Re: Assassin's Creed III Liberation
Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation Hands-On: "Lady Liberty" In Japan
Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation Hands-On: "Lady Liberty" In Japan
The last time we saw Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, or as it’s known in Japan, Assassin’s Creed 3: Lady Liberty, we played through a bayou-based level and watched as Aveline infiltrated a well-guarded fort circa 1771.
At TGS 2012, the same two areas were shown, but I was able to get my blade-concealing hands on 10 minutes of the fort level, albeit without the help of the various outfits Aveline is able to acquire at local tailors found throughout the cities in the game. I had to rely on good old-fashioned AC tactics, namely climbing, stabbing, and…stabbing some more.
At TGS 2012, the same two areas were shown, but I was able to get my blade-concealing hands on 10 minutes of the fort level, albeit without the help of the various outfits Aveline is able to acquire at local tailors found throughout the cities in the game. I had to rely on good old-fashioned AC tactics, namely climbing, stabbing, and…stabbing some more.
Naturally, the build on display at TGS was in Japanese, so I have no idea what the point of this particular mission was, but seeing as I only have a few minutes anyway, story wasn’t at the top of my priorities list. After checking in with a nearby contact, a giant circle popped up on my radar, marking the location of the fort I was to infiltrate, peppered with red dots indicating all the guards in need of a right stabbing. Since I didn’t have time to fully pursue the mission, I focused mainly on testing out more of the traversal elements and some of the new momentum takedowns (because they are just too damn satisfying.)
The times that I’ve played Liberation I’ve been struck by how responsive and fluid Aveline’s movements are. Racing towards a building, running up its face, pulling up to a roof, and taking running leaps from building to building feels about as smooth as you could hope, and looks even better. In terms of this demo, knowing that my only real opportunity to pull off anything assassin-y was to hunt down nearby guards who had wandered away from their buddies, I took a b-line, via a series of rooftops, to get my fix.
The times that I’ve played Liberation I’ve been struck by how responsive and fluid Aveline’s movements are. Racing towards a building, running up its face, pulling up to a roof, and taking running leaps from building to building feels about as smooth as you could hope, and looks even better. In terms of this demo, knowing that my only real opportunity to pull off anything assassin-y was to hunt down nearby guards who had wandered away from their buddies, I took a b-line, via a series of rooftops, to get my fix.
Once I realized my first target was on a roof with no clear eye line to the streets, I hopped down to the ground to take a little stroll and soak up the local flavor. As in all AC games, the environments are always brought to live with meticulous detail, and this seems to be the case once again with Liberation. While this area wasn’t particularly dense since it wasn’t a full blown city, there was still enough smoke in the air, dust in the streets, and bustling of pedestrians to make it feel like a living, breathing space.
Speaking of breathing, that guard I was stalking wasn’t doing much of it after I decided to scale the building he was patrolling and take two deadly swipes at his jugular with my two hidden blades. From there, I proceeded to the western side of the fort, as the only legitimate entrance was flanked by half a dozen guards. Luckily, there was a walkway along the outer wall that circle around the entire inner portion of the fort. My next target had a buddy nearby, so I had to bide my time, which I did by getting into a comfortable ledge-hanging position just beneath his rooftop patrolling route.
When the time was right, and the soon-to-be-guard’s pal had given me some breathing room, I got into position, and when the time was right, I sprinted towards him, which, if you’ve been keeping up on the new features being introduced in Assassin’s Creed 3, means that when combined with a hidden blade attack results in a brutal takedown in which Aveline (and AC3’s Connor) picks up the poor bastard being stabbed and slams him into the ground. And that’s precisely what happened, and it was glorious.
When the time was right, and the soon-to-be-guard’s pal had given me some breathing room, I got into position, and when the time was right, I sprinted towards him, which, if you’ve been keeping up on the new features being introduced in Assassin’s Creed 3, means that when combined with a hidden blade attack results in a brutal takedown in which Aveline (and AC3’s Connor) picks up the poor bastard being stabbed and slams him into the ground. And that’s precisely what happened, and it was glorious.
I back tracked a little to find the other guard, and dispatched him with another swift slice of the throat. Noticing another red dot just ahead of my position, I peered over the ledge of the roof and spotted another lone guard hanging out in an alleyway. Since he was so clearly begging to be pounced on, I did him the honors. What’s great about these aerial attacks is that time slows ever so slightly just after you jump, giving you even more time to savor the takedown. Like an angel of death from above, Aveline seemed to float for a moment, arm and blade cocked back in optimal killing position, as she sailed off the roof, and then, just like that, the guard was pinned to the ground.
As the play timer neared zero, I sprinted towards another guard who had wandered away from the pack, intent on pulling off just one more momentum kill, and just as time expired, the poor guard’s body lurched into the air as Aveline laid her shoulder and blade deep into his sternum and brought him crashing to the muddy ground. For a demo without any real goal, I’d say it was a pretty successful/deadly little jaunt, and once again reiterated why I continue to insist that Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation will be one of the biggest reasons for Vita sales this holiday, and not just because of the bundle Sony has prepared for the game, but that certainly won’t hurt. I just think the prospect of having a console-caliber AC game on a portable device is just a killer combination, and if the full game can live up to the expectations set by the sessions we’ve had with it, AC fans will have not one but two titles to keep them happy for a good long while.
As the play timer neared zero, I sprinted towards another guard who had wandered away from the pack, intent on pulling off just one more momentum kill, and just as time expired, the poor guard’s body lurched into the air as Aveline laid her shoulder and blade deep into his sternum and brought him crashing to the muddy ground. For a demo without any real goal, I’d say it was a pretty successful/deadly little jaunt, and once again reiterated why I continue to insist that Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation will be one of the biggest reasons for Vita sales this holiday, and not just because of the bundle Sony has prepared for the game, but that certainly won’t hurt. I just think the prospect of having a console-caliber AC game on a portable device is just a killer combination, and if the full game can live up to the expectations set by the sessions we’ve had with it, AC fans will have not one but two titles to keep them happy for a good long while.
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