Sparked to life by Altair and brought into the limelight by Ezio, the Assassin's Creed series of games has been a mainstay in modern AAA gaming since late 2007. Throughout the years the series has gone through both minor and major changes in every aspect, but has retained it's unique identity as a stealth action adventure from the chapels of Jerusalem to the marble ruins of Ancient Greece.
The games themselves can best be organized by observing the present day storyline. The first five games follow Desmond Miles as he follows the memories of his ancestors: The Hashashin of the Holy Lands Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad, the charming Renaissance Assassin Ezio, and Ratonhnhaké:ton in order to stop the incoming 2012 Apocolypse from occuring. These games give a look at the history and motives of the game's two rival factions, the eponymous Assassin's Brotherhood and the Templar Order, and also establish the Animus, a machine that allows individuals to see their ancestors memories through their DNA.
Following the story of Desmond comes what I would describe as the intermittent period, where for four games the games have no clear modern day protagonist and instead focus on the memories of various Assassin's observed by agents of both the aforementioned factions. These games focus on the stories of the pirate turned assassin Edward Kenway, the Assassin turned Templar Shay Cormac, the orphan Assassin raised by a Templar Arno Dorian, and the Victorian era twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye. These games grey the lines a bit, showing that there is no clear cut good guy between the two factions, and also establish a tertiary faction known as the Instruments of the First Will.
The two most recent games follow the story of Layla Hassan as she lives through the memories of her ancestors in Ptolemaic Egypt and Ancient Greece. They are notable for their massive changes to gameplay as well as their use of more fantasy-like elements within their stories.
With that brief summary out of the way I'm hoping to promote any kind of discussion about the games in the comments to this thread. I'll also be adding a simple poll with questions included to help promote further discussion.
Replies
I really need to get back into this series. I haven’t played an assassins creed game since black flag.
You’re doing better than me. I haven’t played since the original.
In my opinion Origins and Odyssey are a fantastic pick up at the moment. They're quite different from the old school formula of "I parry you so now I win" in terms of gameplay, and at least in my opinion the stories of each are really good.
I also want to recommend Unity. It had it's rocky start that everybody's probably heard about, but Ubisoft to this day hasn't managed to make an AC game that looked as good and played as well. It's got the best Freerunning, stealth mechanics, and customization of all the games. The graphics (Yes I know graphics aren't everything, but trust me on this) are actually better than those of the newer games. And last but not least the world design is nothing short of outstanding, there's so much to look at and see in Revolutionary Paris. The combat system is also unlike any of the other games. It was Ubisoft's first foray into changing up the style of fighting, but most elements of the game were never revisited. Syndicate came out looking and playing about the same as Black Flag, and one thing I find myself asking about the series is where it would be had Unity been successful.
It's never too late to get back into it! The two most recent entries have been very innovative and fun compared to the old game's straightforward gameplay and objectives.
Im planning to continue playing assassins creed games. I think I may be alone on this one but I actually quite like the modern story elements going on as various protagonists explore the past.
I like the modern day elements too
I think people are only turned off by the modern day story because it's a little bit railroaded. You're taken off the streets of Rome so Desmond can climb the same old buildings in Monteriggioni, or so that the Abstergo Employee can take a smoke break to walk around the office. AC3 was a step in the right direction with the modern day, I really enjoyed when Desmond started using his skills on real missions.