2. Stealth That Actually Works
One of the most basic elements of the franchise, yet for many including myself it always felt more fun and natural to wage in blades-first, taking care of entire platoons of goons in a tornado of motion-captured death and gory sound effects. In AC III that idea was taken to the extreme, with dual-counters allowing you to take two enemies in one go, alongside simplified combat mechanics that essentially encouraged full-on engagement rather than super-sleuthing your way around. Another change for IV then, as the designers have finally made the levels with enough hiding spots that allow you to gain a vantage point and plan a route through a swathe of troops. Theyve added corner-kills so you can ambush any strays, and Eagle Vision now auto-tags enemies so you can track them from a distance and ensure youre not about to be spotted just before striking. It all feels like a marked step-up from whats gone before, and if youre quick on the counter-button you can still play all swords-blazing, but being that this is still an Assassin's Creed title at heart, its great fun carefully darting between treetops and foliage to empty an area of enemy soldiers without them being any the wiser.