I first heard of the first game in the series back in college. At the time, I was still gung ho about Metal Gear Solid (MGS) ... especially the 4th game: Guns of the Patriot (I still am, but I'm not hipster about it anymore). I viewed Assassin's Creed as just another game trying to clinch it's way into the stealth-action game genre like Splinter Cell did. I never paid much attention to Splinter Cell. It didn't help the fact that both this and Assassin's Creed were made by the same company. My initial reaction was "oh great, Splinter Cell couldn't beat MGS's dominance, so they make another stealth game and set it in the high middle-age era. How original." Five years have passed since then and I couldn't have been more wrong and stupid for judging a book by it's cover.
The series has won numerous awards in the game industry as well as being a successful videogame franchise. Many people are obviously in love with this game. I just didn't see it. Reading online reviews and brief summaries of the first three games have given me glimpses of the premise and storyline. Still wasn't impressed... until
I saw the trailer for Assassin's Creed III during Ubisoft's E3 conference. This time around, the story was set during the American Revolution. You get to play a Native American assassin. Of all the rehashed settings and time periods in videogames (medieval times, WWII, post-apocalyptic, etc), I have never encountered a game set in the American Revolution. I was sold. i knew I had to play that game. There's only one problem: I'm a completist.
I don't like starting something without completing what came before it. For a game of this magnitude with a rich storyline, transcending 1000 years, I had to complete the previous games before I could start playing Assassin's Creed III. My current circumstances at the time came into play in August 2012. I wasted no time and bought Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations. Between August and the end of October, I completed all 4 games.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
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In Assassin's Creed, you play a member of the Assassin Order named Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad during the high middle ages in Masyaf, Damascus and Jerusalem. You go about in the game as Altaïr follows orders from his masters to foil the plans of various Templar Order members as well as question the motives of his actions and their goal, whether it's right or wrong. His story is the foundation for all the other events in later games when you play as his descendants. The Assassin Order has a saying... "Nothing is true, everything is permitted." This saying and the underlying contradictions of an Assassin's duty to killing for peace is an on going theme the sequels.
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| In Assassin's Creed II, the storyline skips a few generations into the Renaissance in Florence, Italy. You play as Ezio Auditore, a Florentine nobleman who was unaware of his Assassin heritage until he was 17 years old, when him and his family were thrust in the middle of the ongoing battle between the Assassins and the Templars. You go about in the game as Ezio tries to find more information about valuable object the Templars are after. He makes friends along the way, Leonardo Da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli, both of which are members/allies of the Assassins. | 
Ezio Auditore
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Ezio with members of the newly established Assassin Brotherhood
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood continues where Assassin's Creed II left off. Again, you play as Ezio. This time, the story is set in Rome during the Renaissance. The Templars have climbed up the ranks and the highest order of the Roman Catholic Church. Ezio investigates with the help of his family and friends while rebuilding a decimated Assassin's Order into a Brotherhood. He starts recruiting members into the Assassin's Guild.
Ezio and Altair from Revelations
Assassin's Creed: Revelation is the last game featuring Ezio. He's rid of the Templars in Italy (or destroyed their ranks very heavily). He's much older now, but still as strong as anybody else. On his journey to Masyaf, where it all began, he was attacked by the Templar Order branch from Constantinople. He changed course with his journey and met with the Assassin Brotherhood in Constantinople. He also finds out more about his ties with his Altaïr, his ancestor. This also marks the last time we get to see Altaïr.
Ratonhnhaké:ton (Connor Conway)
After finishing these games, I dove right into Assassin's Creed III. This time, you play as Connor, a Native American assassin (real name is Ratonhnhaké:ton of the Mohawk tribe). The story is set in Boston and New York during Colonial times. Connor's story unfolds during his childhood when members of the Templars in the British Army attacked his village in the frontier. After a vision quest performed with the help of the village elder, he sought to find a Master Assassin, the founder of the Colonial Assassin Brotherhood, for help and training. Along the way, Connor played a role to key events that led to the American Revolutionary War: the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle at Bunker Hill, riding with Paul Revere ("the British are coming") as well as discuss military battle strategy with George Washington himself... or a few rounds of Bocce. Like in previous games, the Templars are involved again and wanted to write history for themselves. Connor must decide on what is right, helping shape the fate of the colonies (Spoiler alert... 'MERICA!!!).
The biggest secret in the game is how these stories unfold throughout the series. None of these would have been possible without the help of Desmond Miles, descendant of Connor, descendant of Ezio Auditore, descendant of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
Desmond Miles
I could go on and on about the game play, but words can't describe... just watch the demo for the latest game.
I'm done.
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