Assassin's Creed III - The Infamy

The first DLC of Assassin's Creed 3 refreshes the gameplay of the series with the stealth-based mechanics of the wolf power, a power that gives Connor a new set of abilities but without making him overpowered. The main mission lasts for a couple of hours, but there's plenty of extra content for those looking for the complete synchronization.

This episode is the beginning of this all-fictional spin on the main antagonist’s actions, and if it keeps up the pace is sure to offer a lot of diverse, exciting gameplay never before seen in the series.

An enjoyably daft storyline. [Apr 2013, p.80]

In The Infamy, the first of three episodes of Assassin's Creed 3 DLC that make up a campaign set in an alternate history, Washington trades virtue for monarchal power: The Tyranny of King Washington.

The Tyranny of King Washington changes the way you play Assassin’s Creed 3: the new powers are a lot of fun to use and the new story, in this parallel world, could be intriguing. We want to use the wolf, eagle and bear power in the main story too!

If Assassin's Creed 3 saw the series gracefully soar back into full flight, Tyranny is where it lets you strap on a jet-pack for the next adventure.

If you play Assassin’s Creed primarily for the single-player experience, The Tyranny of King Washington is definitely worth it. Think of it in terms of Marvel’s alternate-storyline What If comics: It’s fun for what it is, but it doesn’t surpass the original in terms of enjoyment.

The Infamy gives us an interesting ‘what if’ concept. We see Washington as this crazy lunatic, instead of the American Patriot. Besides that, we can run more in the world of Assassin’s Creed III and killing the enemies still feels so good.

As if the lure of an evil founding father weren't enough, The Tyranny of King Washington ups the action with enjoyable new abilities and a stimulating plot.

Lasting about three hours, this $10 first act has a hard time standing on its own.

Early on, you’re given mindless, nearly scripted busywork like chasing after Bluecoats intent on lighting powder kegs, and overall, the first half of Infamy’s 2.5-hour journey is a jarring mix of rushed action and s-l-o-w activities, without the freedom of ACIII’s open world to balance it out.

An admirably imaginative approach to downloadable content that has a better story than the main game, but not quite enough variety in action and missions.

Despite a slow start, this DLC offers an alternative vision and storyline that translates in the gameplay as well, and will undoubtedly please Assassin's Creed III's fans. Too bad, though, that it's fragmented in three episodes - in terms of price, it's best to opt for the season pass.

It's good to see Ubisoft completely rewriting history, rather than just slightly altering it, to spin one of the series' most absurd and intriguing yarns. Washington as a comical cartoon villain is entertaining, and the Wolf Cloak makes stealth less frustrating than it was in the vanilla game. Still, it isn't a vastly different experience, and if you've already bled Assassin's Creed 3 dry, you might find this add-on a little too familiar at times.

It's the story that shines here. All pretense of historical accuracy has been thrown out of the window, and it's the most absurd Assassin's Creed plot yet - which is saying something.

The Infamy is a little bit too dependent on the assumed purchase of the other two packs. With a cliffhanger ending, and memory fragments to collect across multiple episodes, it's clear that it will be much more poignant as a complete story.

The Infamy is just a short introduction to The Tyranny of King Washington and as such isn't of much value. The story seems intriguing, but it's much too short. Same thing with the gameplay - new skills are interesting, but there's not enough time to use them. The Tyranny of King Washington has the potential to be a great expansion, but if you're not a fan, don't buy this first episode and wait at least for one more.

As a standalone episode, 'Tyranny of King Washington: Part One' falls a little short of expectations. In particular, the missions feel overly familiar, while the new ability is an extension of the already well developed stealth system.