It's Assassin's Creed 3 week, and you'll find all the associated video interviews, features, previews and other bits and bobs on our hub page. Don't forget to read issue 84, too - new Assassin frontman Connor is our posterboy.
The second Assassin's Creed game was an astoundingly good bit of game design, but since then Ubisoft has clearly been cruising. Brotherhood and Revelations were refined enough not to cause offence, but left the series at serious risk of dilution. Assassin's Creed 3 couldn't afford to simply be more of the same, and thankfully - it isn't.
This time though, things aren't so cosy. Out in the cold expanses of the frontier, you don't have the luxury of tight street corners, and the men looking out for you are armed with rifles. Assassins past could dodge under arrows while sprinting, but evading bullets doesn't look as easy.
Luckily for us, reloading doesn't either. Semi-authentic weaponry means that providing you don't give anybody breathing space, rifles are only really good for one shot: once an enemy's spent that bullet trying to take you down, their best bet is to try and beat you with a sword. Good luck lads.
Battles in the game's cities and towns are likely to feel similar to those we've seen before, but the Frontier is another story. This vast snowy expanse feels like a mash-up between Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption, blending the glacial beauty of Bethesda's game with the gritty survivalist feel of Rockstar's incredible Western adventure. Try your old tricks here, and you'll end up in trouble.
Storming straight towards a platoon isn't wise in snowy conditions, for instance. Thick powder slows Connor's footwork, and it's possible to lose your balance completely if you rush. Wild animals roam the forests, and unlike the urban crowds, they aren't interested in abetting your attempts at stealth. This isn't Pocahontas. If there's a section which sees you eavesdropping on guards by sitting on a bench between two grizzly bears, we'll eat an entire factory of hats.
8 comments so far...
CunningSmile on 3 Apr '12 said:
I find it a bit odd that by making the 18th century guns authentic they have actually taken an in-universe step backwards technology wise. Means that the guys in AC3 actually have worse fire arms than Cesare and his goons had in Brotherhood.
whelly1985 on 3 Apr '12 said:
once an enemy's spent that bullet trying to take you down, their best bet is to try and beat you with a sword. Good luck lads.
haha made me chuckle, really looking forward to this, finally finished ac revelations and i must say i loved it- loved the story of altair and really preferred older ezio (he was more humble and basically not a dick like he was in ac2) cant wait for this game.
krisskross on 3 Apr '12 said:
I haven't bought Brotherhood or revelations as they seemed like cashcows rather than sequels but this looks great! love the idea of having wildlife! that is such an underrated option in games!
Waffles2541 on 3 Apr '12 said:
True that. B and R are more like expansions rather than sequels, so if you ever do look to get them go for the lowest price. As for this one, it looks like it could be the best AC to date, really looking forward to what they will do with this. I hoping they get rid of the bomb mechanics and Assassin Recruits, those just made B and R far too easy, you effectively never needed to use stealth.
acollins118 on 3 Apr '12 said:
funking A
CunningSmile on 4 Apr '12 said:
Brotherhood wasn't too bad, far from perfect but enjoyable but at least Desmond's story had some serious development. Revelations was a REAL cashcow. Played it right the way through and I really couldn't tell you who the Templars were or what their plan was in Ezio's time, Desmond was treading water and the Altair sections were interesting but way too short.
zacho 666 on 14 Apr '12 said:
I can't wait, I never bought brotherhood and revolations since it was just the same old biscuit. AC3 looks to be NO.1 again
ePg x Ben on 14 May '12 said:
I dont know about this game i think all of the assasin creed games feel a bit samey like call of duty