Assassin's Creed III
Preview
The New World
by Dru Law
previewed on PC
U.S. Involvement, cont.
Ubisoft is ditching the familiar medieval cityscapes and adopting the harsh forests of the Northeast United States. Instead of hopping from building to building to elude authorities or sneak up on a target, you will, often times, be stalking them from the treetops. Not to say there will be no urban settings, Boston and New York are to be featured in the game as well. Ubisoft claims to have created a more gritty and realistic depiction of American towns in the time surrounding 1776. The interaction between non-playable characters is said to have the actual feel of the hustle and bustle of a living city.
Over the past few years, many games have claimed to capture the feel of a virtual world filled with individuals who have priorities of their own. This mechanic further enhances the immersion into this ‘new’ New World Ubisoft has created. Time will tell if Assassin’s Creed III has taken the next step in NPC interactions.
Creative Freedom
After the release of Assassin’s Creed II Ubisoft Montreal began work on Assassin’s Creed III while their Ubisoft partners expanded the existing Assassin’s Creed universe. This allowed them to create the Assassin’s Creed III they had in their heads without having to compromise in order to meet deadlines. Ubisoft has said this game will be more like Assassin’s Creed 3.5.
Any fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise knows that climbing and traversing whatever environment you are thrust into in a fluid way is a key component to the game. The already advanced climbing system has been improved by bringing in professional climbers to model Connor’s movements with the latest motion capture technology. He will be scaling cliffs and trees as well as buildings and his motions had to adapt to suit these changes. Weather, seasons, and time will dynamically change the environment. Navigating through waist deep snow during the winter will make Connor significantly less mobile. The seasons will cause significant shifts in the terrain, which Ubisoft claims will be like traversing an entirely new area. The idea definitely has potential but they wouldn’t be the first to attempt it.
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
Assassin’s Creed III will feature the Anvil Next engine, which has been produced from the ground up over the past years to be debuted in Assassin’s Creed III. Anvil Next will allow smoother animations, improved A.I., and an expanded capacity of characters and animations on the screen. This will allow the simulation of some of the major battles Assassin’s Creed III will feature, such as Lexington, Concord, and Valley Forge. Ubisoft’s aim is to replicate the immensity of the skirmishes by having over 1000 individual characters on screen moving independent of one another. Connor will deftly navigate a battlefield filled with hundreds of Red Coats and American soldiers. The cinematic interactions between characters has all been motion captured extensively in sets that mimic the environment, making interactions between the game’s pivotal characters fluid and realistic. Anvil Next is touted as a next gen experience for this generation. The time and resources necessary for such a promise have been invested and we will see if they pay off.
Although I am excited to find out how many of these promises Assassin’s Creed III will fulfill, I can’t help but rein in my expectations. Too often titles like this fall short of the sky-high expectations they incur. In a year a little thin with blockbuster titles, I am personally adding Assassin’s Creed III to my buy list. It is safe to look forward to experiencing the next real chapter in the Assassin’s Creed journey. We can cautiously hope the franchise will capitalize on the game’s full potential.
