..Assassin's Creed III..

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Typically, when it's time to say goodbye to a main character from an epic trilogy, we get a little misty. However, since Desmond Miles has been living vicariously through ancestors via the Animus, we'll hold off on the Kleenex. Assassin's Creed III ends Desmond's story, but before we say goodbye to him and his slightly lazy eye (don't act like you haven't noticed), we'll be saying hello to a new assassin, the New World, and just a whole lot of newness in general thanks to an engine newly-created for Desmond's swan song. Parting is such sweet sorrow. 

Assassin's Creed: Revelations left us in the year 1511, where Ezio Auditore's chapter in the story arc came to a close. Assassin's Creed III jumps forward approximately 250 years to 1753, where Connor Kenway, a Native American-British assassin clashes against Redcoats during the American Revolution. Desmond relives Connor's childhood as well as his adult years, which plays a part in finding the remaining temples and Apples of Eden scattered throughout the western hemisphere. Finding the temple locations and artifacts in Connor's timeline feed into the 2012 doomsday prophecy Desmond lives out, and Assassin's Creed III marks the end of Desmond's journey. 

Like Ezio, Connor keeps top-shelf company and prominent figures. George Washington, Ben Franklin, Charles Lee, and other powder wig icons make appearances, but little is known beyond their respective roles in the American Revolution. Do they have information about the Apples of Eden? How do they fit into the assassin-templar conflict? Does Assassin's Creed III accurately portray Washington's wooden teeth? Details are scant so far, but Ubisoft couldn't have picked a better setting for the series' third installment.

Connor helps General Washington and the Bluecoats, but his specific missions are still hush-hush at this point. While he'll be amongst the throng of soldiers during battles, he's no soldier. Connor learns how to kill as a tribesman of the Mohawks. Assassin's Creed III favors fast-paced, aggressive combat over defensive, counter-heavy action from prior games. Momentum, speed, and rhythm are Connor's instruments in his symphony of carnage; Ubisoft has created thousands of animations and movesets for Connor, comprised of double-takedowns, human shields, dual wielding, and double-counters.  

Assassin's Creed III will take place equally amongst east coast cities like New York and Boston, as well as the wilderness and Appalachian Mountains. In addition to building-climbing and window-leaping, Connor can buy goods and property using money from selling pelts. While in the wild, Connor will hunt critters and humans from treetops and the shadows. The addition of time adds elements like daylight and nighttime, sunny summers and blistering winters, and other environmental effects thanks to Anvil Next engine. Lakes freeze over, giving Connor new locations to explore, and heavy snowfalls and nighttime prowling give Connor huge tactical advantages. When Connor descends upon frost-bitten soldiers wielding weapons like tomahawks, rope darts, pistols, bow and arrow and the iconic hidden blade, he'll sweep through them like a one-man wolf pack. 

Other new features that Anvil Next offer include enhanced motion capture, crisper close-ups, tougher and smarter A.I., and the ability to include a thousand troops on-screen rather than a hundred NPCs from prior games. Because Ubisoft will use major battles of the American Revolution as significant timepieces of the game, we're excited to see what hundreds of soldiers look like when the cannon balls start flying. 

We're excited to see who the new face of the Templars is in Assassin's Creed III. Also, Desmond will receive RPG-like experience points for performing 100% synchronization. How we'll be able to level Desmond, we can't say just yet. All we know is we can't wait to find out as we approach its October 30th launch date. 

John Arkontaky John loves gaming and loves writing about games. He wants to become a known voice in the gaming community and a game designer one day.

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