10 Popular Video Game Series' That Completely Forgot Who They Were

3. Assassin's Creed

With five games released in the past six years (not including spin-offs or the two new titles to be released in 2014) it's unsurprising that the Assassin's Creed series has evolved at a fairly rapid pace. The first game, despite its repetitive nature, introduced us to a world of exciting and unique gameplay that stood firmly out from the rest of the generic action-adventure crowd. The series has fluctuated in quality somewhat since 2007 but generally when you pick up an Assassin's Creed game, you know you're getting a quality experience. That has come at a cost though. As the series grows and develops, many aspects have been altered or changed to make the series more appealing to the masses. There's far less emphasis on stealth nowadays (and when it is forced upon us, it feels awkward and out of place); the game instead favouring mass brawls with multiple combatants. It's not necessarily an awful decision but undoubtedly, some will wish that being an Assassin involved a little more planning and patience. The release of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, in particular, may have radically changed the series for good. Building the game around the life of a pirate was an interesting concept, thanks largely to the awesome exploration elements introduced through the open-world sailing, but it made those tired stealth elements seem even more redundant. Still, the sky is now the limit for the Assassin's Creed series and that's a good thing; the success of Black Flag will hopefully inspire Ubisoft to continue to think outside the box and give us adventures and experiences previously unseen, even if that is at the expense of some of the series' familiar features.