Since it is the end of the year, I felt like returning to the world of the Assassins. Ubisoft has released some more DLC and even free DLC at that. I don’t know if I’ll play any of it though. I got a couple of posts that I’ve wanted to get up for a while now.
First up is a post I thought would be a struggle. Of out of all of the AC games, which ones do I consider to be the my favorite? It’s a tough question because all of them have a lot of good things and few bad things. It ultimately comes down to a few factors like story, protagonists, gameplay, and just overall fun. Another thing that could make it tougher is the fact that there are 13 mainline games (including Liberation which I never played). It’s tough to make a top 10 of that, which is why I made the corporate decision to make this a Top 7 list. Here are my favorites from the franchise.
7. Assassin’s Creed
Here’s the original one that started it all. AC may not be
my favorite of the bunch, but it set up a lot of groundwork for the series. We got
introduced to the Assassins and the Knights Templar, and it was a conflict that
had a bit of a shade of gray to it. Heck, Altair Ibn-La’Ahad, our past
protagonist, starts out as a pretty shady Assassin himself. We also got
introduced to Desmond Miles and some of his supporting characters. The things
that make this game work so well aren’t exactly the gameplay which is good, but
that combat needed some work.
AC has a pretty serious, almost spiritual vibe to it all
especially since you’re in the Holy Land during the Crusades. Altair’s development
throughout the game was pretty good. He goes from a careless killer to a
mature, wise member of the Brotherhood. It even provided some twists I didn’t
expect especially with Altair’s master, Al Mualim. Of course, the game is a bit
dated with a lot of repetitious missions. I also wasn’t a fan of Altair’s
American Midwestern accent. The gameplay espeically towards the end had such a big difficulty curve that I put down the controller for a long time. It's still a decent one though.
6. Assassin’s Creed 3
Yes, AC3 made it to the list. After the thrashing I gave that
ending, you’d think it would be on the lower end of AC games. There was a lot
to that game that I thought worked pretty well. It was the first AC game we got
that took place in the Americas. It also tried to bring back a little more
ambiguity to the Assassin/Templar conflict with Haytham and Connor. Also, it’s
the first time we get to play as a villain in Haytham (spoilers for an 8+ year
old game), and he is a good antagonist for Connor. Now, while Connor Kenway (or Ratonhnhaké꞉ton) wasn’t the best past
protagonist, it was cool to play someone who’s Native American.
It was also the last time the modern day played a major
importance. While Layla and her adventures are okay, things were on another
level with Desmond and his crew. Yes, I have problems with this game. Connor’s
story felt undercooked as well as Desmond’s present day missions. Also, there’s
that crappy ending to consider. Talk about a slap in the face. At least the
music was fun.
5. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Next up is the game that is furthest from the Assassin
concept. Yes, Odyssey basically has no ties to the Assassins outside of the
present day storyline, and even the main villains (the Cult of Kosmos) aren’t what
we know as the Templars just yet. What we got was a cool game set in Ancient
Greece. It took the RPG elements AC: Origins introduced and went to town with
it. I might even like this one better than the latest game, Valhalla. It took
the ties it had with the Isu (the first civilization) and tried to make an
interesting story out of it.
Kassandra/Alexios were also not bad protagonists either. They
weren’t the best, but they were far from bad. The main story missions were kinda
interesting, but the side missions (mainly the Greek Stories) were fun at
times. I can’t say that the game is perfect though. It did suffer a little bit
from an oversized world. The villains weren’t the best which is a thing with
current Assassin’s Creed games. The present day story was also kinda poor. I
feel sorry for Layla Hassan. We got a female protagonist, and barely anything
good is done with her story. Still, it’s a fun time all-around.
4. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Black Flag was kind of a gamechanger in its time. It was the
first game that didn’t revolve around Desmond Miles even though he’s kinda
present. You end up playing as another one of his ancestors, but Edward Kenway
is far from a noble Assassin. He’s a pirate and a bit of a scoundrel. Even
though he has some nobility in him, he’s far from a good guy. He also happens
to be one of my favorite protagonists for that reason. How he interacts with
the Assassin/Templar conflict was pretty fun.
Heck, playing out the pirate lifestyle was pretty fun. You
got to ransack all sorts of booty… you know! The gameplay is good, and the boat
mechanics (introduced in AC3) were also pretty cool. It also has one of the
best supporting casts in the franchise. While the Templars this time were a bit
subpar, the Sage actually proved to be a decent villain. The only thing that
kinda brings the game down is the present day where you’re “Nameless, the Game
Debugger.” I will say that it was an interesting way to take the Present Day
though. It was also interesting to see Abstergo, aka, “Ubisoft In Name Only,”
try to make the Templars from previous games these major heroes in game.
3. Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Next up is the game that was truly a gamechanger for the
franchise. AC: Origins brought a lot of new things to the table. We got an actual
new present protagonist (for good or ill) in Layla Hassan, and we got some pretty
decent RPG elements added in. We also got a new combat schema that involves a
crapton of weapons, and we got an origin for the Assassins, or Hidden Ones. Exploring
Ancient Egypt is pretty fun. It’s an area that doesn’t feel too big but not too
small either.
A major component that makes Origins work is the character
of Bayek. He’s up there with my favorite past protagonists in the franchise. Seeing
how his story ties into the Assassins’ origins is cool. His relationship with
Aya was powerful as well as heartbreaking. Yeah, he wanted revenge on the Order
of the Ancients (another precursor to the Templars), but it’s a revenge plot
that plays out really well here. Now, it’s not perfect since the villains are
bit lacking and some graphics aren’t the best, but it’s a game I can see myself
revisiting again. Heck, I skipped a game in order to replay it again, and I was
glad to do so.
2. Assassin’s Creed 2
And here we get to the game that really put Assassin’s Creed
on the map. AC2 came in and set the standard for what the franchise should be.
It’s here where we got introduced to Ezio Auditore, a character who a lot consider
to be the best protagonist. It’s easy to see why. We see Ezio grow from a reckless
brat into one of the best Assassins, and it all starts here. We also got one of
the better set of Templar villains here. It’s not every day where you get into a
fistfight with the Pope!
The present day storyline also starts to take shape here. We
get the intros of Rebecca and Shaun to the franchise. The gameplay also get an
upgrade from what we got in the original game. Combat feels much more looser
here. We even get a few new weapons to play around with. There aren’t too many
bad things about the game. Outside some repetition with missions and a couple
easy point with the combat, this is a great game. Is it my favorite though? Hmm…
1. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
It’s actually pretty tough to say which one is better: AC2
or AC: Brotherhood. Instead of weighing that heavy question, I just gotta put
down Brotherhood. Brotherhood also was up on AC2’s level, and kinda dwarfed it
in some ways. We got to see more of Ezio and his supporting cast go up against
the Templars. This time, we got Cesare Borgia as our main villain, and he’s probably
my favorite villain from the franchise. Instead of hopping around different
cities, we’re stuck in Rome. We get a lotta cool stuff to do in Rome.
The gameplay is on par with AC2 and even improved in some
ways. You also got to recruit new Assassins into the brotherhood, and that was
actually pretty fun. You could even send them on missions. The present day story
here was also pretty good. You even got to do some cool stuff with Desmond
through the Bleeding Effect. It does have one moment at the end that definitely
changed things going forward though. Other than some repetitious missions here
and there, this is my favorite AC game. I’ve probably replayed it more times
than AC2.
……………………………………………..
And that’s pretty much all I have to today. It’s New Year’s
Eve, so I don’t know if I’ll post anything else. If y’all have your own list of
favorte AC games, let me know. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and “May the
father of understanding guide us…”
Ha, I know I wouldn’t make it as a Templar.
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