Is Anyone Else Here Unable to Enjoy the Assassin's Creed Games?

[Dante Rising]

I played the first Assassin's Creed when it was released and couldn't get past the first couple hours of gameplay. I wrote the series off until everyone started raving about Assassin's Creed 2. I've finally gotten around to playing it.

The 2nd game is significantly better than the first- better protagonist, better story, better mechanics, etc. Leonardo is great, and the implementation of hiring the prostitutes and thieves to assist in distractions was a wonderful idea.  Despite all of this, I still can't seem to get into the series. Looking at the checklist of necessary ingredients, it has just about everything I look for in a game. But when I sit down and play, my mind drifts after about 30 minutes, and I start thinking about other titles I'd rather be playing.

I've made it through about 50% of the game, and while I really enjoyed it initially, I'm running out of enthusiasm quickly. The assassinations don't take much planning, and the city guards are laughably easy to defeat. I guess the one thing it is missing is tension. I can bumble my way through just about any mission and still pull off a successful hit. I think the game might have been better served if it had a little bit more of a Splinter Cell, Thief, or Metal Gear aspect, in the sense that you actually needed to....be careful in each of those titles.

Did anyone else here find it difficult to enjoy the exploits of Altair and Ezio?

[spigot]

I got bored halfway through the first one and never completed it. I played and enjoyed 2 and Brotherhood, but have no interest whatsoever in Revelations. The open world and traversal/climbing systems were well implemented and there was just enough story to keep me engaged with the gameplay, but I was just never really invested in the overall story they were trying to tell. The characters, the historical battles between assassins and templars and the whole abstergo meta-conspiracy just didn't do anything for me at all.

[leo8877]

I finished the first one and then I've never been able to get into any of the other sequels. 

[Kagath]

Picked up the first 2 games used for cheap and looking to load them up sometime soon. Never played them at all yet.

[Harkonis]

I play the multiplayer, but have never been able to enjoy the single player.  Played the first couple chapters of the first one then was bored.  Played 2 chapters of Bortherhood, and 1 chapter of Revelations.

[Dante Rising]

I think the repetition of the assassinations is what I find at fault. Almost everything is a rooftop kill, or quick run up to the target. There is no need to be methodical and calculating.

But Ubisoft certainly put together a beautiful world.

[Razgon]

The first one I couldn't play for long, but the rest I simply loved! Exploring the cities are a big draw for me.

Revelations I'm unsure about though, I can't seem to muster enough interest to play, even though Ezio is a great great character.

[Gratch]

I finished the first one and then I've never been able to get into any of the other sequels. 

Same here.  I find them to be rather repetitious and dull.

[ATB]

I gave the first game about 3 hours. That was enough. Series is supposed to have gotten really good after the first game.

[Kevin Grey]

I played the first Assassin's Creed when it was released and couldn't get past the first couple hours of gameplay. I wrote the series off until everyone started raving about Assassin's Creed 2. I've finally gotten around to playing it.

The 2nd game is significantly better than the first- better protagonist, better story, better mechanics, etc. Leonardo is great, and the implementation of hiring the prostitutes and thieves to assist in distractions was a wonderful idea.  Despite all of this, I still can't seem to get into the series. Looking at the checklist of necessary ingredients, it has just about everything I look for in a game. But when I sit down and play, my mind drifts after about 30 minutes, and I start thinking about other titles I'd rather be playing.

I've made it through about 50% of the game, and while I really enjoyed it initially, I'm running out of enthusiasm quickly. The assassinations don't take much planning, and the city guards are laughably easy to defeat. I guess the one thing it is missing is tension. I can bumble my way through just about any mission and still pull off a successful hit. I think the game might have been better served if it had a little bit more of a Splinter Cell, Thief, or Metal Gear aspect, in the sense that you actually needed to....be careful in each of those titles.

Did anyone else here find it difficult to enjoy the exploits of Altair and Ezio?

I think Brotherhood addresses quite a few of your complaints.  It introduces optional objectives to every mission that make it more challenging if you care to pursue them (which I did) since they frequently require a lot more stealth and planning to pull off.   Brotherhood also has slightly (and I do mean slightly) increased difficulty in combat though it is still quite easy.  The mission design itself is also more varied and interesting than AC2. 

That said, I still prefer AC2 overall (it's one of my favourite games of the generation) so I couldn't really recommend Brotherhood to you if you aren't already digging AC2. 

[PeteRock]

I think Brotherhood addresses quite a few of your complaints.  It introduces optional objectives to every mission that make it more challenging if you care to pursue them (which I did) since they frequently require a lot more stealth and planning to pull off.   Brotherhood also has slightly (and I do mean slightly) increased difficulty in combat though it is still quite easy.  The mission design itself is also more varied and interesting than AC2. 

That said, I still prefer AC2 overall (it's one of my favourite games of the generation) so I couldn't really recommend Brotherhood to you if you aren't already digging AC2. 

I have to agree, that Brotherhood addresses a lot of the problems with AC and in some cases AC2.  I was actually surprised at how much I enjoy the series.  There are times when I'm just not in the mood, but every so often I just get a craving for AC gameplay and enjoy running rooftop to rooftop, slaying guards with Ezio's skillful attacks, and assassinating key enemies with stealth and guile. 

The overall story has its issues, but I consistently get completely immersed in the storylines featured in Desmond's genetic memories of Altair and Ezio, especially Ezio.  I'm always disappointed when things cut back to the "real" world as I'm always more interested in the past storylines. 

Still, I really enjoy the series and look forward to playing Revelations after the Christmas holiday.  But there are certainly other games I couldn't get into that others enjoyed, such as Fallout 3, Bioshock, Half Life 2, etc.  These all bored me to tears. 

[Teggy]

I have really enjoyed the Ezio games (although I still need to finish Brotherhood and start Revelations) because of the introduction of platforming elements (love the cult hideout missions in Brotherhood).

Oddly enough, Assassin's Creed 1 probably had the most emphasis on stealth, in that you were rewarded for doing perfect kills. The side missions were incredibly repetitive, but they would give you extra information, like maps of the guard positions, for getting the kill unnoticed.

The newer games certainly do have missions that can (and are supposed to be) done without being spotted.

[Purge]

Revelations has training wheels on it the whole ride through.

[metallicorphan]

I have been a fan of all the games(not played the latest yet),AC1 i liked but as Teggy says got a bit repetitive,but i loved 'mopping' up the things you could do in the areas(eagles view especially),and i love the open world of them all

Assassins Creed 2 has been my favourite up to now,however i still like Altair as a main character better...Ezio is so-so

didn't really get into the Multiplayer of Brotherhood,tried it but not really my thing

I am probably due to replaying them all soon,as AC:R is on my rental list


But yeah sorry,i am a fan of the series

[Purge]

Oddly enough, I enjoy Ezio in Revelations more than Brotherhood or AC2.

It doesn't look like there will be another full Ezio game - at least, not the way that Rev ended.

[Razgon]

Oddly enough, I enjoy Ezio in Revelations more than Brotherhood or AC2.
stuff

Purege  could you please spoiler that last part? I'd say its a bit too much of eh..well, a spoiler.

[USMC Kato]

Oddly enough, I enjoy Ezio in Revelations more than Brotherhood or AC2.
stuff

Purege  could you please spoiler that last part? I'd say its a bit too much of eh..well, a spoiler.

Just to be fair, it's been well advertised that Revelations would wrap up Ezio's storyline

[spigot]

Ezio is

Spoiler for Hiden:

actually a woman.

[Dante Rising]

I think Brotherhood addresses quite a few of your complaints.  It introduces optional objectives to every mission that make it more challenging if you care to pursue them (which I did) since they frequently require a lot more stealth and planning to pull off.   Brotherhood also has slightly (and I do mean slightly) increased difficulty in combat though it is still quite easy.  The mission design itself is also more varied and interesting than AC2. 

That said, I still prefer AC2 overall (it's one of my favourite games of the generation) so I couldn't really recommend Brotherhood to you if you aren't already digging AC2. 

Still, I really enjoy the series and look forward to playing Revelations after the Christmas holiday.  But there are certainly other games I couldn't get into that others enjoyed, such as Fallout 3, Bioshock, Half Life 2, etc.  These all bored me to tears. 

The fact that you didn't enjoy Bioshock makes everything else you write suspect. 

Purge could you elaborate on "Revelations had training wheels on it the whole ride through." Do you mean is was too easy, or the kept holding you hand far too long into the game?

[Glycerine]

Finished the first two and loved every minute of it.  I have Brotherhood and was into it at first, but got sidetracked and now can't seem to get interested in it.  Revelations seemed like a quick cash in with added gameplay elements that didn't make sense.  Seriously, how did tower defense end up in an Assassins Creed game?  Admittedly I've never played it or read any reviews, so for all I know it may actually be good.

[Rumpy]

I started playing the first one recently and I'm noticing that while there's a lot of attention to detail in the world, that there really isn't all that much to do in it, which is a shame. There's no real incentive to go exploring and I've become bored after having done the first assassinations in each city. Quite tedious having to climb those towers in order to find out the first objective.

[Teggy]

I started playing the first one recently and I'm noticing that while there's a lot of attention to detail in the world, that there really isn't all that much to do in it, which is a shame. There's no real incentive to go exploring and I've become bored after having done the first assassinations in each city. Quite tedious having to climb those towers in order to find out the first objective.

Oh come now, you can collect the 5 bazillion flags

[Purge]

The tower defense isn't bad. It can be hectic, but isn't that the point?

When I said the training wheels don't ever come off, I mean that the game never really gets challenging. You remember the challenge of the tombs in Brotherhood and AC2? This is far easier. I didn't get 100% on every one since I wasn't pushing the time limits on a lot of them - I enjoyed the hunting around for stuff. I may go back to get 100%, or I might just trade in the game (I bought my copy).

Speaking of which, perhaps I should just finish the damned review.  Problem is I've not logged many hours with MP, and I don't find it compelling. Perhaps if a GT'er or two were to send me invites I could make it into a game and try the different modes.

Any takers?

[Purge]

Oddly enough, I enjoy Ezio in Revelations more than Brotherhood or AC2.
stuff

Purege  could you please spoiler that last part? I'd say its a bit too much of eh..well, a spoiler.

There's a reason neither Brotherhood, nor Revelations is called Assassin's Creed 3. All three (including AC2) center around Ezio's influence, where AC1 was Altair. I figured that it would be safe to say since even the cover shows Ezio with an older face and white in his beard. (see below) Altair still has bit parts in Revelations, so I wouldn't rule out seeing Ezio again, but the next game will (hopefully!) be someone different.

Spoiler for Hiden:

I didn't say he retired or died. I didn't say he got blowed up in a cacophony of brimstone and fire. You start the game as a much older man. Hell, the first 10 minutes he complains about how he's not as spry. You recall the comments made during the game by civilians? Most of them center on "how can he do that at his age".

In unrelated news - Assassin's Creed: The Geriatric Missions is slated for iOS.

[Bullwinkle]

I started playing the first one recently and I'm noticing that while there's a lot of attention to detail in the world, that there really isn't all that much to do in it, which is a shame. There's no real incentive to go exploring and I've become bored after having done the first assassinations in each city. Quite tedious having to climb those towers in order to find out the first objective.

Oh come now, you can collect the 5 bazillion flags

I actually got all five bazillion of them.

I enjoyed AC1 a lot.  It was right at the tail end of my obsessive need to "find everything" in games.  I've since moved on and still like finding stuff, I'm just not as crazy about it.

After AC2, I don't think I could go back to AC1, though.  And Brotherhood was a refinement of what made AC2 great.  There were still problems, though.  They crippled an essential part of the game, IMO, which was traveling by rooftop.  While I loved the backstory of The Truth and finding them in-game, I felt like the puzzles were insanely obtuse.  But the full experience washed over all of that.

I even really enjoyed the Multiplayer aspect of the last one.  The new one is supposed to be even better, but I haven't been able to get into it. 

Honestly, I haven't been able to get into the new one much at all.  I hate that they are constantly forcing bombs on me.  I don't want to use bombs.  The fact that so many chests have bomb crap in them and there's a large bomb tutorial and bomb stations all around make me feel like I'm going to be playing wrong if I don't use the damned bombs.  I also do think the tower defense is bad.  It's not just hectic, it's awkward and pointless feeling.  And while I like going on special missions with agents (instead of watching the damned ceremony each time), I find the agent system to be muddy and slightly overwhelming as a result.

I'll still play it since I don't want to miss out on the story in the next one.

However, I play these games over a looong period, usually ending in a ramp-up right before the next game comes out.  I think I would burn out if I tried to crank through it all in a short period.  Maybe that's the issue you're having?

[Purge]

Ignore the bombs. You don't need to use them to enjoy it.

Once they click for you, though, they are fantastic. Throwing a noisemaker and getting the Turks and the Templars to fight is hilarious. Then throwing a large explosive bomb into the mix for the WIN.

I was on DNA sequence 2 or 3 when I finished most of the side-game stuff, BTW. And that was no short effort, so there is a lot to do if you choose to do it.

[Autistic Angel]

Oddly enough, Assassin's Creed 1 probably had the most emphasis on stealth, in that you were rewarded for doing perfect kills.

How did the first Assassin's Creed reward you for perfect kills?

-Autistic Angel

[hepcat]

I absolutely love the Assassin's Creed series.  The gameplay is great imho, but it's almost secondary to the wealth of detail and historical knowledge that goes into all the games in the series so far.  I find myself actually exploring because I want to read the often lengthy description and history of a landmark.  I enjoy encountering people so I can then read up on the both fictional and factual details about that character. 

[Enigma]

I had the first one on PC and didn't last 30 minutes (exaggeration for effect) with it.  It seemed lame to me, albeit with nice production and graphics.  The 2nd one I got on PS3 and played to the end, which for me is really saying something.  I thought it was great.  I have Brotherhood PS3 in my backlog now and could see getting Revelations when it drops below $15 which is my new buy price.

[hepcat]

If you liked 2, Brotherhood is gonna knock your socks off.   

[Purge]

... and revelations will put them back on. ;-)

Sent from my SGH-i917R using Board Express

[Travis]

I played the first Assassin's Creed when it was released and couldn't get past the first couple hours of gameplay.

I quit the first one and took it back to EB when I found it was a VR thing.  The twist, coupled with the horrible voice actor just made me return it.  It was opened, of course, but the EB manager understood and gave me my money back.  Haven't been tempted to play any of them since.

So, my question is, should I pick one up?

[Autistic Angel]

I quit the first one and took it back to EB when I found it was a VR thing.  The twist, coupled with the horrible voice actor just made me return it.  It was opened, of course, but the EB manager understood and gave me my money back.  Haven't been tempted to play any of them since.

So, my question is, should I pick one up?

While Ezio's voice actor is considerably less wooden than Altair's, all the Assassin's Creed games use the VR thing as a framing device. 

But even in that, the first game isn't representative of the rest of the series.  Assassin's Creed was incessantly forcing you out of the Animus to plod around an empty office suite.  The sequels limit that intrusion to some brief voice-overs, some optional content, and a couple major story points.  The majority of the game treats the sci-fi elements as an aesthetic choice.

-Autistic Angel

[Teggy]

horrible voice actor

While Ezio's voice actor is considerably less wooden than Altair's, all the Assassin's Creed games use the VR thing as a framing device.  

Oh, Altair's voice. For a second there I thought you meant Nolan North, and I was going to have to sic Leo on you.

[Rumpy]

One of the things in the first one I really didn't like was how the assassinations were presented. You'd go ahead and accomplish the kill, but the cutscene that followed where you'd be talking to them surrounded by the VR effect just pulled me out of the game.

[Bullwinkle]

One of the things in the first one I really didn't like was how the assassinations were presented. You'd go ahead and accomplish the kill, but the cutscene that followed where you'd be talking to them surrounded by the VR effect just pulled me out of the game.

Well, that never goes away, but those moments aren't quite as long as in the first game.

[Autistic Angel]

One of the things in the first one I really didn't like was how the assassinations were presented. You'd go ahead and accomplish the kill, but the cutscene that followed where you'd be talking to them surrounded by the VR effect just pulled me out of the game.

Well, that never goes away, but those moments aren't quite as long as in the first game.

Yeah, they're a smidge shorter.  See if you can spot the difference between the first assassinations in each game.

Altair: Be at peace.

Target: You'll pay for this!  You, and all your kind!

Altair: It seems you're the one who pays now, my friend.  You'll not profit from suffering any longer.

Target: You think me some petty death dealer suckling at the breast of war?  A strange target, don't you think?  Why me, when so many others do the same?

Altair: You believe yourself different, then?

Target: Oh, but I am!  For I serve a far nobler cause than mere profit!  Just like my brothers.

Altair: Brothers?

Target: Ah!  But he thinks I act alone.  I am but a piece: a man with a part to play.  You'll come to know the others soon enough.  They won't take kindly to what you've done.

Altair: Good!  I look forward to ending their lives as well.

Target: Such pride!  It will destroy you, child....

Target: You would have done the same...to save the ones you love.

Ezio: Yes, I would!  And I have!

And lest anyone mistake all that blather in the first game for some sort of character or plot development, allow me to point out that very slight variations of this same conversation make up about 85% of the entire story.

-Autistic Angel

[JayDee]

Just wanted to say that if anyone is judging the series based on playing the first game only, don't. IMO the first game was awful, repetitious, and boring. The second one was like a completely different game, and it's one of maybe five 360 games I've ever finished.

[MonkeyFinger]

Just wanted to say that if anyone is judging the series based on playing the first game only, don't. IMO the first game was awful, repetitious, and boring. The second one was like a completely different game, and it's one of maybe five 360 games I've ever finished.

I'm in the same boat. I never could get too far into the first one and tried on a couple of different platforms. The second one was quite the opposite, it sucked me in and was one I actually finished which is unusual for me, well... except for finding all of the dang feathers. 

Haven't gotten to the next two yet.

[Purge]

Finding feathers is easy, since the DNA strands tell you which city has missing ones.

Simply running around in eagle view pretty much finds all of them.