By . Talal Musa . PUBLISHED: . 15:09 EST, 30 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:26 EST, 15 November 2012 . Rating: . From battling for naval supremacy, to liberating Boston and New York, Assassin's Creed 3 is by far the most ambitious game of the series. Indeed, there is so much to do in the vast, open-world playground in Ubisoft’s latest Assassin’s outing that it’s easy to get side-tracked from the ever-changing, and sometimes complex, narrative. Hiding in the shadows: But there is more emphasis on action in AC3 . Thankfully, AC3’s story is wonderful, putting you in the middle of some of the most important events of the American Revolution. The opening hour, in particular, is one of the strongest beginnings of recent times – where cutting-edge graphics and strong voice acting merge to create a living, breathing world. For most of the game, you play native American assassin, Connor. It’s impossible to reveal the story without giving away the plot, however, there are plenty of twists and unexpected surprises. Gameplay is a familiar recipe, involving gathering information, stalking and killing high-profile targets. This is made all the more fun by the drastically improved free-running and combat. From scaling houses to climbing snow-covered trees, it’s never been easier to pull-off daring acrobatic feats. The Animus, too, is clearer, showing when Connor is hidden from sight or if objects can be interacted with. Combat revolves around a simple parry and counter system, but as seen in the recent Batman games, it’s a brilliant mechanic if executed well. Box of tricks: There are plenty of weapons for Connor to experiment with . Although not as interactive as many would hope (a button press will trigger a pre-set animated counter) it’s visually very rewarding to take down a group of guards during a mass brawl. At its heart, though, this is a stealth game, and most of the time, AC3 encourages you to remain incognito for as long as possible. There are plenty of stealth kills that can be performed from the shadows, and bodies can be hidden to avoid detection. There are also fantastic naval missions which, coupled with the well-rendered water and authentic ship dynamics, are incredibly entertaining and exciting to play. They help to emphasise the scale of the conflict, while providing a welcome break from the more familiar gameplay. Indeed, it is times like this – where the game keeps nothing hidden away – where AC3 is at its best. It is when you’re allowed to explore the world and feature in iconic, large-scale battles that you appreciate how carefully Ubisoft have recreated the period. Unfortunately, there are some areas where AC3 comes up short. Technically, although artistically strong and well thought-out, the game is a victim of its own scale. Stalk of the town: It pays to be incognito most of the time . Pop up, bland textures and frame-rate drops constantly interfere with the Anvil Next engine, while the long loading times can wrench you away from the otherwise immersive experience. But look beyond the glitches and it’s clear AC3 is a beautiful game, one that has perhaps reached the frontiers of what the straining current-gen consoles can achieve. Interestingly, the single-player mechanics transfer to the multiplayer very well. The Wolf Pack mode is good fun, allowing you to work with a friend to take down NPC targets in a score attack. While Assassinate seamlessly blends guile and violence, and sees you kill other human players whist trying to stay hidden for as long as possible. However impressive, though, it is the single-player campaign which is the star here. A story that is every bit as beautiful as it is deadly, and one that like its leading man, deserves to carve its place in history. Follow Talal on Twitter: @TalalMusa and on Facebook: Daily Mail Games.
Beautiful, epic world teeming with interesting and well thought-out characters .
Combat and free-running has never been better .
Anvil Next engine mostly delivers, but some graphical glitches can take away from the experience .
By . Talal Musa . PUBLISHED: . 15:09 EST, 30 October 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 15:26 EST, 15 November 2012 . Rating: . From battling for naval supremacy, to liberating Boston and New York, Assassin's Creed 3 is by far the most ambitious game of the series. Indeed, there is so much to do in the vast, open-world playground in Ubisoft’s latest Assassin’s outing that it’s easy to get side-tracked from the ever-changing, and sometimes complex, narrative. Hiding in the shadows: But there is more emphasis on action in AC3 . Thankfully, AC3’s story is wonderful, putting you in the middle of some of the most important events of the American Revolution. The opening hour, in particular, is one of the strongest beginnings of recent times – where cutting-edge graphics and strong voice acting merge to create a living, breathing world. For most of the game, you play native American assassin, Connor. It’s impossible to reveal the story without giving away the plot, however, there are plenty of twists and unexpected surprises. Gameplay is a familiar recipe, involving gathering information, stalking and killing high-profile targets. This is made all the more fun by the drastically improved free-running and combat. From scaling houses to climbing snow-covered trees, it’s never been easier to pull-off daring acrobatic feats. The Animus, too, is clearer, showing when Connor is hidden from sight or if objects can be interacted with. Combat revolves around a simple parry and counter system, but as seen in the recent Batman games, it’s a brilliant mechanic if executed well. Box of tricks: There are plenty of weapons for Connor to experiment with . Although not as interactive as many would hope (a button press will trigger a pre-set animated counter) it’s visually very rewarding to take down a group of guards during a mass brawl. At its heart, though, this is a stealth game, and most of the time, AC3 encourages you to remain incognito for as long as possible. There are plenty of stealth kills that can be performed from the shadows, and bodies can be hidden to avoid detection. There are also fantastic naval missions which, coupled with the well-rendered water and authentic ship dynamics, are incredibly entertaining and exciting to play. They help to emphasise the scale of the conflict, while providing a welcome break from the more familiar gameplay. Indeed, it is times like this – where the game keeps nothing hidden away – where AC3 is at its best. It is when you’re allowed to explore the world and feature in iconic, large-scale battles that you appreciate how carefully Ubisoft have recreated the period. Unfortunately, there are some areas where AC3 comes up short. Technically, although artistically strong and well thought-out, the game is a victim of its own scale. Stalk of the town: It pays to be incognito most of the time . Pop up, bland textures and frame-rate drops constantly interfere with the Anvil Next engine, while the long loading times can wrench you away from the otherwise immersive experience. But look beyond the glitches and it’s clear AC3 is a beautiful game, one that has perhaps reached the frontiers of what the straining current-gen consoles can achieve. Interestingly, the single-player mechanics transfer to the multiplayer very well. The Wolf Pack mode is good fun, allowing you to work with a friend to take down NPC targets in a score attack. While Assassinate seamlessly blends guile and violence, and sees you kill other human players whist trying to stay hidden for as long as possible. However impressive, though, it is the single-player campaign which is the star here. A story that is every bit as beautiful as it is deadly, and one that like its leading man, deserves to carve its place in history. Follow Talal on Twitter: @TalalMusa and on Facebook: Daily Mail Games.
climbing snow-covered trees, it’s never been artistically strong and well thought-out, the constantly interfere with the Anvil Next engine, from the otherwise immersive experience. But look