The second part of The Tyranny of King Washington trilogy has arrived. We had an up and down relationship with the first episode, but generally liked what we played
How have Ubisoft upped their game in this second installment?
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft
Release Date: Out Now
Format: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Version Tested: Xbox 360
Price: 800MSP / £7.99
History is re-imagined as follows; imagine at the end of the American Revolution that George Washington had not handed over power. Imagine instead that he kept the Apple of Eden, made himself King and went ever so slightly mad in the process. Imagine that Ratohnhake:ton, better known to us as Connor, had never joined the Assassin’s order, but was forced to fight to try and take Washington down. This DLC takes an alternative look at history to dramatic effect. In Episode 2, we pick up right where the first episode left off, finding ourselves based in the city of Boston.
In all, there are 8 main missions to undertake, each one utilizing the moves and skills we know and love from the main game. Connor’s use of animal guides also continues in The Betrayal, only this time players will benefit from the flight skills of the eagle as an ally. There’s the usual element of training involved as you learn to fly, but once through the initial stumbling blocks, the eagle aid is a convenient and welcome boost that adds to your speed in travelling around the map, escaping when there are too many soldiers to take on and in attack as a double eagle swoop move.
The gameplay is all you have come to expect from Assassin’s Creed. Some of the set play attack moves are the best around and the choice of weapons is diverse and exciting. Where i’m more of a sneak in, get the job done and sneak out gamer than an all out brawler, you can play the game either way; depending on whether you want to get all the achievement points or not. That said, the same frustrations in the main game are still present here, not least of which, those pesky dogs!!
Flight training and games of droughts serve as frustrating barriers and pointless time wasters that feature to try your patience while you wait for the main game to unfold. Even in the DLC however,I still found myself regularly deviating from the set path that leads to the next quest, searching for treasure, flying round the board in eagle mode and feeding starving strangers. There’s also the lucid memory artifacts that are present, much as they were in The Infamy.
Find all three and you unlock a fragment of memory. No spoilers here, but go find them, it’s worth it.
What makes this DLC so good is the fact that it is Assassin’s Creed as you know and love it, but taken away from its historical confines. Yes, you are still within the confines of the Assassin’s Creed universe, but knowing that you are being taken out of factual history and then almost re-writing it is a really positive draw.
I’m not the quickest game player in the world, in fact I’m still working through the main game in an attempt to get 100%, but I breezed through this DLC. It’s not that it was too easy, its more that I was unable to wait for the next part. I haven’t felt the compulsion to keep playing through the story since Uncharted 2. I found myself desperate for the next cut scene and eager to learn every strand and plot point. The hardest part for me was knowing I would have to wait another month to see how this concludes!
The Betrayal really picks up the pace of the story and feels more motivated than The Infamy. The Tyranny of King Washington is building towards a dramatic finale and I’m genuinely excited to see the results. Frankly, if this is the standard of DLC for Assassin’s Creed 3, I can’t wait to see what Ubisoft do with Black Flag.
Pros:
- Story has picked up the pace and building toward exciting conclusion
- Eagle aid is a great and convenient fit for Assassin’s Creed
- Lots of optional collectibles that actually contribute to the game and its narrative
Cons
- Laborious training scenes
- Draughts an unnecessary extra
- Same glitches and issues that are present in main game.
RATING: 4 out of 5
The second part of the story is building towards an exciting conclusion and the eagle aid offers a lot to the franchise, but glitches still hinder the game from reaching full its potential
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