First Impressions: Assassin's Creed III

Hey everyone, welcome to another installment of First Impressions. While Kevin is finishing up his list of his favorite animated shows, I had gotten the latest issue of Game Informer magazine. I read about a lot of great upcoming games, but one that caught my eye was the cover of the magazine showing a glimpse of the third numbered titled, yet fifth installment of the Assassin’s Creed series. Holy crap, does this look epic!

Just like the picture indicates, the story takes place between 1753 and 1783 around Colonial America, specifically Boston and New York, during the years of the American Revolutionary War. It also takes place almost 250 years after the events of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. This is the first time that the series will not take place around Europe, like the previous games, which brings a breath of fresh air to the series. Gone are the tall, eloquent buildings to climb around like a Medieval Spiderman. Now, you’re leaping from tree to tree, observing the British Redcoats’ movements and strategies.

The main character in the game is not Ezio or Altair, but a new assassin named Ratohnhaké:ton (pronounced Ra-doon-ha-gay-doon) but he calls himself Connor. He’s a half English, half Mohawk man who goes into joining the war after his home was attacked by white colonists. Similar to the previous games, Connor will meet and interact with actual historical figures. In this game, he’ll meet up with General George Washington and join alongside him during the main battles of the war. To replace Assassin’s Creed II’s Leonard da Vinci as the weapon and gadget guy, we have Benjamin Franklin. The same man who invented the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, and bifocals will be your go-to guy for all your necessities to bring about pain to your enemies. 

The gameplay will also differ compared to the other games in the series. Connor’s movement and fighting style is completely different compared to Ezio and Altair’s. There are no hidden blades in the game, instead Connor fights with a tomahawk that looks like the Assassin’s logo and a knife. Instead of a crossbow, Connor uses a traditional bow and arrow. Instead of a portable cannon gun, he has a 18th century revolver. Not to mention attacking and defending are the same button, which makes it a lot easier to control.

Ubisoft promises that this will be the biggest game to date, with massive exploring to do, many tasks to perform along the way, different environmental changes such as introducing snow and rain to the game, and a much deeper storyline. The game comes out October 30th and for anyone who is a big fan of the series, this is one that you should put in your gaming list as a game that you must pick up.

That’s all for today. Thanks for hanging out with us around Old School Lane. Catch you later.

-Patricia