Firstly as a side note thank you to everyone who viewed the last review, it puts a smile on my face when people actually take the time to read my ramblings. Please like and share this review if you get some form of entertainment out of it. I appreciate it more than you could possibly know!
Today's agenda! Assassins Creed Multiplayer! Does it save the game which in the last review I pretty much called "kinda' average"? Does it turn an Ok game into a good or great game? Does it become a useless tie in that makes no sense in the game lore and become the 'shit stain' of an RPG? Lets find out... Lower the gates!
Yes it is awesome when you do this on the person who's killed you three times in a row and yes its a funny pose!
To those you are currently bewildered that Assassins Creed has a multiplayer component or those who have been living under a very small rock, this is the run down. 8 v 8 cat and mouse styled hunting. Points are awarded depending on how you kill your enemies. Low points if you run around like a maniac and on roofs and having long chases through the streets. High points if you manage to blend into crowds and kill your targets before they know what hit him. A mix of killing your targets and making sure you yourself don't get killed.
As much as I like the format (and i really like the format). I'm still longing for a death matched mulitplayer mode with actual combat. You can ether kill (in which there are a lot of different ways of doing so, from poison darts, to dropping from the tops of roofs, to using a hidden blade) or stun them. There's no fight scenes in ally ways trying to kill your target before your pursuer spots your position and runs in for the kill. And more importantly, there's just no sign of the awesome fighting mechanics that are found in the main game. It's kinda funny, where stealth isn't wanted there's no 'balls to the walls' crazy action, and where there's 'balls to the walls' action, you're forced down that root and discouraged from forms of stealth game play. A pity over all.
In any case what is here is one of the best multi-player components in an RPG, and I mean that earnestly!
So, does the multiplayer make sense in the terms of the story? Yes! You play as one of the thousands of people playing Abstergo's (Abstergo being the Templar organisation that now dominates the world, being the equivalent of microsoft on steriods) new game where you play the lives of a real person stored on a data base within Abstergo's database. As you level up you see adverts and documents for Abstergo products in the modern world and then as you complete certain in game challenges, like kill 5 players from a roof top or using certain abilities, you unlock hack versions where the real meaning of these adverts and documents, explaining how Abstergo have such a strong grip on the world today.
This gives the multiplayer context and enriches the experience. Some players may still think its forced and it does seem that the game play was made first then the context was added, and this has been the way for the other games too. It's the marmite of the gaming world. You ether like this kind of stuff or you hate it.
"Is this my pursuer or a member of the crowd?" ... Ignoring his actual pursuer closing in behind.
In any case the multiplayer format has been worked upon and improved over the course of the development time and post development time of Assassins Creed Revelations. The result is not only fun game play but something that leaves you on the edge of your seat as you search for the last kill in the final minutes of the game to put you in first or staying alive as you're hunted by Second place who is mere meters away from you! This multiplayer is intense and very entertaining.
There are many different game modes to keep you entertained as well, from team based modes where players have to capture objectives and bring them back to their teams base. All the way to a simple free for all with no abilities available.
On the subject of abilities, boy are there a lot this time round! Everything from creating a clone of yourself to run towards your chaser and punch him in the face to throwing down smoke grenades to stun your target allowing you to get an easy kill. There's even kill streaks and death streaks which level the field. If someone's taking you to the cleaners and you're left eating last place like the last supper, you have some form of mechanic to make the game less painful for you and obviously make the game more interesting. If someone is winning by a land slide, for example eleven kills in a row without being killed or stunned, then the players gets rewarded for doing so. Such boons include turning up to twenty people around you to turn into clones of yourself allowing you to hide in large groups and forcing your pursuers to play the guessing game in a decision that could cost them a lot of score, to just increasing your score further or giving yourself a little boost. All of these are well balanced and don't subtract from the game play or make the game tedious. For one these streaks are very difficult to obtain, making a player lucky if you manages to pull off one streak award per game. Two, the awards are subtle enough that they just give the player a small edge as long as the player uses the advantage well enough.
A picture showing the Assassins Creed 3 equivalent of Domination, where teams fight to control areas to gain points.
For those looking for customization, you'll find it in droves in this game. The ability to make yourself stand out from the crowd (in a good way that doesn't get you killed of course) is available to those who want it. You can customize everything from whether your character wears glasses or a monocle even what color their shirt is. Other than your character you can also customize your profile. Such examples include your nick name that comes up when you sink your axe into their skull and even little emblems that show somewhere on your characters clothing. There's a lot to play about with if you have the in game currencies to buy them. These come in the form of credits earned by doing well in the actual game and "Erudito" credits that can be brought for about £7 or ranging amounts Microsoft points on the Xbox 360. Whilst the general consensus towards micro-transactions for a game that you've just spend £40 pounds for seems to be negative I don't have that much of a problem with the Assassins Creed 3's version of it.It's not like the Mass Effect 3 ones where it's down to chance if you get something or not, forcing some people to horde different packs in the hope they get what they want. Here, you buy the points and you spend them on what you seem is fair. If you don't want to wait around to level up and put in the 10 games that would be needed to get the points so you can buy to object, then the ability to achieve it without the wait is available. It's good for those who don't have the time to play hundreds of games to get the edge they need to play competitively.
There isn't a pay to win scenario with this. Only a pay for convenience, and I'm totally ok with that.
The level design in the maps this time around is fantastic, ranging from New York docks, to frozen Antarctica with a giant pirate ship in the middle of the map crashed onto an ice berg. The level of detail is brilliant and the levels are not only designed perfectly for cat and mouse play but they also open up to become even larger in team based games. Leading to some out of this world chases. There's even winter versions of most maps to add further variety, which make hiding in certain crowds easier and in some cases decreases visibility to add an extra level of difficulty to those who want it. As if that wasn't enough, some locations are actual locations from the game, which add that extra level of immersion.
So... how does it actually play? Well the following paragraph is a small tale from a section of one of my games. The following took place over 1 minutes of game play. Reading this will allow you to imagine the fun and excitement you could have whilst playing this game yourself.
Hiding behind the gate as one of my pursuers draws nearer to my location I start to hear the whispers of a hunter lurking near to their pray. I then suddenly come to the realization that a member of a near by crowd walking towards me is in fact an enemy player. I watch closely to see any telling signs of someone trying to infiltrate their way towards me and sink their blade into my face so I can ether play my escape or my counter attack. After zooming in my camera closer to see any odd movements I notice that one member of the group is moving faster than the others. The fool has failed to let go of the fast walk button and starts to stick out like a sore thumb. My smoke grenade however is still on cool down after I used it to stun my target running away from me, and it seems I need it now more than ever. If this person manages to kill me in a certain way, it will boost their points high enough so that they can be above me in the tables... I cant allow that to happen. I stay in my hiding place, a bench with two people who look like me sitting on it, to draw out the encounter as long as I can allowing me to strike against my foe. He fails to detect which is me. 3...2...1... ready! I rise from my bench and walk eagerly towards my target whilst a clone of me stands up and walks the opposite direction. Does my enemy think I'm going to attack him, or run away? Has he out predicted me and has his own ability at the ready? As I move slowly towards him I get ready to hit my ability button to throw a smoke grenade and get the stun. My target walks right on past me and towards my clone... "no need to use an item when I don't need it" I mutter to myself in glee. I sneak up to my target and BANG! Smack him in the back of the head. As I walk away to my next target the poor fools' pursuer drops from a roof top and delivers the final blow.
Death comes in many forms. During this co-op game mode of hunting NPC targets there's no where to hide anymore.
Moments like these make this game so exciting and tense and games can go on for up to twenty minutes allowing for many moments like these to happen.You could be in the deepest trouble and then rise to victory due to cleaver game play and out thinking your enemy. The game awards the devious with the gratification of killing those who stand before you.
There's also a 'wolf pack' mode for co-op play as well. A team of four have a certain amount of time to find and kill targets, with each kill the time increases. The objective being, to kill as many targets as you can. This is both challenging and entertaining for those who are new to the game and seasoned veterans. Wolf pack mode not only adds yet another layer to this cake of awesome but also allows friends to just go out their and kill a bunch of people, and who doesn't want to do that?
So what do I think about the Multiplayer? Well, its great. It serves fantastically as a mode for those who want to play both with their friends and enemies as well as being something fun to challenge yourself with and have fun with complete strangers. This mode not only enriches the game as a whole but also acts as yet another time sink for those who just want to stab people in the face.
Which leads me to what I think of the game as a whole.
Well whilst I have my problems with the single player components of the game, and I'm still looking for a game mode to add multiplayer combat. Whilst the game is tacky in places and doesn't award stealth game play enough when it should. This is still a good game. Its a good sequel and I think you should buy it, if just wait for it to reduce in price. However for what is offered and you've enjoyed the previous games in the series there's enough here to warrant the asking price. It's fun and you'll sink hours into the game. Just don't give your hopes up too much for it. It's possibly not MY game of the year. But it comes close.
Thank you everyone for reading this review, if you have a positive or negative response please let me know in the Facebook comments or the comments below if you can, or just let me know somehow, I like response Please forgive any spelling or general dyslexic mistakes I try my hardest. Thank you everyone who read the last review I hope this one gets as much viewership. I do this, after all, for you guys so let me know what you think.
My name is ThespianHunter, 1010101000100101010101010101011010101010101 and I'll catch you next time...
No one expects the Assassin Inquisition?
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