3. The Character And Story
Sigh, I can feel everyone who's ever played the Ezio trilogy burning an effigy of me after reading those words. I'm not saying Connor's better than Ezio. He isn't. Or is he? No. No he is not. Connor is not as well loved as Ezio, mostly because a lot of people found him bland and unexciting. While I can see their point, think about the character for a second. Ezio started his journey with bloodlust and a dire need for vengeance for his murdered father and brothers. Connor had similar circumstances, with his village being burned and his mother dying. However, he never wanted revenge, he wanted peace. He wanted freedom for his people, but was naive and believed that helping the Patriots would directly help his people. While I think his realisation of his mistake is far too subtle, it is important to notice how the enemies at the end of the game are actually the Americans, and think about the last scene. He's watching the British leaving, turns, and sees slaves being sold on the street. It's the realisation that everything he had worked for meant nothing. Imagine that for a second. You dedicate thirty years of your life to something, just to see failure. He would be crushed. It's a terrible ending for him, but is thought provoking for the player. One problem with the lead up to the game was people accusing it of being far too anti-British. I, too my irritation, occasionally still see these comments today. The game was not anti-British, or pro-American. Like I said, the enemies at the end of the game are the Americans, and George Washington is portrayed as a coward, a terrible leader and is actually the one responsible for the burning of Connor's village. Read his Animus Database entry. So yeah....he's not a great guy. Also, I personally think his relationship with Achilles is great (though could have used expansion...). It's that almost father-son relationship; they're always fighting, but you know how much they actually care for each other.