With a thud I hear a small white package land neatly on the floor at the bottom of my door. I could see the cd-like shape of the review copy I had received from Ubisoft (thanks to Ubisoft). A rush of joy surged through me, shear excitement for what was to come. This was possibly one of the biggest releases to come this year. The fifth installment in what has been an interesting and enjoyable game series. So I tore open the package and opened the case. The disk has some nice artwork on that I could see turning as it was sucked into the Playstation's heart. As I looked up to the screen I could see a message telling me to run an update. An update that was over a gigabyte in size. Suggesting, what was so wrong that they needed to run a day one update?
So then, to the game-play. fast paced and, once you get a the hang of it, enemy encounters turn into a fluidly moving battle that makes you feel like a god walking amongst mere men. It only really involves two buttons during fights. But, you can add some extra moves to mix it up a bit. This leaves us with a more refined and enjoyable fighting experience than before although, it is something that you need to get your head around after playing the past few games. Aside from this, you coulds not wish for more from the game-play.
We all know that one of the best things in Assassins Creed is the phenomenal free running and this time round, it only gets better. In the city's the climbing is enjoyable and simple due to you just holding down a single button to free run but, when you venture into the trees you are offered a fast and fun mode of transport. Meaning that you can spend many hours just hopping from one tree to another, with the occasional assassination of an innocent yet squeaking beaver. Another side of the game is the naval missions where you take on the role of a ships captain and venture into the Caribbean sea to battle with pirates and other such enemies. These missions are definatly a highlight of the game and can be found to be very addictive indeed.
Straight out of the blocks Connors sad life story was heart breaking and placed in a american civil war, an incredible plot if ever I saw one. But, this quality story-line is peppered with our good friend Desmond. Anytime something important occurs you can rely on this character that the player has little connection with to crop up. Desmond aside though, the main story is very interesting although occasionally trying to tug on the heart strings a little too much. But, it definatly pads out all twenty hours of the game well.
So, to the verdict. Assassins Creed 3 offers some impressive graphics alongside a largely impressive story-line. This presents us with a game that is enjoyable to play and is not too taxing. A perfect Christmas present if ever I saw one. Obviously, as with any game, there are some drawbacks, largely the Desmond side of things but, the killing animation flaws are not to be overlooked. We are giving this game a solid...
85% "No game of the year but still a strong and enjoyable campaign"
