My name is Ezio Auditore Da Firenze, an infamous Assassin who tried to stop the Templars from becoming the world’s new leaders. I’ve traveled a lot, my missions took me to places like Rome, Florence, Venice and when I was older, Constantinople. You might have heard about my adventures and the sacrifices I’ve made to reach my goal. If you haven’t, now’s your chance to learn the truth. Nothing is true, everything is permitted.
Three stories, one bundle
If you’ve been following the latest gaming related news, you already know that Ubisoft isn’t bringing a new Assassin’s Creed game on the market. We could count on yearly entries since 2007 but Ubisoft decided to give the franchise a short break to find something new and innovating. We don’t blame them, after the troubles Assassin’s Creed: Unity had, it was perhaps time to update the famous formula. We’ve seen a lot of games and assassins entering and leaving the franchise but Ezio Auditore is without a doubt the strongest and most memorable character the franchise has to offer.
In The Ezio Collection, you’ll be able to replay the adventures of Ezio in Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed Revelations. The first two games in this list are considered as the best in the franchise, those were the games that understood the true potential of the franchise and combined this with the best possible setting. Revelations goes further on this route but isn’t as innovating as Brotherhood or Assassin’s Creed 2. If you haven’t played the games before, this bundle is the perfect excuse to get you going. You’ll get three of the best Assassin’s Creed stories in one bundle.
The pinnacle of the franchise
If you played Assassin’s Creed before, you know what to expect of it. The franchise is known for its free-running through gorgeous cities while taking down enemies. Assassin’s Creed 2 is considered as the pinnacle of the franchise since it was the first to really give you the feeling of freedom. Where the first Assassin’s Creed game was way too repetitive to really become enjoyable, Assassin’s Creed 2 added more variation and freedom to the scene. But that was not all, Assassin’s Creed 2 took us to the gorgeous Italy to hunt and kill in cities as Venice and Florence, while meeting famous historical characters. Although the combat was a little slow, Assassin’s Creed 2 still is considered as the pinnacle since it was the main source of inspiration for the later main Assassin’s Creed games.
Relive your past
The sequel, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, improved this formula even more and is my personal favorite game of the franchise to date. There’s something about Brotherhood that makes it stand out. Was it the inclusion of other Assassins that worked for you? Was it the big ancient Rome? Was it the addition of the multiplayer? Was it the incredible story? Brotherhood did a lot of right things and even managed to improve the combat of Assassin’s Creed 2. Unlike that one, combat in Brotherhood feels fluent and fast thanks to the combo and break mechanisms that were introduced. The free-running still wasn’t perfect and the game didn’t always understand what you were willing to achieve but aside of that, Brotherhood is a very enjoyable entry in the franchise.
Ezio’s story came to an end in Assassin’s Creed Revelations, the third and final game in this bundle. Revelations is a great game based in an interesting city (Constantinople) but it never had the same impact as Brotherhood or AC 2. That’s because the formula was a bit too familiar by the time Revelations released in stores. It did improve the free running by adding the hookshot, enabling the player to travel through the city even faster. That being said, the gameplay of Revelations isn’t as innovating as the other games in this bundle but that’s nothing to worry about. Revelations recycled a lot of gameplay elements but those elements were great from the start, so why change a winning formula, right?
The difference
The Ezio Collection brings all of those games together in one bundle without actually touching the original gameplay. That’s right, the games themselves aren’t that different from the original games. The combat is still rather slow compared to modern releases like Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate and the free-running doesn’t always work like you want it to work. It’s a bit of a shame that Ubisoft didn’t take the time to remove some of the most familiar bugs out of the game, resulting in some frustrating moments.
The graphics, on the other hand, are slightly improved. The difference isn’t as noticeable as in other remasters but it’s there without a doubt. Assassin’s Creed 2 used to be a rather dark game, now a colorful filter has been placed over the game, transforming the environment from a gray Italy to a bright and colorful Italy. The same thing happened in Brotherhood and it must be said, once you’re actually playing the games, they look great. Revelations is the most modern game of the bundle and looks the best. Ubisoft used the PC effects for this one, transforming this virtual Constantinople into a gorgeous and sunny city to discover.
Too bad the menus and characters didn’t receive the same kind of treatment. Those are kept the way they were, resulting in blurry menus and stiff character animations. It feels like Ubisoft didn’t invest that much of their time or budget in this bundle. That being said, the games do still deliver unforgettable stories and a lot of content to explore.
Conclusion:
Ezio Auditore Da Firenze is without a doubt the most charismatic assassin we came across with, in this famous franchise. The three Ezio games are filled with gorgeous cities to explore and interesting secrets to unravel. The remaster isn’t as drastic as others but the games themselves still offer enough fun after all those years. If you played the games before, there’s no reason to get them again since the originals deliver the same experience. If you never played as Ezio however, this collection might be the thing you need during the Holidays.
