Assassin's Creed III

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1402 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 738 out of 1402
  2. Mixed: 413 out of 1402
  3. Negative: 251 out of 1402
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  1. Raikazu
    Aug 15, 2013
    7
    Another great take in the Assassin's Creed series. It's not perfect by any meas: the voice acting is poor, the characters occasionally feel far from fleshed out and the movement is not always as precise as it should be. However the cinematic quality and the general storyline is well mapped out and putting Connor in the midst of key historical events made for a very engaging experience. OneAnother great take in the Assassin's Creed series. It's not perfect by any meas: the voice acting is poor, the characters occasionally feel far from fleshed out and the movement is not always as precise as it should be. However the cinematic quality and the general storyline is well mapped out and putting Connor in the midst of key historical events made for a very engaging experience. One of the few games that made me want to research it's subjects and topics and shows that the medium can be used not just to entertain but (in a loose way) educate without losing gameplay.… Expand
  2. dubz88
    Apr 27, 2013
    7
    Assassin's Creed 3 is a game with so much potential to be an amazing game but littered with problems that prevent it from being a great game. While I did finish the game in its entirety, I felt like I wanted to give up on it multiple times throughout my time with it. However, upon completing it I quickly traded it in and haven't looked back.

    While the game doesn't take place in such    Assassin's Creed 3 is a game with so much potential to be an amazing game but littered with problems that prevent it from being a great game. While I did finish the game in its entirety, I felt like I wanted to give up on it multiple times throughout my time with it. However, upon completing it I quickly traded it in and haven't looked back.

    While the game doesn't take place in such grandiose environments such as ancient Rome and Jerusalem, early America does provide a rather interesting environment for the latest game in the series. Climbing and jumping from tree to tree while you stalk a group of British soldiers and pouncing at the right moment to unless a fury of death by tomahawk was particularly satisfying. I also enjoyed being the counter animations that Connor engages in when attacking multiple enemies and being able to use a single enemy as a human shield while being shot at by a line of muskets. This little details were the highlights of my game experience and kept me wanting to fight every British soldier I could find.

    However, this enjoyment was swiftly crushed by the numerous technical glitches I ran into it and severely underdeveloped game elements. One such element, is the hunting aspect that is introduced in the beginning of the game and becomes completely unnecessary and essentially never used again throughout the game. The Homestead missions were also more of a pain to complete rather than an enjoyment. Many of the NPCs are forgettable and I ended up forcing myself to complete this missions for the sake of completion rather than desire. The "trade" system is also underutilized, which allows you to collect crafting materials from the NPCs in the Homestead and use them to create things such as chairs and barrells to sell through a convoy to cities such as Boston and New York. I also couldn't standing the optional objectives in the majority of the missions. Some are understandable such as not being detected when eavesdropping on a conversation. However, others end up completely the destroying the enjoyment of the game such as "not touching anyone" while chasing someone through a street that the game has made more crowded for this particular mission. While these optional objectives aren't necessary to complete the mission, I wanted to complete all of the missions with the highest amount of "sync" which quickly became a fruitless endeavour if I wanted to keep my controller in tact.

    One particular feature of the game stands out above almost the rest of the game entirely, which was the naval battles. The naval battles could be a game in itself and I have not experienced anything like it before playing this game. Although, given the fact that this game should be focused on being an assassin, being the captain of ship shouldn't be the best part.

    I wanted to like Assassin's Creed 3 and it's not a bad game but it doesn't deserve the perfect scores it has received, especially in comparison to earlier entries to the franchise. I'm looking at you Ezio.    … Expand
  3. HanYolo
    May 17, 2013
    7
    Firstly I would like to say that Assassin's Creed 3 is an enjoyable game. All the elements that made the previous games so much fun are still present, but, in a similar way to Fallout: New Vegas, AC3 doesn't do much to improve upon the previous game other than a new setting. Having said that, this is good news if you loved the previous game in the series and just wanted more of the sameFirstly I would like to say that Assassin's Creed 3 is an enjoyable game. All the elements that made the previous games so much fun are still present, but, in a similar way to Fallout: New Vegas, AC3 doesn't do much to improve upon the previous game other than a new setting. Having said that, this is good news if you loved the previous game in the series and just wanted more of the same once you'd completed it.

    The new, vastly different setting and historical context does give the game a completely different feel and freshens the series. It's cool to experience a very different point in history, especially one that is so much closer to the present day, so much more relevant and set a lot closer to home for many players.

    The new setting means there are lots of trees which you can climb, which might sound novel but it's basically just the same thing as climbing a building, except your in the middle of nowhere with no reason to climb the tree...

    The naval battles are probably the biggest addition to the series (and were basically the only reason I got the game) but really don't feature that heavily in the storyline. I thought that concept would really get milked but as far as I can tell there is only one point in the game when you get to board another ship which was disappointing as it was a really promising area that was a lot of fun.

    The biggest disappointment in this game (and it was a huge disappointment) is the storyline. For most of the story I really had no idea WHY Connor was doing what he was doing, and at many times it seems like he doesn't know either. And to be honest, the game didn't really do anything to make me care. There doesn't seem to be that much of a purpose to him going around assassinating people. Every cut scene tries to add some ambiguity surrounding what's right and wrong, and who the real bad guy is, but just end up confusing everything even more. It's all left very vague. Every twist that the storyline takes just makes it worse and seems to give Connor LESS of a reason to fight. Ultimately, he's only assassinating people because he's the main character in a game called "Assassin's Creed 3".

    And the ending... Don't even get me started on the ending... It's the worst ending of any game series I've ever played. It might be the worst ending to any game series ever. Assassin's Creed (not to mention all of the fans) deserved more. This shouldn't really affect your decision to buy the game because it doesn't affect the gameplay but you will be left disappointed. I myself stared at the screen going "...is that it?..." (it's not very long either) and then sat through what must have been 20-30 minutes of credits to see if I was actually only half way through the game.

    AC3 is a fun game and if you liked the previous games you'll like this one just as much, but this game isn't reinventing the wheel. There's nothing revolutionary here (ironically).    … Expand
  4. callumjsouth
    Dec 7, 2014
    7
    Assassin's Creed III's poor combat mechanics are made up for by a game which gives us perhaps the first proper open world in an Assassin's Creed game. The story won't do much for you, neither will the weak characters in it. Multiple environments on land are there to be explored as well as the open water. The introduction of naval combat, hunting and a nifty little homestead make Assassin'sAssassin's Creed III's poor combat mechanics are made up for by a game which gives us perhaps the first proper open world in an Assassin's Creed game. The story won't do much for you, neither will the weak characters in it. Multiple environments on land are there to be explored as well as the open water. The introduction of naval combat, hunting and a nifty little homestead make Assassin's Creed III the first in the series to give us sufficient freedom.… Expand
  5. Sergiohs
    Dec 27, 2013
    7
    Great graphics and features but poor history and the main character is just not charismatic like Ezio or Altair. Lots of boring stealth missions.. Not very fun I just want to finish it quick to get to the next one..
  6. lord_jex
    Sep 11, 2013
    7
    Un titulo interesante debido a su anterior saga, pero con unos altibajos notables: Los gráficos se podría decir que incluso han empeorado respecto a los últimos Assassin's Creeds, pero lo importante aquí reside en otras cosas como la nave Aquila, sin duda algo perfecto, un gran barco disponible para realizar batallas navales, el bajo: No se puede usar en un modo libre. En mi opinión, elUn titulo interesante debido a su anterior saga, pero con unos altibajos notables: Los gráficos se podría decir que incluso han empeorado respecto a los últimos Assassin's Creeds, pero lo importante aquí reside en otras cosas como la nave Aquila, sin duda algo perfecto, un gran barco disponible para realizar batallas navales, el bajo: No se puede usar en un modo libre. En mi opinión, el nuevo traje de Connor es bueno, recordando el estilo de la saga, pero en la compra de este articulo parece haber poco en lo que elegir, otra cosa que me gusto fue la posibilidad de llamar al caballo, pero el bajo es sus continuos errores, cuando entra en el agua en ocasiones se crea un bug, al igual que es muy ficicil montarlo si vas por el bosque. Como he dicho un buen juego, no me decepcionó, pero tambien tiene errores que necesitan ser pulidos.… Expand
  7. DannVM
    Jun 27, 2014
    7
    I am big fan of the saga, but it game I thought very weak, few hours of gameplay, worst story just graphic is crazy this very beautiful.
    The person is very weak too.
  8. br_1245
    Nov 5, 2018
    7
    A ambientação e o contexto histórico são excelentes, algumas mecânicas e o ritmo por vezes deixam a desejar. Infelizmente a parte final é deveras frustrante. Tipico produto que não é ruim , mas claramente poderia ser melhor do que seu resultado final.
  9. Cementer200
    Sep 28, 2020
    7
    Assassin's Creed III is a average game. AC3 is a open world game set in America during the american revolution. The main story is good and bad the side missions and activities are great the gameplay is a upgrade from Assassin's Creed Revelations.
  10. AltairMorhen
    Jan 27, 2021
    7
    It's a shame that this game has a gameplay so fluid and pleasant (for me, the best so far), but the history it's a complete mess. Seems like ubisoft ran out with the closure, making no sense at all the relationship with Connor and Haytham... The killings were so vague and the Acquiles increases nothing to the plot... It's really a shame to see the history ruin the awesome gameplay.
  11. CloudStrife05
    Aug 17, 2021
    7
    For me AC3 just didn't do it. The story was alright and the protagonist Connor felt very bland. The one really good thing about this game was the introduction of Haytham Kenway as the antagonist.
  12. JJ2FAS4U
    Dec 28, 2021
    7
    Atmosphere: 8
    Enjoyment: 7
    Gameplay: 7
    Graphics: 8
    Music: 7
    Story: 7
    Total: 7.33
  13. Jerg4n
    Apr 7, 2023
    7
    A breath of fresh air the series needed, for better or for worse. The new physics feel smoother, the visuals are better, the combat is snappier etc. The game doesn't really do that good of a job at explaining it's mechanics to the player, which led me to not like it that much on my first playthrough, but knowing how everything worked at the start made my second playthrough way more enjoyable.
  14. Captiosus
    Nov 2, 2012
    6
    I've got 13 hours of playing the game and my thoughts are a complete mixed bag. I WANT to love this game because I enjoyed prior AC titles AND I'm a huge U.S. history geek. Thankfully, I can say it's not the era of the game that disappoints me as they've done a good job of making it feel as though you're in the colonies and 18th century cities. My disappointment stems, almost entirely,I've got 13 hours of playing the game and my thoughts are a complete mixed bag. I WANT to love this game because I enjoyed prior AC titles AND I'm a huge U.S. history geek. Thankfully, I can say it's not the era of the game that disappoints me as they've done a good job of making it feel as though you're in the colonies and 18th century cities. My disappointment stems, almost entirely, from gameplay changes. |||| First, combat feels like it's taken two steps backwards. Trying to target is an exercise in frustration. The same can be said for melee combat itself where often I find I end up button mashing - something I NEVER did in previous AC games - because the timing of counters, counter grabs, and attacks are WAY off. Ranged combat is just painful in part because of the weapons of the era (yay muzzle loaded rifle reload times!) and because the ranged weapon options are SEVERELY lacking in this iteration. |||| Second, the number and rapidity of cutscenes is ridiculous. Even my wife, who is decidedly a non-gamer, has noticed this fact, commenting on more than one occasion that she thought I was watching a movie, not playing a game. And this is someone who has seen me play damn near every Final Fantasy game for the last 15 years. There are entirely too many portions of the game, thus far, where you run from one "mission" (which was a cutscene) to another mission only to find out that, too, is a cutscene. |||| Third: New Engine equals new fun things (such as ships) but LOTS of bugs. I have died about a dozen times in Frontier because Connor has fallen through a texture - usually by a rock or tree - and then free falls for several minutes before the game considers it a "desync". Climbing objects is also riddled with bugs, especially in urban environments where it's possible for the game to glitch and not recognize a ledge as climbable in one instance but then work fine a few minutes later. |||| Fourth, and finally, the writing is terribly predictable and trite. For a game that forces you into so many cutscenes, it's sad that most of them are yawn worthy and uninspiring. ||| If I could give it a 6.5, I would, but rounding up to 7 would be too high, IMO. If you're a diehard AC fan, you'll be disappointed in the "downgrades" to the combat and Animus systems. If you're a diehard Revolutionary War geek, you'll be disappointed because (despite the ads) that only makes up a small part of the game. If you're a gamer who appreciates a good story, you'll be disappointed by the story and presentation of AC3. It's probably worth a rental, but maybe not a purchase - and certainly NOT worth a purchase PLUS the "season's pass".… Expand
  15. SeenNotScene
    Nov 28, 2012
    6
    Meh. I had a hard time completing this one. Graphics were good, fighting was pretty good, sorry was ho hum. The glitches... And so early on in the game. One of the first missions I took cover and flew straight up into the air and fell to my death. Amusing, but annoying from a AAA game. I would say rent it but you probably won't finish it. I expected much better I suppose.
  16. Necrotaur
    Dec 19, 2012
    6
    The Assassin's Creed series was in desperate need of a change of setting and protagonist. It got one, but the replacements are lackluster. The impressive architecture of Rome/Constantinople has been replaced with 2 story brick houses and the occasional tall tree. As far as storyline, it's as ham-fisted as ever. You're along for the ride at literally every major Revolutionary event but haveThe Assassin's Creed series was in desperate need of a change of setting and protagonist. It got one, but the replacements are lackluster. The impressive architecture of Rome/Constantinople has been replaced with 2 story brick houses and the occasional tall tree. As far as storyline, it's as ham-fisted as ever. You're along for the ride at literally every major Revolutionary event but have no real reason to be, all the while being preached at by various characters. Connor, being half-Native American, could have been a really interesting character, but after the introductory sequences his heritage is almost never brought up again. Controls are very awkward, and I found myself getting stuck on small objects and corners, and if I was on a horse is was almost faster if I just went on foot. Combat is simplistic enough that you could probably play it on an old NES controller, which might be a good thing considering how freaking many guards there are walking around. Seriously, it's about a 1/1 ratio of civilians to guards in major towns. The only real bright spots I found were the naval battles (I enjoyed them enough that I could almost see an expanded version of them being a standalone game) and the character of Haytham. Wading through the snow during winter was also a nice touch.… Expand
  17. cub317
    Oct 16, 2013
    6
    Unlike most people, I actually like this game better than Assassin's Creed II. However, that still doesn't mean that I love this game. As a matter of fact, I have to say that this game is average at best. This game has a lot of the same problems I have had with Assassin's Creed II, but it is still slightly better for other reasons. For one, the graphics have been very much improved.Unlike most people, I actually like this game better than Assassin's Creed II. However, that still doesn't mean that I love this game. As a matter of fact, I have to say that this game is average at best. This game has a lot of the same problems I have had with Assassin's Creed II, but it is still slightly better for other reasons. For one, the graphics have been very much improved. While they are still outdated (not on par with Skyrim or Batman Arkham City, both of which came out a year before this), they are still very good. The gameplay is not too bad either. However, after playing it, I cannot deny its many similarities with Batman Arkham City. That's essentially what the gameplay is as a matter of fact, a toned down version of the combat system in Batman Arkham City. This still makes the gameplay generic like Assassin's Creed II, however, I did love Batman Arkham City's combat system, and I am pretty glad it was used here. The game also has a little more to do in it than Rocksteady's Batman epic, however, most of these tasks are rather boring. Arkham City had Batman solving crimes, while this game has you collecting trinkets for a man you care little about. Naval battles were a nice touch to this game however. It does keep this game from getting too generic like Assassin's Creed II, but considering that they make up less than half of the game's missions, it won't help all that much. The gameplay also still has several glitches, a few of them game-breaking. If Ubisoft really wants this series to be amazing, they need to stop releasing these games with so many bugs in them. The story of this game however, still completely sucks. The present story is still in there, and should be removed from the game entirely. Its plot is confusing as heck, and is still a complete rip-off of the Matrix. As for the story set in the past, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the story is no longer ripping off any comic books (at least, not as much as the last game). The bad news is now it is ripping off another very good movie. This time, it is ripping off Star Wars. The story has you taking control of an Assassin named Luke Skywalker, I mean Connor (who is essentially a Native American version of Batman), who has everything he loves taken from him, his tribe, his mother, everything. He then goes to a wise old mentor named Yoda, I mean Achilles, to teach him the ways of the Jedi, I mean Assassin. He also learns that one of the main villains of this game is his father named Darth Vader, I mean Haytham Kenway. Do you see where I'm saying it is a Star Wars knock-off? The game still has a very unique setting. I do love how it takes place in Colonial times, which is an era not often explored in video games. I also love how it takes place during the American Revolution, however, that does sort of add to how it is a rip-off of Star Wars, as there is another war between the Assassins and Templars happening along with the Americans and British. In Star Wars it was the Rebellion vs. The Empire along with Jedi vs. Sith. Overall, I'd say that this game is an improvement from Assassin's Creed II, but still not a game that I would call great. I'd say that this game is worth a rent at best. However, if you want something better than this, it would probably be for the best that you skip this game entirely, and spend your money on a game like Batman Arkham Asylum or Arkham City.… Expand
  18. Akuda
    Nov 22, 2012
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So I just finished Assassin's Creed 3... um... really guys? That's how you end it? I mean really?! I mean I didn't think it could get any worse after limping my way to a bar and anticlimactically killing Charles Lee (The main all-powerful bad guy in the game) by simply leaning over casually and stabbing him, but it did... So a global aurora borealis happens and then whaaa?! Nothing?! Just credits and a glimpse of the mountain alien/A.I./whatever as it walks off chiding about it's victory? I know that may seem cryptic, but that's how it fuggin ends folks! Sorry if I'm ruining this for anyone but this game deserves to be ruined. It deserves it because it soiled the hours I put into completing the great 2/3 of the game I did like.

    So right before you chase down Charles Lee, through a horribly scripted burning boat scene, I'd advise anyone playing this game right now to eject the game disc, smash it, and then send the remains to "I wonder why were going bankrupt? Oh yeah..." Ubisoft. Because that would be an infinitely better ending than the one they eventually give you.

    Oh yeah and **** pivots. C+    … Expand
  19. flexasaurus
    Nov 5, 2012
    6
    Ive been a fan of the assassins creed game since the first one, so i was pretty exited to get this game in the mail. but the overall experience was to be honest disappointing. Pacing was off, glitches and clipping, choppy frame rates made it hard to swallow. The game does have some positive qualities, but its not redeeming. "anyone remember the chase sequence with hickey?" This one isIve been a fan of the assassins creed game since the first one, so i was pretty exited to get this game in the mail. but the overall experience was to be honest disappointing. Pacing was off, glitches and clipping, choppy frame rates made it hard to swallow. The game does have some positive qualities, but its not redeeming. "anyone remember the chase sequence with hickey?" This one is defiantly the weakest assassins creed to date, definitely trading this one in. Maybe next time Ubisoft...… Expand
  20. Chrispy92
    May 8, 2013
    6
    I really wanted to enjoy this game. But there are very large flaws in it that prevent me from remembering it in a positive light.

    It does have good strengths. Colonial America feels vast and suitably unique and fresh in the usual library of swords and armor adventure games. There's always something to do, always something to take a look at and have fun with. And the cities feel very    I really wanted to enjoy this game. But there are very large flaws in it that prevent me from remembering it in a positive light.

    It does have good strengths. Colonial America feels vast and suitably unique and fresh in the usual library of swords and armor adventure games. There's always something to do, always something to take a look at and have fun with. And the cities feel very interesting and lifelike. In addition, naval combat was surprisingly fun. It felt brilliantly epic to watch and hear a ship get obliterated by a full broadside from my cannons. And the multiplayer was as unique, involving and fun as it was in previous games.

    But then the big flaws drag everything down. For a start the game is buggy as hell. This would really break the immersion of the places I was in. Sometimes an NPC would just walk between two charcacters during a cinematic. Not cool. Second was that while Haytham is an interesting character to start off as, making me wait for 6 sequences before the game opened up was not good design. Then there was the Desmond storyline, which was just utterly disappointing.The plot twists get increasingly plain stupid, the Abstergo villain turns out to be a gigantic and I never had any more reasons to start giving a damn about the whole storyline. The eventual fate of Desmond indicates Ubisoft didn't either.

    But what really breaks the game is the level design. In every mission it constantly puts secondary objectives, game-over-if-you-are-seen restrictions and boundaries everywhere. There's not even a way to turn off the optional objectives from your screen. And every time you didn't get one of them right the game just loves to remind you of your failure with a big red cross at the end of the mission. This pissed me off to no end because it made me feel as if I was being punished for not playing the game THEIR way. In an open world game, where there are often multiple solutions to a problem, this is just terrible mission design.

    I wanted to like it, but in the end, I didn't feel like it was worth the hype. Not by a long shot.    … Expand
  21. GuruJoeyy
    Dec 15, 2012
    6
    Assassin's Creed III really has certain aspects that make it amazing, it is beautiful, the story really draws you in (you'll actually care about your objectives), and it has some really creative ideas. I rented the game even though I had heard some very colorful choices of words about it. I though they were all exaggerating, naturally as I thought the ability to make a disappointingAssassin's Creed III really has certain aspects that make it amazing, it is beautiful, the story really draws you in (you'll actually care about your objectives), and it has some really creative ideas. I rented the game even though I had heard some very colorful choices of words about it. I though they were all exaggerating, naturally as I thought the ability to make a disappointing Assassin's Creed game wasn't technologically possible yet. I was wrong, this game is a huge disappointment when compared to it's amazing and ingenious predecessors. The combat wasn't terrible but it was very limiting and confusing because of the LACK of things to do and choose from. Upgrading was a huge part of AC2+ and was one of the best parts of the game, collecting rare and powerful armors/weapons to fill my stores intrigued me. Don't get me wrong, it is definitely still possible to get different weapons and OUTFITS, but it is a pointless waste of time. The game is piss easy if you have a double digit IQ, run from enemies until your health returns enough to slaughter 30-40 enemies with ease. I found only 2 missions challenging me in any way what so ever, the one where you kill Pitcairne and when you are chasing Charles Lee in the final mission. But more then just challenge you, they jumped you, they are missions that will be the breaking point of many players due to the fact the game doesn't prepare you for any sort of difficulty. Not to mention the lack of choice on our part about how to go about the missions. In AC2, you literally got to choose how you did every single mission, there was multiple ways to do them all. But in AC3 you have 1 set mapped course you practically HAVE to take or you'll absolutely fail. The art was beautiful though most of the time, but I found myself cringing at the sudden implementing of playstation 1 graphics at some points, such as when jumping through the window to get the guy planning Washington's assassination it literally looked like something off a playstation 1. This is only one of the many points where it surprises you. It's not a game breaking problem obviously as the beautiful world outside those couple points plenty makes up for it. But I felt it was worth mentioning. There is of course the story which was very very creative in my mind except for Connor himself. Connor came off as EXACTLY what everyone called him, Naive and gullible, and overall blind to the world around him. He quickly switched sides with a few kind/harsh words and was very quick to anger and betray. A single thing out of place and he immediately assumed the worst and never investigated further, and even if the investigating was done for him and handed to him on a silver platter he would still hold hostility towards the person that he had a misunderstanding with. Overall the worst assassin to date, possessing no qualities and a VERY disappointing ending. At first I thought he was going to forgive Charles Lee and make himself look at least a little good. But it is also clear in the story where he got his stupidity from as his father was openly shown betrayal by Charles Lee and still defended him with his life. But other then the unlikable characters, the overall story was okay, the betrayal by Haytham was interesting, considering an assassin traitor was only mentioned one time before in the first game, and NEVER has an assassin betrayed the assassin's for the templars (obviously excluding Lucy as we'll never know her true intentions considering we found out Juno who killed her is now clearly untrustworthy.). The climbing/free running mechanics which were supposed to have been smoother and better controlled, were terrible to say the least, I often found myself running up a wall 5 feet away when chasing someone and taking the slow route when climbing over things (yes I'm aware of pressing A right before you get to an object makes him go over it faster, but the timing needed is crazy if you don't get it JUST right you'll end up jumping into it and making it take EVEN longer. Over all this game is nothing compared to it's predecessors even though it had some awesome new features there were a ton of bad ones introduced as well.… Expand
  22. Xenugears
    Nov 2, 2012
    6
    Assassin's Creed has lost it's edge in my opinion. The spectacle is there but the specialness (for lack of a better word) is gone. The setting is different this time around and I appreciate that but the formula is basically the same. Don't get me wrong, the series is still passable and (almost) worth $60 and I'm going to keep buying them but with a little less joy and excitement. YearlyAssassin's Creed has lost it's edge in my opinion. The spectacle is there but the specialness (for lack of a better word) is gone. The setting is different this time around and I appreciate that but the formula is basically the same. Don't get me wrong, the series is still passable and (almost) worth $60 and I'm going to keep buying them but with a little less joy and excitement. Yearly releases is only hastening my exasperation. Remember Me is going to be the next Assassin's Creed and will hopefully add a surge or energy to this stealth/memory genre.… Expand
  23. bluejay3463
    Nov 5, 2012
    6
    This game could have been a 9 except for one major problem.

    Bugs... lots of them. I have had to restart numerous missions because of bugs freezing missions, causing me to be stuck in the world, or causing some kind of failure. I could even accept the confusing and crappy UI in places, particularly in trading and crafting which is barely explained and way more complicated than it    This game could have been a 9 except for one major problem.

    Bugs... lots of them. I have had to restart numerous missions because of bugs freezing missions, causing me to be stuck in the world, or causing some kind of failure.

    I could even accept the confusing and crappy UI in places, particularly in trading and crafting which is barely explained and way more complicated than it should be. I even accept that there are going to be some glitches in an open world game.

    But the number of bugs in this game is far too great to be excused.    … Expand
  24. HarryManback
    Nov 11, 2012
    6
    Single player:
    Games are basically interactive movies at this point. In a movie, you would not have a character get built up like he is going to have one hell of a fight ahead of him and then not have a payoff at the end. That would be piss poor writing (or The Great White Hype). The problem is, that is what this movie does. Ezio was supposed to be teaching Desmond how to become a world    Single player:
    Games are basically interactive movies at this point. In a movie, you would not have a character get built up like he is going to have one hell of a fight ahead of him and then not have a payoff at the end. That would be piss poor writing (or The Great White Hype). The problem is, that is what this movie does. Ezio was supposed to be teaching Desmond how to become a world class assassin. Instead, we get an ending with no payoff for all the work Desmond has put in. Just a bland ending to the "trilogy".

    Multiplayer:
    Some refinements have been made to the multiplayer. If you liked the previous installments, chances are, you are going to like this one.    … Expand
  25. dherrick
    Nov 10, 2012
    6
    While this was my second favorite AC game in respect to the story, I was disappointed by some major aspects of the gameplay. I do not think it was necessary to have a ridiculous number of homestead quests while the world was full of glitches. Ubisoft could have fixed those and saved us from the monotony of those side missions. Falling through the world and having achievements broken toWhile this was my second favorite AC game in respect to the story, I was disappointed by some major aspects of the gameplay. I do not think it was necessary to have a ridiculous number of homestead quests while the world was full of glitches. Ubisoft could have fixed those and saved us from the monotony of those side missions. Falling through the world and having achievements broken to the point of needing to replay the entire game are not fun (only to name two of the many mentioned by others). This game could have earned a 9-10, but overlooked problems hurt how this title will be remembered. Time outside of the main story was spent in the wrong places. If you are a huge AC fan, wait to buy this until they fix the problems or you will risk having a poor experience.… Expand
  26. hawaiianhappy
    Nov 11, 2012
    6
    If I were to rank the games in order I would put assassins creed 2 at the top, brotherhood second, assassins creed 1 third, this game 4th, and revelations 5th. The game could be summarized as mediocre. Setting: The main story contains large detailed maps, but the problem is that it doesn't have any large buildings to climb like in assassins creed 2 and brotherhood or even revelations,If I were to rank the games in order I would put assassins creed 2 at the top, brotherhood second, assassins creed 1 third, this game 4th, and revelations 5th. The game could be summarized as mediocre. Setting: The main story contains large detailed maps, but the problem is that it doesn't have any large buildings to climb like in assassins creed 2 and brotherhood or even revelations, not only that the game doesn't have that beautiful setting like Venice, I really loved Venice in assassins creed 2, it's a very colorful place, plenty of fun things in the game. Puzzles. Assassins creed 2 had tons of puzzles and they revealed pieces of a truth that was really fun. Every time I completed one i looked at what I've gathered to add more to this truth story, more importantly the puzzles had history to them and conspiracy theories, it actually gets pretty creepy. Brotherhood did the same but not to the same extent. So far I have not found anything like this, but I'm guessing they didn't do it...

    Story: It's ok, Gameplay: not as many personal assassinations. I find myself in a lot of missions where you have to run in and kill all the guards like a wild man, no stealth at all. I like putting in multiple objectives though. There are a lot of bugs, I sometimes find my character spazzing out and just standing still and taking hits. The health system is lousy, it's basically assassins creed 1, no potions, regenerate health. The combat system is probably the worst of all the games, and here is why, you have the occasional QUICK **** TIME EVENTS. I just finished resident evil 6 and at this point i never want to touch QTE AGAIN. But lo and behold this game had to put that in the game. It's not as many as RE6 but seriously, why the hell did they do this? Why does the world think QTE = gameplay??? Seriously the combat could be interpreted as QTE. Wolf attacks you, game prompts O, you hit O, then prompts square. It feels like god of war like QTE, but the thing about god of war is that you aren't forced to do QTE, that's only if you choose to grab. Side missions: There are plenty of those, so that's good.

    Some of the bugs ive seen: People talking without moving their mouths in a cutscene, guard who wont die, my character spazzing out. One of the three will happen every hour.

    There was this one part where you have to be an eagle and follow another fire eagle... here we witness something I like to call "Crazy Camera Mode." You get to this one point where you hit the mountains and a white light comes and next thing you know you see winter trees right in front of you. It's **** how the camera works here. Graphics are fine, nothing new though

    Overall it gets a 6/10. It has a lot of problems but nothing makes it unplayable.    … Expand
  27. chujfugh
    Dec 30, 2012
    6
    What is Assassin's Creed 3's core mechanic? Is it stealth? No, because if one enemy spots you, all enemies are instantly aware of your position somehow. Even though there's an indicator for how much an enemy can see you, and it's plenty fun to sneak up behind an enemy, sometimes my character would do something stupid because I didn't press the buttons contextually enough for the gamesWhat is Assassin's Creed 3's core mechanic? Is it stealth? No, because if one enemy spots you, all enemies are instantly aware of your position somehow. Even though there's an indicator for how much an enemy can see you, and it's plenty fun to sneak up behind an enemy, sometimes my character would do something stupid because I didn't press the buttons contextually enough for the games liking, and most of the missions don't involve stealth but when they do it's controller- snappingly obtuse. Is it hack and slash combat? Maybe, because there are plenty enemies in one vicinity at once and jumping in there taking them all out Arkham-style is really fun, but the game wants you to be unnoticed, you know, with the big inconspicuous hood and all, so killing everyone that looks at you funny isn't the optimal solution. Is it the naval missions? No, they're awesome in their own right and I love them, but they only appear in two of the story missions. Well done! You've done a story mission! Now you have the pleasure of being able to do something absolutely **** tedious. So no, AC3 has no core mechanic and remains an unfocused and buggy game throughout. The sidequests are dull too, with the hunting not being rewarded with anything but being pretty cool despite that. Let's just take a look back to Assassin's Creed 1, where it's core mechanic was Assassinating, hence the title. It was repetitive and you spent too much time faffing about, but at least it was a game about assassinating with just a set of tools and a target so you can find your own way to take out the enemy, whatever way you would like too. Over the years, the series has added so many more useless gimmicks that the series has become completely unfocused. I guess I should give credit where credit is due, the combat system being fast, fun and intuitive, the graphics are incredible, the aforementioned naval missions are extremely engaging and I really loved them, the new Assassin's Armour is the best one yet, the overall historical accuracy being, well, historically accurate, the writing is excellent, even though the story is conveluted and barely connected to the original Assassin's Creed story-line, the menu's are really well designed, the free-running is the best I've seen in a game, even though it does get a bit too contextual at times, and it's a fresh departure from the series that takes away the scrambled **** from the previous games. However, the scrambled eggs it took away from the previous games that made them less intuitive and focused, it completely dropped the assassinating bit, so this just becomes an unfocused generic action game, whereas its predecessors were quite original at the time and remained fun whilst also being a bit too easy. This one suffers from being a bit too easy as well, I died most of the time because Connor did something stupid. For an open world sandbox game, this needs to be less contextual, because it gets on my nerves when I cant climb up a wall unless the contextual 'Climb up the wall' button shows up. This was a problem with the previous games as well, I just want to be able to run freely without needing to press the correct button at the correct time. As an Englishman, I felt uncomfortable killng my own men, but I just got used to it over time. See, this is also a problem about the game, its set in a war that's only interesting to American Patriots and to no one else. Connor brutalising Englishman because he's not wearing the same colour as them makes Connor look like the biggest monster of them all, especially when you can't exactly demonize people sodding off later on because they couldn't be bothered any more, or maybe I'm just biased. The French renaissance would of been a much more interesting setting, because in 1775 America, there aren't any big buildings to go free running on and the whole running part is a lot less fun. But at the same time in France there are heads being chopped off, the peasants vs. the Aristocracy, there's a much more believable side you can take without being gung-ho American patriot or gung-ho French patriot. Civil wars are much more interesting, oh, what about the American civil war? Where enough time has gone by for there to be cool buildings to jump around on, war is becoming industrialised, and it's the brutal slave-owning savages of the south vs. the freedom fighting civilised north, and there's a war on so there's plenty of killing for your liking, and hey, they could of had mid-19th century Connor bump fists with Lincoln. Sure, the north outnumbered the south 2:1 but it's better than the boring old redcoats. This game is overall a pretty mixed bag, and if you do consider playing it, don't go in with your expectations too high, like I did. If you go into it with the knowledge that it's an average game, you'll come out feeling satisfied.… Expand
  28. netcoder
    Nov 6, 2012
    6
    While I think that AC2 is still the best in the series, AC3 has a little something, despite all the frustrations, annoyances and glitches the game has.

    I was surprised to read on different forums that only a small fraction of the AC players consider the series to be in the stealth genre. It is indeed a stealth game series with emphasis on what we now know as Active Stealth: the act of    While I think that AC2 is still the best in the series, AC3 has a little something, despite all the frustrations, annoyances and glitches the game has.

    I was surprised to read on different forums that only a small fraction of the AC players consider the series to be in the stealth genre. It is indeed a stealth game series with emphasis on what we now know as Active Stealth: the act of blending in crowds and using NPCs to your advantage.

    While AC3 also has the stealth aspect of the series, it also has an extended combat system. However, the game barely makes an effort to push you to use stealth, you will have to push yourself instead. Sadly, notoriety is so easy to erase that you end up incognito too often and just walk around the streets of Boston after killing half an army and tearing down a few posters. I really wished they change that, by using some sort of a timer per example, where your notoriety goes down a few minutes after bribing a crier or a printer. Unfortunately, it's not the case so I just arrange to always keep Level 1 notoriety at all times: it makes the stealth a lot more enjoyable. The thing that is great about the stealth approach, although not for everyone, is that it's now more difficult than ever, provided you have some notoriety of course. There aren't huge crowds moving around in the streets, and the latter are wide, forcing you to plan your approach carefully to avoid guards and patrols as you navigate the cities. NPCs also react faster, which means you can't just walk the street and randomly kill baddies without anyone noticing anymore. Enemies spot you sooner than in previous installments, and may even give chase if you start sprinting while they are watching you. Speaking of chases, those are crazy hard even if you know your way around an Assassin's Creed chase. Guards run faster, spot you from further and you'll sometime be running around for several minutes before finally managing to escape. It's tense, it's difficult, and it's one of the best aspect of this game, especially with the new tools.

    The worst thing about this game is that it could have be so much more. Unwelcome additions are the naval battles and the homestead trading parts that are utterly useless. Fortunately you can mostly ignore them, but it pains me to see that a great deal of effort was put in these features, effort that could have been put somewhere else, like quality assurance or level design. Speaking of which, level design is subpar: the story missions are for the majority tedious and linear. While the writing is good, the story is somewhat short. The side missions seem rushed, don't feel like actual missions, and mainly consist of walking around the city killing guards or speaking with NPCs. The controls have changed greatly from the previous games as well. Free running is now done simply by holding the right trigger. Climbing can now be done without holding the right trigger, which is a little bit annoying when trying to carefully grab a ledge, only for our Assassin to jump
    2 meters high and grab the next one. They finally added mechanics to vault over low objects which is a welcome addition. The
    combat is similar to previous versions, although it took me a while to understand that I needed to NOT hold down the right
    trigger to actually do anything.

    In conclusion, while it is an enjoyable game, while it has a lot of potential, the game is ridden with glitches and bad design
    decisions that take a lot of fun out of it. Instead of breaking what was working and fixing what was broken, they could just
    have reused the previous installments basic systems and add new abilities and content. It could have been a much better game in retrospect.    … Expand
  29. Abobo
    Nov 9, 2012
    6
    Assassin's Creed 3 is exactly what people should have expected. This game should not have been hyped nearly as much as it was. It is just as good if not slightly better than revelations. Don't expect something as innovative, charming, or impressive as Assassin's Creed 2. If you enjoyed Revelations or have followed the entire series and don't mind more of the same with shinier graphics; BUYAssassin's Creed 3 is exactly what people should have expected. This game should not have been hyped nearly as much as it was. It is just as good if not slightly better than revelations. Don't expect something as innovative, charming, or impressive as Assassin's Creed 2. If you enjoyed Revelations or have followed the entire series and don't mind more of the same with shinier graphics; BUY THIS GAME IMMEDIATELY! But if you are anything like me and are sick of these uninspired sequels to the once great series known as Assassin's Creed; then leave it alone. Don't even wait for the price to go down, just see it as what it is: a cash-in.… Expand
  30. 0phidi4n
    Dec 6, 2012
    6
    I can't even progress into the game and from what i have played from a rental so far it isn't living up to the previous installments. Popular video games seem to all being going the duirection of an interactive cinematic. Anyways, why i can't progress I am assuming is a glitch. Suppose to shoot these TNT barrels but when it is time to do the simple instructions which lock you into the modeI can't even progress into the game and from what i have played from a rental so far it isn't living up to the previous installments. Popular video games seem to all being going the duirection of an interactive cinematic. Anyways, why i can't progress I am assuming is a glitch. Suppose to shoot these TNT barrels but when it is time to do the simple instructions which lock you into the mode with no way to back out the hand cannon decides to just vanish from your arsenal with no way to fire with any buttons or confangled puzzle solving. Restarting didn't even seem to fix it. Maybe I am missing this complicated procedure in a seemingly washed out monkey finger game.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2012
5
#5 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012
20
#20 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 61 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 61
  3. Negative: 0 out of 61
  1. GameCritics
    Dec 5, 2012
    60
    At least the petty indignities of the multiplayer are optional and situated around gameplay that's solid and unique, if frustratingly stagnant. In the single-player campaign, however, it's impossible to escape the ham-fisted manipulations of the Assassin's Creed III development team.
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  2. Xbox World Australia
    Dec 2, 2012
    90
    Assassin's Creed III is a pretty damn fine game. It loses none of what makes the series fun with the translation to another time and continent, and creates a whole new set of experiences which define the franchise. The biggest issue, if there is one, are the small technical issues, but these niggling technical issues only seem worse because everything else is such a great experience.
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  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Dec 1, 2012
    90
    Like any game of such scope, not every part of it is perfect. Yet, taken as a whole, there is very little that can compete with its wonderful, lavish, historical playground. [Issue#91, p.22]
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