For the uninformed, Assassin's Creed III is actually the fifth instalment in the historical/sci-fi action adventure series thats essentially Avatar meets Masterpiece Theater - except this time Ubisoft traded Middle Ages serfdom for (American) colonial angst and a new protagonist; Connor. The European setting of the previous Assassin's Creed games were beautifully realised and rendered, but unless you had a passion for the middle-ages, a lot of the 'real' historical details and Easter eggs flew right over the head of the average player. However, most players would be far more familiar with the folks involved in the revolutionary war, and have a better working knowledge of its events. The change in setting and plot was enough to get a lot of people - especially American people - excited. Couple that with an incredible first trailer featuring an all-star cast of 1770's-era heroes that ended with a wonderfully brutal musket assassination, and it was clear ACIII was going to be the most accessible Assassin's Creed game yet. And unfortunately all that positive energy and excitement withered in the face of the same problem Assassin's Creed had - schizophrenia. For starters ACIII's first several missions have you controlling a completely different character who is far more interesting, competent, and intriguing than Connor could ever hope to be, made worse by the fact that once you do get control of Connor the game spends quite a lot of time teaching you things you already know - and won't really need - to progress through the game. Then theres mini-games, meta-games, resource-gathering and management goals to complete - and about a half dozen other things that increase the dollars-to-gameplay value exponentially - but they all feel increasingly disjointed and pointless. Unfortunately Assassin's Creed III felt like a missed opportunity - the hype was there for a new AC experience that wasn't hampered by esoteric side-missions, and instead we got a game where in the span of five minutes you're required to skin a beaver and pilot a pirate ship - yet still somehow believe the plight of Connor and his friends.
