Assassin's Creed III: Liberation Review for PS Vita

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation Box Art

System: PS Vita
Dev: Ubisoft Sofia
Pub: Ubisoft
Release: October 30, 2012
Players: 1 (2+ Online)
Screen Resolution: 544p	Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Combat has the same issue, although this too is a minor complaint. When surrounded by several enemies, your control stick essentially chooses the target, but sometimes you'll lunge for the wrong foe because your thumb was pushing the stick a hair in the wrong direction, exposing you to an attack. Nonetheless, combat is completely satisfying, with a assortment of counter moves, the ability to fire a pistol shot after a series of parries with your sword, and Chain-Kills that can be performed in fine cinematic fashion. You can even disarm enemies and use their weapons against them, or launch smoke bombs if the situation is looking dire. Of course, open combat is more of a backup plan in Assassin's Creed games; keeping to the shadows and using blow darts at long range or your trusty hidden blade up close are always the most satisfying means of dispatching your foes.

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation Screenshot

The game's multiplayer component is not what I expected, as it has nothing at all to do with the single-player campaign. Instead, it's a turn-based strategy game reminiscent of the board game Risk. You choose a side (either the Assassins or Abstergo) and attempt to control nodes around the world in a week-long campaign with other anonymous players. You can attack nodes, aid allies, defend captured nodes, or work economic spaces for bonuses. Battles are all computer generated, with the results based on the attack strength and defense of both sides. You can move through allied nodes but are blocked by enemies. There are also Victory Nodes that, if entirely captured by one side, will cause the match to be won outright. Once an agent has performed an action, there is a cooldown period of thirty minutes before another action can be taken. I guarantee that once you start a match, you'll continuously come back to take your turn and check the map to see which side is winning.

There's plenty more, such as side missions to tackle, wealth and property to acquire, and hidden collectibles to discover and trade using the Vita's "Near" feature, but I'll leave you to discover those for yourself.

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation is as fully featured as any console game, and every aspect feels like it was given the proper care. Liberation is part of a beloved series, and it can be proud standing beside any other of your Assassin's Creed favorites. If you've been looking for a reason to pick up a PS Vita, this is probably it.

By
Sean Engemann
Contributing Writer
Date: October 30, 2012

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

4.6

Graphics
It may not compare to its console counterpart, but it is by far the most beautiful game on the PS Vita yet.

4.8

Control
There's a slight learning curve to the sensitive movement and targeting, but combat and exploration are smooth for the most part.

4.8

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Despite a slight incongruence with the track choice, the music, sound effects, and voice acting are pitch-perfect.

5.0

Play Value
A full-length campaign and plenty of diversions make this an excellent value. You'll return for the multiplayer long after you've completed Aveline's quest.

4.8

Overall Rating - Must Buy
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 - 1.9 = Avoid	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	3.5 - 3.9 = Good	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair	4.0 - 4.4 = Great	5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

New Assassin: In Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, you will meet our first-ever female protagonist, Aveline de Grandpré. As a woman of strong convictions, Aveline is fighting to free the oppressed slaves in 18th century New Orleans and continuing the battle between Assassins and Templars.

New Setting: Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation takes place in 18th century New Orleans – a city that is on the brink of rebellion as the control of the city changes hands between the French and the Spanish. Along with New Orleans, Aveline will experience the mysterious bayou on the outskirts of the city of New Orleans.

Full Assassin’s Creed Experience: For the first time on a handheld device, Assassin’s Creed III Liberation delivers the core experience Assassin’s Creed experience. The team in Ubisoft Sofia implemented the new AnvilNext engine in the Vita exclusive, giving Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation several of the same experiences as the upcoming console game.

Multiplayer: The multiplayer for Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation is an asynchronous multiplayer game that sees gamers taking control of nodes on a global map. Gamers who connect to a local node via the PlayStation Vita’s GPS feature will receive a bonus.