2. The Assassinations
In Assassin's Creed 3 being an assassin sometimes feels like an afterthought. In the primary story missions, there are only a small handful of people Connor is required to kill. Added to this, the actual assassination contracts are, well.. surprisingly lame. Let me give you an example of how the two games handle these optional missions, to show you the difference... Venice. Late 15th Century. Ezio Auditore clambers up the side of a building to get to a very special pigeon coop (one of maybe 3 scattered throughout the city). After you activate it, the game cuts to a shot of Ezio taking out a carrier pigeon. A mission opens up, with a specific brief about your contract. The brief explains that a noble is working with the Templars - your sworn enemies - and must be eliminated. It outlines the relationship between this man and the enemy and hence why he must be stopped. Doing so reminds you of the bigger picture, there is more than Ezio's quest for revenge at stake, there is still a war happening around you - the war of Templar vs Assassin - and it is one that must be fought in the shadows. The note then informs you that a man will be waiting for you in a gondola near the docks at a specified location.You must follow behind this gondola - and not lose it - to the location and kill the target. You see the location on your map and make your way across rooftops and climb down, seeing the man in the gondola, who begins to paddle. You can swim along behind, take to the rooftops and follow from above, or navigate through the city streets and attempt to keep up. (I decided to do a mixture of all three because the man went under bridges and through canals which made it more difficult to keep a bead on him). After tracking the gondola around the city for a while, the man turns out towards the open sea and heads toward a ship. You get a quick shot of your target. He has an armed escort with him. Swimming around the back of the ship, you climb up onto the railing just below the target's feet, and punch your hidden blade into his back and drag him into the drink. The guard draws his sword and advances on you. You can stay and fight the guard or dive back into the water and make your escape. I decide to take him on since I can always use more loot... Boston. Late1700s. Connor Kenway goes to see a man about an assassination contract. The man is waiting for you on the street. In plain day. In public. After clicking on the man he says thank you. No information is given about the target, but it appears on your map. You go to the location a few streets down and there he is. He looks like a civilian. You walk up to him and plunge your blade into his back. He dies. People on the street wonder what happened, but there is very little commotion. You go about your day. Now I was expecting Ubisoft to put at least a little thought into these contracts since, AC2 did such an awesome job and you know, killing people is part of what you do! Connor's path may be different to Ezio's, but his profession, his mission - his Creed - is the same. This was disappointing to see, especially when they managed to include so many other features that could have been left out in order to make these a more satisfying experience.