A beautiful coming of age story

Ubisoft was only half serious when they announced that there will not be an Assassin’s Creed game this year. The annualised franchise was taking a much needed break after the horrid reception of Unity in 2014 which subsequently led to lower sales of Syndicate last year. The next Assassin’s Creed game is rumoured to be set in Egypt and will act as a completely new direction for the franchise.

But for 2016, Ubisoft has released a remastered Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations for the PS4 and Xbox One. All three games feature Ezio Auditore, by far the most popular protagonist of the franchise. This collection also includes their DLC as well as two short films — Lineage and Embers. While all three games are old, they are pleasant to look at because the art style still holds up. Assassin’s Creed II now has a fresh layer of colour, making the world feel incredibly vibrant. Brotherhood and Revelations needed less changes and a result don’t look all that different from their previous generation versions.

More immediately noticeable is the lack of improvement to the framerate. All three games run at 30 fps, which is not acceptable since a framerate boost to 60fps is one of the most crucial changes we have seen in other remasters. It’s disappointing to see Ubisoft not focus on this key area since PS4 and Xbox One are clearly powerful enough to run these games at 60fps. Nevertheless, the Ezio Collection is a beautiful coming of age story as you see Ezio grow from an immature young man all the way to an old and wise leader of the Assassins. The gameplay remains the same, which means all the mechanics introduced in AC III and Unity are naturally nowhere to be seen. It is quite dated by today’s standards, but I believe nothing major can be done in this area without completely remaking the games.

Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection is a passable remaster for three great games. Fans of the series that want to play these games again should no doubt consider purchasing this collection, especially since the asking price is almost half of a new game. It is also a good choice for those looking for an entry point for the Assassin’s Creed series. Its major drawbacks stem from the quality of the upgrade which is okay at best, and pales in comparison to the  other remasters that have had major improvements.

STRENGTHS:

• Highlights the golden years of the Assassin’s Creed series.
• Features one of the most likable protagonists in gaming.
• Graphics hold up pretty well.
• Three great games at a cheap price.

WEAKNESSES:

• Not enough work was done to the graphics.
• The remasters still run at 30fps.
• Shockingly dated gameplay.

OVERALL: 7.5