E3 2012: Assassin's Creed III

“Assassin’s Creed III promises to put some disappointments and skepticisms to rest.”

 

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Singapore, Ubisoft Annecy
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: October 30, 2012 (NA); October 31, 2012 (UK)
Platforms: PS3, X360, PC, Wii U
Genre: Historical Action Adventure

 

No more Ezio. No more Altair. More importantly—and thankfully—no more tower defense. It’s hard to say goodbye to two excellent characters, though Ubisoft has run their story arcs to the ground that it was finally time to put them to rest (I can say the same for concepts that don’t do well in execution, but that’s for another occasion). Ubisoft though, is just about ready to move on, and things are looking promising for their latest face-and-neck stabbing, action adventure title.

 

Assassin’s Creed III’s first E3 2012 demo (showed at Ubisoft’s press briefing) opening shot features Connor hunting deer in the Frontier's snowy plains. Shortly afterwards, a pack of hungry wolves circled our protagonist; teeth seething and mouths watering as they prepared to pounce at their prey. As the wolves attacked one by one, a button prompt appeared on screen and Connor responded by evading a wolf’s bite. Connor then quickly disposed two of them with his flintlock pistol and finished off the last one with his hidden blade. Connor then headed to a nearby Continental camp to sell the hunted deer meat, eventually making contact with an informant to determine the whereabouts of his target, Silas.

 

And the year of the bow continues on. #yearofthebow

 

Throughout the seven-and-a-half demo time, we get a clearer glimpse of Connor’s free running prowess. Instead of climbing buildings and bunny-hopping from rooftop to rooftop, Connor scaled trees in quick, fluid succession. We also get to see him in action, featuring moves unique only to Connor. One battle showed Connor using an enemy soldier as a meat shield, coming away unharmed by the Redcoats’ deadly muskets. Assassin’s Creed III’s combat somewhat feels reminiscent of Batman: Arkham Asylum’s ‘Freeflow’ system; Connor can attack one enemy and can counterattack another by doing so at the right amount of time. In addition, Connor can also chain kills together, as well as perform double counters and multiple takedowns. It’s evident Ubisoft is focusing more on speed and momentum in combat, as Connor brutally dispatched his enemies in a matter of seconds. It all feels very slick and cool to watch.

 

ACIII’s second gameplay demo debuted at Sony’s press conference. Instead of exploring the vast Frontier on land, this second demo showed a sea battle instead. For some currently unknown reason, we find Connor commandeering a naval ship as its captain, giving out orders to fire at oncoming enemy ships. From just watching, it’s hard to determine whether the player is steering the ship and/or pressing buttons to fire in a specific direction, but it’s easy to be awed at how neat this entire sequence was.

 

 

It’s no secret that Assassin’s Creed III looks amazing, but what’s most improved visually is the facial animation. In the Ubisoft demo, a cutscene with Connor and a Continental Army contact showed great detail in both character’s faces. The faces actually look proportionate and more realistic compared to past Assassin’s Creed games. Connor’s eyes and lips are the correct shapes and sizes, and I like the subtle differences when comparing it to Desmond’s. You can tell they somewhat resemble each other, yet Connor’s face isn’t simply a copy/paste version of his descendant (albeit with slight changes to their skin color and whatnot). Other than that, this fresh coat of paint feels refreshing, and it’s one of the best looking games I saw on the show floor.

 

As this is obviously just a sliver of what people will expect from the full game, there were plenty of gameplay elements that were absent.  Multiplayer has been a fun addition to the series formula, and it would be awesome to know what Ubisoft has in store for us. Provided it’s actually in the game, of course (hah, I kid). Like in Brotherhood and Revelations, Connor has the ability to call upon an Assassin posse to help him overcome sticky situations—but with a twist. One of the possible scenarios I overheard was sort of a diversion tactic; Connor called a couple of Assassins, both of which were dressed as Redcoat soldiers. The two disguised recruits then “arrest” Connor to get him past security. It's cool they're expanding on what your recruits can do beyond just fighting and killing enemies.

 

Tree-running at its finest.

 

Story-wise, I’m curious as to how the upcoming tie-in Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation (coming to the Playstation Vita) will coincide with this game. Ubisoft has stated that the new and female Assassin, Aveline de Grandpré will cross paths with Connor in Liberation, though it would be interesting if they would do the same in ACIII. As for the rest of the standard Assassin’s Creed features (glyph puzzles, 100% synchronization, monetary system, Assassin tombs, etc.), Ubisoft didn’t clarify anything, though they have previously said these would be in the game in some form or another.

 

All of my skepticism went away after seeing Assassin’s Creed III shine. This now annualized series could use a rejuvenating spark after the last AC title, and this game is on the right track in fully achieving that goal. ACIII’s action looks more fluid and dynamic, and I can’t wait to explore a setting just rich with fantastic history. Everything they’ve been showing off hasn’t lowered my excitement one bit, and I'm just dying to get my hands on it this October.

 

 

David Gabriel, NoobFeed.