8 Video Game Trilogies That Went From Bad To GREAT
7. Assassin's Creed
The original Assassin's Creed released to immense hype, and though it received praise for its unexpected plot twist and traversal mechanics, it was also dreadfully dull.
The mind-numbingly repetitive missions ensured that the game was all style, no substance, effectively serving as a proof of concept for what future entries could be.
And indeed, Assassin's Creed II was a storming improvement by every imaginable metric.
For starters, it introduced the series' fan favourite protagonist Ezio, while also offering up a more diverse, dynamic slate of mission types within a richer, more colourful world, alongside improved combat and traversal gameplay.
While Assassin's Creed III wasn't received as rapturously as the second mainline game - largely because Connor just isn't as interesting a hero as Ezio - the American Revolution setting was inspired, and it was nevertheless instrumental in proving the series' staying power as one of Ubisoft's cornerstone IP.
Given the innate hollowness of the original game, which is honestly tough to play in 2025, it was never a guarantee that Assassin's Creed would become the unassailable phenom it is today.