Awesome game - despite some shortcomings.

Where am I coming from: I'm 27, never was a fan of the game. played only the 1st and 2nd one - haven't found anything special in them. Wasn't waiting for the 3rd - especially after reading some opinions. Decided to play only now - since I had nothing to play - while I waited for Tomb Raider to be shipped to my place.

My next 4 days were spend playing the game - while Tomb Raider was put on hold. The game was fantastic - maybe because I had low expectations, maybe because I love the movie Patriot, or maybe just because the game is good.

From the first moments in the game I was captivated by the story (the Connor story - since the Desmond one is BAD). The American Revolution theme is a great change of pace for Assassin's series - and one that i enjoy seeing and reading about. It starts slow, with a different protagonist, but it didn't ruin anything. It was a good introduction which explained how the things got to the where Connor enters the stage. Even taking into account that I despise politics - the story was explained very well. All I can say - it's worth it from start to finish.

The story diversity is somewhat tarnished by side quests which detract from the main story (although this describes 90% of open world games). There a very good side quests - like the Naval ones - which are the best thing that ever happened in Assassins Creed, but there are also a lot of fetch quests - which are always boring. It's needless to say that I went through the main storyline almost exclusively. But I can say that for perfectionists - this game has a lot of stuff to offer.

The main protagonist - Connor - is a very likable character, and feels like a human being and not just a vessel.

The gameplay in itself was good - not perfect due to some glitches: inability to jump over some obstacles from certain angles, freerunning sometimes not working as intended, the horse riding was kinda bad, it's also on the easy side. But the number of ways in which you could tackle enemy encounters (Connor can counter, can hide behind a soldier when others are shooting, can kill from behind a corner, from above, from below etc.), it's diversity, freeruning system (now you can run on trees) - outweighs the bad. Gameplay is as diverse as it can get - never got bored (except for the times when playing a lot of side quests).

The game landscapes are truly beautiful - small cities and villages are surrounded by lush forests that are full of animals for you to hunt, collectibles to collect, and side quests - to side quest :). The change of seasons is done while advancing through the main storyline. The game economy never felt an important part of the game - which is a pity.

From what you can see I'm not touching the graphics - since those are not as important as everything else, they are good anyway.

To sum it up:
Minuses: Lame storyline in present time, small glitches, fetch quests, kinda easy
Pluses: Awesome Connor plot, very likable protagonist, awesome assassin robe, diverse fighting system, free running, diversity in landscapes, naval battles, hunting

Moral: If you are interested in any game - get it, then decide for yourself how good it is, reviews are only opinions. Lately i see a trend in hating games - and it's a pity.