In my opinion, AC:B > AC2 > AC1 > AC:R
Esotera said:
. I'd like to see more codex pages/the truth missions though, Revelations was missing in that department.
I missed this a lot in Revelations. I found it really interesting in Brotherhood (at least, I think it was Brotherhood...may have been AC2) deciphering Subject 16's clues and revealing the Adam and Eve video. It was interesting to learn about all the different histories, and solving the puzzles. The close that AC:R had to that was Desmond's (and in the DLC, Subject 16's) little 'missions'...which were dull.
I still don't know how I feel about the American setting. I'm hoping to God that the British aren't evil and/or stereotypical. I don't know what kinds of things there will be to epically parkour across...trees? Great...
As many people have said, I hope that there is more of a focus on ACTUALLY ASSASSINATING people, rather than just following, or fighting big groups. Which leads me on to another point, which has already been mentioned many a time: combat. It's incredibly easy and boring - to the extent that I was avoiding fighting because I just couldn't be bothered. The only thing that I enjoyed from it was picking up a heavy weapon/spear and hurling it at someone. There is just no challenge to it. You can pretty much just stand there and block, and as soon as you counter one person, you can just eliminate the whole group quickly. I used to fight bare handed to try and give myself a challenge but even that was easy. Whilst it shouldn't be over the top complicated, it needs a revamp. Also, I didn't use bombs at all in AC:R...I just never had a need to, and didn't see the point in them. Additionally, as many AssCred games do, there was a steep learning curve at the beginning (this is the hook blade, this is how you make bombs, this ingredient does this, etc), which, whilst it isn't that difficult to overcome, it can be a little daunting. I find with AssCred games that I buy it, play it for a couple of hours, leave it, come back to it a few months later, play it loads, love it, then get towards the end and get bored. This is moreso with AC:R, but I think that that is because it didn't really add anything new, per se.
Also, I
hated den defense. I'm fine with renovating the city, getting collectibles, finding viewpoints etc, but den defense was sooo boring! It got to the point where I just left my dens to burn (not that that even did anything).
Lovely Mixture said:
But let's say I forgive that, I can admit there is some intrigue in making Da Vinci into a the gadgets professor of the Order in the second game. But then you have the universe in which EVERY SINGLE major historical event and figure made to be part of the Assassin-Templar war, it becomes ridiculous and convoluted.
Whilst I enjoy the majority of historical stuff, as you said, it does got a little over the top. Like, reading up on how Hitler or Maraget Thatcher were Templars is quite fun, or about how the former didn't really kill himself in his bunker, but was assassinated whilst fleeing. And, as I said before, I enjoyed all the puzzles in AC2 and AC:B that kind of revealed historical figures' secret tendencies, but you're right, not EVERYTHING needs to be relevant to the war.