» VIDEO GAMES
By Michael WORKMAN

Ubisoft Assassin’s Creed series is known for two main traits. First is the brutally satisfying third person combat. Second is its beautiful historic backdrop. These attributes are found in “Assassin’s Creed III” as developers seek to wow gamers this fall with a brand new, revamped combat system and a fresh look at the turbulent time of the American War of Independence.

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, “Assassin’s Creed III” is the company’s most ambitious title yet, with over 600 staff members contributing to its release. With such a large team it was no surprise that the game is massive in scope with locations like New York, Boston and the American frontier open to the player to explore.

In previous Assassin’s Creed titles, there could be quite a few non-playable characters on screen at a time. Now Ubisoft Montreal proudly proclaims that thousands of individual NPC’s can be seen thanks to the new game engine AnvilNext.

“The technology to add thousands of characters onscreen enabled us to do not just battles, but set-pieces,” said animations director John Cooper. “In North America you can look all the way down the street, whereas in previous Assassins you could only see so far. Now you can see hundreds of people walking in the distance.”

But with a new setting also comes a new protagonist. ACIII introduces gamers to the next assassin, Connor.

Born half-Mohawk and half-Englishman, Connor learns the ways of the assassin after his home is destroyed by European settlers. Players will be treated to a new array of weapons at Connor’s disposal such as the tomahawk, bow and arrow, and the rope dart. Gameplay videos show that the fighting is more intense and more dynamic as players can kill an enemy with the tomahawk, steal his rifle, shoot another enemy with said rifle then grab the wounded soldier and use him to soak up bullets when another soldier tries to shoot you.

There are mindboggling amounts of animations for players in combat to make it feel fresh and exciting every time the player engages in combat. Not only will players be hunting men, but animals can now be interacted with in the wilderness. Deer, wolves, and bears will be seen and can be killed for their pelts that will yield a healthy profit.

But probably the biggest addition to “Assassin’s Creed III” is naval combat. Connor can take command of a ship and privateer off the coast attacking and boarding vessels controlled by his enemies. Weather plays a large role in how battles on the high seas can play out. A storm can hit without warning, forcing the player to keep the ship together while fighting off enemy attacks. How this will be a part of the main storyline remains to be seen.

Revamped combat system, new naval combat, and a fascinating new historical setting proves that “Assassin’s Creed III” is gunning for the top spot this coming holiday season. With the game’s release hitting stores shortly, look forward to a full review for “Assassin’s Creed III” in the future.