New Assassin's Creed III Trailer Gives A Closer Look At AnvilNext

There's no question that Assassin's Creed III is bringing a slew of new ideas and features to the franchise, but perhaps the biggest change is the inclusion of Ubisoft's new AnvilNext engine. We received a brief introduction to the AnvilNext engine back when Assassin's Creed III was first announced, but now a new trailer is giving us a closer look. It's also making some impressive promises, and if those are true, this stands to the be the most feature-rich Assassin's Creed game yet.

The trailer posted below serves something of a double purpose – it not only exists to boast about the power of AnvilNext, but it also gives us a more in-depth look at the enviorments ACIII protagonist Connor will find himself in. Like previous Assassin's Creed games, your surroundings will play a big role in whether or not you're successful, but Assassin's Creed III looks like it's going to make your surroundings even more important. The trailer says that Connor will have to deal with "extreme conditions in all four seasons" so be ready for that.

We're also promised the "most detailed third-person action character ever created" in Assassin's Creed III, as Ubisoft developed over 1,000 new character animations specifically for Connor. You'll have new combat maneuvers at your disposal, and you'll need them too, since AnvilNext is capable of producing up to "2,000 NPCs in a single sequence." The trailer also reminds us of the naval battles that will take place in Assassin's Creed III, and if they're as cool as they sound, then we're all in for a good time.

All in all, Assassin's Creed III certainly seems like the answer to the franchise fatigue many of us were undoubtedly feeling after the release of Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Here's hoping that's actually the case, and we aren't just being misled by the new setting and character. We'll get our chance to find out in a couple of months, as Assassin's Creed III is scheduled to launch for Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 30, with the PC release following shortly afterward.