Okay, so I realize that news sites are already leaking info related to the leaked GameInformer article on Assassin's Creed III, so I suppose I will do the same here, even though it may not be quite right... Though it's either us or them.
Here is a basic rundown of the new features in the upcoming GameInformer article, to be released next week:
- The new Assassin is the son of a Native American woman and a British soldier. His calls himself Connor, but his birth name is Ratohnhaké:ton. Born into the Mohawk, he eventually crosses paths with the Assassins in his search for righteousness.
- Connor is quiet and stoic, letting actions speak for words rather than conversing with others. In contrast to Ezio, Connor is a freedom fighter who acts in the name of justice rather than on personal revenge.
- The game is set between 1753 and 1783, meaning we will be playing a good chunk of Connor's life, about the timeframe of Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood combined.
- Settings will include Boston, New York and a large countryside called the Frontier. The Frontier will be the setting of about 1/3 of the game's missions, and will be the location of many events during the game. The Frontier will be about 1.5 times as big as Rome in Brotherhood.
- The protagonist will fight on the American side, with primary allies George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Charles Lee. However, this does not mean that the Americans are the good guys and the British are the bad guys. The game will also once again, like Assassin's Creed: Revelations did, put emphasis on the fact that the Assassins' and Templars' morals are both gray, and that there is no "good" and "bad".
- There will be seasons in the game, meaning that the sun will shine during Summer and the landscape will be covered in snow during Winter.
- Fighting and stealth will be completely re-innovated, with Connor being compared to a "predator." The player will be able to climb trees and other natural elements, and dual-wielding weapons such as a dagger and a Tomahawk is now also an option.
- Animals will be present in the woods, like deer and bears. The player will be able to kill them and pelt their skins, to sell them later with the reformed economic system of the game.
- There will be puzzles similar to the Truth, only they will not be given by Subject 16.
- Desmond will go into the new Animus 3.0 and will find himself going into "significant events."
- 100% sync in memories returns, though this time you will be rewarded when you complete memories to 100%. Checkpoints will also be introduced to mission replay, meaning you don’t have to replay an entire mission to get that 100% sync.
- The Brotherhood, or Assassins Guild, will return in some form, albeit differently than we have seen before.
- There will be no more Mercenaries, Thieves, Courtesans, Romani or other factions, but there will be a replacement for them.
- Den Defense will not return.
Enjoy people!