Earlier this year, Ubisoft promised that after a few years of increasingly misguided games in the franchise, Assassin’s Creed would be taking a break this year- no new title in the series would be released in 2016. To their credit, they have stuck to their word, and no new Assassin’s Creed game is announced for release this Fall.

But they wouldn’t be Ubisoft if there wasn’t at least one retail release of Assassin’s Creed this year- and they’ve already promised no new game for this year. What are they to do, then? Why, release an Assassin’s Creed remaster collection, of course!

Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Collection has appeared on the Korean Ratings Board,which is already a good sign that it’s nearing release. Corroborating these rumors is French publication Gameblog (via GameSpot), who have posted promotional material and multiple details about the still-unconfirmed collection, including the games it will include – Assassin’s Creed II, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, and Assassin’s Creed Revelation – as well as the fact that it will run at 1080p and 30fps. In addition to these three games, it will also have all of the three games’ DLC, and animated movies Assassin’s Creed: Lineage and Assassin’s Creed: Embers, making this ridiculously good value..

As of right now, it’s not been officially confirmed yet, so we can’t tell you much more, or when it will be out- the rumors peg it as a full priced $60 collection launching this November for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Ahead of the launch of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate later this month, we’ve decided to go and look at all the mainline Assassin’s Creed games – that’s everything that was originally released on consoles, and at retail – and rank them all. It’s going to be an interesting way to celebrate the series that has made history cool again.

8. ASSASSIN’S CREED REVELATIONS

The thing with Revelations was that it wasn’t necessarily a bad game, even back at launch- unlike future games in the series, it launched without game breaking bugs, unlike future games, it didn’t suffer from mechanics that felt too dated, unlike future games, it didn’t suffer from trite mission design. But it just didn’t do anything well enough to stand out. It had no ambition, it threw in some vaguely tangentially related activities that murdered the game’s pacing (hello, bomb crafting and tower defense), and narratively, it was the very definition of filler, stalling the series’ momentum from Assassin’s Creed II’s excellent ending.

That said, the game definitely deserves some browny points for integrating the story of Ezio and Altair together excellently well, for concluding the Ezio saga satisfyingly, for setting up Assassin’s Creed III very well, and also for potentially being a better conclusion to the Assassin’s Creed franchise than III ever was. If only it actually played well too.

7. ASSASSIN’S CREED

The original Assassin’s Creed is the most dated game of the bunch, suffering from mind numbing repetition and very limited gameplay. But back when it first came out, there was nothing else like it- even then, it suffered from repetition and a dearth of things to do, but the game’s unique (at the time) take on stealth, combined with an actual emphasis on assassinations (gather intelligence, plan assassination, assassinate, escape), along with its incredibly fluid parkour and movement system, and the great historically authentic atmosphere that it weaved, made everyone stand up and take notice.

It was also a technical marvel, looking better than almost anything else on the market at the time, and narratively immediately sunk its hooks into people with the story of Desmond Miles, who was forcibly being held captive and exposed to a historical conspiracy. Playing Assassin’s Creed today is an almost painful experience, but at the time, there was nothing else like it.

6. ASSASSIN’S CREED III

Assassin’s Creed III was, on paper, perfect- it had a great setting (the American Revolution), a potentially great character (a Native American who gets pulled into the American War for Independence, and also the titanic struggle between the Assassins and the Templars), a complete overhaul of the series’ mechanics that had, by that time, started to show their age, the biggest map in the series, and almost too much stuff to do. Unfortunately, the game swung and missed- Assassin’s Creed III’s legacy is, in hindsight, largely one of disappointment.

The new traversal controls were problematic, as they combined climbing and running to one button, the combat was clunky thanks to the addition of guns, the mission design suffered from a crippling reliance and overabundance of eavesdropping and trailing (a specter that has continued to haunt Assassin’s Creed ever since), it was a disaster of pacing, with a ten hour long tutorial, it was buggy as hell at launch, almost to the point of being game breaking, the much hyped conclusion to the series’ arc was a bust, and none of its various elements gelled together too well.

All of that said, Assassin’s Creed III still was a game worth playing- it had incredible ambition, the actual traversal and combat were best in the series, warts and all, and it did introduce naval combat to the franchise, which may be the best thing to ever have happened to Assassin’s Creed. It wasn’t a highlight or triumph of its generation, but it was a game worth giving a look all the same.

5. ASSASSIN’S CREED ROGUE

Poor Assassin’s Creed Rogue. It was actually a very good game, it just had the misfortune of no one actually caring. The final game of the Assassin’s Creed III trilogy launched last year, alongside the much hyped Assassin’s Creed Unity, and completely flew under everyone’s radar. This, in spite of it being a nice game regardless. A lot of that has to do with the game feeling like a total and complete retread of the previous year’s release, Black Flag, without actually adding anything new to the mix- to a lot of people, there was no reason to actually get Rogue. If you wanted more Black Flag, well Black Flag was more than enough Black Flag (seriously, that game was massive).

This lack of ambition, coupled with a lack of marketing, and a release on last generation systems after the PS4 and Xbox One were in full swing, all conspired to kill Rogue in its tracks. A pity, it was a nice game. If you get the chance, hunt it down and play it. Or, hopefully, Ubisoft will release it on PS4 and Xbox One, as they should.

4. ASSASSIN’S CREED UNITY

This one is just a can of worms waiting to be opened, but let’s get it done with. You see, all the launch bugs (now mostly patched out) aside, Assassin’s Creed Unity was not a bad game at all. It had staggering ambition, it promised the evolution of the series’ core design that had largely stagnated ever since Assassin’s Creed II came out in 2009, it had some great new emergent gameplay in the form of its drop in/drop out co-op gameplay, a great setting with the backdrop of the French Revolution, a nice sandbox to play in thanks to Revolutionary Paris, and a very different take on the Assassin’s Creed story, by foregoing a bigger conflict and emphasizing character interaction.

Unity still did suffer from a lot of game design related issues, even if bugs are removed from the equation- its map had too many things to do, with Ubisoft equating banal checklist completion for actual game content, and none of it played well, and all of it detracted from the main game. The main campaign itself suffered from poor quest design, and the stealth of the game was absolutely terrible. The emphasis on multiplayer appears to have guided the design process for a lot of the game, which made it a poorer single player (the primary form of engagement with Assassin’s Creed) game.

All in all, much like every other game on this list so far, it’s a mixed bag. What Unity did well, it did pretty well, and the sheer audacity of its ambition must be commended. But it did so much wrong, too. It’s not a game that can be lightly recommended to everyone- depending on where you stand with different elements of game design, your mileage with Unity will vary.

3. ASSASSIN’S CREED BROTHERHOOD

When Assassin’s Creed is good, it is very good, and nothing demonstrates that as well as Brotherhood, which may be one of the best open world games of all time. Releasing just a year after the excellent Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood expanded upon its predecessor in just about every way, and did so in a sensible manner, meaning that Brotherhood’s improvements were not frivolous- all of them were genuinely necessary, and Brotherhood played far better as a result. The Rome setting, the eponymous Brotherhood mechanic, the continuation of Ezio’s storyline, the great villains in the form of the Borgia family, some of the best mission design in the series, incredible music, and the perfect balance of side activities, which incidentally, all organically blended with the main quest instead of feeling forced, and led to great excuses to explore the very well laid out map even more… Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood was borderline perfect. In fact, within the series, it may just be the best, strongest release yet. Not a single element of the package was lacking, even the multiplayer mode was a hit.

It’s the context of its release that pegs Brotherhood down to number 3, but seriously, this is a game that comes with a full, whole hearted recommendation. Even today, five years after its initial release, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is a joy to play, and represents the best of the franchise.

2. ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG

Arguably the most fun Assassin’s Creed game ever, Black Flag succeeds precisely because of how much it de-emphasized the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ part of the experience- its greatest triumph is in just how amazing of a swashbuckling, high seas pirate adventure it is. Following the roguish Edward Kenway, Black Flag ditches the traditional Assassin’s Creed trappings to give us a game that takes itself far less seriously than the series usually does- and it is a better game for that.

The naval sections of Assassin’s Creed III, which were just another side activity in that game, were expanded, and they form the backbone of Black Flag. Naval navigation and combat is beautifully handled, with deft, intuitive controls, and a seamless transition to on foot traversal and combat. Black Flag also offers a massive map, the biggest in the series, offering just about every single setting that you might want from Assassin’s Creed, and no shortage of things to do- and unlike every other Assassin’s Creed game sans Brotherhood, again, all of these things were actually fun to do. Black Flag was, in fact, at its best when you strayed off the main quest, and went whaling, or on a remote island to dig up some lost treasure or ancient Mayan ruins, or boarded a ship after pounding it into submission, and appropriated its crew and materials for yourself…

Black Flag did have some missteps, and those all came from the Assassin’s Creed part of the game. A maddening reliance on tailing and eavesdropping missions, and dated stealth mechanics bogged the experience down somewhat, but even there, Black Flag came through with a unique take on the franchise’s mythos, and a surprisingly engaging, touching story that might have the strongest conclusion yet in the series.

1. ASSASSIN’S CREED II

There really is no point in checking the top of any Assassin’s Creed rankings list, simply because we all know what game will be at the very top- Assassin’s Creed II is a monolithic presence in this franchise, a release that still remains the golden standard to beat, even after six years and seven games’ worth of iterations upon its formula. That is because Assassin’s Creed II got it all right.

It might be one of the best open world games ever made, and it gave us not one but three maps to play on, with Renaissance Italy’s flavor coming out strongly in all three. Ezio remains the best protagonist the series has ever had, and following his exploits from his birth through to the end of his journey for revenge made for a surprisingly well written, involving story. The music was great, and the game was beautiful, and the mechanics- oh, the mechanics! Assassin’s Creed II fully realized the promise of the original game, to the extent that the original now feels like a prototype tech demo to showcase the full release that Assassin’s Creed II would eventually become. The traversal was perfected, the combat got a good shot in the arm (though it still did remain the weakest part of the experience), the repetition was removed via extremely varied missions and possibly the best assassinations in the series, and a whole host of things to do by the side, none of which interfered with the main storyline, and all blended in organically, without detracting from anything else.

Assassin’s Creed II was truly a magical experience, and it wove an atmosphere around the player like few other games can manage. It is not only the best Assassin’s Creed game (perhaps destined to never be surpassed, now that the series has gone annual), but also one of the best games of the previous generation, and one of the best open world games of all time. It is a perfect example of a sequel, and a game that really should be in every PS3 and Xbox 360 owner’s library. There are no excuses for this one.

It seems that’s far from the case, as Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb recently tweeted that no release date was given for the release of either game.

FAQ: “Halo 3” and “Assassin’s Creed II" were mentioned as part of the program – no date was given for their release http://t.co/vjnE1sBAYj

— Larry Hryb (@majornelson) June 30, 2013

Instead, Defence Grid: The Awakening will be the first “Free Game With Gold” this month, which will be yours to keep permanently. Feeling satisfied?

It’ll be interesting to see what Microsoft has to say about this given how the words “to kick off the program” were used so explicitly in the E3 presser for Halo 3 and Assassin’s Creed II. Or maybe these games were mentioned at the presser to generate enthusiasm since Microsoft knew no one would care about Defence Grid?

Assassin’s Creed may not have had that special touch, but it definitely had that potential. And while much of that potential was wasted, Ubisoft pulled up their socks and dished out another Assassin’s Creed title two years later which had everything that the original lacked. It was brilliant, a work of art, and to this day it is regarded as one of the best games of the generation.

Why, though? What’s so special about it? What does this game have to have earned that status that so many other games from franchises with a larger pedigree could not earn *cough*Resident Evil*cough*? Why was it so special that it spawned two sequels of its own before Ubisoft committed to releasing an actual, full fledged Assassin’s Creed III?

Well, let’s have a look, shall we?

Venice, Florence and Tuscany- The Wonderful World of Assassin’s Creed 2

Assassin’s Creed II- Debut Trailer

Assassin’s Creed II is to Assassin’s Creed what Uncharted 2 is to Uncharted, what Killzone 2 is to Killzone. The changes made in AC2 made the game radically better; so much better, in fact, that compared to the new sequel, the original Assassin’s Creed now seemed like a mere beta testing, while the real deal was yet to come.

As with Assassin’s Creed, the hype surrounding Assassin’s Creed II was extremely high, and this time, it seemed that Ubisoft was about to deliver on its promise. When AC2 was released, many of the faults were still very obvious- the combat was as stupid as it was in AC1, there were some repeated missions, but overall, the game was radically different.

The chase scene was amazing.

Unlike Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed 2 didn’t follow a set structure for the entire game. Instead, it revolved around the story, and the game was more about events. And boy, was the story one to marvel at. The political struggles in Renaissance Italy were engrossing, and characters like Leonardo Da Vinci, Niccolo Machiavelli and Mario Auditore grabbed hold from the very beginning. Assassin’s Creed II was a treat for gamers and history fanatics alike, and while the game was lacking in the tension and gritty atmosphere of the first game, it was much richer, much better developed and overall more refined.

The protagonist, Ezio, was one we today call one of the best characters to have been introduced this generation. His charm and charisma worked on us as well as they did on the characters in the game, and his motivations and emotions gave his character the depth that Altair always lacked. While Altair was the “cooler” protagonist, given that he had been born as an Assassin and was the cold and calculating kind of protagonist that so many of us want in our games, Ezio was a much better developed character.

Venice was one of the best cities Assassin’s Creed has ever visited.

Everything we loved about Assassin’s Creed was still here, and it was done better than before. The cities were dripping with atmosphere, feeling more like living, breathing 15th century renditions of their real life counterparts than we thought possible. There was more to do than ever before- the side quests had been amped up in quality, quantity and variety; there were feathers to collect (it’s not as stupid as it sounds); there were three major cities to explore.

And who could forget the economy? One of the many, many innovative features that Assassin’s Creed II introduced was the amazing economy system, where you managed the economy of an entire town named Monteriggioni. Of course, the system was made larger and much better with Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, but w’ll talk about that in the next article.

Managing the entire economy of Monteriggioni was extremely addictive, enjoyable and very rewarding. Earning money in troves and spending it on renovating and erecting new shops and structures to attract tourists to the village had a fair balance to it, and while it had a lot of scope for expansion and did not really concern the story itself, it was one of the best additions to the formula.

Apparently, it wasn’t until the 15th century that people learned how to swim. Good job, Ubisoft.

There were other improvements as well. Some were logical, like being able to swim (Altair was a highly trained, super-skilled assassin, and he couldn’t freaking swim?) while others were pleasant surprises, like being able to use gondolas. The cities of Venice, Tuscany and Florence were beautiful and accurately rendered, and exploration and platforming were as enjoyable as they had been in Assassin’s Creed 1, if not better. The introduction of several weapons, such as a gun and, of course, the coveted double hidden blades, improved the combat slightly, if not completely overhaul it, and the changes were all for the better.

The wanted system, or the notoriety system, as known in the games, was much improved, and buying and equipping different types of armour and seeing our health bar increase block by block left a warm feeling in our hearts.

Ubisoft had managed to do something we had all expected two years back with the original AssCreed. They had delivered a revolutionary, memorable game that would set the standard for similar titles in the future. Sure, Assassin’s Creed II still had its flaws and had a lot of room for improvement, but what game doesn’t?

See that gondola? Yeah? WHY, LOOK AT THE SUPER AWESOME ASSASSIN, IDIOTS.

In fact, Assassin’s Creed II was so good, its universe and characters went on to spawn two sequel of their own, creating a mini-trilogy within the main trilogy. And were those games good?

Of course they were.

In Part 3 of our retrospective, we look at the games that improved on the legendary Assassin’s Creed 2- Brotherhood and Revelations. So check back next week, and tell us what you think in your comments below.

Here is the entire list of the domains listed below:

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Ubisoft has never announced a new Assassins Creed title besides the upcoming Assassins Creed III, and Assassins Creed III: Liberation which are both slated to come out at the end of October. However, this title could also just have a link to Assassins Creed novels, or maybe a subtitle that is being developed behind the scenes. For all we know this title might also refer to a new Assassins Creed novels, since the game already has plenty of it’s own line of novels such as  Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, Assassin’s Creed: The Fall, and Assassin’s Creed: The Chain.

Keep checking GamingBolt as this story developers further.

Source: IGN 

It has been confirmed that last year’s super successful Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will be released on PlayStation Network Europe for a price tag of £23.99/€29.99. Ten avatars will also be released along with the game, Ezio and Harelquin included, each for £0.40/€0.49. These avatars, however, will be exclusively available to PS Plus members. The game will be hitting PSN on August 3rd, that is tomorrow, and will be free with a purchase of AC:B HDD.

Assassin’s Creed II will also see a 20% price cut, with all the DLC included. The original Assassin’s Creed will see a 50% price chop. These two offers, however, are only in place for PlayStation Plus members.

Stay tuned to GB for more info.

[Source]

Assassin’s Creed is probably one of the biggest names in the industry, and for every different person, it evokes different feelings. Some call it repetitive, predictive, boring, and “vague.” Others act as if there’s no such thing better than being an Assassin, jumping on rooftops and murdering your targets. One thing is known: there is nothing in between. Either you simply love Assassin’s Creed, or you hate it. I, for one, am so in love with Assassin’s Creed, I can’t miss a single game in the franchise.

When Assassin’s Creed was just out in the market, and the art of assassinating was something new for the world of gaming, I found the concept of the game strange. A game with Prince of Persia platforming and action adventure, with sandbox gameplay, set in medieval Italy? Not to mention the fact that many of the players and critics were calling the game repetitive and flawed. It definitely wasn’t worth my time. But then, I noticed something. The game tried to be different. It failed in many aspects, and it often seemed to stumble upon its flaws, but the overall atmosphere and level of addictiveness that the game was full to the brim of amused me to unimaginable extents, and I immediately fell in love with anything Assassin’s Creed. Before Assassin’s Creed II came out, I tried my hands on Altair’s Chronicles, and the mobile version of AC, and surprisingly, I liked them both a lot.

When Assassin’s Creed II did come out, however, I was blown away- clichéd, yes, I know, but that’s the only way I can describe my feelings for Assassin’s Creed II. The level of finesse and quality that Assassin’s Creed II boasted of, and the leap it had taken in all aspects of the word over its predecessor made me fall in love with it the minute I picked up my controller- for me, and many others, Assassin’s Creed II was a perfect game.

With immense freedom, new mechanics like the ability to swim, row boats, heck, FLY- all of it came together in more ways than one, and ultimately delivered a nigh perfect experience, engraving the name of Ezio and the memories of his adventures in our very being forever.

And we though the game couldn’t be perfected. We were wrong, apparently.

Just have a look at that video. It’s not as if Assassin’s Creed II had any flaws or bugs, and the structure in the game was very open and free-flowing. Compared to this game, though, even Assassin’s Creed II looks restricted. The free flowing combat, the all new combos, thrilling horseback swordfights, spectacular chase missions, cool explosions and exciting stealth kills- at the risk of sounding like a guy from an advertising campaign, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will blow us all away with it’s immense depth and free-flowing gameplay.

Combat, horseback assassinations and other new mechanics

What was the biggest complaint with Assassin’s Creed? The combat. While counter-attacks looked exciting and offered for movie-like, cinematic action, they made the game repetitive. Counter-attacks being the most useful, all we did was wait till the enemy attacked, which made the combat feel sluggish and slow-paced. While Assassin’s Creed II added some of its own mechanics into the mix to make combat more interesting, it certainly didn’t fix the problem wholly.

Things certainly got more interesting with counter-kills, but it made for a slow-paced, repetitive combat system.

With Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, that problem looks to have been fixed, completely and wholly. Not only have Ubi Montreal added a slew of new combos and modern day weapons, like a hidden pistol and such, they have also enhanced the game’s AI, which means the enemies will keep us on our toes, and their moves will be highly unpredictable, making the players’ dependence on counter-attacks more or less useless. A combination move of the throwing axe, the sword, the hidden dagger, the pistol and your own melee attacks might do the trick though.

The combat, this time around, is not just on foot. Horse-to-horse combat is what will make Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood’s combat so good. Jumping from your horse onto your foe’s stead, stabbing him, throwing him to the ground and riding away as an entire contingent of guards runs after you not only sounds exciting, it will be exciting when played as well. And knowing Ubi Montreal, and all that they have achieved with their past games, this will all be done very smoothly, without any hitches. Oh, and did I mention that horses can also be used inside city this time around, since Rome is SO FREAKING BIG?!

Hah! Tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk

But what actually adds depth to Brotherhood is its Role Playing mechanics- yes, you heard me right. Assassin’s Creed II had a lot of RPG mechanics, like buying new equipment, raising the skills of you character in different aspects and stuff like that. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood builds on that. You can save certain citizens from the cruel, tyrant guards of the city, and, Ezio being a Master Assassin now, can make those specific citizens join your order of assassins, or rather, your “Brotherhood.” Later, you can send these assassins on missions, gain skill points level them up, customize their looks, and when in need, you can call upon your idle followers for help.

These specific sequences are what are giving me the hots for Brotherhood. Surrounded by twenty guards who’re bent upon killing you? A press of your button, and your followers jump out of thin air, killing most of your foes, and giving you room to either run, or take part in the skirmish yourself.

Other than recruiting new members to your brotherhood and levelling them up, there’s a lot more to do in Brotherhood. Being set in Rome, we have been given to wondrous real-time locations, such as the Colosseum, Vatican City and the like, all rendered in stunning visuals, with immense detail and shocking accuracy. So, you can just spend hours and hours, wondering at the glorious historical monuments rendered beautifully before your very own eyes, exploring the depths of buldings you would not be allowed to enter in the real world, practically re-living the past through the eyes of an Assassin, actually making you feel as if you’re re-living your ancestors’ memories through the Animus. Atmosphere is what has been the highlight in Assassin’s Creed games, and it is here where Brotherhood will probably strike gold- the city looks real, authentic, with great architectural creativity, and the typical aspects you would expect from a middle-age city- rivers, lakes, gardens, slums, rich districts, beautiful, epic environments.

And to think that Rome in Brotherhood will be thrice as big as Florence in Assassin’s Creed II simply blows me away- it isn’t as if there was lack of space in Florence, and the freedom it offered was spectacular. With five different districs, Rome will be heaven for all Assassin’s Creed lovers. Especially if you like leaps of faith.

EPIC!

Stop pointing that at me

One thing is clear- this game is epic. It has marvellous set-pieces, grandiose environments, and is set in Rome brought down to the ground by corrupt tyrants of the Templar Order. And it is our duty as the Master Assassin to free Rome and all its districts from these wretched rules.  In Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, we actually have to rebuild Rome, and prevent it from falling into ruin, as the corrupted Templar rulers spend all their money on the development of the Vatican City, and ignore the rest of the districts.

For that, we have to destroy all the outposts of the city, each and every one guarded by hundreds of guards, and housing one single ruler, so that that specific portion of the city comes out of the influence of the Templar rule. Each assassination in these towers is followed by a cutscene of an explosion taking place in them, as Ezio jumps off the highest point of the skyscraper.

Update: This video is no longer available.
Thanks, Gamespot, for providing us this developer diary entry #2!

This will encourage shopkeepers to open stores, and commercialism will boom in the freed districts. Players themselves can invest in the city. Freeing these sections of the city unlocks rewards and more missions for the players to complete. It all will definitely add a lot of repeat value, variety and longevity to the game, increasing the campaign by at least 5 more hours. And trust me, knowing Assassin’s Creed games, that won’t be the end of it.

A multiplayer component has also been added to the mic this time around, adding even more to the depth, replayability and complexity of this game. Apart from the conventional co-op mode, we will also have a new mode called the “Wanted” mode. In this mode, eight players will be pit into a map (Rome and Castle Gandolfo have been confirmed till now), and each of them will have to assassinate one of the other. We have to move through the city to find and kill our target, making sure our “predator” doesn’t see us. If he does, our target will be alerted to our presence, triggering a chase sequence. Different killings will grant us points.

The Plot…

(May Contain Spoilers)

The game will begin shortly after the events of Assassin’s Creed II. It begins in the village of Monteriggioni, which gets assaulted by Borgia’s forces, which are led by Rodrigo’s son, Cesare Borgia. During the battle that ensues, Ezio’s uncle, Mario is killed, Cesare escapes with the Piece of Eden. And now, four years later, when Ezio is a Master Assassin, his quest if for revenge, and nothing else.

Not much has been revealed of the story yet, but we know for a fact that Assassin’s Creed games have been known to have great stories, so I guess we can expect the same from Brotherhood.

I have not even begun scratching the surface on what all can be done in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and the amount of perfection, polish, finesse and freedom that it offers in every single aspect of the game. Just know this much: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood will be the biggest, grandest, the best game in the series so far, and more likely than not, it might never be replicated.

Moderated by G4TV’s Morgan Webb, the panel entitled “Assassin’s Creed: Behind and Beyond the Brotherhood” will include details of the new comic series and the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood video game release.  Featured panelists will include Stewart and Kerschl, along with Jeffrey Johalem, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood video game scriptwriter. Stewart and Kerschl recently visited Saint Petersburg, Russia on a research trip for the upcoming project.  That visit, along with the teaser video released today, will give fans an inkling on where and when the new Assassin comic series will be taking place. Additional details on the project will be revealed at the Comic-Con panel.

The new comic series is part of Ubisoft Montreal’s UbiWorkshop initiative that encompasses a number of the studio’s projects related to leveraging Ubisoft intellectual properties in entertainment mediums outside of video games, such as comic books.

“We always thought that the Assassin’s Creed universe would be perfect for transmedia initiatives like this new comic series,” said Mathieu Ferland, transmedia senior producer at Ubisoft Montreal.  “We are excited to have the fantastic and acclaimed artists Cameron Stewart and Karl Kerschl working on the project.  Ubisoft is looking forward to showing Assassin’s Creed fans what these talented artists have been up to at next week’s Comic-Con panel.”

“Pre-orders are currently higher than last year, and according to EDAR-IMG metrics coming out of E3, Assassin’s Creed ranked number one in terms of purchase intent,” Guillemot said. He added: “Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood should allow us to reaffirm our position as one of the industry’s best multiplayer developers.

“The pre-orders are the strongest ever seen, already 20 per cent above those from the same period last year, even before the awards announced following E3.”

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood releases at the end of this year on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Watch this space for more info.

“The winning work featured at this year’s MI6 Awards showcased how game marketers are creatively leading while strategically adapting to the shifting media landscape,” said Jonathan Block-Verk, President and CEO of MI6. “This community is driving the growth of the game industry by expanding the reach and definition of gaming, while continuing to appeal to the traditional gaming audience.”

In addition to Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2 picking up seven gold awards, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles and NBA 2K10 were each awarded four gold Awards. Award categories include everything from “Outstanding Promotional Trailer,” to “Best Swag,” to “Most Effective Buzz Creation.”