Assassin's Creed III Review
A resonant story, compelling exploration, and tense oceanic battles make Assassin's Creed III a rousing success.
The Good
- Enthralling, thematically rich storytelling
- Tense and atmospheric sea battles
- It's a joy to watch your homestead develop
- Amazing attention to historical and visual details
- Lots of rewarding missions to undertake.
The Bad
- Too many bugs and glitches
- Hunting mechanics go largely undeveloped
- Parkour and stealth inconsistencies.
Who is Ratonhnhaké:ton? He's the son of a British father, raised by his Mohawk mother and caught in a struggle between his own people and the colonists spreading through the American Northeast. He's an assassin who, like those before him, believes in the people's right to be free and make their own choices. He's also known as Connor, and he stars in Assassin's Creed III, the most thematically rich game in this ambitious and freewheeling series.
In some respects, Connor is a vessel for ideas more than a force of nature in his own right, though few heroes could hope to outshine the charming and worldly star of Assassin's Creed II, Ezio Auditore. Noah Watts' unsure voice acting keeps Connor at arm's length, emotionally--though in some respects, the distance is appropriate, given Connor's uncertain path through a complex political landscape. It's the time of the American Revolution, and Connor finds himself a key figure on and off the battlefield. He fires cannons, commands troops, and jams his tomahawk into loyalist flesh. He rides with the delightful Paul Revere and conspires with Samuel Adams, thus allowing you to participate in some of the time period's most renowned events: the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and so forth. Assassin's Creed games are well known for their incredible attention to historical detail, and Assassin's Creed III is no exception. Major and minor figures are depicted; the cities of Boston and New York are exquisitely re-created; and even minutiae like the lines of The Beggar's Opera are presented with fine accuracy.
Yet Assassin's Creed III is less about history and more about the broader themes of the franchise. The Assassin vs. Templar conflict deepens here. You've heard the Templar point of view before, often via the soliloquies of dying men who pleaded the good intentions of a philosophy that nonetheless paved an apparent road to hell. Now, the truth, such as it is, isn't so cut-and-dried. You hear the sincere and convincing words of the men you've assumed represent the wrong side of morality, and must wonder: are the ideas of good and bad so absolute after all? Are the men you cradle in your arms as they gasp their dying breaths necessary casualties, or do they whisper ideas worth hearing and understanding? As one character insists, "There is no one path through life that's right or fair."
Of course, Connor's dilemma is one of the past; in the present day, series constant Desmond Miles plays his own role, making his legend by carving his way through the here and now. Connor fights for the rights of his people; Desmond holds the fate of the world in his hands. Assassin's Creed III draws important parallels between the two men, both of whom navigate a thorny relationship with an estranged father. Surprisingly, given the series' past, Desmond's story tugs at the heart, not because of his newfound relationship with his aloof father, but because he learns more of the First Civilization, and their futile attempts to ward off the disaster that annihilated them.
The Desmond portions are even more fleshed out than before, allowing the former bartender to at last exercise his own stealth, parkour, and assassination skills, hinting at the possibility of full-fledged modern-day adventuring--though never quite arriving there. There does come an important revelation, however: the typically surprising finale that leaves you scratching your head, and in this case, forces you to consider an unpleasant truth about the nature of humanity. The finale lacks punch and falls short of Assassin's Creed II's jaw-dropping conclusion. But the inconclusive ending is designed to have you guessing, and you will ponder the implications over and over, trying to weave a tapestry of truth out of the conspiracies that have always buoyed the series' self-serious stories.
It takes time to reach that conclusion, or indeed, to experience the parkour flights of fancy that represent Assassin's Creed III at its best. In fact, it takes time for you to even meet its hero, though it's better to discover just how the game handles that introduction on your own. Suffice it to say: the opening hours are unexpectedly protracted as you discover that this is, indeed, a different kind of Assassin's Creed. It's no less joyous, once the stops are ultimately pulled out, but the game takes its time, trusting you to be patient with a slow-paced prologue that is concerned more with establishing tone and backstory than with allowing you free rein of its bustling cities.
As you play that opening, it's hard not to wonder: when does the fun stuff come? In retrospect, however, the slow pace makes sense. This is the biggest game in the series by a notable margin, and once the beginning is put in context, you'll be glad for the character development, and glad that you had time to discover some of what makes Assassin's Creed III different from its predecessors. You'll also be glad of the narrative twist that reshapes your expectation as you transition into the larger part of the game, reminding you that the series has rarely shied from playing with your mind.
Kevin VanOrd is a lifelong RPG lover and violin player. When he isn't busy building PCs and composing symphonies, he watches American Dad reruns with his fat cat, Ollie.
As much as I hate saying this.. I agree with the score :/ if anything I think 8.5 is a bit generous... The full game is like a big Demo with lots of everything but not enough of one single thing.. :(
I ended the game wanting MORE Naval Battles, MORE treasure hunts, MORE... well everything...
Red Dead Redemption is a much better game and AC3 is trying to hard to be a copy.
This game was definitely a dissapointment; it is good but the ending was nothing special and there are too many bugs.
lyhthegreat no its what Ubisoft paid Kevin Vanord, or whatever you call this moron, He gave RE6 4.5 becouse they would not pay him. Cant read his reviews anymore too much of a sell out.
i can't belive a game as bugged as this got an 8.5 while there are other better games that are almost without bugs and are given much lower scores than this. I guess this is what ubisoft paid gamespot to do anyway....
I love how the PS3 version is just ignored by GameSpot even though it's the one that comes packed in system bundles, has 4 extra missions and has cross-game content unlocks between it and the Vita version.
I haven't read the full review, as I am currently still playing ACIII, so I haven't been reading reviews, just looking at the score and summaries.
So based on the summary, I 100% agree. I have encountered several bugs - one of which forced me to quit a memory (restarting or reloading checkpoint didn't remove the bug) to progress.
I wish they did more with the hunting, but I'm not sure what, it just feels incomplete.
I have seen some very minor stealth/parkour inconsistencies...but they have been very minor. Well except one, where, sometimes, Connor doesn't seem to like the direction my analogue stick is facing and just runs forward. As for stealth, there haven't been many problems other than the rare psychic guard that ruins things.
Naval combat has been a really precious gem in this game. I thought I was going to treat it like I treated Den Defense (thought it was fun, but not something I'd choose to do). But I'm enjoying this portion of the game immensely. It would be great to have a standalone game based on Naval Combat.
basically, and 8.5 on gamespot means the game is pretty good, but nothing special. If a game is great, it will get a 9.0. If a game is truly outstanding, it gets a 9.5.
SeptuagintXXX And if a game is UNIQUE it gets 10.0 - check The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (N64) and Chrono Cross (PS1)
Why is everyone freaking out over it getting an 8.5 instead of a 9? It's a .5 point difference, why does it matter? People are acting like they gave it a 1.5 and slapped a big "worst game of the decade" stamp on it. 8.5 means it's a pretty damn good game with minor flaws. Are people really that concerned with a stupid little golden "editor's choice" plaque under the score?
It's weird that Kevin complains about RE6 because of the QTEs, and yet Assassins Creed 3 doesn't have any of that complaint even though it has even more QTEs.
Yes, Assassins Creed 3 has QTEs too, I am serious. One false button press and you are dead.
Kaz32 Well you don't die...you just get pounced, rammed, ravaged by the animal and start losing health until you mash the next QTE button several times. Besides that, you have A LOT of time to press the second button anyway. I wouldn't call it quick time event, more like...well timed event??
Vastano ..... Well Timed Event? Why not just reduce it to "Event"? Still pretty weird to include them don't you think? I mean, countering normally would work nicely.
Kaz32 sorry, grammatical error....I meant "well a timed event"
Kaz32 Just leaving that "a" out really changed my comment didn't it xP
Vastano You just made it even worse man. It should be "a well timed event".
Kaz32 In that case, I disagree. The amount of time you have between each button press is quite large. You don't really need timing, because they essentially freeze time to allow you to press the button. Hence why I say it's really just a "Timed Event".
The time between each button is rather vast.
Vastano Which is why it confuses me. It's basically the same as blocking and countering an incoming enemy. Why not use that mechanics on the animals instead of using that qte?
I didn't red the review nor watch gameplay videos as I don't want to spoil anything. However, one question has been bugging me since the pre-release videos. Is Connor first and foremost an Assassin? Because so far it's only been portrayed as a Americans vs Brits fight and a revenge story. Does he follow even follow the creed? Talk about free will and education and such? Can someone please answer me this without too many spoilers? :)
bicelis Revenge for his mother and village. Simple as that.
bicelis And yes, he's an assassin because of that.
Kaz32 That's bad... So he's basically an assassin (a killer) and not an ASSASSIN if you know what I mean :)
That's too bad...
bicelis The Assassin's order basically boils down to just Connor and his teacher named Achilles. That's it, although Connor can recruit assassins later in the game. But he's not just a ruthless killer though, he's still a nice guy with a sense of justice, that's why he helps America against the British, who are dickheads that deserves to die. Just look at the targets, and you will want to cut their heads off too. Except his father.
Kaz32 So far I don't like what I hear. Anyway, too early to judge for me. Need to wait for the PC version anyways. Thanks for the answers though :)
bicelis Wait for that. The console version has some annoying glitches like horses jittering, people shows up out of nowhere, weapons floating in midair, it's kind of messy but it's not that big of a problem. The PC version better be a lot better.
bicelis
I feel you man... Waiting sucks... But Connor is made a guardian by the "Ones That Came Before" and then he becomes an assassin. From what I've seen so far, this installment might just have the best story, and most twists.
Kaz32
Thanks for the spoiler about Connor's father.
ShadowOfKratos It's hardly a spoiler, everyone knows who he is already, like didn't you see the comments bellow that knows it? But it hardly matters because he's a likeable badass, but time will tell if the years change his behavior.
Kaz32
I only said that in Bicelis's account... I know Haytham Kenway. Infact, I kinda liked him more than Altair, Ezio or Connor. Anyway, 4get about it. I can tell you don't mean to spoil it for the rest of us. ;)
ShadowOfKratos The twist is kind of obvious though, since everyone was always talking about "order and purpose" when we play as him. Either way, sorry about that. He is likable, so likable that I slaughter Englands troops while postponing the progress.
I just saw what Haytham looks like as Connor. Nothing changed, he still looks good as before.
ShadowOfKratos Hahaha, I just found this weird glitch. There's an enemy patrolling on the roof, but his shadow looks like an idle toy standing upright while jumping up and down.
This game should be the best release of 2012,with a 9+ rating on all gamer sites...i dont see why it doesnt take the title,personally i can own a copy until later next year due to localty and console ownership issues but so far so good...AC3 is the best out there i can testify
8.5 only for such a brillant and original game???
you spend the year telling us how great this grame will be, it's true ubi soft never did release a buggy game without saying, i still a little buggy, but wait next year pal. plus the usual load of useless dlc, i will pass again ubi, you dont need another hardware, you have to learn to code decently your games, like mr kojima for exemple^^.
hordicus look at the users rating, it +9 and my advice, take the users rating.
thanks, but again no thanks, i dont even copy ubi games.
I've finished it. The game is bloody amazing but confusing as hell when you play as Conner after the credits. My advice, stop playing through the story.
I swear, by the time this comes out for the PC, I'll have watched the whole game on youtube... I thought Ubisoft wanted my money >:-(
I don't think this review is very accurate. Yes the game has a few glitches, and it would seem that Ubisoft was in a hurry to finish the game due to a lot of these strange bugs that are in the game, that weren't in the last ones, at least not as many. But in the end its not like Fallout: New vegas "Buggy", and the game is phenomenal, all this guy seems to do is look straight at the bad things instantly, which is a smart tactic as a critic, but even when he compliments the game, he still downplays the good things by bringing up more bad things about the game, and he usually has so much more negative things to say about the game than the positive. I mean, he is probably my favorite reviewer on gamespot, because he doesn't BS on his reviews, he doesn't let problems (of any kind) slip by unnoticed, and his exaggerations of things make his reviews hilarious to both watch and read. But with this game in particular, I think the review shouldn't have got a 1.5 haircut, just because of the fact there was a few bugs in this magnificent game.
It's a good game but i thought at first wearing the Crusades Era Skins in the middle of the Revolutionary War was stupid so i wasn't going to buy it.. Looking at alot of videos it looked like that wasn't going to be the case. Unfortunately, that's only the beginning of the game until you get into the "Connor" aspect. Then it gets silly.
They should give you more of a choice of Skins in that portion of the game more Era related.
Also, they blew it with the gun mechanics. It would seem like an easy aspect to just aim, and press RT to shoot. Nope. It's a whole doctoral dissertation just to be able to shoot your gun. Alot of potential but that's about it.
jagdedge124 You hit the nail on the head with the gun mechanic. Throw on top of it the fact that you can't even bring your gun up until you are in "lock on" range of a target. I've had a lot of problems dealing with the shooting mechanic which I never had in the previous games.
I need this game.
sweet, getting this next week :)
can anyone tell me is assasins creed 3 an 2 xbox dvds???????????????????????????????
saudgamermalik Yes
saudgamermalik 2 DVD??? OOH MYYYY....!!!
_Alpha_Omega_ saudgamermalik one for single player and one for multiplayer
legolas506 _Alpha_Omega_ saudgamermalik Cant you pay 30 bucks and throw the other (multiplayer) one out?
People I Kindly need your advice.I own both consoles XBOX360 and PS3.Im going to buy Assasin's Creed 3,but I dont know on which console I shud purchase.I wanna buy it on XBOX360 since I hav not used for a long time this year or should I buy it on PS3 bcos of the BENEDICT ARNOLD EXCLUSIVE Missions
gokulgamer Free is always good... I'd encourage PS3 if those missions are important to you. Personally, I also find that the PS3 controller is more suited to this style of game than the XBox 360, which tends to favor FPS games. That's totally personal preference and opinion though.
Nightwing4782 Hey tahnks for the advice.I purchased it on PS3 and the game is gr8 but a bit buggy but anyways we all played Skyrim with all its bugs and still it was gud SAme goes for AC3
gokulgamer Normally I'd recommend 360 version because PS3 hasn't had that great multiplatform games, they're always a little glitchy or just not quite on par with 360 version. But Ubisoft takes great care with their games, and free missions is always great. I doubt they'd be making exclusive content for PS3 if they couldn't do it right, so definitely get it to PS3.
Steba93 gokulgamer I'd take 360 because usually all the ps3 multiplats are ports but take the ps3 for the free stuff.
Game Emblems
The Good
User Reviews
Very Ambitious game, so ambitious at times it can leave you lost, still best in the series and one of 2012's gems.
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Assassin's Creed III
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- Publisher(s): Ubisoft
- Genre: Action
- Release: Oct 30, 2012 (US) »
- ESRB: M
