Assassin’s Creed Games – Overrated / Underrated

I’ve spoken at length about what makes the Assassin’s Creed franchise so special to me, but I’d be lying if I said every entry left me satisfied. In fact, a lot of the games in this series are quite polarising.

I’ll be evaluating each main game in the series against what the general public and AC fandom think, deciding whether their opinions are overrated, underrated or just about right. Let’s get to it!

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Assassin’s Creed

Verdict: PROPERLY RATED

The first Assassin’s Creed deserves all the praise it can get for starting one of gaming’s landmark franchises – I especially love it for its historical atmosphere and ground-breaking script.

That being said, every AC fan is willing to admit this game’s flaws – mainly, it hasn’t aged all that well. The movement and mission design is sluggish by today’s standards, which makes it tricky to replay.

Assassin’s Creed 2

Verdict: OVERRATED

The Ezio Trilogy is considered by many to be the peak of the franchise, with Assassin’s Creed 2 ushering in a new era for the franchise.

Like with the rest of the trilogy, however, I don’t think this game has aged as well as people remember. It’s still a really good game and a fun time, but I’m always baffled when people tout this as their favourite of the franchise.

Brotherhood

Verdict: PROPERLY RATED

The same arguments I levelled against AC2 could also be used to take Brotherhood down a notch, but I feel that the latter still has a certain magic.

Rome is an excellent setting, the side missions are some of the series’ best (which might be an unpopular opinion!), and Ezio is a joy to behold at the peak of his powers.

Revelations

Verdict: OVERRATED

When I replayed Revelations, I was disappointed by how empty and lifeless it felt.

Constantinople is a bland setting, the side missions are non-existent, and the story has to do most of the carrying. The weakest of the Ezio trilogy by a country mile.

Assassin’s Creed 3

Verdict: PROPERLY RATED

Assassin’s Creed 3’s reputation has varied over the years – it was ridiculed at launch, but nowadays it receives nostalgic praise. I’m somewhere in the middle.

The updated parkour, world and combat were very much welcome, but I felt that a lot of the characters, story and mission design could’ve been refined.

Black Flag

Verdict: UNDERRATED

Black Flag is properly rated as a videogame – it’s as an Assassin’s Creed game that I feel general audiences underappreciate it.

Edward’s story of warming to the creed slowly over time is something we hadn’t seen before or since, and the rest of the plot is arguably the strongest in the series. And the pirate stuff is awesome too, of course.

Rogue

Verdict: UNDERRATED

Rogue is not great by all accounts, but it’s far from the unequivocal trainwreck that some make it out to be.

Shay’s Templar exploits is an interesting perspective to base an AC game on, and the reused assets from Black Flag are decent fun … albeit a little stale.

Unity

Verdict: UNDERRATED

After a disastrous launch riddled with bugs and game-breaking glitches, many swore off Unity for good. Those people are missing out on a real gem of a game.

I have my problems with its plot and characters, but the gameplay – especially the parkour – is arguably the best the series has ever produced.

Syndicate

Verdict: OVERRATED

Syndicate was widely lambasted due to franchise fatigue upon release, but nowadays a lot of people rush to its defence. I am not one of those people.

The London setting is awesome, and the gameplay is alright (at first), but the mindless padding and lacklustre plot / characters made me unbelievably bored as I kept playing.

Origins

Verdict: PROPERLY RATED

Origins was a big risk for Ubisoft and the Assassin’s Creed franchise in general, but it’s a risk that ultimately paid off.

While some don’t appreciate the new RPG direction, most – including myself – love the expansive world and upgraded gameplay mechanics. Origins also has one of the strongest plots of any AC game, and the best protagonist since the likes of Edward and Ezio.

Odyssey

Verdict: UNDERRATED

Many thought that Odyssey was a step too far for the AC franchise, with gameplay and plot beats that dragged on or fell flat … but I can’t help but view this as my guilty pleasure AC entry.

The Ancient Greek world is awe-inspiring, the naval combat and crazy Spartan abilities were a joy, and I really loved the witty and humorous dialogue of the side quests.

Valhalla

Verdict: OVERRATED

I didn’t mind Valhalla when I first played it, and those first few hours were some of the best gameplay this franchise has ever offered. The problem is that it keeps going for another hundred hours …

There’s far too much padding in both the world and the story, and the whole thing just gets so exhausting to play through. I can appreciate what Ubisoft were attempting, but it falls flat in nearly every department. Hopefully Mirage can get the series back on track.

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: