Having showcased Assassin's Creed III's naval warfare elements at E3 2012 and again at the San Diego Comic-Con last month, it's obvious Ubisoft is proud of this aspect of Connor Kenway's adventure. As well they should be — this is the first time naval warfare in a video game hasn't made me want to take a nap.
There are people that savor the dance of two ships circling and firing large metal balls at each other. For those folks I expect Assassin's Creed III's naval combat might be too much and not enough for them at the same time. They'd rather micromanage the mizzenmast while leaving the boarding and combat to the AI where it belongs. They are going to hate this.
I, on the other hand, am absolutely thrilled. Ubisoft has taken the best, most action-packed pieces of boat battles and stitched them together into one of the main sails driving the Assassin's Creed III ship. My sails are fully inflated, if you know what I mean.