Assassin's Creed III for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

I was surprised that in my first four hours of playing Assassin's Creed III, I didn't set foot in the mocassins of Connor Kenway, the new face of the Assassin Order pictured on the cover. But everything else I experienced was, in a word, stunning.

Minor spoiler alert: You begin the game as Haitham Kenway, in London. Events unfold that lead to Mr. Kenway booking passage to Boston. There is little to do in London or on the ship, but the black and white stoned minigames are a pleasant and riskless distraction.

Colonial-era Boston is beautifully rendered, and while the buildings are a far cry from midieval Rome and Constantinople that fans of the series are no doubt used to, free running, climbing and other movements should be as flawlessly picked up as riding a bike. No hook blade here, sorry. Those checkers-style minigames return here, this time with a few pounds changing hands, as well as slight variations on the rules.

Combat takes a bit to get used to. The timing is much more reactive. Instead of holding down the right trigger to enter a combat stance like in the previous games, you tap the B button to enter your parry stance. From there, you tap B to counter an incoming attack signified by a hollow red triangle above the opponent's head. Action freezes while you decide to (A) disarm the foe, (B) toss the dazed opponent in a given direction, or kill him with (X) a melee weapon or (Y) a ranged weapon. A minor hiccup may be experienced while you figure out the timing, but the new system is much cleaner in practice than the previous one. Blending works the same as in previous games. Approach a bench or a group of citizens to become undetectable. Now you can hide in bushes for the same effect, and there are even mobile hiding places in the form of horse drawn delivery carts.

The scope of ACIII is massive. My first three missions as Haitham took almost four hours to complete, and I know I've barely scratched the surface here. This is definitely one to buy.