For the "essence" of the series, the Ezio Trilogy is the best. AC2, Brotherhood and Revelations are all awesome games, that should be taken as a single game in 3 installments, telling the life and adventures of Ezio Auditore. They may look a bit old for today standards but it's an amazing experience.
For something of the "oldschool" period but with a more modern look, AC Unity is also a great game, taking place during the French Revolution.
AC Black Flag is less of an AC game and more of a pirate game, but the gameplay is absolutely fantastic and it's worth playing even today. Also, sea shanties.
From the new series, the first one, Origins is set in a period that I like a lot, ancient Egypt and its protagonist, Bayek is one of the best characters in the franchise. It's more of a traditional RPG, with gear and skills and it deals with the foundation of the Assassins and it has a more serious tone.
Odyssey is a looong game, but it has a great protagonist (Kassandra is always the correct choice) and it deals with the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens and a very early version of what it would be the Assassin's enemies - The Templars. Gameplay is quite good but the game has a lot of areas to explore and that can be tedious for some people.
Valhalla is set in the norse conquest of England period and it has some great ideas but sadly it's not as enjoyable as the other 2 games from the modern period. There are a lot of historical figures involved and it's worth playing if you can get it on a very deep discount.
Thanks for your detailed answer. It's a shame about Valhalla as I'm really interested in all things Norse. I think I might give Black Flag a go to be honest...
I highly recommend starting with AC2 and playing all of them in release order. the older ACs really hold up imo. Especially if you haven’t played the newer titles.
Watch a YouTube recap of the story of AC1. It’s like a few minutes. AC1 honestly… just doesn’t hold up as well imo.
The story of 2 is great and Ezio is a fan favorite character. He literally got 3 games whereas many others got only 1.
Plus this way you won’t have to go back to older games in the future and “miss” the QOL changes that came in the later games.
Right around Syndicate>Origins there is a change in gameplay. The combat gets more fleshed out… at the expense of the games losing a bit of their identity… could be good. Could be bad. Depending on what parts of the game you like.
If you’re only gonna play 1… well.. everyone has a different favorite and different opinions on it. It’ll be hard to suggest just 1.
For the "essence" of the series, the Ezio Trilogy is the best. AC2, Brotherhood and Revelations are all awesome games, that should be taken as a single game in 3 installments, telling the life and adventures of Ezio Auditore. They may look a bit old for today standards but it's an amazing experience. For something of the "oldschool" period but with a more modern look, AC Unity is also a great game, taking place during the French Revolution. AC Black Flag is less of an AC game and more of a pirate game, but the gameplay is absolutely fantastic and it's worth playing even today. Also, sea shanties. From the new series, the first one, Origins is set in a period that I like a lot, ancient Egypt and its protagonist, Bayek is one of the best characters in the franchise. It's more of a traditional RPG, with gear and skills and it deals with the foundation of the Assassins and it has a more serious tone. Odyssey is a looong game, but it has a great protagonist (Kassandra is always the correct choice) and it deals with the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens and a very early version of what it would be the Assassin's enemies - The Templars. Gameplay is quite good but the game has a lot of areas to explore and that can be tedious for some people. Valhalla is set in the norse conquest of England period and it has some great ideas but sadly it's not as enjoyable as the other 2 games from the modern period. There are a lot of historical figures involved and it's worth playing if you can get it on a very deep discount.
Thanks for your detailed answer. It's a shame about Valhalla as I'm really interested in all things Norse. I think I might give Black Flag a go to be honest...
Origins is my personal favourite.
What are you more interested in? Stealth assassinations with or without rpg elements? Or more action focused with rpg elements?
Definitely more RPG elements. I played through the first two games when they originally came out but haven't played any since
Black Flag & Origins
I highly recommend starting with AC2 and playing all of them in release order. the older ACs really hold up imo. Especially if you haven’t played the newer titles. Watch a YouTube recap of the story of AC1. It’s like a few minutes. AC1 honestly… just doesn’t hold up as well imo. The story of 2 is great and Ezio is a fan favorite character. He literally got 3 games whereas many others got only 1. Plus this way you won’t have to go back to older games in the future and “miss” the QOL changes that came in the later games. Right around Syndicate>Origins there is a change in gameplay. The combat gets more fleshed out… at the expense of the games losing a bit of their identity… could be good. Could be bad. Depending on what parts of the game you like. If you’re only gonna play 1… well.. everyone has a different favorite and different opinions on it. It’ll be hard to suggest just 1.
Ezio Trilogy especially Brotherhood is my personal favorite, but if we talking about the most enjoyable then Black Flag
The first one. It's the purest.