Assassin's Creed III : LIberation (PS Vita)
All right, so this ended up being a bit late since I had to re-think my lineup for reviews this week. My previous Quick Review on Zapper was intended to be filling this slot However when I made it a quarter of the way through the game in half an hour, I knew I wouldn't be able to get enough out of it for a bigger review. Which is what brings us to this game. I figured it would be a good fit since I'm currently streaming through the entire Franchise on my Twitch. But, I wasn't able to snag the console version in time and I didn't want to feel like I was doing nothing with this game, so I figured I'd share it with all of you.
Additionally, the touch screen can be used to bring up the map or your weapon wheels, and you can tap to lock on to enemies as well, and the rear touch pad can be used for a few things such as rowing canoes and in tandem with the touch screen to tear open letter envelopes. It's a bit of a change from the full-controller set-up from the console games, but it's not a drastic one and it makes use of the Vita features quite well.
As per usual for the franchise, while in the game you get free roam while you're between memories and sequences. It is your choice if you want to focus just on living out the story, or wandering around to unlock the viewpoints and collect the various collectibles like treasure chests and alligator eggs. Regardless of which you choose to do, Aveline has access to one of three outfits she can don : The Lady Outfit (she is part of a prominent family in New Orleans and this outfit gives her the freedom to wander around without any suspicion's being raised), The Slave Outfit (this lets her infiltrate camps and plantations when necessary to rescue slaves or uncover further information for her mission), and The Assassin Outfit (self explanatory I believe). Each outfit has it's own benefits and hinderances (the Lady Outfit won't allow you to do any climbing, but it does make it easier to reach guarded areas by simply charming the guard who's blocking it).
While in missions you'll be tasked with various things : locating people, tailing others without being detected, eliminating groups of enemies, and the usual assassinating specific targets. Some missions will be Aveline's own undertaking, but most are given (or strongly suggested at least) by the people Aveline interacts with : her assassin mentor Agate, her father, her betrothed, or a few others she comes across in the game and decides to assist in their cause.
Combat remains mostly the same, you have primary weapons such as swords, your assassin hidden blades, and even a tomahawk (if you connect your Ubisoft profile to Assassin's Creed III you can get Connor's tomahawk), and secondary weapons like daggers, a blowdart for dealing poison to enemies, and a gun. There are areas of the screen you can tap to change which weapon is actively ready, so anything you own is instantly at your disposal. The changes in combat are with how you do your chain kills, a feature that was introduced in Brotherhood. In the main games, you start a chain by killing your first enemy, and then everyone afterwards dies in a single hit/counter as long as you don't take any damage. Now, you select an enemy with right on the D-pad and up to three more enemies, and start the chain that way.
Other than walking/running/climbing, your only other option you get in this game for moving around is piloting a canoe in the swamp area. Unfogging the map also has two options, the main and easy one being using the viewpoints scattered through the two maps (New Orleans and the Swamp), but you can also make the map visible as you move through it. The higher up from the ground you are, the bigger the "cone" is that you clear up. The Swamp area is exclusive for the hostile threats like the alligators as well as numerous types of enemies you'll have to deal with, while the New Orleans area will just hold the chests and your typical street guards.
Since Liberation is presented as a game-in-a-game, released by Abstergo (the modern day Templars), the game is used to try and paint the Templars in a good light, changing some of the events that are presented so that it makes the Assassin's look like the bad guys. However, before the product was released, it was hacked by a group who are anti-Templar, and the hackers have scattered a group of Citizen E's through the game, who when you kill them this will reveal the true events of what happened, and these are the last collectible/secondary objective within the game
Liberation does a great job at bringing the feel of the console series to a handheld device, even if it is massively (and noticeably) scaled down. But let's see if it brings the challenge of the console games with it.
Navigating the story of the game is pretty easy. Your mission starts are always marked on the map for where you need to go, as well as your objective(s) when you're in the memory itself. Even when you don't know the specific thing/person you're looking for, your map is marked with a green area and then it's just a simple activation of your Eagle Vision to find what you need to.
The full sync objectives, however, can definitely be a moderate challenge. The way these work (introduced in Brotherhood on the console games), these serve as the specific way your ancestor completed their objective. So while the mission itself may be just to get to a certain area, the full sync objective may be to do it in a specific time. Or to achiever your assassination in a specific way like from a hiding spot. All that is required is completing the mission itself, but if you want to take things this extra step, it won't be easy at times.
Combat is definitely easy. Pick a weapon, face an enemy, and hack away til they fall. Missing are the easy-chain ccombo kills, and the lock-on system isn't perfect, but the AI for the enemies seems a bit dumbed down so these guys won't present much of a problem, if there's even one at all. The real issue with the combat comes from the faulty lock-on system, there's points where it just seems like it's flat out broken and not working at all. While in combat, you are able to counter attacks or, if the attacks are too strong, you can dodge out of the way. But with the faulty system, none of these things work at all and you end up taking massive damage.
Lastly, all the optional stuff is just that, optional. You don't need to find and climb all the viewpoints, especially with the unfog-as-you-go system.The chests only serve the purpose of getting you more money which you get plenty from the missions you undertake, so unless you're going after the other optional stuff like obtaining all weapons and things like that, money won't be an issue, so all this optional stuff is really easy. However if you do want to take it all on, I'd place it at a moderate difficulty just because of how long and tedious the process will be.
Liberation definitely isn't the most difficult game, and no more-so than it's console bretheren. So before we bang the gavel on this one let's look at the good and bad sides of it.
- Crossover With Connor. Initially glancing at the title for this game, you feel like it's going to be an off-shoot of the main Assassin's Creed III game because the III is in the title. Totally not the case, it's a completely original story taking place in a completely different place with a different set of characters. However, since it takes place in the same time period, eventually Aveline's story leads her up north where she gets to do some work alongside her fellow white-hooded Brother. It's great because of how subtle it is, they don't spend the whole game talking about the Assassin up north. Aveline's mission just carries her up that way and their paths cross. If you're only playing this one to play it then it won't be as impressive, but if you're a fan of the whole series, this a pretty nifty bit to experience in this game.
- Heavily Dialed Back. Obviously, a game as big as these are on console is going to have to get scaled back when it's brought to a handheld. However, it's the sheer fact of how much things have been scaled back to make Liberation work that is astounding. The maps for the two areas don't feel big at all, even for handheld standards. It seems like it a little bigger once you're in the lady costume and you have to actually walk everywhere. One thing that helps trick you into thinking it's bigger though is the space you have in each map. The settlements in the swamp are scattered very far apart, and unless you find a path through the trees, you have to trudge through the water which will make you feel like a snail.
I'm slowly working my way through this one while I still am streaming the entire AC Franchise on my Twitch channel. I'm (crazily) attempting to play through the story modes of every game in the main series before Origins comes out at the end of October. If you'd like to follow me on the journey you can at www.twitch.tv/honestgamermike
As for this one in particular, I really am enjoying it. It's weird not having any out-of-animus tasks to do, but it still works for what it is. Aveline is a great addition to the Brotherhood and definitely earns her place in it. The story is great, and despite playing this on the handheld, it brings the same level of experience to the games, along with the inferior combat system.
The Story
Liberation takes place slightly before/alongside the main Assassin's Creed III game, where you control the first female assassin of the game, Aveline. Set in New Orleans, the game takes place during the end of the French and Indian War where power and control over the city shifted from French to Spanish control. Aveline uncovers a plot involving a deal that the French governor made with the Templars to remain as governor in the shift of power. As Aveline, your mentor sends you to work your way through the system and get to the heart of the Templar order behind what's going on in New Orleans.The Controls
The game utilizes some of the PS Vita features at various points in the game. The joysticks, naturally, control Aveline's movements and camera positioning, while the L and R shoulders are what controls your running/walking levels and your focus ability. D-pad is where you can activate your Eagle Vision, start a combo chain of kills, and switch weapons, and the button interface lets you climb while running, use your weapons, and interact with people/buildings in the world.Additionally, the touch screen can be used to bring up the map or your weapon wheels, and you can tap to lock on to enemies as well, and the rear touch pad can be used for a few things such as rowing canoes and in tandem with the touch screen to tear open letter envelopes. It's a bit of a change from the full-controller set-up from the console games, but it's not a drastic one and it makes use of the Vita features quite well.
The Gameplay
Liberation is presented as the first product from Abstergo Entertainment...so its a game of a game...if that makes any sense. It's confusing explaining it, but somehow it makes perfect sense if the game is in your hands. Instead of any out-of-Animus experiences, this one solely takes place in the confines of Aveline's memories.As per usual for the franchise, while in the game you get free roam while you're between memories and sequences. It is your choice if you want to focus just on living out the story, or wandering around to unlock the viewpoints and collect the various collectibles like treasure chests and alligator eggs. Regardless of which you choose to do, Aveline has access to one of three outfits she can don : The Lady Outfit (she is part of a prominent family in New Orleans and this outfit gives her the freedom to wander around without any suspicion's being raised), The Slave Outfit (this lets her infiltrate camps and plantations when necessary to rescue slaves or uncover further information for her mission), and The Assassin Outfit (self explanatory I believe). Each outfit has it's own benefits and hinderances (the Lady Outfit won't allow you to do any climbing, but it does make it easier to reach guarded areas by simply charming the guard who's blocking it).
While in missions you'll be tasked with various things : locating people, tailing others without being detected, eliminating groups of enemies, and the usual assassinating specific targets. Some missions will be Aveline's own undertaking, but most are given (or strongly suggested at least) by the people Aveline interacts with : her assassin mentor Agate, her father, her betrothed, or a few others she comes across in the game and decides to assist in their cause.
Combat remains mostly the same, you have primary weapons such as swords, your assassin hidden blades, and even a tomahawk (if you connect your Ubisoft profile to Assassin's Creed III you can get Connor's tomahawk), and secondary weapons like daggers, a blowdart for dealing poison to enemies, and a gun. There are areas of the screen you can tap to change which weapon is actively ready, so anything you own is instantly at your disposal. The changes in combat are with how you do your chain kills, a feature that was introduced in Brotherhood. In the main games, you start a chain by killing your first enemy, and then everyone afterwards dies in a single hit/counter as long as you don't take any damage. Now, you select an enemy with right on the D-pad and up to three more enemies, and start the chain that way.
Other than walking/running/climbing, your only other option you get in this game for moving around is piloting a canoe in the swamp area. Unfogging the map also has two options, the main and easy one being using the viewpoints scattered through the two maps (New Orleans and the Swamp), but you can also make the map visible as you move through it. The higher up from the ground you are, the bigger the "cone" is that you clear up. The Swamp area is exclusive for the hostile threats like the alligators as well as numerous types of enemies you'll have to deal with, while the New Orleans area will just hold the chests and your typical street guards.
Since Liberation is presented as a game-in-a-game, released by Abstergo (the modern day Templars), the game is used to try and paint the Templars in a good light, changing some of the events that are presented so that it makes the Assassin's look like the bad guys. However, before the product was released, it was hacked by a group who are anti-Templar, and the hackers have scattered a group of Citizen E's through the game, who when you kill them this will reveal the true events of what happened, and these are the last collectible/secondary objective within the game
Liberation does a great job at bringing the feel of the console series to a handheld device, even if it is massively (and noticeably) scaled down. But let's see if it brings the challenge of the console games with it.
The Challenge (or lack thereof?)
No matter which Assassin's Creed game you play, you always face the same areas of challenge. Your main story, and the full sync objectives that come with it, the combat, and the optional collectibles.Navigating the story of the game is pretty easy. Your mission starts are always marked on the map for where you need to go, as well as your objective(s) when you're in the memory itself. Even when you don't know the specific thing/person you're looking for, your map is marked with a green area and then it's just a simple activation of your Eagle Vision to find what you need to.
The full sync objectives, however, can definitely be a moderate challenge. The way these work (introduced in Brotherhood on the console games), these serve as the specific way your ancestor completed their objective. So while the mission itself may be just to get to a certain area, the full sync objective may be to do it in a specific time. Or to achiever your assassination in a specific way like from a hiding spot. All that is required is completing the mission itself, but if you want to take things this extra step, it won't be easy at times.
Combat is definitely easy. Pick a weapon, face an enemy, and hack away til they fall. Missing are the easy-chain ccombo kills, and the lock-on system isn't perfect, but the AI for the enemies seems a bit dumbed down so these guys won't present much of a problem, if there's even one at all. The real issue with the combat comes from the faulty lock-on system, there's points where it just seems like it's flat out broken and not working at all. While in combat, you are able to counter attacks or, if the attacks are too strong, you can dodge out of the way. But with the faulty system, none of these things work at all and you end up taking massive damage.
Lastly, all the optional stuff is just that, optional. You don't need to find and climb all the viewpoints, especially with the unfog-as-you-go system.The chests only serve the purpose of getting you more money which you get plenty from the missions you undertake, so unless you're going after the other optional stuff like obtaining all weapons and things like that, money won't be an issue, so all this optional stuff is really easy. However if you do want to take it all on, I'd place it at a moderate difficulty just because of how long and tedious the process will be.
Liberation definitely isn't the most difficult game, and no more-so than it's console bretheren. So before we bang the gavel on this one let's look at the good and bad sides of it.
PROS
- Good Use of Vita Features. With a handheld like the Vita, there's new ways to add in game controls/features, but there's also the risk of it being overdone. Some early games on the Nintendo DS made the mistake (in my opinion) of making EVERYTHING necessary to be done through the touch screen. With Liberation, it uses the touchscreen and rear touchpad in unique, but also completely optional ways. You can lock on to an enemy in combat by tapping them, or facing them and pressing L. You can row a canoe by tapping X to row, or swiping downwards on the rear touchpad. The one feature-based control I came across that was absolutely necessary was opening letters by pinching the top of the system (thumb on the touchscreen, finger on rear touchpad) and "zipping" your hand across the top of the screen. And even though it's only possible to do it this one way, it's a cool way of doing it by showing off some of what the Vita can do, and it doesn't feel intrusive at all.- Crossover With Connor. Initially glancing at the title for this game, you feel like it's going to be an off-shoot of the main Assassin's Creed III game because the III is in the title. Totally not the case, it's a completely original story taking place in a completely different place with a different set of characters. However, since it takes place in the same time period, eventually Aveline's story leads her up north where she gets to do some work alongside her fellow white-hooded Brother. It's great because of how subtle it is, they don't spend the whole game talking about the Assassin up north. Aveline's mission just carries her up that way and their paths cross. If you're only playing this one to play it then it won't be as impressive, but if you're a fan of the whole series, this a pretty nifty bit to experience in this game.
CONS
- Wonky Combat System. I mentioned this above, and it's worth mentioning again because the combat is such a vast feature in these games. With it being on a handheld system, the engines can't carry as much weight so there won't be massive battles with a dozen enemes. But the counter system is completely ripped away and replaced with one that is very inferioror. Also gone are the chain combos, this replaced with a simpler version that is also inferior to it's console brethren. The one in place does it's job for combat, but it could have been done better.- Heavily Dialed Back. Obviously, a game as big as these are on console is going to have to get scaled back when it's brought to a handheld. However, it's the sheer fact of how much things have been scaled back to make Liberation work that is astounding. The maps for the two areas don't feel big at all, even for handheld standards. It seems like it a little bigger once you're in the lady costume and you have to actually walk everywhere. One thing that helps trick you into thinking it's bigger though is the space you have in each map. The settlements in the swamp are scattered very far apart, and unless you find a path through the trees, you have to trudge through the water which will make you feel like a snail.
Final Verdict
The Assassin's Creed franchise has made a stamp in the gaming world over the last decade. Some may like it, some may not, but either way everyone knows about it. The original game spawned two handheld spin-offs, one for the PSP and one of the DS, while the sequel also had a spin-off on the DS. So it's no surprise that when the Vita releaed, Assassin's Creed eventually found it's way there too. Liberation isn't the best game in the series, but it's not the worst either. It's fair to say that nobody will be playing this who isn't already a fan of the franchise itself, although if you were to play it without any other Assassin experience, you'd still enjoy this one. This game goes for about $13, whether you find it as just a cartridge, or in it's little blue box of a case. The biggest set back this game brings is it's combat system, although if you're stealthy enough you won't even need to deal with it. Again, it might not be the greatest one in the series, but this one definitely does have it's place with the main games. Even if you don't have a Vita to play this one on, for the same price you can get the HD remastered version of it that was bundled along with Assassin's Creed III and IV : Black Flag, both on PS3 and Xbox 360.I'm slowly working my way through this one while I still am streaming the entire AC Franchise on my Twitch channel. I'm (crazily) attempting to play through the story modes of every game in the main series before Origins comes out at the end of October. If you'd like to follow me on the journey you can at www.twitch.tv/honestgamermike
As for this one in particular, I really am enjoying it. It's weird not having any out-of-animus tasks to do, but it still works for what it is. Aveline is a great addition to the Brotherhood and definitely earns her place in it. The story is great, and despite playing this on the handheld, it brings the same level of experience to the games, along with the inferior combat system.
