4. Assassin's Creed III

An executioner being assassinated, how glorious! 

One of the most negatively viewed games in the series, Assassin’s Creed III, set itself on a very ambitious path. Players assume the identity of Desmond’s descendent, Connor, as he struggles to suppress Templars who are vying for freedom during and following the American Revolution. After playing as Ezio for the previous three games, many players were eager to see a new protagonist. Unfortunately, not everything worked out as well as Ubisoft hoped it would.

As far as Connor is concerned, he is quite different from Ezio in that he comes across as more serious. Although this can make his mission more emotionally compelling, sometimes he appears static, incapable of adapting his emotions to the scene. When it comes to features, Assassin’s Creed was a breath of fresh air, even though implementation was not a stunning success.

Assassin's Creed III was the first game to feature naval combat which offered a new style of missions and the accompaniment of new animations alongside improved graphics were thrilling. However, the mechanisms involved in this naval-style of combat were not mastered until later on in the series. Despite the lackluster naval experience, the story is very compelling and has many surprises. While an Assassin's Creed game set during the American Revolution sounded amazing, the delivered goods fell far short of the hype.

Reasons for this are that the story was overwritten, and the opening tutorials seem to drag on before players are finally set loose in the world. More complaints were raised regarding a host of bugs that are still present. On top of that, the new fighting and health systems are not easily understood and naval battles are not incorporated into the multiplayer. However, the fans love the Colonial America setting and the leaping, stalking and killing mechanics are still satisfying to this day. In the end, the baggage that Assassin’s Creed III carries disqualifies it from being able to contend with the best in the series.