Assassin's Creed: Liberation sneaks onto the PS Vita

I am beyond excited about this because it has me all excited about my PS Vita for once. "Assassin's Creed: Liberation" is the first game to come to a Sony handheld that is a story about a character that is not the focus of a major console game. Of course, the social games and phone games weaved in and out of the stories and other characters, but "Liberation" follows Aveline de Grandpre, a French/African woman from New Orleans.

That is a serious machete...

Based on the trailer, it appears that there are several uses of the Vita's touch mechanics being featured in this game.

The "Touch to Kill" demonstration was especially interesting. I'm not sure how it's activated or how one would pause mid fight like that, but that seems like it would make the game much less difficult than having to actually fight and press buttons to react.

Of course, the fighting system was made easier when the "Instant Kill" was added in the most recent "AC" games, letting you string several killing moves together. But, this fighting system seems to eliminate that completely and provide a more cinematic experience rather than immersive gameplay. That could bode ill for the franchise since it has previously heavily relied on reactionary combat mechanics. However, if executed properly, this could be a fun feature for someone weary of pressing the small buttons on the handheld.

The "Touch to Move" system is familiar to those who played "Uncharted: Golden Abyss," and as we see in the video it is used for things like rowing a canoe.

The rear touchpad on the Vita is probably my least favorite thing attached to the system. Every time it gets activated, I'm unaware of it and all of a sudden things start going haywire as my fingers are all over it and the Vita begins to freak out with too many digits on its back like a spastic cat. You really have to work at doing stuff with the rear touchpad, but once you get it down it works fine.

Graphically, "Liberation" seems to be pretty impressive overal,l but in the trailer you can somewhat see blocky figures and less-than-detailed character models. I'll definitely be judging this harshly since I loved the way "Uncharted: Golden Abyss" looked on the Vita. However, since this game is made specifically for the handheld, I have a strong feeling they'll be up to par with the power of the system.

Blow darts. Nice.

Plot-wise I'm not too concerned about what this has to do with the overall story of "AC," but the scuttlebutt is that Aveline will indeed interact with Connor either in this game or in "ACIII" at some point. What their relationship is and how it plays out will either be really cool, or just a passing lame cameo. Hopefully, events will cross over in both games that either explain a plot point in one, or solve a plot point in another.

Ubisoft is quickly becoming a powerhouse developer since the level of work they put into their games is almost second-to-none. The success of their franchises is obvious, even though most of their games don't really translate to FPS or RTS crowds. Even their press conference was heralded as probably the best of all of E3 this year due to their lineup on the Wii U and other systems. Some big things are coming from this company, and "Assassin's Creed: Liberation" definitely appears to be one of them.

Historical settings in games: what works and why

Let's go back in time. Back to when the Nazis were still an international threat, when the holy land was fought over by crusaders and jihadists, and when Los Angeles was still riding the wave of Hollywoodland's star power. No matter where we go, who we are or when we are, games that take us through the Time Vortex like Dr. Who on a whim always fascinate us.

Playing as a soldier doesn't always feel like being a soldier.

From "Call of Duty" to the "Total War" franchise, games that use historical time periods as their setting tread a fine line between reality and poetic license for entertainment. Kratos's exploits work wonderfully because they work within Greek mythology rather than weaving him through events in Greek history. Perfect. Whereas Ezio and Altair of "Assassin's Creed" meet major players in history but rarely effect the course of well-known fact (minus the Borgias, of course).


The key is immersion. What can the developer get away with and what can they bend without the player losing immersion. To properly immerse a player in the idea that, yes, you are back in time and this is how things are, is much harder than one might think. There is a lot of preparation and set dressing to do before the game even gets underway.

A lot of research must be done to properly understand the clothing, jargon, languages and proper cultural nuances that must be layered into the game world. Now, no one would really bat an eye at the Nazis shouting in English with German accents, but it is more frightening to hear a foreign language shouted at you and not know what it means.

Eventually, you feel proud of yourself when you pick up terms that you know mean "grenade" and the like that help to fight back more effectively and dodge appropriately. That's exactly what our soldiers have to do in war when they fight against a foreign enemy.

 Let's not forget the weather of France and the flowing language plastered all over buildings in small towns to really make you feel you are in a foreign land fighting against a foe that you can't understand. Though, apparently every American soldier is from the southern U.S. or grew up in Brooklyn.

Some war games like to put you directly into battles that really happened, and this is where it gets tricky. "Call of Duty" seems to do this very well by making you accomplish goals that aided in the battle's completion. Or, as in "Black Ops," they make you experience the fear and terror of Khe Sanh, while not putting you in some sort of position that would change the course of the battle just for the sake of playing in it.

He can see his house from there!

Then there are games like "Assassin's Creed" which put you directly in historical settings with important figures.

Now, since the franchise establishes that there is a sci-fi element to it, and that the whole premise is that history may not be what is written, they cleverly avoid having to stick to historical fact too much. Yet, they use immersion.

In the "Assassin's Creed" games, half of what you hear on the streets of Jerusalem is incomprehensible if you don't speak the language, while in Rome the streets are flooded with shouting in Italian. Even Constantinople has a mix of languages to really set the tone.

The colors used, landmarks, buildings and clothing cement the location. Not to mention the ability to visit historical monuments and climb all over them. Even though the game mucks with historical fact here and there, it really does rely on being grounded in history to provide an enjoyable experience for the player.

But what about games set in a well known time period and location while also using fictional people and places? Look no further than "Red Dead Redemption" and "L.A. Noire." New Austin clearly isn't real, but it felt just as beautiful and weather-beaten as any other part of the West during the Expansion Era of the United States. Even the region of Mexico that John Marston travels to is believable, though not all of Mexico was full of bandits and tyrannical colonels.

Then there's Cole Phelps and his descent into the gritty underbelly of Hollywood. Of course, using real studios was out of the question, but putting fictional ones seamlessly into the iconic Los Angeles landscape was simple enough and downright convincing. Having a shootout in an RKO-esque movie set, car chases through greater LA County streets and searching for clues in back alleys all sold the setting.

The streets of Armadillo are paved with dead gunslingers.

We love going back in time. It's why we go to movies and read books and play video games. The times we really enjoy it, though, are the times when we believe it - the times we're truly convinced we are seeing or experiencing an event from the past.

 Even if something about the game is far fetched, like flying through the Venice skyline on one of Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines, we still feel as if it's Renaissance Italy. Even if you take over the Roman empire as Carthage in "Rome: Total War," you believe it's possible using the historically accurate troops and tools of that time period.

The name of the game, ladies and gentlemen, is immersion. Say, that might actually be a pretty good game title. Anyone want to help me make it?

Eyes on Assassin's Creed 3

It is nearly impossible to describe how utterly excited I am for this game to be released. Of course, I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't analyze the game thoroughly from what has been released to the public through demos, trailers, videos and interviews instead of succumbing to rabid fanboyism.  
 
"Assassin's Creed" has been a pivotal game series in the last decade due to its innovative gameplay, stunning graphics, unique storyline and constant evolution. "Assassin's Creed 3" takes place during the American Revolution as Desmond takes what Ubisoft has stated is probably his final look into his past and become the British/Native American Assassin Connor. Wielding a tomahawk, pistols, saber, knives and a hunting bow makes Connor look like the deadliest and most versatile Assassin we have seen to date in the series.   

Of course, what "AC" game would be complete without historical figures for the player to interact with? None other than George Washington and Benjamin Franklin have been confirmed to appear in the game. This fits the trend of major historical figures such as Richard the Lionheart and Leonardo da Vinci appearing in past games.  

While a pre-rendered, CGI trailer from Blur Studios is nice, and quite frequently better than a major film trailer, they don't quite do games justice when it comes to the actual gameplay. Thankfully, attendees of E3 and San Diego Comic Con were treated to live demos to sate their curiosity. Haven't seen them? Don't fret:  
 

Fans of "Assassin's Creed" will note subtle differences to the gameplay this time around just from this snippet of gameplay. Obviously there was much focus on the tomahawk and bow and arrow usage. Likely because they're new and Ubisoft wanted to show off. That's just what you do when you've got a new game. Oddly enough, the tomahawk is so visceral and violent it seems to work with the somewhat cold and dirty look of the game. 

Connor's guerrilla tactics allow him to take no prisoners and show no mercy in his drive to get to his target. Plus, hanging that guy from the tree was pretty awesome. The bow and arrow replaces the crossbow from previous installments in the franchise, or at least it appears to do so, and really that doesn't seem to be that big of a deal. The crossbow was an excellent long distance stealth weapon for the player to utilize, and if your main character doesn't have access to that type of technology, then the next logical thing would be a basic bow. Although he does have pistols, but let's not split hairs when the entire basis of the game is science fiction anyway.   

Something else to take note of in the very beginning of the demo was the cover system in the tall grass. This mechanic is clever since there might be a shortage of hay bales in the deep woods and in fields. If Connor is supposed to be a hunter and tracker, then he would use such tactics to stalk his prey and pounce without warning. Speaking of prey, PETA might be a little upset at the large amount of animal killing. *audience laugh*  

The character animations and details are of a level we have come to expect from this franchise, having evolved from "AC: Revelations" accordingly and looking beautiful. From the way the deer limped and staggered after being shot, to the conversation Connor has and the way he fights, everything looks superb and seems to flow effortlessly.  
  

Free-flow combat returns in "Assassin's Creed 3."

Now that combat's been mentioned there's the little matter of multiple takedown moves and grabbing weapons on the run. "AC" is known for it's innovative free-flow combat and was one of the first games to perfect it from the style that was "Dynasty Warriors" and "God of War." Few games successfully emulate it now. To see it now you'd not blink twice, but it's good to see the company still providing something that works. 

The crowd at E3 cheered pretty loud when Connor snagged that rifle at the end and jumped to kill his target with it.  Free-running and climbing seems to be the same as in past games, but adding trees into the mix is a sigh of relief after fans constantly complained about not being able to climb trees with past heroes Ezio and Altair when they were easily able to scale the Vatican and other huge buildings.

What you don't see in this demo is the naval combat that was displayed on the show floor of E3. Looking vaguely like the system in "Empire: Total War" and "Napoleon: Total War", the player is able to steer the ship, target the enemy vessel and command the crew to fire at their pleasure. Unfortunately, the demo faded to white when the boarding of the enemy ship began, but hopefully there will be ship to ship combat to go with the cannon fire.
 

Assassins at sea.

Also on the show floor of E3 was a live demo of an in-game Boston, Mass. in which the development team took attendees on a tour through the streets of the city to show what urban gameplay would be like. It didn't seem much different from past games - sneaking through crowds, running on rooftops and assassinating soldiers in alleyways. What was impressive and fun to see was the ability to run through certain windows and come out the other side of buildings to evade capture. This was a little funny and I'm pretty sure I heard a woman scream in surprise as Connor trampled through her bedroom.

There are a few issues that should be addressed from previous games in the series that I hope the developers of "AC3" address. Enemy AI needs tweaking. Always always always. Sometimes it's downright stupid, only one man attacking at a time in a group of soldiers ten strong. Other times it's almost as if the guards are clairvoyant and can sense trouble from three blocks away, making things far more difficult than one would think they'd be. There never seems to be a happy medium. Perhaps this is Ubisoft's way at telling the player he needs to try a different approach, or maybe it's just one of those things that slips through the cracks. Who knows?  
 

Connor must have inherited his fashion sense from Ezio.

Also, for the love of all that is holy, can someone please fix the jelly-body bug? Yes, everyone loves ragdoll physics. They're creative and very life like. But after four games, you're still able to walk over a corpse and watch the body roll across the ground as if it's made of helium or watch it bounce as it falls from a death blow in a horrifically unrealistic fashion. Either the bodies aren't weighted correctly or there's just something wrong with the coding, I'm not sure. I'm not a programmer. But you'd think that after this many years someone could figure that out and fix it.  

 The repetitive nature of "AC" has been addressed in the past, and often times in games it seems fixed, while at other times it's just plain annoying to fetch this, look at that, deliver this and kill four of these guards.  Will there be more command of the Assassin's Order in this game? If not, that's a whole game mechanic removed that took a lot of time up for players and there should be something to replace it, or at least use players' time more effectively to ensure they don't miss leveling up their students.

Bugs, glitches, annoying pedestrian AI that blocks your path when you're trying to move stealthily through a crowd - there are numerous things that have popped up in their last four games that should hopefully be addressed and dealt with. "AC3" might be a perfect game if the rest of it is as good as it looks. If not, well, it will be enjoyable, but it might be a little disappointing compared to the other fan favorites in the franchise.
 

Open for Discussion: Freeflow Combat

Thinking of a fighting mechanic for your game? Why not freeflow combat? Check out this discussion video of John and Parker dissecting freeflow combat and what it does for a game!