.

There's a lot to love about 'Assassin's Creed 3'. The change of locale to the American east coast in the 1700's is inspired. Boston and New York are immaculately rendered, with a living, breathing population. As you wander through the streets of these cities, casually overhearing the conversations of merchants and traders, mothers and sons, colonials and soldiers, you'll feel immersed in a world with more depth than most video games could ever imagine. And when you encounter such famous faces as Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, and a hilarious Paul Revere, you'll feel as if you stepped into a time warp.

But the cities are just a small part of the world the game creates. In previous titles, the agricultural areas between cities were sparse affairs that got you from point A to point B. In 'Assassin's Creed 3', the wilderness teems with life, and not just bunny rabbits (although there are plenty of those). More than once while playing the image would slow to a crawl, and the camera would whip around to reveal a leaping bobcat that I had mere seconds to avoid. And there's an indescribable sense of freedom to travel along tree branches, never touching the ground, while pristine rivers run freely below you.

In fact, it's now a joy to free roam through all of the environments in the game, thanks to improved climbing mechanics that have practically wiped out the small but nagging issues that have plagued the other titles. No longer does your leap go wide, or you grab a hold to your left instead of the right. Engaging the environment as Connor is the most satisfying the series has ever been. If only the rest of the game were that highly polished.

You see, 'Assassin's Creed 3' is ambitious. It wants to do a lot. In addition to the main game, you can hunt, employ workmen, sell supplies to merchants, and even sail the seas. The game continually dangles ever more in front of you, offering a veritable rabbit's hole of things to do without ever touching the main plot. Unfortunately, many of these activities are poorly implemented or poorly explained. For example, you can send caravans full of materials off to merchants to sell. Every so often, your caravans will be attacked, and you get a message telling you to defend it. Good luck locating said caravan, because the game makes it extremely difficult to find it. Oh, and you're being timed. This lack of explanation plagues much of the optional activities, making them feel like chores rather than fun diversions.

The big exception is sailing. Commanding a ship and going toe-to-toe with British opponents is thrilling. There's a sense of scope to these missions that even the series trademark of synchronizing city views can't match. However, the naval portions feel wholly disconnected from the main game. It's as if there's 'Assassin's Creed', and plugged right into the middle of it is Sim Sailing. This schizophrenic feeling permeates the game, resulting in a disjointed experience.

I could overlook the flaws if the main game were up to the level of 'Assassin's Creed II', and at times it does hit astonishing highs. Imagine taking part in the Boston Tea Party. With 'Assassin's Creed III', you can. But the missions feel strangely restrictive. For a series about an organization that champions freedom of choice, Ubisoft sure seems intent on taking your choices away when it comes to how you want to play. I failed more than in any other title in the series, simply because the game didn't like how I wanted to accomplish things.

Even more annoying are the optional assignments during missions. These may be directives as simple as not being detected, but some are incredibly challenging to the point of frustration. And the game actively takes away content if you don't complete the optional assignments. It feels like you're being punished for playing the way you want.

There's not much to differentiate 'Assassin's Creed 3' on the Wii U versus the other consoles. The GamePad is wholly superfluous, either directly mirroring what's happening on screen, or showing an enlarged version of the map. Problem is, that same map is always up on the HUD. There's no advantage to playing with the GamePad. I switched to the Pro Controller, which made the experience no different than playing on an Xbox or Playstation, except that at times the inputs felt slightly less accurate. The worst was trying to pick locks, which became an exercise in tedium as the analog sticks didn't want to hold in place. If you only have a Wii U, then 'Assassin's Creed III' is one of the best launch titles. If you have more than one console, though, you may be better off using that.