{"id":47588,"date":"2012-11-20T14:14:38","date_gmt":"2012-11-20T12:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=47588"},"modified":"2012-11-20T14:21:31","modified_gmt":"2012-11-20T12:21:31","slug":"assassins-creed-3-review-xbox-360","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/reviews\/47588-assassins-creed-3-review-xbox-360","title":{"rendered":"Assassin’s Creed 3 review (Xbox 360)"},"content":{"rendered":"

ACIII could be dubbed the video game equivalent of \u201cThe Truman Show\u201d.<\/p>\n

Now, fans of the series should find little difficulty in drawing the obvious similarity: Desmond, the modern-day protagonist, continues to fight the centuries-old war between the Assassins and the Templars through the memories of various ancestors in entirely fabricated worlds. Living vicariously through each ancient assassin, Desmond\u2019s reality is effectively nothing but digital props on a high-tech stage.<\/p>\n

But as undoubtedly impressive as ACIII is (thanks to a new setting, massive game world and incredible Anvil Next engine), the comparison goes a step further as the game breaks the fourth wall, casting you out into a world that, by its sheer over-ambition, somewhat dilutes the sense of immersion and purpose found in previous outings. While there\u2019s still a lot of fun to be had at the core of the experience, there\u2019s a pervasive feeling of artificiality that lets down an otherwise well-polished package, and an awkward niggle that constantly makes you feel like you\u2019re playing the whole thing through a cellophane wrapper.<\/p>\n

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Set in and around the American Revolution and helmed by Connor Kenway, a newly trained assassin of Native American descent, ACIII prepares you for what\u2019s to come by languidly setting up its story with an obscenely long prologue – a move that turns out to be a cheap bit of misdirection with little punch or purpose. It\u2019s then another few hours before you\u2019ll even catch a glimpse of those assassin robes\u00a0you’ve\u00a0been so patiently waiting for, and it\u2019s only really once\u00a0you’ve\u00a0put in the amount of time required to complete most other games that you\u2019ll feel like you\u2019re playing an Assassin\u2019s Creed title.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s this lack of focus that permeates much of ACIII. An apt example is the addition of hunting which Connor learns as a young man early-game. Stalking a variety of animals as you clamber through the treetops is initially quite immersive and exciting, however, once you and your character grow past this, there\u2019s little reason to hunt further as there\u2019s no real reward offered other than superfluous cash. The same can be said for collecting feathers, doing delivery missions, unlocking new weapons and getting bogged down in the remarkably dull crafting system. Besides personal\u00a0preference, there’s no real motivation to engage in these activities.<\/p>\n

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The game\u2019s ADD continues through a ridiculous abundance of cutscenes, many of which interject rudely during play; while even combat and parkour have also been overly simplified to the point of feeling like quick-time events. There are strong Uncharted undertones through all of these, with set pieces like sinking ships allowing you to escape them with little more than holding upwards on the thumbstick, and huge brawls where countering and killing are so easy that you\u2019ll be surprised to take even a single hit. Not to knock the cinematic awesomeness of Uncharted here, but it\u2019s not easy to convincingly stab people in the face when you feel like someone\u2019s holding your hand tightly along the way.<\/p>\n

Even the story is a bit of a mixed bag. Its execution suffers from linearity, awful clich\u00e9s and some terrible voice performances, but its simplicity and allure of being the conclusion to a lengthy series is just enough to get you to the end. Bad pacing means that important narrative elements are often mumbled by Connor soliloquy-style, while useless plot points are spread out into tiring cutscenes, but, as with much of ACIII, you\u2019ll usually find yourself forgiving enough to keep playing thanks to the decent bits that the game does get right.<\/p>\n

Despite its Truman-esque vibe and the disappointing lack of coherence, ACIII still has plenty of high points that manage to outweigh the areas of tiresome mediocrity. There are the naval missions where you believably captain and enter combat with a large ship; these missions are surprisingly enjoyable and well-crafted, and I had no qualms about failing and replaying some of them. There\u2019s also the brief but exciting Peg Leg missions where you hunt pieces of a scattered treasure map; these offer a treat for schlepping around the world picking up otherwise useless\u00a0collectibles, and it\u2019s a pity that a lot of the game\u2019s other tacked-on elements don\u2019t reward you as handsomely.<\/p>\n

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And the actual assassin bits? You know, the backbone of the series with the stabbing and whatnot? It\u2019s there, somewhere, but it\u2019s often obscured under Ubisoft\u2019s insistence to incessantly attempt to wow you with new sideshows and cheap parkour tricks. Some of this showmanship is justified, especially when it comes to the gorgeous Anvil Next game engine and visual splendour rarely seen on consoles (the new weather effects and character animations are just superb), but as ACIII tends to lean towards spectacle rather than playability, you\u2019ll likely find that most players will find the overly glossy veneer just a little too polished.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to compartmentalise a game with such a broad scope, especially when so many of its parts vary so drastically between the thrilling and the downright tedious, but despite ACIII\u2019s many, many faults, there\u2019s enough entertainment value here to make wrapping up Desmond\u2019s story worthwhile. Although I ended up neglecting most of the additional fluff that added nothing worthwhile to the whole experience, at the heart of the game there\u2019s still an adventure that forgiving fans of the series (and patient newcomers) should explore.<\/p>\n\n\t\t