Assassin's Creed 3: the only thing I like is the combat

OXM - I'm not enjoying Assassin's Creed 3. In fact, I think it's fair to say I loathe it. That's partly because after several hours of play, I'm only just beginning to experience the game Ubisoft has spent the past six months banging on about in the trailers. The monstrous prologue (which, in fairness, houses a cunning twist) is clearly the work of a team that's simultaneously too fond of its own universe and excessively anxious about teaching newcomers the basics. New and familiar tools are handed out to players grudgingly, and the use of those tools is broken up by fat, clumsy hunks of exposition.

[SCW1982]

I agree 100% with this read. I feel like this is one of the laziest boring slogs I have ran through this year. Not to mention it is riddled with bugs. Once the excitement of the new locations wears off this game is extremely dissapointing. Dishonored blows it out of the water.

[-Mezzo-]

Ohh, come on now.

I love the game. Campaign & MP both.

[wastedcells]

This game has amazing moments. Really amazing. Too bad most won't put the time into see them. Yes a lot of it feels familiar and it's buggy but if you give it a chance and put the time in instead of running though the main missions it's great.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

Meh... I felt so restricted with dishonored. The game didn't give me enough options for a non lethal play style, since it would guilt me into it... also after playing it 2 weeks ago... it seems like a blur, and I don't remember much about it

When I play AC3, I kick back, relax and cruise in my ship, go hunting, explore the wilderness, play some mp

But whatever, different opinions for different people... neither of us are right or wrong

Im very pre occupied with AC3, where as I didn't feel compeled to go back and play dishonored again killing everyone.

[bwazy]

Oh man, when I first fired my ships cannon barrage I squealed like a school girl. An epic feeling albeit a little panzyish.

[Jaces]

bwazy:

I did the exact same thing, glad to know I wasn't the only one who squealed. lol! The only thing I find disappointing is how easy it is to hunt. I'm literally running into deer and rabbits non stop...they could have made it so you HAVE to use your tools to track and capture/kill them.

That and the freerunning in the cities is a bit difficult as opposed to ACII where the rooftops were easy to transition on from one to the other. The little twist at the end of the prologue was pretty cool, like whaaaat?!

[gamer234]

I am with u 100% this game is riddled with bugs especially the distance drawing stuff, besides that the game is boring, and wrongly paced, and i have a feeling watchdog will turnout like this since it's ubisoft. the only good thing about the game is the story

[gamer234]

whether a game is good or bad, gamers on n4g will say they enjoyed it, even ubisoft acknowledged the game was riddled with bug, nobody here wants see or hear any thing negative about their favourite game

[A-Glorious-Dawn]

Why would gamers on N4G have to enjoy AC3?

Is N4G the home of AC3 fanboys as well now?

[yaz288]

Dishonored is my personal goty for this year along with max Payne 3.. I never did play ac3 yet (waiting for the pc version)

[3-4-5]

really?

This game is really fun. Tons of stuff to do. Enough stuff updated and refined. Love the new additions, the looks, feel, sound of this game.

They did a really good job outside of a few graphical glitches that in no way ruined my gaming experience.

Running through the trees is fun. How many other games can you do that in ?

The Story is good as well and it was fun playing as Haytham and young conner as well as regular conner.

This might be my favorite AC game yet. AC2 is my other fave.

[Simon_Brezhnev]

I've played all the AC in ps3. I have to say AC3 let me down. Conner is not likable. He is your stereotype american hero. Its the buggiest AC i played so far. A lot of people hate the ending. I only liked one thing about it evil wins. LOL. The story had way too many plot holes. I bet they start doing a lot of DLC endings or w/e

Connor is the most annoying character. He is a naive brute. Haytham is a way better character.

The combat is better but it seems like they took a lot of stuff from Batman Arkam City

AC2 and Brotherhood are my favorite AC games.

I did like climbing on the tree. Out of all the assassins Connor really believes he is a one man army.

[SAE]

i love dishonored and assassin creed 3 so i win :P ...

both have it's own gameplay and story / positives and negatives , so why complain ?.. just play both ^^ ...

[FarCryLover182]

I like mostly everything about this game. The thing that I don't like as much as the rest is the combat...

[Pintheshadows]

I'm sick and tired of these kinds of articles.

I mean, what purpose does it serve beyond getting hits. It's hardly informative.

Hmmmm, the majority are really enjoying AC3. I know, i'll write several paragraphs about how much I hate it. People will be angry with what I have to say, but it's my right as an opinionated gaming 'journlist' to get on my soapbox and type dross that benefits no one. And the hits will flow. *performs finger pyramid of evil contemplation*

We really have reached the bottom. Can't think of an interesting, intelligent and insightful article to write. Don't worry, just spout your meaningless opinions. Cos' that's what being a journalist is all about these days.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

Im probably leaving this site soon, to many opinion pieces, not enough news

In fact the line between journalist and blogger has almost blured together now thanks to the sheer stupidity of some opinion pieces. And no Im not saying this because its AC3... Im tired of all the negativity on this site

[Pintheshadows]

Buried among all the nonsense on here you do find well written, original, and intelligent articles that make for a great read. It's just a shame that everyone would rather fight over comparison shots of the latest multiplatform title than actually have a proper discussion.

Yeah, journalism in general has died a painful death. It's all about opinions these days. As far as i'm concerned that is a dirty word. People hide behind it rather than making a valid point.

Reviews are meaningless these days as well. They used to be crammed full of relevant details that, we as consumers, could genuinely utilise. Now they are forced humour with authors who don't know how to take a step back and be objective and seem to have agendas laced within their vitriol.

[legendof117]

Thank you for speaking the truth. +bubble.

[dirigiblebill]

"Hmmmm, the majority are really enjoying AC3. I know, i'll write several paragraphs about how much I hate it."

Hmmmm, an opinion piece that cuts against the grain. I know, rather than *actually engage* with the points expressed, I'll write several paragraphs of blanket dismissal and vacuous, second-hand pronouncements about the "state of journalism", thus perpetuating a toxic boy's club culture under which anything that diverges from consensus is prematurely deemed either moronic or cynical.

[Psychotica]

I just got the game this morning so I am still trying to get used to the controls. But I find the controls a little awkward, doesn't make sense to me that I aim my pistol while it's still in the holster then I shoot. Why can't I draw my pistol out like I do my sword then aim and shoot? Just seems very strange to me. Then again maybe I am not doing it right somehow. I do like the story so far and the environment is really well done.

[neoMAXMLC]

It's an auto aiming mechanic anyway. It'll shoot whoever is highlighted. Far FAR from being a shooter in any way possible.

[CalvinKlein]

Im not sure but in AC3 liberation you can hold down the shoot button and she will aim the gun without firing, but as soon as you let go she shoots. And im not sure why you cant take the gun out and run around with it tho.

[SAE]

you will like the gameplay , just continue and you will understand it ....

[Grimhammer00]

I like to remind people that AC 1-2 & .5/.5 were much more polished. It's not like people are lying about the glitches in ac3.

[Pintheshadows]

No, there are a lot of them, I agree, but most are cosmetic and incidental. I did have an issue with the Boston Brawlers, and Connor's outfit not being the correct colour in cutscenes.

However, I still think AC3 is a beautiful, vibrant masterpiece which provides the best sense of 'place' since RDR.

One pattern that emerged for me is that a majority of bugs I encountered were during my time playing as Haytham. The further in I got, the less frequent the bugs got. I wonder if originally Ubi had something different planned (story wise) for the beginning that perhaps didn't work, so they added the Haytham prologue last without properly testing it.

[Rupee]

I agree, a lot of cosmetic bugs (which are annoying) but I'm also having several mission breaking bugs. I've had to fast travel out and back so many times. Seems like the 2nd half is much less unpolished than the first.

I'm a diehard ac fan but this game really frustrated at times. I still don't understand a lot of things about trade and my assassins. The whole trading menu is clunky and time consuming. Also, why do I defend sea trade routes if I don't trade by sea? Im at 56% completion but maybe that will open up later but why involve parts of that now when it doesn't make a difference. I feel like they've made a lot of advances but some things are stepping backwards. I don't really like the new free run system. I don't like the emphasis on the optional objectives; I just want to play my way. I don't like how I have to manually send trade caravans as opposed to previous games giving a steady income every 20 min. Enough ranting sorry. Just wish it had a bit more polish. Hopefully they'll at least patch the bugs.

[SAE]

i completed the game and i still dont understand the trading part , i will try it later but for what i saw it isnt fun doing it ...

but still the game is amazing , i only noticed the bugs at first , then i really didnt care like the other games so i didnt notice them...

[firelogic]

The twist wasn't cunning at all. It made me think, "You seriously made me play 3hrs of that just so you could throw that little twist in that wasn't even surprising?"

Bottomline, AC3 has the most boring and pointless 6hrs in a big budget game EVER. I mean really, did I need to play hide and seek twice?

I'm not even joking. It takes 6hrs to get Connor into the assassin's robe. SIX HOURS. And then after that you're still dicking around doing menial tasks.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

I liked the twist with Haytham.. however they did drag it on for a while. Honestly.. they should have had all the tutorials with Haytham rather than do another sequence with Connor

Also I liked playing hide and seek... I was really fascinated with the language of the mohawk

[Neo Nugget]

I actually like Hatham as a character. He has a great amount of wit that counteracts his antagonistic ways. The whole father/son relationship that was going on with him and Connor was really quite fascinating.

That's more than I can say for Cesare, Rodrigo, or whatever the bad guy's name was in Revelations ^^

[Pintheshadows]

Haytham actually reminded me of Sherlock Holmes.

[Simon_Brezhnev]

TBH Haytham was the only likable character in AC3. Im a big fan of the series but this game let me down story rise. I liked Connor more when he was young kid. When he got older he lost all common sense and became a naive brat like Naruto.

[JReece]

The only thing I liked about to article was the epic picture of Conner running around explosions. Boom, roasted.

[blodulv]

AC 3 bottom line needed more polish + next gen hardware. At the very least this game should've had the polish that AC 2 had.

This is by far the best setting for an AC game (imo), and the story is excellent so far. But it's clearly the worst in the series when it comes to gameplay, UI and overall glitchiness. I'm into sequence 6 now and the potential for one of the best games ever is there. It was simply rushed to market for the $$$. Fuck the big corporate gaming machine that is Ubi/Activision/EA ect.

[Pintheshadows]

The game hits it stride properly at sequence 8 and beyond. It takes the stabilisers off so to speak.

UI wise, i'm not a fan of the new health bar, and the map in the frontier is as useless as a chocolate teapot. For sure, AC3 has issues and needed/needs some more polish. When all of its parts come together though, it can be mesmerisingly brilliant. And personally, that makes me forgive its flaws.

[vortis]

That's interesting. Your comment is the first to suggest this game would be better suited for next-gen hardware...

is it one those things where it feels gimped or something? Like graphically it could have been better or it's not as smooth or as expansive or the AI isn't up to par? I'm just curious what warrants the next-gen? Or is it just the overall presentation?

(I also ask because some games obviously needs better hardware like The Witcher 2 and some games can get by without it, like Need for Speed)

[blodulv]

There are moments when AC 3 looks outstanding. Overall though, it's got a very rough edge to it in nearly every aspect I can think of. The story arc and voicework are top notch as usual, but I'm finding that actually playing the game is becoming a chore.

It's obvious playing this that we are overdue for a hardware upgrade. I find it hard to believe that Ubisoft said this game had something like 3 years in development. AC 3 has TONS of cosmetic errors like pop-in, clipping and a wonky framerate. Controls are clunkier than ever.... And it's odd because I don't remember AC 2 looking or playing as dull as this one. That game was a masterpiece.

Point blank I think their ambition was too big and they should've really waited and fine tuned this thing for the new systems. This game reminds me of every shoddy demo that has to say "this is taken from a game still in development" before booting up.

[Nunchez]

This guy has to be joking! The improvements they've made from the previous ones are so obvious. Definitely the best in the series up there with AC2. Besides I like long games.

[Romudeth]

This is obviously a flamebait article. Assassin's Creed 3 is easily one of the top 3 games of 2012. I'm 24 hours into it and loving every minute of it. Sure it has some annoying glitches and the economy system is a bit confusing but overall it's the best AC game since 2. Ubisoft knocked it out of the park with this game.

[Neo Nugget]

The only thing I don't like is that Connor keeps his hood down permanently in the game's epilogue. WTB toggle button!

[ufo8mycat]

I hear the game actually starts at Sequence 6?

Wow - I am only up to Sequence 3. Very poor pacing so far. Cutscene and then it just teleports you to the mission? Really?!

So I have to go through to Sequence 6 until I actually start playing the game?

I sure hope once I FINALLY get to play Connor that the world environments opens up and I can do ANYTHING (like the previous AC games).

So far it feels like I am playing through a tutorial.

Obviously the improvements are there - graphics are much better, animations are better, but all that means NOTHING if the pacing and gameplay is boring.

I sure hope that this game actually becomes ASSASSINS CREED once I reach sequence 6.

[whyisthehorsestaring]

Story wise, you haven't got much more to do

[Hueynewton2012]

Brits are not happy with the game LOL for obvious reasons. The story is awesome and they incorporated historic figures into the game was brilliant. I am loving slaughtering tea sipping, crooked tooth red coat brits. LOL Sites and articles with poor reviews and complaints were almost all British sites. get over it.

[Shotcalm]

the only thing i don't like about this game is the multiplayer.

[Braid]

I'm sorry to say this, and I'm sure that my comment will be raided by angry disagreers, but if you don't enjoy the story of Assassin's Creed series, which is one of the most thought out video game stories ever told with an actual philosophical foundation that challanges your mind in a way that very few medium can achieve, you really must have a very, very bad taste of entertainment in my judgement. I'd buy any AC game in a heartbeat only to see how that awesome story unfolds.

[Orionsangel]

I have to admit. The prologue has been a little slow so far and even frustrating at times. Frustrating when you're almost done doing everything in a mission only to die and return the start of the mission again for the tenth time. Made even worse if it happened because of a glitch and so far this game has a lot of glitches. That being said, I'm only on Sequence 2 and I can forgive it because I love the environment and climbing and the story has grabbed my attention.

[GTRrocker666]

I got bored with AC2. Didnt even bother with any of the games after that. I thi k I just hate the time periods mostly

[Soldierone]

I honestly felt the combat was the lowest point....its way too easy.

If you don't like the lore to the games, the climbing, and other aspects then obviously won't like it in this one. Beyond that though visually this game is phenomenal and throwing you in great places. I've been playing for hours and yeah it is buggy, but are any of those bugs affecting the core gameplay? No, only one time did a bug actually throw me off so far....Yet look at other popular games where the gameplay totally hurt the game and they still fly on by getting praised and high reviews....

[DivineAssault]

I really dont care what anyone dislikes about this game.. Im loving liberation so i know ill love this as well.. Finally can climb trees n sh*t instead of all buildings.. Seems like a great direction that the series was taken in. Cant wait to buy it when i finish all the games i have now.. Hopefully i can get a good black friday deal on this, borderlands 2, & dishonored

[CuddlyREDRUM]

Did they say, completely fix it from AC2? Because I was told AC2 had a lot better combat, but it didn't.