Assassin’s Creed III was one of my favorite games from the earlier part of the series. That changes later because some of the newer games are absolutely amazing, but Connor’s ga…

Assassin’s Creed III was one of my favorite games from the earlier part of the series. That changes later because some of the newer games are absolutely amazing, but Connor’s game still holds a special place for me. The character, the way he was built, the combat, the way the mechanics worked. It all came together into one of the best games in the series. Connor is still my favorite character, hands down. His fighting style and the way he uses his weapons are a big part of that. ACIII came out in 2012, after we had spent three main games with Ezio. That was a big change to make. We went from Renaissance cities to the American Revolution, with Boston, New York, and the Frontier giving the game a different kind of world to move through. Connor’s story also brings the conflict into his own family through Haytham, while Desmond’s present-day story reaches its conclusion. The development history is interesting because the team had to figure out how to make an Assassin work in a wilderness. Tree-running, moving through vegetation, hunting, and using the environment for cover all became part of it. Ubisoft’s developers have talked about how much work went into letting players use Connor’s weapons and tools together, including the tomahawk, rope dart, and those double-counter kills. You can see that effort in the way he moves through a fight. There’s also the Homestead, the naval missions, and all the things surrounding the main story. ACIII was doing a lot at once, and it helped establish systems that later games would take much further. And then there’s The Tyranny of King Washington, the alternate-history expansion with Connor’s animal abilities. That’s where those powers come from, rather than being part of his normal abilities in the main game. The naval side also brought back memories of the original Uncharted Waters on the SNES. I’m talking about that old sailing game, not the Uncharted series. ACIII’s naval missions weren’t the same kind of game, but being back out on the water connected with something I already loved. I know people have different opinions about ACIII, especially coming straight from Ezio. For me, Connor, the combat, and the overall feel of that game made it one of the strongest entries from that earlier stretch. The newer games changed my list of favorites, but they didn’t take away what this one meant to me.