Assassin's Creed series

[Blackhawk]

I played the first two, then played 90% of Brotherhood on the 360 before I started it up one day and found that my saves had mysteriously vanished. There was quite a bit of ongoing plot between the first few, so I haven't moved on, even though the settings of some of the later ones really caught my attention.

Does it remain necessary to play the earlier titles in order, or could I jump ahead to the ones that look more appealing than another run through Rome?

Second question: Which should be avoided entirely? I know there are a couple that were not well received.

[hentzau]

I played IV without playing any of the other titles and had no troubles. If you finish the entire campaign apparently the ending ties back to some of the other ones, but other than that 4 was clear sailing. (Heh. )

[coopasonic]

The games are pretty much independent. The story is nonsense anyway. Not quite Metal Gear Solid nonsense, but in the neighborhood. You got pretty much what you need from the first 2. There are some things you won't get if you haven't seen all of the cutscenes in all of the games, but it doesn't make any difference to the gameplay and the story in the Animus.

If you like the AC/Arkham kind of gameplay, Black Flag is a must play.

[Blackhawk]

The colonial setting for 3 really appealed to me, and I have 4 sitting unplayed as a freebie from Microsoft. I just didn't want to have to go re-play Brotherhood and then find a copy of Revelations before I played them.

[Smoove_B]

I've played the first 5 games (which oddly enough only gets me through Assassin's Creed 3) and would agree that going back to the first one probably isn't worth it as the game play is so much better now. I liked Brotherhood, but in terms of the story, I thought Revelations was actually better - because you're learning more about Altaïr. But I guess if you don't care about him, you're not likely to miss any critical story elements.

I too have #4 just sitting on my Xbox waiting for a trip. I'm pretty exited to play it, I'm just so backed up with games on my PC (still), it's not likely going to happen until winter break. I didn't like the first few hours of #3 as I didn't really understand what the hell was going on, but after the story actually starts, I really, really enjoyed it.

[Blackhawk]

Given that my AssCreed IV is on the 360, I may wait on it and play III first. Some quick research shows the difference between the 360 and PS4 version is significant.

Of course, I don't have 3. Time to put that on the list.

[Smoove_B]

Of course, I don't have 3. Time to put that on the list.

Currently $9 on Amazon. Will likely be $5 or less during December sales.

[Scuzz]

I have played 1, 2 and Brotherhood. I own Revelations and 3 but haven't played them yet.
While playing them in order would be preferred I think 2 and Brotherhood were much better than 1 and I have been told Revelations is not as good as 2 and Brotherhood. But, I do figure I will play Revelations at some point in the near future.

If you are new to the franchise I would just start with 2.

[NickAragua]

I really enjoyed the ship sailing to ship combat, so I heartily recommend #3, Black Flag and Rogue. The good part is that there isn't really much in the way of gameplay differences between the three, so you don't have to re-learn a new control scheme every time. The user interaction in #3 could use a little work (just wait until you get to the crafting menu), and the main character sounds like a block of wood, especially when talking in his native tongue. It's ok though, if you wanted engaging characters, you wouldn't be playing this game anyway.

Well, ok, I kind of liked Ezio back in the #2 zone, and some of the banter between Desmond and his crew was amusing.

[TiLT]

Don't worry about the story. Assassin's Creed was originally planned to be a trilogy with an overarching storyline, but Ubisoft took strong creative control over the franchise after AC2 came out, and that was the end of that. They had one game's worth of story left to tell according to the original plans, and 6 games later they haven't even managed to do that.

Sometimes I wonder what this franchise would have become if Ubisoft didn't decide to make it annual and stretch it out to infinity.

[Moliere]

So, I just completed Rogue last night. I think that makes 4 or 5 iterations of this game I have finished. At this point I'm just going through the motions. Everything feels identical with only minor variations in the background and NPC skins. I have long sense lost any understanding to the underlying mission of the Assassin v. Templar storyline. Something about an apple and world domination? Anyway, even waiting until they are on a 75% off Steam sale is no longer worth buying these games.

[NickAragua]

Yeah, I got Black Flag for free a few months ago as part of some UPlay promotion or whatever, and I just can't bring myself to even start it up. Even though I loved the naval battles. Just... enough already.

[Carpet_pissr]

I've played none. And I think I own most of them.

Given that, and the comments above, let's assume I will play 3 of them at most. Which three? If there's not enough variation between them, maybe play whatever the most recent one I have is and call it a day?

Note I am not turned off by old graphics, so if the first was successful and launched the series because of some x factor, I'm fine with playing that old of a game.

Also, I'm fairly certain I've asked this same question before. Apologies if so.

[Daehawk]

Black Flag. If you play only one play it. Other than some climbing it totally different. Loved it SO much.

[Carpet_pissr]

Black Flag. If you play only one play it. Other than some climbing it totally different. Loved it SO much.

Noted. Two more?

[Daehawk]

Ive played about all of them. Honestly all the rest feel like the same game just different times.

I guess if I had to pick two more after BF in order Id go

AC Syndicate since it was set in Victorian London

AC 2 - Considered by many to be the best AC with the best character. I still prefer BF.

AC 3 was ok. Set in the American Revolution. Its where I got a taste of the sailing ship mechanic that Black Flag took and ran with. BF is basically a pirate simulator . So awesome.

I did not play Unity and heard it was plain terrible and full of bad reviews.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I've only played 1, 2, and Origins, but of those Origins is the only one I've enjoyed and felt compelled to finish. Of course, the fact that the game is set in ancient Egypt and I'm a classics nerd might have some influence...

[YellowKing]

Here's my history:

I've only completed AC1, 2, Black Flag, and Origins.

I dabbled in 3, Unity, and Syndicate, but none of them ever grabbed me enough to finish. Out of those three, Syndicate was certainly the most compelling.

Black Flag is still my favorite of the series due to the ship battles, but Origins is a very close second. I put 80+ hours into Black Flag and over 100 into Origins (though about 10% of that time is due to my kids goofing around with it).

I agree they're very same'y games (much like Far Cry), and I don't fault anyone who gets burned out on them. I tend to have a lot of tolerance for repetition in these types of games as long as I have a clear agenda and know exactly what I need to do to 100% everything. Hell, I even 100%ed Sunset Overdrive and that game had more collectibles than I've ever seen in ANY open world game.

I have a bit of an odd gaming personality in that too much freedom bores me. I like to have set missions and set waypoints that I can sit down and knock out and make progress on every night. When a game is wide open (like the GTA series, none of which I have ever completed), I get overwhelmed and just shut down. I think that's why I have always enjoyed the Ubisoft titles over the years, even the ones that a lot of other people didn't or felt were mediocre at best.

[Daehawk]

Ive sworn I was burnt out on AC games and didn't give a look at Origins but I also love Egyptian history and such so Im starting to get interested.

[Scuzz]

I played AC1, AC2 and Brotherhood. I think after Brotherhood I was pretty burned out, although I seemed to remember enjoying it. I tried to play Resurrection and just couldn't. I do own AC3 and expect to play it at some time, but it is probably right now the oldest thing I own that I have not played.

I do think while you should probably play them in order AC2 is really the best of the early games. Improved graphics and mechanics.

[jztemple2]

Ive sworn I was burnt out on AC games and didn't give a look at Origins but I also love Egyptian history and such so Im starting to get interested.

Just FYI, if you love Egyptian history, come February 20th there will be a special edition of AC:O, called Discovery Tour, released for $20 USD that doesn't have any story or combat, but does allow you to explore the game world with expert commentary and facts. For those who have the full game, Discovery Tour will be released as a free update.

Ubisoft have announced the release date and price for a new mode, called Discovery Tour, for Assassin’s Creed Origins that allows players to learn more about Ancient Egypt without the pressure of questlines or combat. It’s designed specifically as an educational experience, and it’ll let you see the entire world at your own pace.

There are two main components to Discovery Tour. First, the mode opens up the entire world to free-roaming, and quests and combat are turned off. This way, players can simply wander through the cities, villages, and deserts to see what Ancient Egypt might have been like.

Secondly, Ubisoft will also add daily guided tours to the game to provide players with a way to gain specific knowledge of Egyptian society and history. These tours will be curated by historians and Egypt experts.

Discovery Tour will be available as a free update to anyone who owns Assassin’s Creed Origins on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 20.

[Ralph-Wiggum]

That's awesome.

My dad (s a professor specializing in the ancient Near East) watched my nephew play a bit of the game and immediately started commenting on the accuracy (or lack there of) of various buildings/hieroglyphics. His first criticism was of the camels ("they didn't ride camels then!") but when I informed him the game takes place in the 40s BCE, he conceded they got that part right. He doesn't play video games but I bet he would be all into the guided tours.

[Moliere]

Stop making me want to buy another AC game!