On Oct. 30, Ubisoft’s third iteration on their critically acclaimed Assassin’s Creed series, “Assassin’s Creed III”, will be released to hordes of fans, who are no doubt suffering from extended sleep deprivation and anticipatory anxiety.
The game follows on the foundations of historical fiction laid down by the first and second games, which took place in crusades-era Arabia and renaissance Italy, respectively. In AC3, as it is usually termed by fans, the story of Desmond Miles and the fictitious feud between Templar Knights and the Assassin Order continues into the heydays of the American Revolution.
Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft CEO and project lead, claimed that AC3 will provide a true “next generation of both the Assassin’s Creed brand and interactive entertainment in general.” Guillemot also claimed that pre-order sales for the game were “through the roof” and at current speed, were outpacing pre-orders for the previous installments in the series by over 100 percent. Tony Key, Ubisoft senior vice president of sales, claimed that the game’s marketing campaign would hold the biggest commitment in company history, featuring numerous retailer-specific “Limited Editions” and bonus features to boost sales on an already hotly anticipated game.
The game promises to be a groundbreaking venture for Ubisoft, mainly through use of the new and improved “AnvilNext” game engine, which features vast improvements over the previous engine used in AC2 and its expansion pack “Revelations.” The new game boasts a new and improved AI, considerable graphic enhancements, and the usage of Shader 4.0 technology — sure to paint a more life-like graphic look than ever before. The game also has new features not found in any previous games. including hunting and considerable outdoorsmanship, similar to elements found in Rockstar Game’s “Red Dead Redemption.”
The story in AC3 is nothing new to diehard fans. AC3 will tell the story of Connor, a native of America who is inducted into the secretive Assassin’s Order at a young age. The game focuses upon Connor’s life in the midst of the American Revolution, and players will be sure to see — and probably kill — many famous figures and redcoat soldiers. The Assassin’s Creed series has focused on the secret, century-spanning war between the Assassin Order and the Templar Knights, and AC3 is sure to give more answers and questions regarding the enigmatic endings to the last two games.
As far as gameplay goes, there are new elements immediately noticeable to fans. Connor himself utilizes guns, such as muskets and other firearms, to a greater degree than AC2’s protagonist Ezio Auditore. Dual-wielding, a new feature in the Assassin’s Creed series, is also featured, sure to result in some messy combat options. Multiplayer combat, in the past something that could only be found in Revelations and Brotherhood — two small expansions on AC2’s story, is now a central part of AC3, featuring a “Wolf Pack” style of gameplay where up to four players group together to assassinate various targets in a hostile setting. AC3 promises something for every calibre of player.
By the time this article is published, the latest installment of Assassin’s Creed will have already released. Still, this fact should only encourage the video gamer, as AC3 has the potential to be one of the best, if not the best games of the year.
