GR Debates is a weekly Game Revolution community feature where we ask our readers to vote on a topic. The results will be revealed in next week’s GR Debates!
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has been revealed, showing the new Viking-tinged direction the series is headed in. Assassin’s Creed has been Ubisoft’s biggest franchise since debuting back on the Xbox 360, with there being multiple hits (and several misses) across the series’ library of games.
This week, the Game Revolution team has been debating which Assassin’s Creed we’ve enjoyed the most up until this point. Some of our team enjoyed the more action-oriented games in the series, while others preferred it when the series strayed from its roots and began to incorporate RPG elements. But which side of the fence do you sit on?
Vote on your favorite Assassin’s Creed game in the poll below, and be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Vote Below
Now that the #AssassinsCreedValhalla has been revealed, we want to know… what's the best #AssassinsCreed game?
— GameRevolution.com (@Game_Revolution) May 1, 2020
Game Revolution’s thoughts…
“Origins is the only game I’ve replayed in the last decade”
Michael Leri, lead writer: After playing every console entry and 100%ing almost all of them, there is one that reigns supreme: Assassin’s Creed Origins. It’s got the best and most unique setting that is big but not too big. It avoids the bloat that Odyssey had, mostly because it doesn’t focus on aquatic travel that pads out the map. Egypt was cohesive, easy to travel, and had a real sense of place that I couldn’t get enough of.
The combat is simple but still engaging. It was open enough to allow stealthy play, too, and not force you into combat, which was one of Odyssey‘s most persistent issues. Bayek is the most intriguing assassin of the bunch as he is personable and kind yet fearsome when he needs to be. The story is one of the better ones in the series as it tells Bayek’s tale well while setting up something grander.
Origins is the only Assassin’s Creed game I’ve replayed in the last decade, which is hard to do for a series that comes out so often. I’m still savoring the DLC because I don’t want to leave that world. Valhalla sounds rad but the most promising part is that Ubisoft Montreal is leading development, which is the same studio that headed Origins. And that’s all I needed to hear.
“The exploration in Black Flag felt more meaningful”
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Jason Faulkner, senior editor: I think my favorite Assassin’s Creed so far is Black Flag. I thought the pirate motif worked really well, and the exploration felt more meaningful on the smaller map. I believe Ubisoft nailed ship-to-ship combat in that game, and I was always excited to upgrade the Jackdaw and see how many ships I could take on.
Origins and Odyssey took the series in a good direction, though they have a bit too much to do. I hope Valhalla features less accessible locations with more work done to distinguish them from each other. The game is set in an exciting time period, and I hope Ubisoft leverages it to the max. The unification of England is arguably the genesis of modern Western culture, so I hope they show the characters and events that led up to that.
Vahalla looks pretty cool, but I hope they’ve just done away with the modern segments entirely. It’s always been a weird segment of Assassin’s Creed for me because it seems counterintuitive to good game design. Why would you want to take the player out of the game and break immersion?
“I even enjoyed the present-day moments in Assassin’s Creed 2”
Mack Ashworth, lead editor: I’m a little behind on my Assassin’s Creed games, with Black Flag being the last one I played to completion. I’ve dabbled with Origins but could never stick to it, and I’ve yet to even try Odyssey.
For me, Assassin’s Creed 2 stands out as the best one I’ve played. I loved the Italian setting and the character of Ezio. The gameplay was much improved, elevating the core assassination and free-running mechanics of the original to even greater heights. It was also easier to just stick to the main story missions, which is a big problem I have with the newer releases, as there’s arguably too much to see and do. I even enjoyed the present-day moments of Assassin’s Creed 2.
I think I got a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of AC releases and just couldn’t keep up with them. I plan to get back into the franchise soon, as Valhalla is looking very promising with its Norse themes.
“Black Flag filled a void that was later replaced by Sea of Thieves”
Paul Tamburro, executive editor: Assassin’s Creed has been a series that I’ve never really got into. I don’t dislike it as such, but the idea of a 100-hour open-world RPG just doesn’t sit well with me anymore. I missed the boat on the series when it was more of an action game, and now I just don’t have the time or patience to invest into it.
My de facto favorite Assassin’s Creed game has to be Black Flag, the only Assassin’s Creed game that I’ve put a reasonable amount of time into. Truth be told, I couldn’t tell you all that much about it, aside from the fact I sailed. A lot. Black Flag filled a pirate adventure void for me that was later replaced by Sea of Thieves, and it’s made me interested to see what Ubisoft does with Skull & Bones, whenever it finally gets released.
