The Assassin’s Creed III Boston city demo has been released and it shows that Ubisoft has really upped their game. The game play demonstrated in the demo shows more organic mechanics that allow more realistic maneuvers and actions than ever before.

There are two main cities in Assassin’s Creed III: Boston and New York in the eighteenth century. Alex Hutchinson, the Creative Director of Assassin’s Creed III, narrates the demo that shows Boston in the summer of 1773. Hutchinson explains that New York and Boston were both created at a 1:3 scale using historical maps from the eighteenth century, meaning key landmarks will appear throughout the city.

One of the first things that a player of past Assassin’s Creed games will notice is that previous moves have been upgraded or integrated with new moves. For example, Connor, the newest character in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, can jump into a bale of hay that is moving in a cart through the city. He can then assassinate a guard from that bale of hay and leave the body in the cart.

Hutchinson also explains that they have worked hard to integrate side missions into the storyline. Different characters from these side missions will help the player complete the main objective instead of just being optional side missions.

New stealth moves have also been integrated into game play. Connor can position himself against a wall or trees and is able to assassinate from these positions. New stalking zones have also been added where Connor can croch down and walk around in a bush; as Hutchinson puts it they are ‘mobile hide spots’.

One of the best features of this latest game is that there are more opportunities to distract guards beforehand, making the game that much more realistic. In one part of the demo Connor uses his rope dart to lasso a guard and hang him from a tree, drawing the attention of the other guards. In another part Connor shoots a guard with an arrow which then draws the attention of red coats guarding a ship, allowing Connor to sneak aboard.

In addition to new hide spots Connor can now also blend in between any two people, assuming the same posture and attitude as them. Like other blend spots in the previous games he can also assassinate from these positions.

The crowd within the game has also become more realistic and will respond to weather and other members of the city. Chickens and other animals have also been added to the city. Hutchinson claims that the world feels alive and believable.

Hutchinson also discusses combat saying that they rebuilt it “from the ground, up.” According to Hutchinson, “Connor is a dual-wielding specialist. All of his base combat is using two weapons at the same time. We worked very hard on the flow of combat, so your goal as a player is basically to continue your kill chain by using appropriate moves.”

Connor can also pick up weapons on his way into a fight instead of stopping to do so. In one scene in the demo Connor runs by a weapon rack, picks up a musket, stabs one guard with a bayonet, and shoots a second guard through the first guard. He then pushes another guard off of the boat that the combat is taking place on. The mechanics of the game have not only changed, they are significantly more realistic and smooth.

The health system in combat has also changed. There are no more “magical health potions or other assists” during a fight. Instead, Connor must finish the fight or run if he is to heal. With this in mind, there will be a larger health bar from the beginning since hit points will be harder to regain. This feature will encourage players to get higher kill streaks because they will get rid of enemies faster and before they receive damage. Therefore, players of the previous games who had a hard time getting kill streaks and had to rely more on the health potions, might find this game a little harder than the previous games.

The city navigation has also undergone a “face lift,” according to Hutchinson. Connor can now climb trees in the forest and in the city. The creators have also added something similar to ‘monkey bars’ throughout the city that help with navigation. Connor will also be able to run across or dive into (such as the cart previously mentioned) moving surfaces. He will also now scramble up surfaces put on an incline, but perhaps the most interesting and realistic new move is the interior of buildings. Now the player can have Connor run through the interior of a building – like jumping through two windows in a house – in order to lose pursuers.

Hutchinson does admit that although there are a lot of things that have been changed there were things, like the assassin’s brotherhood, that they liked. “Although we had a rule when we started development there would be no retreads, no mechanics we built in this game just because they’d been in the franchise before, we do like the notion that the assassin isn’t always acting alone.” However, Ubisoft did revamp the brotherhood as well. Now Connor can call in the brotherhood not only to help with assassination but they can also be disguised as red coats and lead Connor, as if he is a prisoner, past “choke points” in the city to get past guards.

Another aspect that Hutchinson elaborates on is Connor’s heritage: half Native American and half European. He admits that it is not only a “cool story device” but also has an impact on the weapons of choice for Connor. His character possesses not only the rope dart but will also use the tomahawk and a bow and arrow.

Ultimately Ubisoft has surpassed all expectations that Assassin’s Creed fans have had so far. These new features were not expected by players of the previous games, which makes the game even more exciting. Additionally, Assassin’s Creed III will be the most strategic of the Assassin’s Creed franchise with so many more possibilities for distractions and combat than ever before. This is definitely not a game to miss.

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On October 30, 2012, the long-awaited Assassin’s Creed III will be released. Ubisoft will also release another game for the PlayStation Vita on October 30 called Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation.

The PlayStation Vita game will be offered in both regular game form and the Chrystal White Vita bundle that will include the game and bonus material.

Liberation features the first and only female assassin, Aveline, who joined the assassins in 1759. According to Joystiq, Aveline is “a woman of conviction” who stands between Spain and their complete control of New Orleans.

Aveline has French and African heritage which is also expressed in her weapons of choice. Aveline uses the usual assassin hidden blade but will also use a sugarcane machete, a poison dart blowpipe, and dueling pistols.

The game takes place only in New Orleans and the surrounding bayou in the eighteenth century. The game begins in 1765 and continues through 1780 with a focus on the impacts of the French and Indian War.

The French and Indian War was fought mainly between Britain and France – and their respective Native American allies – over their North American territories between 1754 and 1763. Although most of the fighting in North America had ended by 1760, after Aveline joins the Brotherhood in the game, the official treaty was not signed until February of 1763. As part of the treaty, Spain, who was the French ally during the war, lost Florida to the British. The French gave the Louisiana territory, which included New Orleans, to Spain as compensation for the loss of Florida.

During the time period of the game players will witness the impacts of the French and Indian War first hand. Many French and German settlers in New Orleans were not happy about their new government nor the individuals that were sent to govern them. Players will most likely witness and participate in such events as the Louisiana Rebellion of 1768 when the first Spanish governor, Antonio de Ulloa, was run out. Other events that will probably be included in the game are the Spanish involvement in the American Revolutionary War (on the side of the rebels) in 1779 and the Battle of Saint Louis in 1780 – the only Revolutionary battle west of the Mississippi.

Although the game is on a handheld system, Ubisoft promises that the game will live up to the reputation of the PlayStation console games. Geoffroy Sardin, Chief Executive of Ubisoft Sales and Marketing stated, “The release of Assassin’s Creed III Liberation will be the series’ most ambitious handheld offering to date.”

The game will have the same incredible visuals – although on a significantly smaller screen – and will allow the player to do all of the same types of actions as previous assassin games. Assassinations, pickpocketing, and tree climbing will all be possible. Players will also be able to swim through the bayou to explore ancient Mayan ruins and will have to avoid dangerous animals in the forest, like in Assassin’s Creed III. Ubisoft has also announced that all of the PlayStation Vita features – the dual touchpads, motion detection, and built-in camera – will be used during the gameplay.

The missions in Liberation will be shorter – to better accommodate the hand-held nature of the game – but will still be similar to those in Assassin’s Creed III. There is also the possibility of overlapping events with Assassin’s Creed III and that Aveline and Connor, the character in Assassin’s Creed III, will meet.

If the user links the PlayStation Vita with the PlayStation and has Assassin’s Creed III, they will receive exclusive in-game content. Other upgrades include extra multiplayer characters, upgrades of ammunition pouches and a tomahawk for Aveline.

Liberation will also have a multiplayer function, like in Assassin’s Creed III and previous AC games.

After the somewhat disappointing array of PlayStation Vita games announced at the E3 conference, many are excited to finally get to use their Vita.

Ubisoft Sofia is responsible for the creation of this game, the same creators of “Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars” that was a hit on the Nintendo 3DS; it comes as no surprise that the game was nominated as the Best Handheld/Mobile Game at the E3 Conference this year. Assassin’s Creed III, the PlayStation console game, was also nominated for several awards: Best of Show, Best Console Game, and Best Action/Adventure Game.

Ultimately, the worries that Assassin’s Creed III will not live up to the previous incarnations are unnecessary. Both games are highly anticipated by old and new fans and will definitely be games that should not be missed.

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Now that the E3 Conference has wrapped up, even more information has been revealed about the new game play mechanics and features in the upcoming “Assassin’s Creed III.” In part 1, the storyline and setting were discussed in addition to some new features of game play. “Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation” and the DLCs for “Assassin’s Creed III” were also discussed. In part 2, the heart of game play is revealed.

At the E3 conference in early June, several of these new announcements were made regarding aspects of movement. The creators have worked to put more momentum into Connor’s action – rebuilding how this assassin moves from the ground up. Unlike the previous games, Connor will not have to stop to do assassinations and he can continue straight from an assassination to fighting with other enemies or running away.

Stealth and escape are amplified through the new uses for the brotherhood members. Connor will still have access to the other assassins but now he can also hire them to pretend to be soldiers; this new aspect will significantly aid in stealth and assassination missions, since these assassins can also pretend to have captured Connor.

This new assassin will still participate in the citizen rescue that was used for Brotherhood recruitment in Brotherhood and Revelations, but each mission will be unique. Every non-player character (NPC) in the game will have their own goals and motivation thanks to the AI technologies of the AnvilNext engine. NPCs and Connor can be attacked by animals suck as wolves, bears, and dogs. Another returning feature includes the underground tombs and the puzzles, although the puzzles will be completely different from what we have seen in the past.

Multiplayer gaming will return as well and it too has changed dramatically. Now individuals will work in teams of four battling to hold three key points in a domination style game. Teams can chose their own unique attire to distinguish themselves from opponents and NPCs. Players can also interact with NPCs during the game, making it harder for opponents to recognize and track down each other.

ACIII will also include a new naval battle mini-game. Since the Revolutionary War was fought by land and sea, including naval battles in ACIII was extremely important to the creators, according to their presentation at the E3 conference. Connor is the captain of a ship and during battles he will steer and order the crew when to fire at enemy ships. Weather will change randomly and will significantly affect the sea and how the player maneuvers his or her vessel. During a battle players will be able to sink enemy ships as well as board them. This announcement is perhaps the most exciting of the Assassin’s Creed III developments to emerge from the E3 conference.

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The long awaited “Assassins Creed III” has fans everywhere anticipating the October 30, 2012 release date. Three years in the works, Ubisoft has declared “Assassin’s Creed III” the “most ambitious” of any of their projects, according to Airborne Gamer. The description is aptly earned since Ubisoft spent those three years building a new engine, AnvilNext, from the ground up, to improve game quality. Using motion-capture animation and AI technologies, AnvilNext not only creates more realistic scenery but also character models and interactions. According to Ubisoft, the company is attempting to make “Assassin’s Creed III” look like next generation technology on current generation consoles.

The game continues with character Desmond Miles as he continues to search the past for clues as to how to save the world from devastation in 2012. Now he visits the memories of an assassin ancestor caught in the middle of the American Revolution, Connor Kenway, and follows his life from 1753 to 1783. Connor Kenway, or Ratohnhake’ton, is considered an outsider as the son of a Mohawk mother and British father. When his village is attacked by colonists he is thrust into the main action of the game and joins the assassin cause.

Connor experiences all of the major events during this time period as he explores the cities of Boston and New York and the vast wilderness in between. He attends the Battle of Bunker Hill and meets many legends of American history including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Lee, Israel Putnam, Lafayette, John Pitcairn, and William Prescott. One aspect that Ubisoft was very particular about in game creation is that people will only die on the days in which they actually died. Many wonder how assassin, stealth, and recon missions will change with this attention to detail.

Assassin missions will also be affected because Connor takes neither side through all of these events he witnesses and participates in, meaning Templars from both sides are fair game. In one of the first promotional videos put out by Ubisoft, Connor states, “in the name of liberty I will fight the enemy, regardless of their allegiance.”

With the move to the new world and a completely different culture to pull from, the creators of “Assassin’s Creed III” have updated game play mechanics. Connor possesses instinctual tracking skills that allow him to learn what has happened after an event; this is no doubt an updated version of eagle vision. In addition to climbing buildings Connor will be able to climb trees and cliffs, which he will need to survive and traverse the wilderness setting.

His weapons have also changed to include a Tomahawk, rope darts, and firearms. Guns will be more prevalent in this game due to the time period, but since rifling of the barrel was not introduced until the Civil War, accuracy of soldiers is terrible. The bombs from Revelations will disappear from game play in ACIII now that black powder is being used; instead, players can shoot explosive barrels and destroy enemy camps. According to the “Assassin’s Creed III” website, “one thing is clear: the world that the Assassins live in has become far more deadly. And so have you.”

The Assassin’s Creed games were planned as a trilogy, meaning that although this is the fifth game in the series it is the last game to be numbered and the last new assassin to appear. There is the possibility that Ubisoft may create a follow-up game to the Connor storyline but this is mere speculation.

However, Ubisoft has announced that they are creating a completely new game for the PS Vita to be released sometime this fall called “Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation.” “Liberation” will take place during the same time as “Assassins Creed III” in New Orleans but with a new female assassin, Aveline, who resides in New Orleans and is advised by an escaped slave, Agate. Ubisoft has been considering a female assassin for a long time but believed the game setting in “Assassin’s Creed III” a bad match. The “Liberation” storyline will cross paths with Connor but another individual will be using the Animus instead of Desmond Miles.

Ubisoft is including a lot of DLCs and extras with pre-orders or special editions. Pre-ordering the game in the US includes a single player mission called the “Lost Mayan Ruin” and an extra weapon: the sawtooth sword. There will also be four different types of collector’s editions: Freedom Edition, Join Or Die Edition, Special Edition, and UbiWorkshop Edition; each with their own unique content and extra materials.

More information from the E3 conference can be found in part 2 of this article. The topics covered include naval battles, the multiplayer game, and even more on Connor’s abilities.

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The newest installment of Assassins Creed Revelations is still the same open and sprawling world that fans have come to know and love. Ubisoft Montreal has managed to produce yet another exciting and excellently crafted foray into the worlds of Assassin’s Creed. Sadly, it will also depress fans to know that Ezio’s story has come to its final chapter.

The overall feeling is that the game, like the highpoint of a feature film, should wrap up any unanswered questions regarding Ezio. As is tradition by now, the cities are beautifully rendered works of art that you happen to be able to climb all over. Constantinople itself is a vast city that features buildings of different heights and angles, a maze that can lead new players astray at first.

Historically accurate, these works of art disguised as set pieces are the play ground for the war between the Assassins and the Templar Order. The Brotherhood element makes a return as well, with wider ranges in character design and a wider variety of training mission’s right out of the gate.

The recruitment missions for brotherhood assassins are also more in depth, requiring a greater amount of work to cultivate a new member of the Assassin Order. The much larger character possibilities for the recruits adds a very natural feel to the game.

If you’ve played through most of the preceding games you’ll find familiarity in the combat system, but find a welcome addition of a secondary weapon wheel which splits the weapon selection interface into two wheels. This is a great improvement from previous games where changing between weapons and tools under pressure could be awkward and frustrating.

You’ll still be able to set weapons and tools for quick use on the D pad, but there are many options to choose from. Surely to the joy of players, the addition of the hook blade is a fantastically tactile weapon that draws you even further into the mayhem. Its use in combat seems just as brutal as the initial introduction of the second hidden blade in the left arm from previous games.

The hook blade also has its advantages in traveling across the city, its tactical advantage is quite clear for roof top assassinations around Constantinople. You’ll need all the help you can get, Archers from past games are gone, replaced with Long Distance Riflemen.

Items found in the natural environment similar to money chests can now create bombs and grenades of sorts that have a much larger affect than in previous games. Not a strong mainline weapon by nature, the use of explosives in the game has always been something of a secondary, not often used feature.

In this iteration however, the Assassins will have their hands full setting these weapons on unsuspecting enemies all across the city in both the single player campaign and the multi-player. Also new is the Den Defense feature, basically a side quest to defend Assassin Den’s from waves of Templar’s.

It isn’t a bad tower defense style gaming extra but it does create noticeable frustration for the player at first when trying to figure out the controls, which only offer brief explanations while playing. This feature has potential to be very addicting but sadly remains unrefined and future versions will require a great deal more polish.

The Eagle Vision feature has also been given a generous upgrade with target path prediction now a standard feature. Ubisoft has given you the ability to know ahead of time, the standard patrol route of any target that you so choose.

Veteran players can breath easier because using the rooftops is a choice rather than a chore, especially since Revelations replaces Archers with Long Distance Riflemen. Additionally, in certain situations, Eagle Vision will ferret out false doors for you as well. The online multi-player brings an entirely new and literal meaning to the phrase ‘know thine enemy well’ as you play the role of a fledgling Templar in Abstergo.

As you play you’ll gain major insight into the inner workings of Abstergo. Right off the bat you’ll have customization options and be able to strategize in game with tons of new game-play modes and rewards. New players will adjust to the learning curve and even veteran players will need to get back into the swing of things.

As a Templar this time around, you’ll still have fun playing this newer more streamlined multi-player. Speaking of new appearances, if you’ve paid attention to the glyphs that Ezio has come across in the last few Assassins’ games you’ll know about Subject 16 and the brief vision that Desmond has of him.

From early on in the first Assassin Creed games we learn that Desmond has been given a message from Subject 16. All is not well at Abstergo Industries, as subjects are kept under lock and key, sometimes for good reason. Desmond’s part in the game is much more engaging than in the past, but still seems to be only an appetizer, rather than a full meal itself.

Also making his presence felt from previous games is Altair, the Assassin from the first Assassins Creed game with the city of Masyaf. His memories are integral to the progression of the game, as they delve into parts of his history not seen in the first Assassins Creed game.

Glimpses into Altair’s life have been featured after the release of the first Assassin’s title but here you’ll have a more fully fledged playing experience as Altair again. At the heart of Assassin’s Creed is still the same game-play that fans will know and love. There are a few changes here and there in the already excellently established game-play elements to keep things fresh.

Ultimately the driving force behind this excellent series has always been its characters, with us experiencing their thoughts and feelings as well as witnessing their actions as we journey through their lives. A gamer may just play the game, but a true fan of the series is emotionally invested in the health of the entire series.

Only time will tell what else can happen in our battle between the Assassins and the Templar’s.

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