The Favorites - Ranked Assassin's Creed Protagonists: Favorite to Least Favorite

Well, it’s a new year, and things still feel like they haven’t changed. 2021 wasn’t a great year, but I can’t call it bad either. It had its usual ups and downs. Anyway, one thing I wanted to eventually cover was who my favorite Assassin’s Creed protagonists were. Even though I still haven’t played Liberation (which actually is now on the PS4 on that AC3 remaster), I want to go on and get this done.

So, what’s the criteria in a good protagonist? I think there are many factors, but the main one is that they gotta be likable. You can even find some likability by playing a protagonist who’s off into some dark deeds like Shay Kormac from Rogue or Haytham Kenway from AC3. Development is definitely a plus in my department. Even when some get one game, the story surrounding them is usually pretty dang good. Throw things like fighting ability, personality, and a crapton of other stuff as well. For a bit of a shock, I’m also including other protagonists like the modern day ones, ones from DLC, and ones we play for a little bit. So, let’s start off with easily the best of the bunch:

1. Ezio Auditore da Frienze (the Ezio Trilogy) – Yeah, you know Ezio is going up top. One of the reasons the franchise got such a kick in popularity was because of Ezio. We got to see him grow (literally, we first see him after he’s born!) from a brat into one of the wisest Assassins. He a lover, a fighter, and everything in between. Even though he wasn’t the first Assassin, he was one of the reasons why I became a fan of Assassin’s Creed. I also have to credit Robin Atkins Dowe for providing some great voice acting.

2. Bayek of Siwa (Origins) – This was a tough one because either Bayek or the next pick was going to get this spot. I just had to do a Wesley Snipes and “Always go with black” on this one. In my replay, I was excited to return to Egypt to experience the butt-kicking Medjay. While Bayek did have a bit of a familiar backstory (he wanted a taste of revenge), there was a lot more to him than that. He was already a protector, he was a husband, and he had a son. Seeing him and Aya lose their son, Khemu, and dedicate themselves to a higher calling was interesting. Abubakar Salim did a great job in voicing Bayek.

3. Edward Kenway (Black Flag) – One of the reasons Black Flag was such a success was because it had a cool protagonist in Edward Kenway. He was a scoundrel who interacted in the Assassin/Templar conflict in an interesting way. Heck, he stays a bit of a scoundrel for a majority of the game since he was a pirate. He only wore the Assassin garb for show and took “nothing is true, everything is permitted” a little too literally. It took losing everything he had (his family, his friends, his ship, and almost his life) for him to change his pirate ways and become an Assassin in the end. Matt Ryan (John Constantine!) voiced him and did a wonderful job.

The Favorites - My Top 7 Assassin's Creed Video Games

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.

"It's A Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Well, it took over 100 hours a in span of maybe two months, (Baby Andy takes a lot) but I more or less beat the main iteration of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla… yeah, I got one last mission, but that gotta wait. Just guess what’ll go in the “CONS” section. Anyway, this should do it for me in terms of mainline AC games. AC: Liberation is still out there, and can be played on PS4 now. Still, I think I’m petered out on the world of the Assassins for now.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was released toward the end of 2020. My initial interest for Valhalla was “whelmed” mainly because it was coming out at the same time Cyberpunk 2077 was being released. Shockingly, the Ubisoft game wasn’t the one that has been lambasted for being broken. I mean, I ran into a fair share of bugs, but something tells me that Cyberpunk 2077 could’ve killed my base PS4. I ended up buying Valhalla back in April for a bit of a discount.

"It's a Video Game! - Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

Well, I finally made it. Other than Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and maybe a couple of non-main console AC games, I’m done with the Creed. I started this journey through the games in 2018 and thought it wouldn’t take too long to do it. I was wrong on that front, and it was this game’s fault! While Syndicate wasn’t exactly drawing me in, it’s also possible that I was burnt out on the franchise. Besides, there was other stuff to play. Anyway, I can finally say that I finished this race.

Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate was released on October 23^rd, 2015 for the PS4 and Xbox One. Of course, I didn’t get around to getting this game until last year maybe. I’m not sure. I probably got it around the same time I got Unity last year. In the pretty lackluster present day story, you’re back as “Blank: the Helix Player”… yeah, I got no good name for this person. Anyway, you’re tasked by the Assassins to play the memories of two twin Assassins: Jacob and Evie Frye. You also see familiar Assassins like Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings as they search for an Isu artifact called the Shroud of Eden.

In the past (1868), you can play as either Jacob or Evie Frye. Unlike how Odyssey does later, you can switch them out during gameplay and play as either. While both are trying to take down the Templars in London, they have different goals. Jacob wants to chew gum and kick Templar arse while Evie is on the search for hidden Isu artifacts like the Shroud. They aren’t the only ones searching for the Shroud though since Starrick, the Grand Templar in London, has his associates out there running the place and looking for the Shroud. Add in a lotta Cockney accents, child labor, gangs, and overall calamity.

"It's a Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

Well, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla has been released, and reviews seem promising. That being said, I’ll probably wait for the eventual “This Game Is Buggy” patch to be released before I end up playing it. I wish I could say that I’ve reached the end of the AC retrospective, but I have Syndicate to finish off. I’ll probably do that before I hit Valhalla. I’m just not sure yet. Anyway, on to Ancient Greece!

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey was released on October 5^th, 2018. I don’t think I got it until 2019 though. This continued what Assassin’s Creed: Origins did with the RPG-lite mechanics and went even further. Now, we can choose the sex of our protagonist (Kassandra or Alexios). We can also alter the story of these characters a bit during certain sections of the playthrough. Even the skill tree that was introduced in Origins has been spruced up quite a bit. Also, Naval Battle makes its grand return here. It was only used sparingly in Origins.

"It's A Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: Origins

Well, another Assassin’s Creed game is upon us. At first, I thought I would be torn between Valhalla and Cyberpunk 2077. Since 2077’s been pushed back to December (seriously, WTH CDPR), I might end up checking that out first. Then again, if it’s anything like how Assassin’s Creed: Unity was when it first shipped, I might wait. Anywho, it’s time to get back on the trail of AssCreed. By the way, if you’re wondering where Syndicate is, keep wondering because I haven’t finished it yet. I’ll touch on that when I actually get around to it. That’ll be a story!

Assassin’s Creed: Origins was released on October 27^th, 2017. After Syndicate, Ubisoft took a much needed year off to craft this new game. My guess is that they knew that the formula was getting stale because Syndicate wasn’t as well-received in 2015. So, they needed to shake it up and add in something new. One look at some of the gameplay and RPG elements can tell you that they were inspired by RPGs like The Witcher 3, a well-received game and great RPG in my opinion. Does Origins come close, or does it fall?

"It's a Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: Rogue

Well, it has officially gotten cold… in more ways than one. Seriously, it was 54 degrees one day and over one night, we got  rain, sleet, and snow! It’s not even winter yet and TN is getting snow. At least this gives me time to catch up on some movies, tv shows, and of course, video games. I finally finished Assassin’s Creed: Rogue during this time, so that’s next on the AC docket.

AC: Rogue was released on the PS3 during November 2014 right at the same time AC: Unity was being released. I guess Ubisoft wanted to make some more money off of the PS3 for one last time. Since Ubisoft was concentrated on making Unity the big one, Rogue was much smaller in scope. It’s pretty short (only six sequences) and takes a lot of assets from AC: Black Flag. Even though it’s small in scope, it touches on a lot in the franchise in an interesting way. Reviews were decent for the game but some felt it was a cash grab at the time. Is it truly that or something more? I’ll elaborate below.

In the Present Day, Rogue pretty much picks up sometime after Black Flag. You’re “Nameless the Game Tester” again. Because of some weird hack at Abstergo Entertainment (kinda made to tie into Unity), you’re pretty much trapped in the building. You’re being ordered around by Osto Berg and his underling to go back into the Animus and live the events of Assassin-turned-Templar named Shay Cormac. Yeah, we get to play on the bad side… sort of.

"It's A Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: Unity

Well, it’s October, and I actually feel like throwing some horror-themed stuff on here. Before I get to those things, I wanted to return to the Assassin’s Creed franchise for a bit. I did think about talking about the more recent games first, but I can’t skip the “awesomeness” of games like Unity, Rogue, and Syndicate. Which reminds me, I need to finish Rogue one of these days. I heard that it’s even not a long game, but still. I got a little more time on my hands now, and yet… I kinda don’t care much about ‘ole Shay Cormac. Before I get to that game, I got to touch upon my most recent play of Assassin’s Creed: Unity.

Assassin’s Creed: Unity was released November 2014 on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One (not to be confused with the Adjective-less Xbox). Ubisoft wanted to innovate and use the power of new consoles, so we got no watered down version of it on the PS3. While things didn’t work out at release (you can look that hilariousness up yourself), that wonder and awesomeness did eventually show up. The game also includes multiplayer co-op, which is something I rarely care about. When the game was released, it got a mixed reception thanks to a lot of glitchy code and messed up graphics. Ubisoft did eventually patch these problems, but the damage was more or less done with some folk. So, now that I’ve more or less finished the patched thing, what do I think of the Adventures of Arno, Man of Boredom?

"It's a Video Game! - Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

Well, it’s time to step back into the world of Assassin’s Creed for a bit. Right now, I just got off from playing the newest game Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. Yes, I haven’t gone back to Unity and I haven’t even touched Syndicate yet. I think Ubisoft knew that I’m casual fan of Greek mythology or something. Something had to keep me playing for that long! Anyway, before I started on that 80+ hour venture (yeah, it took that long and I haven’t even touched DLCs yet), I finally finished today’s subject, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.

Black Flag was released on October 9^th, 2013. It was put on both current and next-gen consoles, but I got it for the PS3. While Assassin’s Creed 3 wasn’t the best game, it did introduce a new mechanic to the series: naval battles. Ubisoft took that mechanic and made it into its own thing for this game and another one I’ll get to next time. They also decided to throw pirates into the mix, and pirates are always cool… unless you’re Johnny Depp these days. So, what happens in “The Adventures of Kenway 0.5 and Nameless Game Tester?”

The present day story for Black Flag takes place a year after the events of Assassin’s Creed 3. If you don’t remember that crappy ending, let me remind you: Desmond Miles is “deaded.” The Templars find what’s left of him and essentially exploit his remains in order to find more Isu artifacts. You end up playing as a nameless game tester who’s been hired by Abstergo Entertainment in to surf through the memories of Edward Kenway, the father of Haytham Kenway. While you end up “testing” the newest pirate game out, other familiar parties end up contacting you throughout the game.

In the past, you end up in the early 18^th century during the Golden Age of Piracy. You’re Edward Kenway, an up-and-coming pirate with goals of getting gold. With an Assassin uniform he pilfered from a traitorous Assassin, he uses his ship (the Jackdaw) to sail the high seas and go on many adventures. You end up coming across historical pirates like Blackbeard, Ben Hornigold, and Mary Read. He has no stake in the Assassin/Templar fight and only gets involved because he hears about the Observatory, something that could bring him a lotta wealth. Edward does end up coming across a character who has weird ties to the Observatory called “The Sage."  He more or less ends up as Edward’s antagonist during the game along with Templars and other nefarious folk.

'It's a Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed 3

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve talked about some Assassin’s Creed stuff here… or anything here for that matter.  Right now, I’m kind of on a break from the Assassin/Templar conflict. I can only play so much of the same game for so long. Besides, I really wanted to play that new Spider-Man game. I stopped at my replay of Black Flag and my first playthrough of Unity. I did think about grouping these games together, but something tells me I’ll have a lot to say about these later installments.

Since I’ve got “The Adventures of Kenway and Son” on the mind, I might as well get this one dealt with. Assassin’s Creed 3 was released on consoles and PC in 2012 by Ubisoft. I didn’t play it until a couple of years later and it was only one playthrough. I’ll get to why below. Since I was going through the games again, I wanted to revisit it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the dang disc. Luckily, this game doesn’t cost too much these days, so I found it in a store in Columbia. I didn’t play the DLC, though, since I heard that it had some glitchy issues. Besides, I think I’ve already had enough of weird Presidents this year.

"It's a Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Trilogy

Well, Christmas has come and gone. I got some good gifts though there are some pants that are a little tight. It could be the Christmas dinner or the fact that I’ve never been able to fit into regular jeans well. Anyway, this may be the last Assassin’s Creed post for a bit. I’m in the midst of playing Assassin’s Creed 3 which is one game I haven’t played in years. I’m beginning to see why, but that’s for later. Besides, January is saved for a lotta love toward butt-kicking.

Next up for this Assassin’s Creed binge I’m on is a series of games that feature the Assassin known as Ezio Auditore da Frienze. I’m not going to toot this horn much, but if want to know when the AC series gets good, just look at Ezio. He appeared in three games: Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. They  were all eventually collected together under The Ezio Trilogy. As for me, I bought them all separately years ago.  I know that I’ve replayed the second game and Brotherhood a couple of times as well as just recently. As for Revelations, I only did that once but I’ve recently done a replay on that as well. So, have these games held up over time?

Movie Talk - Assassin's Creed (2016)

And now… it’s time to talk about this possible piece of “felderkarb.” I was going to talk about this along with the first game, but I wanted to re-watch it and give it a fresh watch. Also, I needed to do something while wrapping presents. I got one more left to wrap, but I might hold off since it’s a little big. Anyway, this movie has the special distinction of also taking place within the AC universe. I actually saw some references to the movie characters in Assassin’s Creed: Origins. While it was released during December of 2016, I didn’t see it until much later. I just re-watched it today, so what do I think of this movie now?

The movie follows Callum Lynch, a convict who’s taken by Abstergo to be put into the Animus. Their plan is to find an Apple of Eden, a great source of power. They put Callum into his ancestor, Aguilar de Nerha, during the Spanish Inquisition in 1492. While Callum is captured, he’s able to gain the skills of his ancestor and help other captured Assassins strike back against the Templars. He and the rest of the folk also almost put me to sleep. In the past, Aguilar does action stuff and interacts with the Apple for a bit. That’s all with  that guy since we only spend about 30 minutes in the past… eh.

Angilar: Man, all those other assassins get a crapton of time! Heck, even that Haytham  $%*#* got more time than me and he ain't... wait, that'd be spoiling stuff!

"It's a Video Game!" - Assassin's Creed (2007)

So, what does one get when they mix parkour, Quantum Leap, the Knights Templar, the Matrix, and a Doomsday prophecy together? I don’t know, but Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise sounds like the closest fit. I feel like this has been a long time coming. I consider myself to be a fan of the franchise or at least a casual fan. I haven’t read any of the tie-in comics nor have I played any of the other non-PS3/PS4 games out there. I did see that 2016 movie, unfortunately, and that will be talked about here soon. I do need to answer one question first: what is Assassin’s Creed?

At its core, Assassin’s Creed is about the centuries-long battle between the Assassins and the Knights Templar. The Templars created a machine called the Animus that allows its user to experience the life of an ancestor. In the first game’s case, it’s Desmond Miles. He gets captured by the Templars so they can find something called the Apple of Eden. While you have the modern storyline, you also get a lot more in the past with the Assassin you’re playing. I could get more into detail, but I don’t want to chase you off. This franchise gets pretty confusing.

The concept for Assassin’s Creed came from a few of places. The first is Alamut, a novel from Slovenia. It’s basically about an order of assassins and its leader. The biggest inspiration and one I’m personally familiar with is The Prince of Persia series which was also published by Ubisoft. I’ve revisited The Sands of Time a lot on the PlayStation 2. Unfortunately, that game series has pretty much been forgotten about by Ubisoft.  When Ubisoft was looking to create another game and possibly another franchise, they took Alamut’s concept and the Prince of Persia’s gameplay to come up with Assassin’s Creed.

Today, I’ll be talking about the first game in the franchise, Assassin’s Creed.  It was what first introduced me to the franchise in 2011. It’s also one that I didn’t beat until a few weeks ago. Yes, this game can get frickin’ grating in places especially at the end. I’ll get to that later, though. I was also going to quickly go over the 2016 movie, but this post is going to be long enough. Besides, it means I have to watch the dang thing.