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Respect the Original Assassin's Creed (Video)



Assassin's Creed is a huge franchise at this point, but the initial concept for the series was really inspired. Instead of being a historical game, they chose to place us in an eerie, stressful simulation of the past. In this video, I highlight some of the unique elements that were shaved away in the sequels. Is the original a game you've ever gone back to play? It's a bit harder to do since the PC port is broken. I ended up recording it over the Xbox Series X, which lets you play it at 4k/60fps. I prefer the oppressive atmosphere and tone this game had. Would you have preferred where Desmond's story was meant to go, or are you glad they moved on from him? How would you have expanded and improved upon the stealth mechanics and level design if you had the opportunity?
 

Larxia

Member
My favourite game in the series.

In an alternate reality AC is just a trilogy, and we got that modern day game with Desmond as the protagonist.

Great video, op 👍
I really wish we got that...
I absolutely loved the lore in Assassin's Creed, from the very first game. I used to be so immersed and I remember reading all kind of stuff about everything that was written on the walls of desmond's room, reading about different theories for the future of the series, where it could go, being super excited about all the possibilities etc...

Then AC2 came out and it was fantastic too. Getting out of abstergo, seeing what other people in this universe knew about all this, learning so much more, it was amazing!

People always talk badly about the modern times in AC games, but in the first games it was absolutely amazing for me, and a core part of the game, not something on the side.
Sadly it all got ruined in AC3 when they decided to rush everything and went in a completely different route than what was planed.

I'd love to visit a different reality where Patrice Desilets directed the 3 games he wanted to, and play that version of the trilogy.
 

Kings Field

Member
Still remember playing that on 360. Amazing game. Sadly the series went to shit after 2. I did play Mirage And enjoyed it because it brought me back to the first game.
 

EverydayBeast

ChatGPT 0.1
Assassins creed historical games helped me understand Greek, Norse and Egyptian mythology. The old assassins creed games while important to gaming history were hard to get into and engage with.
 
I was an AC2 guy myself. Played AC1 and didn’t finish it because it got too repetitive.

Respect to the original idea though
Even though I love the first game, it definitely is a bit of a "proof of concept" sort of project. Rough around some edges, but because of the overall picture and experience, I am willing to overlook those things. But definitely get this perspective.
 

Puscifer

Member
AC 1 and 2 are some of my most beloved games. This saga had the potential to be among the best in history but Ubi went the lazy route.

AC should have stayed in old times, alternating with the contemporary arc.
I remember asking someone if Desmond ever came back and they told me "oh yeah they mentioned his name a few games back"

Like come on dude lol.
 

El Muerto

Member
It definitely set the bar. Glad the PS2 version was cut though. It was planned to release on the same date as the PS3 version but later scrapped and supposedly evolved into AC Bloodlines on psp.
 
First game is absolutely awesome. I played it for the first time just a year or two ago and instantly fell in love. Been going through the series in chronological order since (up to III now).
I gave up on the series after beating 2 in 2009, but I did recently replay all of 1 and 2 for this video and even best Brotherhood (which I thought was better than 2). I’ve been stuck on Revelations ever since because it just hasn’t hooked me, but I want to at least get to Unity.
 
I gave up on the series after beating 2 in 2009, but I did recently replay all of 1 and 2 for this video and even best Brotherhood (which I thought was better than 2). I’ve been stuck on Revelations ever since because it just hasn’t hooked me, but I want to at least get to Unity.
Interesting! Brotherhood is probably my favorite also thus far, but I did like Revelations. I think in some ways it was a downgrade or at least a side step from Brotherhood, but I still enjoyed it. I felt that way about III, just didn't hook me immediately like the previous games did, so for now I am on break until I'm ready to return my chronological journey with III.
 

ungalo

Member
The first AC is the worst game in the series. It feels like a beta test for the vastly superior sequels.
Even with a more refined formula, it's still just that, a formula in the modern sense. I feel there is no AC with a game-design that's above just fine.

So in that case, AC1 still stands out for me. Because it's more about the atmosphere and the "open world" (open areas in this case) with the fluid traversal than anything else.

Although some games in the franchise achieved a decent level in "stealth action". But in any case AC1 invented everything that adds flavor to the serie.
 
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Great video summary of why the original AC game forked to a different direction in the sequel. This was a game that was about the Assassin's "Creed", right from stripping you off your weapons and rank, and the animus desynchronizing when you stray from the tenets Altair was supposed to follow after. The art-style and setting was eerie, almost haunting which has never been replicated since. It is why I still re-visit this game, jank, glitches and all because it's the purest of the AC concept that was never fully realized. Yes, Unity had amazing Parkour and was a technical and graphical showcase, and the Ezio Trilogy had a fun character, Edward had pirates. But that's just that, a bunch gimmicks that falls under the trap of being a video game "product" than owning it's own identity. It would've been Ubisoft's equivalent to Nintendo's Zelda/Mario/Metroid where their respective titles are not only signatures of the brand but a highlight of their unique identify that separates them from the rest of the games. Sadly, we are now seeing the true bastardization of the series with Shadows taking the biggest stain of this, potentially great franchise.
 
At the time I wasn’t really interested in it until a friend gifted it to me for the Xbox 360 and I was absolutely amazed instantly when I played it. I’ll never forget the moment you first arrive to outside of Damascus then enter the city where you are free to climb anything. If you want to grasp what “nextgen” feels like this was it, if you were there.
 

Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
I’ve played most if not all AC games. The Desmond ones are the best and had the most potential for interesting overall story.

Killing him off was a mistake because the premise of the games died with him, and it just watered down the overall lore of the games/franchise.

There is no way to save this franchise to return to that level of goodness without a full scale reboot of the entire franchise. I would go back to Desmond and retell the narratives of 1&2 with new twists before expanding to a totally new 3 and onwards.

A natural conclusion after 6 games would work given the complex structure of the overall narrative.
 
I’ve played most if not all AC games. The Desmond ones are the best and had the most potential for interesting overall story.

Killing him off was a mistake because the premise of the games died with him, and it just watered down the overall lore of the games/franchise.

There is no way to save this franchise to return to that level of goodness without a full scale reboot of the entire franchise. I would go back to Desmond and retell the narratives of 1&2 with new twists before expanding to a totally new 3 and onwards.

A natural conclusion after 6 games would work given the complex structure of the overall narrative.
Didn't they announce recently that they were going to start doing remakes?
 

Hunter 99

Member
Best one,I got it on release and it was something completely new and fresh.good times!
the first was just something special For nearly 20 years ago.only played 1 and syndicate,never bothered with the other 50 games.
 

Laptop1991

Member
Loved the first Assassin's Creed, i got really immersed in the world and cities, i didn't play another AC until Black Flag in 2013 due to Ubisoft's attitude towards PC gamers and treated us like we were all pirates, so i never played AC 2, Brotherhood and Revelation's until about 2019, so Altair is more famous and known to me than Etzio.
 

SJRB

Gold Member
God tier game and I will defend it until the day I die.

Slightly undercooked but grossly misunderstood. Revolutionary in many ways. I'll never forget the time they did an E3 demo and instead of running after someone like we've seen a thousand times before they just climbed up a building and jumped across some scaffolding. It was the craziest shit I've ever seen.
 
Best one,I got it on release and it was something completely new and fresh.good times!
the first was just something special For nearly 20 years ago.only played 1 and syndicate,never bothered with the other 50 games.
I also never played anything after 2 until recently. I want to go through them all, but Revelations is really testing my dedication.
 
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