As the war between the Assassins and the Templars escalates, Ubisoft Montreal takes the Assassin Creed franchise to a whole new level in their latest game, ASSASSIN'S CREED 3. The game begins on the 31st of October 2012 which happens to be the official release date of the game as players are treated to a powerful cinema that once again involves protagonist Desmond Miles and his cohorts.

With the fate of world in the hands of Desmond, he must once again enter the Animus in order to prevent the end of the world which happens to be the 31st of December 2012. The opening cinematic feels like something out of Nicholas Cage's National Treasure as Desmond, his father, Rebecca and Shaun enter an ancient temple built by those who came before. Without spoiling the story, the introduction really sets the scene for things to come.

Your first trip back in time with the Animus forces you to to access your ancestors memories and transforms you into Haytham Kenway. You are to assassinate a noble at the Opera in London in order to recover an ancient medallion. As the story progresses, the main character eventually switches to Ratonhnhaké ton (Connor Kenway), a half-British, half-Mohawk assassin who is caught in a dangerous war between the Assassins and Templars with the backdrop being the American revolution. I love how Ubisoft Montreal used the American Civil War as a backdrop that really makes the story quite relatable and include moments in history such as the Boston Massacre and Tea Party. You even meet a certain founding father of America, by the name of Benjamin Franklin.

From the very first moments after entering the Animus, the world of Assassin's Creed 3 is a true piece of modern day art and the attention to detail is quite stunning. The backgrounds are easily one of the most realistic to grace a game this year and characters are highly detailed and move with this real-world grace. This is because Assassin's Creed 3 uses a brand new gaming engine called AnvilNext that amps up the graphical capabilities of the game. Although your jaw will hit the ground when you see how many people are in the Opera, things become even more hectic as you go into the open world which is like walking into a crowded world filled with people, buildings, objects and even animals.

In terms of gameplay, Assassin's Creed 3 doesn't reinvent the wheel here but rather streamlines and improves what came before. The majority of the game still requires you to explore these large areas and assassinate people but it's definitely a lot more fluid, especially the climbing that your character does. Apart from the main storyline, there are plenty of side quests to engage and lots of items to find in order to help build the world of Assassin's Creed 3. Just be warned that the first few levels of the game serves as a tutorial which is a little slow but it teaches players the gaming mechanics. However travelling across the Atlantic on a three masked ship is still a wow moment.

Stealth still plays a key role in Assassin's Creed 3 and I like how the game sometimes dictates how an assassination is to be performed. This adds an element of skill into the game and also looks quite cool in the process. Both the climbing and fighting mechanics have received an overhaul that feel considerably more smoother. It doesn't feel as stop start as the previous games, especially the climbing. Combat can also become quite complex as you attack and parry your way to victory, whether through fists or weapons. Nothing is more fun than using an opponents weight to throw them around the environment as you jest with them in combat.

To spice up the gameplay, the developers have included some fun naval battles that although are completely different to the main gameplay, it gives players a well deserved break but more importantly, it feels like they are part of the game, unlike a certain tower defence game included in another Assassin's Creed game. The ship you control is called The Aquilla as you use the DualShock controller to navigate the seas and engage other ships with your powerful cannons. It's definitely a blast to play.

As the main character is half native American, you can even hunt in the game which definitely pushes the title to open-world as opposed to something more closed. If you're still needing a break, you can even jump into the multiplayer component of the title which offers a variety of gaming modes with my favourite being the new Wolfpack mode. Wolfpack is a 4-player cooperative mode that requires players to work as a team as they compete a variety of objectives.  Like the other games in the franchise, you can call upon the locals to help craft items and assist with your missions or annoy those dastardly red cloaks. It's definitely a great single and multiplayer game.

 Graphics/Audio

As mentioned, the graphics of Assassin's Creed 3 is like wow. At times the game is quite reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption but things are a lot more realistic here and I love the difference between the huge cities to the expanse of the frontiers that you explore. Whether it's the realistic water effects or the amazing weather effects, Assassin's Creed 3 is an impressive feat on the PS3 that thankfully keeps its frame rate quite high. Audio is equally impressive and whether it's the ambience of the towns, the whispers on the ship or the professional voice acting, the graphics, audio and gameplay is pure entertainment.

Final Thoughts?

Assassin's Creed 3 is a carefully crafted game that does border on perfect in terms of this franchise. The new protagonists are interesting and more importantly, the story and gameplay flows together perfectly. For some reason, the story in AC3 is easily the most compelling of the lot and even when you're finished, you could easily play the game again. Add in a sturdy multiplayer mode and Assassin's Creed 3 is a must have game to get you through to Christmas.