‘Assassin’s Creed III’ disappoints, leaves much to the end

“Assassin’s Creed III” was one of the biggest games to gain hype before it was released on Oct. 30. The game has changed some of its mechanics and added content that is both engaging and exciting to play again and again. It is, however, somewhat disappointing in aspects where it has always excelled.

First of all, the look of the world is grand. The animations are clean, and the outside is fresh and exciting. Because the game spans years, the outdoors can be explored over the various seasons, from the fresh snow to the warm, grassy plains. The kill animations are also enhanced to include more blood and gore. These enhancements come at a cost, which include bugs that require patches. Even with these patches, players will likely encounter the various glitches throughout the game.

The gameplay is enhanced, thanks to a new engine. The free running in the game is better than ever, where climbing trees and colonial buildings is as simple as scaling the various towers in the other games. The sneaking aspect is the same, which seemed as if the developers looked over it in favor for the combat, which is also much improved. Long-time players of this game will find this odd at first, but will quickly adjust. With the various weapons available over the course of the game, the experience is thrilling. The storyline, however, is a major disappointment, which is one part of the “Assassin’s Creed” series prides itself on.

The back-story of Connor Kenway seems fine but unneeded; however, it is the straightness of the story that is considered the pitfall. The beginning of the game is linear, leaving not much to do, besides the main missions. Exploring the massive world comes later in the game, allowing players to distract themselves from the story for a long time. Meanwhile, Desmond’s story is unsavory, ultimately ending unsatisfactorily. Where the game fails in the story, it makes up in the open world. After players get a chance to explore, the world is vast and open. Side missions, from breaking up brawls to old-fashioned assassinations, are a fun way to test skills, but by far the greatest improvement is the wilderness.

Fighting the animals is a great challenge that some people may think is unwelcome, while others will find that it is an awesome way to test their skills. For the players wanting to get away from the single-player action, the multiplayer options are still amazing, offering more game modes that allow people to enjoy the many ways the game can be played. While some game modes, like Domination, seem to take away from the traditional “Assassin’s Creed” formula, other modes like traditional Assassinate and new Wolf Pack stay true to the game style and allow player to practice their sneaky assassination skills with others.

The character designs are also improved with added perks and looks, which grants more control over how the gamers play. Overall, the game is one that “Assassin’s Creed” fans should not miss, and it is a fun game to play with the vibrant graphics and enhanced gameplay. After the disappointing beginning of the single-player, the fun really begins in the beautiful open world with challenges all around. The multiplayer is greatly improved with more modes and perks, but only if someone knows where to look. With the game developers patching up glitches, the only significant problem comes with the story, which is unexpected and disappoint, knowing what “Assassin’s Creed” can do.

The game deserves an overall rating of 87 out of 100 percent.