AC3 is the best Assassin’s Creed ever… There, I said it

Getting back into the game's main storyline, I navigated to a bar in the city where Connor met with famed revolutionary Sam Adams, getting me into the main story hook. Connor's ancestral land was being threatened by a British landowner, who sought to use the profits from taxing tea to buy it outright. The simple solution offered by Sam? Help to destroy the tea of course!

The first part of my mission involved full stealth mode, tasking Connor with using some explosive barrels to blow up three heavily-guarded caches of tea. Unfortunately, I wasn't expected the guards to be so eagle-eyed, and was easily spotted several times. Thankfully, I was able to lure some guards over to me with a quick whistle, before dispatching them and tossing their corpses into the sea. The game was a bit less than clear on the exploding barrel part, as only after using my timed bombs to destroy the caches did I realize I'd have earned a bonus for scouting out the red barrels on the map and using them instead. This was especially confusing since the same map marker was used for both barrels and caches of tea, though luckily I was able to brute force my way to the end of this introductory mission.

Following this, it came time for the true act of rebellion, the Boston Tea Party itself. Though I'm unable to resist snickering at the idea of a Mohawk assassin defending the founding fathers against dozens of armed British troops during the game's violent interpretation of the Boston Tea Party (the actual event involved not a single casualty), I know that the Assassin's Creed universe has always played fast and loose with history and accept the mission for what it is. I started by killing the British troops surrounding the boats, later realizing my task could've likely been made much simpler by using my new Canadian Stefane friend to help start a riot. Instead, I directed him to bury his clever in the necks of my enemies, something to which he seemed much obliged.

I then found myself on the boats with Sam Adams and Paul Revere, defending them from the troops storming the two adjoining boats while grabbing crates of tea and throwing them overboard. The mission has life counters for both men, as well as a counter of how much tea has been dumped, though it seemed far too easy to throw a ton of crates overboard at the outset of the mission, then let the other two men toss the rest as you accost their attackers. This is especially true seeing as how the British A.I. has no comprehension of the gap between the two boats, happily rushing off the edge into the water below. I'm personally hoping this is another error which will be fixed before the game launches, though it was still fun to participate in this ridiculous revisionist history (as well as witness the hilarious dancing animation of the celebrating colonists).

My only major complaint with Assassin's Creed 3 is that it suffers from a problem common to these big budget games, a plot which fails to connect with the gameplay.  This is the great challenge our newly cinematic art form is wrestling with, how to keep the action engaging while crafting a plot that can be taken seriously. Consider the Uncharted series, where Nathan Drake can murder a few hundred Somalian pirates, only to wipe his brow and casually remark "That was a close one!" Similarly, though AC3's plot wants me to sympathize with the character of Connor, forcing me to occasionally murder seemingly innocent British troops makes that impossible. For instance, one mission involves following Stefane through the streets of Boston, jamming Connor's hidden blade into the back of any Redcoat his furious Canadian acquaintance happens to provoke. Again, these particular victims haven't done anything wrong, they've simply gotten in the way of your lunatic friend, and it's quite ridiculous to see Connor simultaneously begging Stefane to calm down while himself committing casual murders. Though Assassin's Creed 3 occasionally manages to sell the emotional narrative with the more intimate missions, set-pieces like the Boston Massacre bloodbath keep it firmly in the realm of schlock fiction.

Despite my misgivings with the plot, it seems obvious that Assassin's Creed 3 is a definite contender for game of the year, and a fitting send off for series protagonist Desmond. I can think of no other title in recent memory which promises the same level of content as AC3, and this preview didn't even touch on the robust multiplayer modes! (Check our previews section to read my take on the Wolf Pack co-op and Domination multiplayer). Whether you're a hardcore Assassin's Creed fan or you've never once stepped into the animus, AC3 is surely the must-buy game of this holiday season and a great way to celebrate your independence this November.

In short, Assassin's Creed 3 does not fail, and if anything, simply positions Ubisoft's status as the new leaders in next-gen gaming. We're still a ways off from the PS4 and Xbox 720 dropping, though this game assures me that Ubisoft will be there leading the charge on innovative, content-rich titles when they do.

Maybe time to start snagging some Ubisoft stock…

It's Tuesday night in downtown Boston, myself and a collection of similarly sweaty journalists packed into a roped off section of a small hotel nightclub, occasionally glancing across the divide towards the collection of rich young socialites filling the air with the rank stench of their raging sexual hormones. Meanwhile, I'm busy debating the future of media with a pair of dangerously passionate webcasters named after Spider-Man villians, as well as one of those rare gaming PR reps willing to embrace the press as fellow human beings rather than potential review scores.

"Development costs are going to skyrocket as we enter the next generation" the PR man tells us. "Even now the cost of making a triple-A game is enough to put a company out of business if it doesn't succeed. Look at 38 Studios. Kingdoms of Amalur sold fantastically, it did great it Europe. Even that wasn't enough to keep that in business."

"It's becoming just like Hollywood," I opine, ignoring his glossing over of 38 Studios questionable business tactics. "Blockbuster movies are so expensive to make that they'd rather take a proven brand and revitalize it. The studios don't take risks."

"Inception?" offers Green Goblin.

"Yeah, but that's Christopher Nolan…" Doctor Octopus counters.

"Point is" the brand man cuts back in, eyes wide with half-drunken clarity. "If Assassin's Creed fails, Ubisoft fails."

It's not a bold statement, simply a hard fact. Three years in development, Assassin's Creed 3 is the pillar of Ubisoft's attempted holiday domination, alongside Far Cry 3, Just Dance 4, and Wii U exclusive ZombiU. Thing is, more time and money has been sunk into AC3 than any of the other mentioned titles, not even counting the game's extensive marketing budget. Luckily for my friend in PR, it seems he has little to worry about. Based on my hands-on preview of the game, it's obvious that AC3 is the best Assassin's Creed title to date,  jam-packed with an truly baffling amount of content that justifies the purchase price several times over. I can honestly say I've never seen a game this robust, with no shortage of distractions scattered throughout the gorgeous Boston countryside.

In short, Ubisoft has nothing to worry about. Their competition however, may want to start taking notes.

—

Beginning my playthrough I was quickly introduced to the Davenport Homestead, a large manor tucked away in the wilderness which serves as Connor's homebase. Throughout the game, players will befriend new allies who help to populate the homestead, giving Connor access to their own unique abilities. For instance, while exploring we stumbled across a wounded female hunter named Myrium. After fixing up her wounds, I was tasked with hunting down the illegal poachers who had tried to take her out, using the "Sheng Biao" Rope Dart to reel in my victims like Mortal Kombat's Scorpion before delivering fatal blows. Thankful for this, Myrium agreed to join my humble home and make her selection of furs, herbs and hunting goods available for sale. Also scattered about the homestead is Connor's mentor Achilles (who I'm hoping will prove to be more than your standard "magical negro" stereotype), as well as Peg Leg Pete, a man happy to trade for your trinkets. The character screen revealed that there are several yet unknown characters who will also be joining the homestead, and I look forward to seeing what each brings to the table.

While wandering the wilderness, a common hazard will be the game's selection of wild animals, ranging from harmless rabbits and raccoons, to deadly wolves and massive bears.  Unfortunately, the dramatic man vs. beast encounters are handled with yawn-inducing QTE sequences, reducing the epic confrontations down to a simple reaction tester. Still, hunting game was a surprisingly enjoyable distraction, especially the act of sneaking up on the more adorable critters and letting fly an arrow to their skull. Players will also stumble across various tracking clues throughout the game world, identifying the location of rare beasts to add to your hunting collection. Meanwhile, truly dedicated hunters will be able to join the game's hunting club, getting access to specific missions from the boys at the lodge. Ubisoft has even taken steps to satisfy rabid PETA protestors, making it so that Connor's synchronization rate actually drops if the player neglects to skin the animal after the hunt.

After stealing a horse from a woodland traveler and riding into the streets of Boston for the first time, it seemed obvious that AC3 was pushing the 360's hardware to the limit, as evidenced by the various technical issues the team is likely still working to fix. Graphical pop-in was very noticeable throughout my playthrough, with NPCs and background elements tending to appear and disappear at random. The shadow and shading textures were also very rough, likely in an attempt to save some memory. None of this is game breaking, though it will be interesting to see if anything is done about these issues, or if other versions of the game (PS3, PC) handle them better.

If anything, the team can be forgiven for these small graphical issues given how expansive and detailed the game's environments are. Boston in particular has been rendered with a precise level of detail, our real life tour of some famous Boston landmarks making it obvious how much attention was paid to perfectly rendering the birthplace of American independence. Not only will the architecture amaze, but the town itself is filled with tons of tiny details which add levels of depth to the stealth gameplay. Rowdy orphans will attempt to coerce coins from the player, barking dogs can be calmed with a pat on the head, and wanted posters can be torn down in an effort to keep one's profile low. Meanwhile, truly brutal players will quickly earn a notoriety level which even the classic haystack nap won't fix, requiring you to stealthily navigate towards a town criers and throwing him a few bones to shut up about your recent misdeeds.

As you explore Boston, you'll quickly see that AC3 offers too many distractions to count. Satisfy your collector mentality by chasing rare manuscript pages parkour style around the city, or try your hand at pick pocketing some of the more affluent citizens. Heck, there's even a selection of parlor games to bet on (I look forward to learning how to dominate at "fanorona"). If you hate games which force you along the main storyline, you'll be glad to see that AC3 promotes taking time off for various side missions.

Speaking of side missions, the game's naval battles are a definite highlight. Here, Connor strips off his assassin's garb and slips into Captain Crunch's uniform for some thrilling battles on the high seas. This mode definitely delivers the thrills, letting players bark out the orders to increase or reduce speed, while directing cannon fire towards the legions of enemy ships. One mission tasked the crew with blowing away the deadly mines impeding our path, taking out any Brits unlucky to be within the explosion radius. Following this my vessel came across an enemy base, a thrilling battle which involved opening fire with the cannons while instructing the crew to take cover from mortar fire. I'm looking forward to finding out exactly how this brash Native American assassin gets entrusted with captain's duties, though I was loving the frantic action on-screen, enemy boats exploding all around as my crew cheered riotously.