S&S; Review: Assassin's Creed 3

Title:  Assassin's Creed 3
Format:  PS3(reviewed), Xbox 360, PC
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Annecy
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M
Assassins Creed 3 had to be the most anticipated game this year, it was definitely mine, and its safe to say that the game was definitely worth the wait. The third game closes the story arc of Desmond, it proves to be the best Assassin's Creed yet.  
Story and Presentation:
Assassin's Creed III wraps up Desmond's mysterious story, giving you the answers to basically all the questions you had with regarding previous games.  The complex narrative of Desmond spanned across Altair, Ezio, and finally Connor, and each of them gave new secrets into unraveling the many layers the story has. You'll be playing as Connor, of Native American and British descent, and he plays a vital role in the American Revolution. It turns out to be the most engaging out of the five console games, and its a thrill ride from beginning to end.  There is a lot more focus on Desmond, outside of the Animus, the mystifying lure of the world today will draw you in instantly.  I actually found myself actually waiting to finish a memory sequence, just so I could get back to exploring the world as Desmond.  The game is voiced beautifully, it seems that each character was meticulously planned out and assigned their own intricacies and personalities.  The game features a ton of British and Native American actors that bring the level of authenticity up quite high.  The ambient sounds of the city adds even more, creating a living and bustling city.  Behind all the voice work and sound effects lies an incredible musical score, and its just as emotional as the tale of Connor.  The game is just a marvel to look at, the city of Boston, the frontier, its definitely one of the best looking games to date.  Pigs and other animals roam the streets, as people go about their everyday lives.  Thanks to the new engine, you'll be experiencing weather affects and cool seasonal changes, and the amount of people the game can have on screen has been greatly increased.  The animations are just as smooth as ever, with some new gruesome weapon kills.  I have to bring up the attention to detail this game has, it seems like the developers really captured the time period perfectly. Since I'm a huge history buff, I tend to geek out whenever I interact with famous forefathers like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.  Even the infamous traitor, Benedict Arnold makes an appearance, but he only appears in the PS3 version, so be warned.  

Core Gameplay and Multiplayer:

The gameplay hasn't changed much from previous games in the series, but why would you change something that works perfectly.  Instead the game has a lot more additions, hunting on the frontier, and participating in some truly epic naval war battles is just as awesome as it sounds.  The combat has gotten a bit of an overhaul, its definitely much more aggressive than the other games. Different camera angles add a lot more drama to the bouts between enemies and animals, that really makes the combat feel more heart-pounding. This game features some of the coolest kills ever, and thanks to a number of new weapons, each one the counter animations will leave your mouth open with awe.  Connor himself, is different from Ezio and Altair, he is a lot more agile and he is truly a dual weapon fighter.  His Tomahawk is his weapon of choice, and it will most likely be yours too, its really versatile.  The game has a lot more gunplay, thanks to the several pistols and muskets scattered around the cities and lying beside dead soldiers.  The guns take forever to load, but I expected that, and I had to get used to staying away from enemies while you reload the guns.   The main story is pretty long, it will take you at least 30 hours to finish the game, but a number of side quests and challenges can boost your gameplay times up to about 50 hours.  The hunting challenges was one of the more fun activities to do when I wanted a break from the main story line.  The naval battles are so explosive and intense, and the mechanics of controlling your ship and ordering your men to firing the cannons are simple enough to jump into a battle with no hurdles.  The game's platforming has gotten a lot more smooth, scaling tree branches and caverns are still smooth.  I even prefer the platforming in AC3, better than Uncharted 3, and if that isn't praise, I don't know what is.  The multiplayer in the game is lag-free, with 7 maps and 7 modes to spend time in, the game feels limitless.  There are 14 different multiplayer characters to use, each them offering you something different, gameplay wise.  
Final Thoughts:
Assassin's Creed 3 is everything I had hoped it would be, not only did it live up to hype, it surpassed it in every way.  With some truly sublime visuals and a pristine musical score, its one of the best presentations out their.  Even though the gameplay hasn't received any huge innovations, the additions of naval battles, and the open-ended exploration of the frontier, creates a truly awe-inspiring experience.
S&S Rating: 9.75/10 @whatsPlay