A sample single player assassination mission from Assassin’s Creed Unity. The series is progressing towards loose approaches to fulfilling objectives, and the game’s visuals are certainly impressive. Sadly the AI is as dumb as ever.

The official debut trailer of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. The game is about Connor’s grandfather Edward Kenway, “a brash rebel pirate assassin” plying the waters of the Caribbean in 1715.

Here’s a less silly take on Assassin’s Creed by Devin Graham, featuring Ronnie Shalvis. The parkour is still a little over-the-top, but it’s still fun to see how Connor might move in real life.

Maker Random Hands created an impressive real-world version of the Valhalla Axe from Assassin’s Creed using a rusty old anvil. To create the weapon, he heated the metal in a furnace, shaped its head with a power hammer, cut it with an angle grinder, then ground it into its final shape. The finished piece has cast metal and wooden handle.

Inspired by the new Assassin’s Creed game Valhalla, the swordsmiths from That Works created a real-life replica of the badass Viking axe that’s front and center in Boss Logic’s game art. We love the detailing on the engraved logo and weathered finish that makes it look like it’s seen some serious battle action.

A group of stunt actors perform a series of routines in the fighting styles of five video game series, Assassin’s Creed, Metal Gear, Witcher, Uncharted, and our personal fave, God of War. The sound design is a little over the top, but the fight choreography is spot on. (Thanks Micah!)

This new mode in Assassin’s Creed: Origins turns the game into an educational experience. Discovery Tour mode allows players to explore the world around them on a leisurely historical tour. The mode includes 75 guided tours of monuments, buildings, and characters.

Man at Arms: Reforged went through a ton of grinding, sanding and polishing to make a real life version of Altäir’s sword from the Assassin’s Creed series. The eagle-themed weapon was a pain to create, but it turned out great in the end.

Baltimore Knife and Sword had a tomahawk contest between two of its blacksmiths. Matt Stagmer made the axe from Assassin’s Creed 3 while Ilya Alekseyev made the axe from The Patriot.

2014 has seen everything from great indie games like Broken Age to giant, bug-filled blockbusters like Assassin’s Creed Unity. Along the way, some thrilled and others disappointed. Malcolm Klock recaps the gaming memories of the past year.

(NSFW, SPOILERS) Conan O’Brien got an early look at Assassin’s Creed Unity, a game with gorgeous graphics, French people with British accents and a hay diving fruit thief who grew up in Kanye West’s house.

Assassin’s Creed Unity seems to be a full-on RPG. This gameplay video shows off the game’s various skill trees and items that allow for different play styles – from stealthy to a straight-up brawler – and varied multiplayer roles.

Glitches can be annoying or hilarious. But on occasion, a glitch reaches such epic proportions that it’s better than some of the game’s scripted moments. This Assassin’s Creed IV glitch is one such moment of unintended brilliance.

Prop maker Tony Swatton and his crew make real-life versions of the hidden blade and the pirate cutlass from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. The Assassin’s favored weapon turned out to be a pain in the ass to make.

(NSFW: Language) A look at some of pirates and the other main characters that players will encounter in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Unsurprisingly, none of them can be called a hero in the traditional sense of the word.

While the first commercial in this trilogy was pretty lighthearted, this epic spot for Captain Morgan rum looks like something out of an HBO drama – or Assassin’s Creed IV. Though for a second, we weren’t sure if he was Batman.

A look at the new stealth-oriented abilities, moves and tools that you’ll have at your disposal in Assassin’s Creed IV. The variety of environments and options are impressive, but the enemy A.I. is still a little suspect.

Learn about Edward Kenway’s perks and duties as a pirate in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Take care of your crew and ship and you’ll have an easier time traveling and fighting. You may even get your own island forts.

Assassin’s Creed 4 hero Edward Kenway mingles with fellow pirates and townsfolk before getting to his brotherhood’s trademark sneaking, freerunning and stabbing. Then a summer blockbuster movie breaks out.

The first gameplay trailer for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag showcases some of the activities offered by its Caribbean setting, such as underwater exploration, shark fights, and ship versus ship combat. And no whaling.

If the original soundtrack isn’t epic enough for you, kick back and get swept away, as violin artist Lindsey Stirling takes it up a notch in her poetic ode to the Assassin’s Creed III music. (Thanks, Kevin!)

Inspired by Assassin’s Creed III, Richard Ryan shows us what would happen if the enemy shot a cannonball at our car in the Revolutionary War, in glorious slow motion. Wait, what? (Thanks Chris!)

Learn more about Connor’s weapons, fighting style and tactics in this episode of the behind-the-scenes mini series for Assassin’s Creed III. The diversity of the combat animations is impressive.