While you still play Desmond Miles, the protagonist of the Assassin's Creed series and modern Assassin, the Animus puts you in the shoes of another of his ancestors, just like Altair from Assassin's Creed and Ezio from the Assassin's Creed II games.

Huge world with plenty to do; Gripping story; Engaging side quests

Awkward crafting and trading system

As a former exclusive on the PlayStation Vita, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation arrived in time for the 2012 holidays as a promising system seller for Sony's fledgling handheld. While it fell short of its lofty goal, Liberation was nonetheless an impressive showcase of possibilities for open-world...

Recommended for Assassin's Creed fans who didn't play the Vita version; Upgraded visuals are worthy of the big-screen treatment; Playing Liberation on console controllers beats the Vita version any day

Still has many issues from the Vita version; Offers poor incentives to play beyond the story; Provides little value to those who've beaten the Vita version

(continued from previous page) ...to your secondary weapon--like your pistol, for example. An indicator above an enemy's head let's you know he's about to attack so you properly time a block and counter.

Great sense of place in Colonial America; Compelling narrative; Fun gameplay

Bugs and graphic issues; Lots to do; but loosely tied together; Poor enemy A.I

I've been fighting this war for six long years. I've loyally pledged myself to the Assassins, freeing the world from the machinations of the Templar order. I've traveled through the very fabric of time itself, following Desmond and his Assassin lineage from the Holy Land to Renaissance Italy to...

Engaging story; Beautiful world; Excellent combat system

Story falls flat at the end; A few minor glitches at times

As the Assassin's Creed franchise grows in scope and ambition, so too do the expectations of its players. Franchises die all the time – a combination of stagnant or complacent design choices mixed with ennui in its playerbase.

Grand storyline Excellent wilderness and open world in general Better activities; more activities

Characters a bit lackluster Buggy at times; not unheard of for an open world game; sadly

With its fusion of Matrix-like science-fiction and painstaking attention to historic detail, the Assassin's Creed franchise is one of the most popular game series in some time. Assassin's Creed III brings the trilogy to a close.

Fusion of new zones with familiar city layouts; Fluid and fun combat; Smooth traversal

Bloated features; Pacing problems; Desmond sections fall short

The final chapter of the King Washington saga Not a whole lot has happened so far, but with the final chapter in sight, Ubisoft has a chance to tie it all together in a nice bow and justify its delivery scheme. You are logged out.

I hate to admit that as a fan of big, epic games, I've really been struggling with the Assassin's Creed series over the years. This franchise is so ambitious, so complex, so overwrought that the games often feel like they're barely being held together, that from a gameplay and narrative (and not...

The trademark of the Assassin's Creed series has always been the hooded figure traversing the bustling and beautifully realised city streets from days of yore, and leaping over rooftops to escape city guards.

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel like jumping through trees and stabbing random Englishmen. Hey, it's not like you'd have a better idea. Fortunately, Assassin's Creed III (releasing today on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Nov. 18 on Wii U, and Nov.

The plot moving Assassin's Creed forward might involve Nostradamus's predicted end-of-days, but its appeal lies in touring history as a highly trained killer; We've been a monk and a swashbuckler, and now we get two new archetypes to play around with - the English gentleman and the angry young...