Assassin’s Creed III, the latest installment of Ubisoft’s multi-platinum Assassin’s Creed (AC) video game franchise, was one of the most highly anticipated games of 2012. The game was well worth the wait, as it is easily the best AC game ever made to date.
There are two main components of ACIII: the single-player story and the multiplayer mayhem. Part 1 focuses on the story, and Part 2 will focus on the multiplayer. Each mode has enough complexity to warrant its own article.
The AC franchise has become world-renowned for its incredibly original, well-written story that blends a perfect mixture of historical conspiracy with modern science-fiction and realistic action. ACIII has raised the bar yet again by fusing a complicated, emotional modern-day story with an inspiring, gritty tale of the American Revolution. To achieve his goals in the present, franchise protagonist Desmond Miles must relive the memories of a new ancestor: Connor Kenway, a half-Mohawk, half-English assassin whose defense of his homeland will ignite the flames of a young nation’s revolution.
The gameplay of AC has been tweaked and polished since the last installment; fighting is now deadlier than ever, allowing the use of dual-wielding and the killing of multiple opponents at once. The parkour that the AC games have become known for has been taken to the next level, with even more fluid mechanics and animations, as well as the new ability to vault over low obstacles, thus retaining speed during flight. Additionally, the story is one of epic proportions, with Connor interacting with such legends as George Washington, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, and Desmond interacting with… well, other unique characters. If you’re a hardcore fan of the AC franchise, you know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t played the previous games, I’m simply protecting you from massive plot spoilers.
As always, Ubisoft has integrated so many widely-known conspiracy theories as well as some completely new ones into the historical storyline of ACIII. This genius has never failed to impress me in the previous games, and I am certainly just as impressed with Creed III. Just when you think you have an idea of what’s going on, Ubisoft yanks the carpet out from under you and makes you just sit there with your mouth open, trying to figure out what just happened. And that’s a very good thing. Only the AC games have kept me on my feet through the entertaining action only to leave me sitting on my bum, stupefied by whatever just happened in the story. It’s refreshing, really, to play a game with a story so good that it puts most Hollywood movies to shame. This is why I love Assassin’s Creed so much; whether you’re in the mood to see a complex story or just fight random people, these games never fail to deliver what you’re looking for, and Assassin’s Creed III is no exception.
