Assassin's Creed IV is here! It reinvigorates the series with a greater sense of freedom and adventure than ever. But how does it stack up to the rest of the Assassin's Creed games? Our biggest Assassin's Creed fans put their heads together to figure that out. Below we have*ranked the six core Assassin's Creed games based on their overall quality and current stature.
Special note:*There are a lot of very cool Assassin's Creed spin-offs and handheld releases, but we decided to just focus on the core console & PC Assassin's Creed experiences.*Bloodlines on the PSP and Liberation on the PS Vita were strong candidates for inclusion since they look and feel like Assassin's Creed, but they also look and feel like side stories. After much deliberation we decided to not include them, as it simply isn't a fair comparison to stack them up against the core console titles that had much bigger budgets and appeared on more powerful hardware.
Relevations represents the low point of Ubisoft’s “kitchen sink” Assassin’s Creed mentality. It’s not enough to recruit and develop the skills of fellow Assassins - Revelations has to use them in an ill-conceived tower defense minigame. It’s not enough to be able to craft bombs - Revelations has to have multiple types of craftable bombs, and the ability to loot bomb-crafting materials from virtually everywhere. It’s commendable that the story brings the tales of Ezio and Altair around full-circle, but the city of Constantinople is arguably the weakest and least distinct setting in an Assassin’s Creed game.
The original Assassin’s Creed suffers from the opposite problem as its numerous sequels. While those games are packed with systems and sideshows to the point of distraction, AC1 instead feels a little repetitive and limited in scope. Its now-famous fluid movement system and impressive verticality make controlling Altair a lot of fun, though. And the game’s 12th century Middle Eastern setting certainly feels unique, even compared to the historical settings future games would tackle. But the game never quite overcomes its repetitive nature.
Setting an Assassin’s Creed game during the American revolution sounds like a no-brainer, right? Unfortunately AC III suffers from a major case of sequelitis. The overwrought story and opening tutorials take nearly 10 hours to truly turn players loose on the world. And once the sandbox does open up, mission scripting problems and other technical glitches hamper the fun. Multiplayer is further refined, the American setting is thrilling, and the core leaping, stalking, and killing are still plenty satisfying, though.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood lets players explore Rome and its surrounding countryside in all its glory. Palling around with Leonardo Da Vinci, climbing the Coliseum and other incredible Roman sights, all while building up your own personal Assassin army - what’s not to like? Brotherhood is the genesis of the complaint that AC games simply cram in too many distractions, but we think the balance here is just right. Brotherhood also scores points for introducing the series’ surprisingly strong and innovative multiplayer.
Assassin’s Creed IV’s more lighthearted pirate setting is a fantastic fit for the series’ trademark open-ended, fluid exploration and combat. It’s an enthralling game for adventurers. Just strike out on the open seas and go… anywhere. The game also benefits from a much more playful story that doesn’t get bogged down in politics and melodrama.
Assassin’s Creed II improves on virtually every element of the so-so original. Three huge, distinct Renaissance Italy cities make exploration a joy instead of a chore. And a much-improved storyline keeps you intrigued and invested in Ezio’s struggles. Hidden tombs and a new money system give AC II plenty of extra content without feeling bogged down.
So there you have it - the six core Assassin's Creed titles ranked from worst to best. Did we nail it? Are your personal rankings different? Fill out this quick poll and let us know in the comments!
Our process:*These rankings were determined by a small group of IGN editors with the most Assassin's Creed experience: Justin Davis, Keza MacDonald, Marty Sliva, Andrew Goldfarb, Greg Miller, and Daemon Hatfield. In the event of an irreconcilable difference (some IGN editors really enjoy Revelations for example), consensus within the group determined the final rankings. IGN's review scores were used as a starting off point, but opinions on games can shift over time, and we allowed each game to slide up or down these rankings regardless of its original score.*
Justin Davis is*the second or third best-looking Editor at IGN.*You can follow him on Twitter at*@ErrorJustin*and on*IGN.
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Special note:*There are a lot of very cool Assassin's Creed spin-offs and handheld releases, but we decided to just focus on the core console & PC Assassin's Creed experiences.*Bloodlines on the PSP and Liberation on the PS Vita were strong candidates for inclusion since they look and feel like Assassin's Creed, but they also look and feel like side stories. After much deliberation we decided to not include them, as it simply isn't a fair comparison to stack them up against the core console titles that had much bigger budgets and appeared on more powerful hardware.
Relevations represents the low point of Ubisoft’s “kitchen sink” Assassin’s Creed mentality. It’s not enough to recruit and develop the skills of fellow Assassins - Revelations has to use them in an ill-conceived tower defense minigame. It’s not enough to be able to craft bombs - Revelations has to have multiple types of craftable bombs, and the ability to loot bomb-crafting materials from virtually everywhere. It’s commendable that the story brings the tales of Ezio and Altair around full-circle, but the city of Constantinople is arguably the weakest and least distinct setting in an Assassin’s Creed game.
The original Assassin’s Creed suffers from the opposite problem as its numerous sequels. While those games are packed with systems and sideshows to the point of distraction, AC1 instead feels a little repetitive and limited in scope. Its now-famous fluid movement system and impressive verticality make controlling Altair a lot of fun, though. And the game’s 12th century Middle Eastern setting certainly feels unique, even compared to the historical settings future games would tackle. But the game never quite overcomes its repetitive nature.
Setting an Assassin’s Creed game during the American revolution sounds like a no-brainer, right? Unfortunately AC III suffers from a major case of sequelitis. The overwrought story and opening tutorials take nearly 10 hours to truly turn players loose on the world. And once the sandbox does open up, mission scripting problems and other technical glitches hamper the fun. Multiplayer is further refined, the American setting is thrilling, and the core leaping, stalking, and killing are still plenty satisfying, though.
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood lets players explore Rome and its surrounding countryside in all its glory. Palling around with Leonardo Da Vinci, climbing the Coliseum and other incredible Roman sights, all while building up your own personal Assassin army - what’s not to like? Brotherhood is the genesis of the complaint that AC games simply cram in too many distractions, but we think the balance here is just right. Brotherhood also scores points for introducing the series’ surprisingly strong and innovative multiplayer.
Assassin’s Creed IV’s more lighthearted pirate setting is a fantastic fit for the series’ trademark open-ended, fluid exploration and combat. It’s an enthralling game for adventurers. Just strike out on the open seas and go… anywhere. The game also benefits from a much more playful story that doesn’t get bogged down in politics and melodrama.
Assassin’s Creed II improves on virtually every element of the so-so original. Three huge, distinct Renaissance Italy cities make exploration a joy instead of a chore. And a much-improved storyline keeps you intrigued and invested in Ezio’s struggles. Hidden tombs and a new money system give AC II plenty of extra content without feeling bogged down.
So there you have it - the six core Assassin's Creed titles ranked from worst to best. Did we nail it? Are your personal rankings different? Fill out this quick poll and let us know in the comments!
Our process:*These rankings were determined by a small group of IGN editors with the most Assassin's Creed experience: Justin Davis, Keza MacDonald, Marty Sliva, Andrew Goldfarb, Greg Miller, and Daemon Hatfield. In the event of an irreconcilable difference (some IGN editors really enjoy Revelations for example), consensus within the group determined the final rankings. IGN's review scores were used as a starting off point, but opinions on games can shift over time, and we allowed each game to slide up or down these rankings regardless of its original score.*
Justin Davis is*the second or third best-looking Editor at IGN.*You can follow him on Twitter at*@ErrorJustin*and on*IGN.
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