Between classwork and other things I try to fit in some games into my schedule. Today, I managed to sit down and play some DLC for ACIII. I’m not going to try and hide it. Initially I disliked the episodic content for ACIII almost to where I was regretting getting the season pass. The opening left a bad feeling as it was clear that Ratohnhake:ton, a.k.a. Connor, was entirely self aware that what was happening wasn’t how things were. It created a disconnect between me and the world in which I was playing. Also, I hate the Frontier during winter. After a slow start, you’re introduced to one of the new powers granted to you during the DLC.
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This power, The Spirit of the Wolf, allowed Connor to enter stealth in plain sight as well as call a trio of wolves to attack your enemies. I found to be a bit broken in terms of gameplay but this is exactly what they wanted. I was officially the ultimate predator. Able to kill and not be seen, even in a small group as long as I used my hidden blade. It was a feeling you rarely got in games today in which everything is meant to seem as a challenge. It failed to mask the subpar narrative however.
In Tyranny of King Washington, you’re in a “what-if” scenario in which George Washington defeated the British and became King of America. Yep, not a president but a king. He also somehow gained the apple of Eden and has used it to subjugate of his followers. That’s really all I can tell you without spoiling much of the story. That is, if you consider the story to be much of anything.
Episode II: The Betrayal starts up quicker with a prison escape and almost immediately grants you your second ability, The Spirit of the Eagle. With the addition of this second power, it turns the once drab building structures of Boston into a colonial jungle gym. Able to leave from one building and take flight from roof to roof without a pause. Finally, the city is actually fun to explore and quick to navigate as you can fly from building to building without care. Eagle power also gives you the nifty ability to do kills by directing it at an enemy and travel between hiding places without being seen. Its beginning to feel like the powers are the real buy-in to all of this. On the bright side, multiplayer is at its best in ACIII with its fast paced nature.
There is one glaring problem between both episodes and its the lack of content that can be done when you’re not doing missions. There is little to do besides feeding starved citizens, saving people from wolf attacks, freeing Native Americans from convoys, helping people being executed by blue coats (introduced in Episode II). Its all pretty shallow compared to the variety offered in the missions but what do you expect? I guess this is why there’s an option to replay missions but its become less of a point when you Full Synchronize on the first attempt.
Hopefully, Episode III closes all the questions raised by this DLC. I feel that maybe this could have been offered as a stand-alone set for a cheaper price as it stands. Having access to these abilities are indeed fun for the short term but nothing that could facilitate extended play. If you haven’t decided to jump into the episodic content yet, it may just be a good idea to wait a bit. The DLC is currently available for 360, PS3, and PC. It is planned to eventually hit the Wii U but no idea when.
Also playing: Dead Island (PS3), Mass Effect Trilogy (PS3), Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita), Wild Arms XF(cross fire) (PSP) and SimCity (PC).
Let us know what you’re playing in the comments below.
If you’re into remixed video game themes, you may want to take a look into Retro’d by Marcus D here. I have an addiction “The Blues ft. Mega Ran” right now.