Next month sees the release of one of the most eagerly-anticipated games of the year (for me at least), Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
I have been a huge fan of the series ever since the first one dropped back in 2007, and have avidly played each and every release on PlayStation and Xbox ever since. I haven’t indulged in the handheld games and can’t talk about all of the DLC, but each release has been played right through until the end. Yes, even Unity.
I decided to fill some time (which I don’t really have) by ranking the Assassin’s Creed games, from worst to best, more for my own amusement than anything. Mind you, if you haven’t played any of them, then this handy guide might be a good place to start.
11. Assassin’s Creed
I’m going to have to rank the first game as the worst, which would be music to the ears of a 29-year-old me. I recall getting the game on the Xbox 360 and being blown away by the graphics more than anything. The setting, in which you are Altaïr exploring memories during the time of the Third Crusade, instantly had me hooked. The modern day side story, a huge bugbear of mine throughout the series, did not.
Sadly, the gameplay didn’t. After two or three missions you began to realise everything was very samey. Go to a location, climb up something, kill someone, repeat. Whilst in may have been an tepid opening to a great series, at the time I remember feeling excited for what might follow, and with great reason.
10. Assassin’s Revelations
I’m being a little cruel to Revelations here, but the Ezio trilogy was reaching the end of it’s life and I felt the game was tagged onto the success of the previous two. It was a different setting too, but it still had you controlling Desmond Miles for periods, which in my opinion ruins the experience Ubisoft are trying to create.
This isn’t a bad game, but it is part of a trilogy and both of the other games were better. It didn’t add anything new to the franchise, apart from the tower defence minigame, which was a bit like adding a used inner sole to a steak dinner. Considering this is tenth in the list and, at a push, I could play it through again now only underlines how good the series is (or how my view of Unity is waaaaaaaay out of sync with the real world).
9. Assassin’s Creed Rogue
Had Rogue been a title released on a current-gen machine, it might stand out a little more. It flips the assassin and templar theme on its head, turning you into the templar. Sadly, it dropped around the same time as Black Flag, so whilst I was revelling in next-gen glory on the PS4, it sat stagnating a little on the previous generation of machines. I did keep my Xbox 360 just to play it, but got a red ring of death (like after a bad fish curry) and shelved it.
Once remastered on the PS4 I played through again, but it dropped just six months after Origins, a game which held my attention longer than most and Rogue felt dated by then. I strongly suspect if this had come as a follow-up to Black Flag, without the complications of a new machine, I’d rate it higher.
8. Assassin’s Creed Unity
I don’t care. I know you’re all out there, judging me, but I don’t care. This dropped when I was laid up with back pain, unable to move and alone for two weeks as my partner went to San Francisco. All I had was this game and by God, did I enjoy it.
Yes, it was buggy. There were no reflections in the puddles for a start, and everyone in France during the revolution spoke in English accents. Sure, it crashed a bit and the multiplayer was awful, but I DON’T CARE. I liked it. There, I’ve said it. Like The Stone Roses Second Coming, I am unashamed to say I liked it.
I enjoyed seeing Arno’s story unfold and I felt a genuine attachment to him as the story rolled to an end. Nothing kept me in Paris beyond the story though, but I genuinely found Paris a great setting. Judge me as much as you want.
7. Assassin’s Creed III
This could have been lower down, much lower. The long introduction had me bored to tears, playing as a kid in Colonial America just didn’t grab me and I almost put the controller down so many times. If, like now, I’d had 48 other games in my collection, maybe I would have, but I was poor and thus had to stick with it. I’m glad I did.
It does still have faults I can’t forgive, those painful ‘follow and listen’ missions which have thankfully been binned off. I wasn’t a huge fan of Connor, the main character either, and with the painful modern-day story still rattling around, there were times when I wanted to give up.
It felt bigger though, and it brought new elements such as the sea-faring missions, which have become a key part of the later titles. Deep down, I have a grudging respect for AC III, but I would never consider playing again because of that long introduction. At least the accents were right though, which is the only reason Unity isn’t higher. That and I want people to at least read more of my stuff in the future.
6. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
We are going back a bit now, but Brotherhood was a great game. It felt much bigger than the previous title, and it featured Ezio who was a popular character with many gamers. Renaissance Italy made for a wonderful setting to and, for its time, AC Brotherhood must surely be one of the best games to emerge. Yes, we still had to endure Desmond, but we did so in small doses, otherwise we were climbing the buildings of Rome and genuinely getting immersed in the world.
Amassing a band of followers and taking on the world was great fun and there was a multiplayer too (I’m told), but living in 2012 with 1985 internet meant I didn’t try it out. I did replay part of Brotherhood when it dropped as the Ezio trilogy on PS4, and found it just as engrossing as the first playthrough.
5. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
The last of the true Assassin’s Creed games, Syndicate suffered for the sins of Unity. It had everything I wanted; the setting of Victorian England was one I’d spoke to at length during game chats with my brother. We both wanted to see London in an AC game and it didn’t disappoint. The mini-games taking place during wartime were enjoyable too, as they were in Unity (there I go again, more positive stuff about that release).
It was the first in the series to introduce two main characters, Evie and Jacob Frye, and an awesome villain in Crawford Starrick. I did have some dodgy moments, such as the horse-drawn carriages, but I could just about forgive that.
Being honest, I didn’t rate the game when it came out, Victorian London felt bright and garish. I wanted the drab, dismal Parisian setting of Unity applied with more style and panache. It is only a later playthrough that made me realise I was judging it on my expectations, not what it actually delivered.
4. Assassin’s Creed Origins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzHpcyqP_LE
Whenever something I enjoy announces a new direction, I tend to steer clear, but with Origins I decided to buy on release day and get stuck straight in. At first, I was a little apprehensive. There seemed to be so much to do and it all got a bit overwhelming, so it got shelved for a year.
On the second try, I found Origins to be a wonderful example of how to reboot a franchise and yet still keep the positive aspects alive. Assassin’s Creed games are all about the backdrop and the history. Egypt was a great place to reboot the franchise, with huge pyramids and iconic landmarks. The story was good, but at times I felt I got a little lost in what I was meant to do and where I should go. Mind you, with so much to see and do, it became an experience, more than a game.
As an RPG fan, the idea of powering up and developing a character appealed to me though and it worked really well with the AC series. I might be alone here, but I wasn’t a huge fan of Bayek, the main character, although his story was enjoyable and well developed.
3. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag
Black Flag is a truly great game that deviates a little from the tried and tested formula. There are few iconic landmarks to work with in the West Indies, but it almost didn’t matter. That’s right, the major USP of the series was missing here and it didn’t matter.
Maybe I got blinded by the PS4 capabilities and rated it better than it was. Maybe I loved the roguish Edward Kenway and bright islands he travelled to. Maybe, plotting to raid the plantations was just too much fun. i don’t know, but what I do know is this game didn’t just get me hooked; it is the only one which used to draw Fe (my partner) downstairs to do ironing so she could watch.
Of course, the naval element was the biggest change and after struggling to get to grips with it, I found myself on the seas for entire gaming sessions, not bothering about missions. Attacking the strongholds from sea was exhilarating, almost as much as then going on land and finishing the job. Those battles felt epic and that is perhaps the best way to describe Black Flag. Still the very best AC game of it’s time, and it hasn’t aged badly either. The fact it is as low as £13.99 is huge, and if you haven’t played it then you should definitely check it out.
2. Assassin’s Creed II
I think it is easy to judge a game favourably, or not so, based on your own preconceptions. I liked Unity (I think I’ve said it) and struggled at first with Syndicate because of what I expected, not because of the game they were. How often has a new release failed to live up to the hype? No Mans Sky, Mass Effect Andromeda and GTA IV all spring to mind. All failed to deliver on the promise of their predecessors, but Assassin’s Creed II did not.
I still recall the breathless anticipation I had when I first had this game in my hand, excited for the visit to Florence, where I’d been six years before. I hoped, desperately, to like the character, the plot and the scope of the game. Luckily, as you’ll know by putting this second, everything fell into place. Perhaps, the Ezio trilogy felt a little tired towards the end, but the first time you ran those rooftops it felt exciting, new and ground breaking.
Throwing in characters like Da Vinci only peppered the already sumptuous recipe with more garnish than a gamer could ever ask for. If you want to play one game back this winter, make it Assassin’s Creed 2. you can buy the whole trilogy here for the current gen consoles and it would be money well spent.
1. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Origins reinvented the wheel in terms of Assassin’s Creed games, raising the bar and heading off in a new direction. The most recent release, Odyssey, shows that it is firmly on the right track, boding really well for Valhalla.
Odyssey leans on some of the ideas from the past, the duel protagonists for instance, as well as being huge. I’ve played lots of games, some really big, but this is comfortably the biggest game I have ever played. I had completed the story (100 hours with a bit of farting around) and still not visited some of the islands on the map. After completing it I put it down, went back this week and have found whole new mission thread that I’d never been near.
The story was great too, I won’t ruin it but aside from the main story, there is a huge side quest to do regarding the fearsome Cult of Kosmos, as well as another featuring the myths from Greek mythology. Genuinely, if you want to buy one game and not have to think about getting another for months, then this is it. it makes Skyrim look like a Commodore 64 release in terms of scope.
There are negatives, the size can be overwhelming and the awkward love stories are tagged on in a really uncomfortable way. I once inadvertently almost ended up sleeping with another man because I didn’t properly read the speech options. Still, despite those small niggles, this is a great way to get you into Valhalla. The only issue is this: Valhalla drops in just over two weeks, and you wouldn’t get past the opening few islands in that time (not in a tedious AC III way either).
