'Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection' announced for PS4, Xbox One

By Gabe Gurwin September 13, 2016

Following a few years of declining quality with its flagship Assassin’s Creed series, Ubisoft decided to forgo a new entry in 2016 in order to give its development teams time to properly develop a worthy successor. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to play Assassin’s Creed on your Xbox One or PlayStation 4 this year: The Ezio Collection is just a few months away.

Coming to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection bundles together Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations, remastered and complete with all expansions.

The three games represent the period when the series was at its critical peak, in no small part due to protagonist Ezio’s cheerful, sarcastic personality, and Ubisoft admits that, “for many [the trilogy] remains the definitive Assassin’s Creed experience.”

Assassin’s Creed II begins with Ezio as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Assassin who is still very much a novice, and ends with a middle-aged protagonist who has begun mentoring new recruits. Ezio’s conflict with the pope’s family in Brotherhood remains one of the series’ most exciting moments.

The package will also include two different short films. Assassin’s Creed Lineage, released in 2009, follows the life of Ezio’s father, while Assassin’s Creed Embers, released in 2011, chronicles an older Ezio who is called on to once again serve the Assassins.

“The Ezio Collection puts the single-player experiences of its three games front and center, focusing entirely on Ezio’s journey,” Ubisoft says.

While the publisher revealed that the trilogy will not include the hide-and-seek competitive multiplayer first introduced in Brotherhood, a very similar mode is included in 2013’s Black Flag.

Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection will be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15. The series has now managed to sell more than 100 million copies in total. The Assassin’s Creed film, starring Michael Fassbender, is also scheduled to debut on December 21.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR turned me into a sociopath (and I love it)

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I’ve done a lot of memorable things in VR this year. I’ve climbed mountains, commanded hundreds of tiny people, and even paddled through the seas in a kayak. With Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR, I get to add another virtual feat to that list: I’ve jumped down on top of an unsuspecting guard and plunged a hidden blade into his throat with pinpoint accuracy. And I’m a little worried about how delighted I am by that.

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Basim showing off his hidden blade.

Assassins’ Creed Mirage is out now, bringing the series back to basics with a game focused on one of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s most intriguing characters. This adventure follows Basim as he goes from Anbar street thief to expert Assassin in Baghdad while hunting down members of The Order of the Ancients. As a prequel, there are some things about Basim as a character you might already know going in. Still, learning exactly how Basim stumbled upon these revelations is entertaining itself.

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All Lost Book locations

There are technically seven Lost Books to find in Assassin's Creed Mirage, but only six are required for the quest tied to them. Collecting certain ones will give you a skill point as a reward, but not all. Turn them all in to Al-Jahiz to complete the quest. Note that some books can't be collected until you've gone far enough into the story to unlock the areas where they are hidden.
Harbiyah
There are two books in this district to find.