Requiescat in pace.

I feel like I have written more reviews about remasters than actual new IP this generation. That speaks both to gamers still hanging onto last generation, as well as the sheer quality of new games that spanned that overly long console cycle. It is also hard to believe that Assassin’s Creed debuted last generation, mostly because of just how many of these games exist. Of course the most famous of the series was the adventures of Ezio, which is the focus of the latest Ubisoft remaster. See how on-the-nose I can be when I try?

The Ezio Collection contains what are considered by some as the best games in the series. Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood are widely heralded by many (including myself) as the best the series has ever been. After the middling debut of the first game, AC2 had a lot to accomplish, and the team at Ubisoft simply nailed the formula the game was attempting to introduce. Brotherhood perfected that formula, while Revelations felt a lot like taking a good idea a bit too far. All in all though, all three games still hold up extremely well.

MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4
Price I’d Pay: $39.99

First let’s start with what is and is not here. All the multiplayer from the games is gone. So anyone hoping to hop online and assassinate some people are bound to be disappointed. This is a pretty common practice for these remasters seeing as online components in mostly single player games were a fad in that generation and their community numbers dropped off fairly quickly. To make up for that portion missing, the team has included all the DLC that was released for the three games from the outset. This means the missing chapters (large chunks of Ezio’s life in some games) are intact.

There is also a set of videos, almost short films called Assassin’s Creed: Lineage and Assassin’s Creed: Embers, which expand on the legacy of Ezio Auditore. Lineage is a combination of live action pieces about Ezio’s father, while Embers is an animated affair, and both serve to further the history of the most famous Assassin in the series to date.

Instead of just a simple upscaling, this remaster actually has some improvements overall. The resolution has been updated to 1080p, but it still features bouts of slowdown, and certainly does not run at a locked 60fps as one would expect. The colors and textures though have certainly seen some polish. This game is a lot cleaner than it once was, which is both a blessing and a curse. The blurry resolution likely hid some of the game’s shortcomings and clearing that up has led to some truly interesting visuals at times. The world still looks gorgeous, but some of the character models are downright freaky at times.

The Ezio Collection is a solid package of three incredibly well-designed games. Probably the best set to remaster for the new generation, but the port is not the best, and if you already beat them all, this is more a trip down memory lane than anything else. I loved revisiting the games that made me fall in love with the series for sure, but I will never see the entirety of this collection again, there is simply too much to play, but for anyone looking to get into the series for the first time, this is the perfect place to start. It is OK to skip the first game, we won’t tell anyone.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.