Assassin's Creed III

[Swarley]

If there's any unclaimed collector's editions when I go in tomorrow, I may not be able to resist. I watched an unboxing on Twitch a few minutes ago. So sexy.

[Slateman]

Bought the PS3 version. It's taking 15 minutes to load up ffor the first time. Is this normal?

[j.hen]

Bought the PS3 version. It's taking 15 minutes to load up ffor the first time. Is this normal?

[MrBill]

If there's any unclaimed collector's editions when I go in tomorrow, I may not be able to resist. I watched an unboxing on Twitch a few minutes ago. So sexy.

I don't know if the stores got any collectors editions. I called this morning and none of the stores around me had them.

[Leftwich]

Just picked this up. Will play later

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

[Chrispy]

Just picked it up for 360. First time turning on the 360 in months so gotta do all these updates, gonna take a while

[Swarley]

[leaffan]

Just picked it up for 360. First time turning on the 360 in months so gotta do all these updates, gonna take a while

You can't wait 2mins? lol

I haven't had a chance to pick the game up. Been dealing with issues thanks to the weather all morning.

[Handleit_44]

Eurogamer - 9

Assassin's Creed was once a fascinating mystery wrapped around a fun action-adventure - remember when you first loaded up the original game and it began in the Abstergo offices and you had no idea what was going on? - but that fun action-adventure game has long since eclipsed the fiction that envelops it. That's more true than ever in Assassin's Creed 3, where you're a hunter, a ship captain, a silent killer, an entrepreneur, a swashbuckling sword-fighter and many other things besides. It all serves to make this the biggest and richest Assassin's Creed game to date - maybe not the best, but a place where, for want of a better expression, everything is permitted.

Polygon - 8

Assassin's Creed 3 has a host of issues that pop up throughout the game, issues which by themselves have been enough to drag other titles under. But there's so much good in Assassin's Creed 3, it's so ambitious, so singular, that I can't stop thinking about it, and what's more, Ubisoft may have finally cracked the riddle of inventive multiplayer that doesn't rely on a large playerbase to enjoy. Even knowing that I'll encounter issues that make the game occasionally infuriating, I want to go back. And that, despite Assassin's Creed 3's flaws, is more than I can say for most games.

Gamespot - 8.5

Assassin's Creed III is a big game that gives you a lot to do, some of which is fleshed out relatively well, and some of which isn't. It is not, however, content to rest on the series' laurels. It takes chances with its opening, with its story, and with its characters. It expands the series' gameplay in enjoyable and sensible ways. As with many ambitious games, not every arrow fired hits the bull's-eye, yet this big, narratively rich sequel is easy to get invested in. Other games stimulate emotion with manipulative music and teary monologues; Assassin's Creed III rouses your mind and your heart by giving you a glimpse into its characters' souls and letting you judge them on their own merits.

Joystiq - 3.5/5

I expect most will come for Connor's story in Assassin's Creed 3, and they'll find that it's well told but detrimental to player agency. It's sad to see the game lose sight of its assassin role-playing ideals in favor of bombast, bomb blasts and pig herding, so I hope this is but a momentary stumble while the franchise regains its balance. Trim the excess, remember the central thrust (hint: it's with a knife) and then you'll have a great game again. Assassin's Creed 3 is the kind of game that's just good enough to make you wish it was better.

Gamesradar - 4/5

Overall, Assassin’s Creed III is a fun and thrilling wrap-up for the series. While it has its share of wonky sections--it’s bloated with too many features and collectibles, its pacing is off, and the Desmond sections fall short of expectations--it truly captures the thrills that have made the series so successful. The improvements to free-running, a sophisticated and well-realized combat system, and a gorgeous new rural playground are all phenomenal updates to the gameplay. Its new multiplayer features insure that there’s content worth coming back to after you’ve slain the final villain. Assassin’s Creed III is uneven in its execution, but it’s a journey that’s still well worth taking.

Destructoid - 7.5

When it comes right down to it, cohesion (or lack thereof) is the main issue with Assassin's Creed III. There are dozens of secondary elements which make up the content of the game, but they offer little in terms of reward and rarely contribute anything to the Assassin/Templar conflict. While the game is often quite fun, beautiful to look at and empowering to the player, it doesn't offer much challenge beyond the endurance necessary to complete all of the single-player campaign elements. That said, it does offer answers to many of the questions players have in terms of the series' plot up to now and is easy to become absorbed in. Fans of Assassin's Creed should be amply satisfied by these aspects, but some of the shallowness found might be displeasing to lovers of other open-world titles which do a better job of making player investment feel meaningful.

1UP - B-

Even with all of these refinements, some serious questions need to be answered after ACIII. What good do 30 possible points of interest on a map accomplish when a majority of them highlight the same gameplay flaws? Where can Ubisoft Montreal take this story after so many silly plot twists? Can combat ever really capture the essence of being an assassin without severely automated contrivances? Maybe Assassin's Creed III and a half will finally address these problems, or maybe it won't. In either case, it's time for Ubisoft Montreal to reassess their intentions for this series and try to rediscover its roots. AC can only sail on its past success for so long before it sinks into a sea of formulaic design.

[Swarley]

Game Informer: 9.5 - Staggering Scope And Breadth

Most players will likely spend the first six hours of Assassin’s Creed III wrapping their heads around the profound size and ambition of the game. Ubisoft Montreal and its sister studios around the world have crafted a prodigious and complex game rich in theme-driven storytelling and diverse gameplay. From riding the towering waves of the Atlantic as they crash against your ship to witnessing the first shots of the American Revolution – and on to the conclusion of the present-day storyline introduced in the first franchise entry – Assassin’s Creed III delivers everything the series has promised, and throws in a little more for good measure.

Assassin’s Creed’s greatest allure has always been melding real history with a conspiracy-laden fiction, and colonial America is rife with moments, personalities, and events worth exploring. Colonial-era Boston and New York are the liveliest and most authentic open cities I’ve encountered in a game, from the squealing pigs to the newsboys hawking papers. The wilderness that separates the two is vast, and filled with plenty to do. Many missions are set in the frontier, and in between those missions you can hunt animals, bring down enemy forts, climb cliffs and trees, and explore hidden caves, just to name a few of many diversions. As an open wilderness zone, the frontier shines, though long runs to mission objectives can get tedious. Everywhere you go exhibits dynamic weather effects, and the world feels more varied and alive as you witness its passage from summer to winter and back again.

Along with providing a greater sense of place than its predecessors, Assassin’s Creed III is more deeply rooted in historical time as well. If new hero Connor isn’t involved in every memorable moment of the American Revolution, it’s only because he can only be in one place at a time. Flinging boxes of tea into the Boston Harbor and running between cannon blasts at Bunker Hill, the game feels more cinematic and scripted than it has before. Many times, this approach results in thrilling intensity, but some missions subtract from player agency by leading players along with a string of breadcrumb objectives. Other sequences recall the freeform assassination sequences of the first game in the series. An intriguing new approach to mission synchronization offers players more optional mission objectives, increasing replay value. Most of these objectives make the sequence play out in a cooler way, but a few seem contrary to the mission’s goals, like the need to perform a special type of assassination kill during a mission that is otherwise about stealth.

It’s a mistake to think about the game in terms of a critical path of core missions. Instead, Assassin’s Creed III excels by providing meaningful story-based content everywhere you turn. One main thread may provide the tale of Connor’s lifelong struggle against the Templars, but another line of missions describes his home life and the people who come to live beside him. A different story takes Connor out onto the seas of the Atlantic to confront a mysterious threat to the colonies. Yet another details how the men and women he gathers to join the Assassin order come to fight at his side.

The storytelling that weaves through these many threads is stellar. Rather than hiding from the complex themes of freedom versus control at the heart of the series, Assassin’s Creed III confronts them head on, and tells a nuanced and adult story about the price of liberty, the dangers of extremism, and the connections that bind family. An impressive cast of voice actors supports the thoughtful writing by bringing the characters onscreen to life. The game also fleshes out the antagonists in a way that only the interactive medium could achieve, shaping them into characters that surpass stock villainy.

Combat and free-running remain gameplay staples, but both are improved. Platforming and traversal is streamlined through simpler controls, but I had more control over my character, not less. Climbing is more natural than ever, and the new tree navigation is a cool new trick in the arsenal. Meanwhile, combat takes major strides forward by giving more offensive tools to the player. Battle animations often result in incredibly cool takedown sequences, even if the new combat mechanics occasionally exhibit jarring shifts between actions.

New features are scattered throughout the game, from hunting, exploration, and fighting clubs to a detailed but time-consuming crafting and trade mechanic. However, none of these additions comes close to the fun of the new naval experience. I love the brief but tense sea battles, and both the ships and the high seas look gorgeous. Naval fights offer the perfect break from the normal game flow; they’re rousing and exciting, but simple and short enough to not keep you away from the rest of the gameplay.

Whether running along rooftops or calling for a broadside from your ship, the memory sequences of Assassin’s Creed III once again are framed within a larger story set in present day. Desmond’s previous sessions in the Animus completed his training, and we finally get some dedicated mission and exploration content with him, not to mention plenty of new revelations about what’s going on in the world. Ubisoft doesn’t cop out; as the end of 2012 approaches here in our real world, the looming 2012 catastrophe in the game world is finally addressed, and Ubisoft delivers the conclusion we’ve been anticipating. The questions you’re left with are new ones, not the same batch you’ve carried for five years.

When you’re done with the story, you owe it to yourself to engage with the exemplary multiplayer. Most of the excellent modes of previous entries return, but everything feels refined and the interface doesn’t get in the way of the mental game of cat and mouse. I love the new competitive Domination mode and its constant give and take as teams capture territories and flip the tables on their opponents. I’m an even bigger fan of the new four-person cooperative Wolfpack mode, which encourages teams to race around the map eliminating targets, with giant bonuses for coordinating your strikes in one deadly moment. As you play any mode, you complete challenges, earn points for customization, and unlock a new multiplayer story. It’s a rich and engaging multiplayer experience that is unlike any other online game.

Assassin’s Creed III is the culmination of a story and gameplay model that’s taken five years to polish. While not perfect, it makes a convincing case for the freedom and storytelling potential inherent to games over other mediums. An overwhelming experience in its own right, Assassin’s Creed III is the crown jewel on an already excellent series, and it sets the mind reeling about the potential for where the story goes from here.

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/assassins_creed_iii/b/xbox360/archive/2012/10/30/assassin-39-s-creed-iii-review-staggering-scope-and-breadth.aspx

[Chrispy]

For people playing

 

I don't trust Charles Lee, just doesn't seem right

[SuperKevin]

Heads up. KMart is selling it on sale for 49.99.

[SethMode]

I was watching some of it over at Giant Bomb right now, and either the frame rate in this game chugs hardcore sometimes (I assume on 360), or their stream SUCKS.

[jms493]

How is it guise...i am dissapointed as 2 of the best games of the year are released today and i am without power.

[Leftwich]

I WANT TO PLAY AS FUCKING CONNOR!