In summary, Ubisoft Montreal has taken all the great technical advances offered up by Assassin's Creed Revelations, and has implanted them in a game with a more ambitious tale to tell. On top of that, it brings its own innovations too, showing a real flexibility to the game's underlying engine. The naval battles are a perfectly pitched addition, given the capabilities of each console, and do much to add variety to the gameplay. Similarly, the bumped-up NPC count, new snow effects, and forest sections also elevate the world's sense of scale and atmosphere. Certainly, the complexity of Rome isn't quite matched by Boston's 18th Century manifestation, but this is partly made up for by the added bustle on the harbours, and the constant flux of the weather.
Technically, Assassin's Creed 3 is very well-rounded game on both PS3 and 360. For starters, the use of v-sync does greater justice to the visuals while in motion, where torn frames are now gladly a thing of the past. Outside of differences in texture filtering and shadow draw distance, which favour Microsoft's console by a small margin, there's very little else that set these two versions apart in terms of image quality. The 3.5GB mandatory install on PS3 might be a factor for some, but it's clear that the faster streaming from HDD has benefited performance greatly, resulting in a frame-rate that's often neck-and-neck with the 360's - save for a few busy spots around city areas.
Looking forward, it'll be fascinating to see what may be added - or potentially subtracted - from the game's upcoming Wii U release, and whether tablet controls can find a place in the Assassin's Creed experience. The upcoming PC version will also be worth considering, especially if it allows us to clear up the weaker graphical elements in view on console such as the aliased shadows and visible geometry pop-in. If you can't wait, however, it's fair to say the game is built around a strong familiarity of the 360 and PS3's boundaries, which reaps dividends in every other way. The differences have once again become even more marginal and either version is worth your attention.
Wonder what you get for finishing all 25 waves, because shit is fucking hard with a time limit with only two players and having to try to get focus/incognito so you can point up the sequences. :/
