Assassin's Creed 3 Choses the 18th Century for it's new Setting

Gamers are eagerly anticipating the release of the third installment in the video game series, Assassin's Creed, and after seeing the trailer (at the cinema, my goodness!) I joined the multitudes of those eagerly waiting for the October release.  Assassin's Creed is no stranger to art history/history blogs.  With Assassin's Creed II being set in renaissance Florence, and with plenty artistic detail, I recall tweeting (or blogging, who can remember!) about it and the wonderful Three Pipe Problem was more than happy to give a thorough analysis of the game since it combined two of his favourite things.  I was forced to read on in envy.  But luckily this third installment takes place in Colonial America, and although void of famous works of art, still hold much promise.  As can be seen from the trailer:


Ooo looks awesome!  According to this preview video from the makers, the cities hold historical accuracy (because, goodness knows the protagonist's outfit could use some!) due to the designers consulting  eighteenth-century maps.  Those who have been to Boston will recognize some familiar sites that still remain there today.  According to the wikipedia page, the story is,

set before, during and after the American Revolution from 1753 to 1783, featuring a new protagonist: half-English and half-Native American, Connor Kenway, birth name Ratonhnhaké:ton (pronounced "Ra-doon-ha-gay-doon").

Hmm looks like this is as close to a Last of the Mohicans video game as I'll ever get!

But then UbiSoft said, "wait a minute, we have tall ships, redcoats, and major ass-kicking; maybe that just won't be enough for some people."
"By some people do you mean lady-gamers who like whipping out their handhelds on the afternoon commute?"
"Why yes, let's make another version of Assassin's Creed that takes place in eighteenth-century New Orleans and have a kick-ass chica with an awesome tricorn.  Who wouldn't want to play that?"*

Set in 18th Century New Orleans between 1765 and 1780, which is the time between the end of the French and Indian War up to the middle of the American Revolution, the game follows the story of Aveline de Grandpré, a female Assassin of French and African descent. Aveline is recruited to the Assassin Brotherhood by Agate, an escaped slave, who acts as her mentor. The plot of the game involves the cultural practice of plaçage, where wealthy French and Spanish men have an arranged marriage with a woman of African, Indian or Creole descent, thus allowing those women and their children to gain power, wealth and positions of power in society. 

Sounds awesome! Now if only I had the consoles to test these games out and report back...although October gives one ample time....

*obviously this conversation didn't happen.

An Enlightening Video Game?

I know the chances of many of the readers who grace this blog being gamers are pretty low. However I am clever enough to know you are out there. Lauren and I, ourselves are closet gamers when we're not sipping our champagne, gossiping, or the billion other things we have on our to-do lists. I've often been thinking, why aren't there enough games set in the 18th century? And before any laughing snarls come out of the true gamers who have stumbled upon this post I would like to direct you to other video-game junkies who are asking the same question.

At the beginning of the month, BitMob posted, 4 Places Rockstar Should Set Their Next Game. Two of those suggestions were in the 18th century, one setting being England. Listen to this convincing plea,

"This period also encapsulated the heyday of highwaymen, robbers on horseback who were often romanticized in stories...This rich history of folklore from the time would make this an incredibly interesting setting for Rockstar to explore. The Grand Theft Auto series and Red Dead Redemption have successfully paid homage to cinema history, and by setting a game during 18th-century England they could do the same thing for the written word."

Sign me up!

I have found a few video games set in the era, mostly war strategy games and pirate crusades. I guess attempting to bring a monarch's downfall with gossip and rumors while putting together the perfect masquerade costume hasn't come out yet. A girl can dream... In the meantime here is what I have found. Do you know of any good games set in our most favorite of centuries? What would you like to see in terms of a game set in the 18th century?

East India Company PC Strategy

Empire: Total War PC Strategy

Anno 1701 PC and DS RPG

Pirates of the Burning Sea PC MMO

The soon to be released Harker, which looks pretty cool, XBox Action

Age of Empires III PC RTS (I used to love Age of Empires, I'm tempted to buy this one!)

Furnishing a Virtual Chatsworth

I'm going to nerd out a bit, and veer a little off-subject but I can't contain myself. The Sims 3 comes out today with promises of endless creativity. You can get all the good information from the site but I thought I might point out some things that might interest the regular readers...or at least the ones who play The Sims.

One of things I find interesting about the game is how extravagant and creative people can get. The picture above displays some of the clothing people created (for The Sims 2) outside the actual game. Although my nerdiness/love of the game is very strong I never got into creating my own people or furniture from scratch. The Sims 3 makes it even easier to customize your sims and their environment. By the looks of things, you can alter physical features to make close replications of real people; or at least closer than in past versions of the game.

For those interested in building and designing their own Versailles, while ignoring that pile of dishes in the sink; I have already discovered a nice set of rococo-esque furniture on the site. These can be custom upholstered to your liking as well, imagine the possibilities.

I know the audience here is probably a little more mature than me *blush* (yes, there's just some things I'll never grow out of, video games being number one). But this art historian does need some mindless distraction...plus I owe myself a birthday present! Maybe you do too?