Question about the Assassin's Creed series

[Huw the Poo]

Hullo!

I've been looking at these games on Youtube and I think I want to jump in - but the question is, where?  Is it worth starting from the beginning or would it be advisable to skip a title or two?  Bear in mind that I have no current plans to buy a PS4 or Xbox One so Rogue is as far as I can go.  Thanks in advance!

[Jarhead0331]

I have found that there is no reason to play them in any particular order. Personally, I think Black Flag is the best one to date. I have not played Unity yet, although it did come with my Xbox One.

[W8taminute]

I was first introduced to the AssCreed series with the second one.  After that I played three and then Black Flag.  The stories are spaced out apart from each other enough to begin them in no particular order.  The whole series is great imho.  Just the right blend of action, strategy, and a bit of grinding collecting of things. 

[Huw the Poo]

Thanks guys.  Actually the first in the series was dirt cheap on Amazon and I already had £20 on my account so I ordered it.  Looking forward to giving it a go!

[JasonPratt]

I would have advised to stay away from 1 as it has the most repetitive gameplay; but it does introduce the overall plot -- which meanders around, so I've heard, and mainly serves as a framing device for presenting the gameplay.

(I took 2+ years to finish AssCreed 1 because I couldn't bring myself to be interested in it for more than a mission or two at a time. Still haven't gotten to the sequels... of which I have a few. Maybe this year. By all accounts I've heard, they're much better.)

[Huw the Poo]

Yeah I was looking at the later games, but the first one was by far the cheapest.  Whether I finish it or not, if I enjoy it, I'll surely get more.

[Huw the Poo]

Hard to say whether I enjoy it yet; the first part of the game was very slow-burning.  I've just reached Damascus and completed my first hit.  Not bad so far, but my main complaint centres around combat.  I gather I'm supposed to avoid it where possible, being a stealthy assassin and all that, but it's unavoidable in places.  I don't mind the one-button combat that I've seen others complain about since I'm not a fan of button combos anyway, but defending myself is the problem.  Holding RT to infinitely block is fine, but when you're surrounded it (rightly) doesn't work, and pressing dodge invariably makes me jump toward my current target, no matter what I do with the stick.  I don't really get it right now.

Everything else seems fine though, despite the clumsy present-day scenes that intersperse the main story.  I like the freerunning, stealth mechanics, and all the rest of it.  Sneaking up behind someone and just stabbing him is very satisfying.  If I could just get a handle on combat I'll enjoy it a lot more.

[W8taminute]

The only advice I can give you on combat in the Creed series is not to button mash.  It's all about timing your strike just right.  Hit the button once and let your character execute that move before hitting the button again for another attack.

All the Creed games I've played do tend to start rather slowly but after the first one or two sequences things start to slowly pickup.  The game designers really want you to get into the story before engaging in all the activities you can do in the game.

[Huw the Poo]

Thanks W8.  Yeah button mashing certainly doesn't work.  My problem is I need to work out how to fight multiple enemies at once.  However, in the spirit of things, I think my main strategy will be to avoid direct confrontations as much as possible. :)

[JasonPratt]

My main strategy was to wait to counterhit. Boring but steady. However, I don't recall when that unlocks -- early, but how early?

Another strategy I sometimes used when there were too many badguys around (or I was too bored/rushed) to counter-hit, was the bounce attack. Attack, stick another direction attack, stick another direction attack. The game generally made sure I 'aimed' at a legitimate target, and the enemy practically never could get a bead on me. Even slower at wearing down the opposition than the one-shot counterhit, since damage doesn't decrease their abilities at fighting (they can hurt you just as much anytime before they die), but relatively safe.

[Huw the Poo]

My main strategy was to wait to counterhit. Boring but steady. However, I don't recall when that unlocks -- early, but how early?

Very early, I've already unlocked it myself!