13 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ASSASSIN’S CREED

n into Revelations, but in the first game his voice is Western. This has never been explained. Perhaps he just remembered where he was born.

Assassin’s Creed

1. When in Damascus, keep your eye on the windows of buildings – some took the shape of Optimus Prime’s torso in his truck form. Who said cars didn’t exist back then?

2. In the PSP spin-off Bloodline, Altair has a Middle Eastern accent, which carries o

Assassin’s Creed II3. After meeting Machiavelli, go back to Ezio’s home and walk into the middle of the courtyard – you’ll enter an Eagle Vision like state and see the whole of Ezio’s family. But this can’t be seen again once leaving. I still can’t decide whether this is nice or creepy.

4. There’s a giant squid in the Santa Maria della Visitazione tomb. In the final chamber, pull the lever and then stare into the water for a while and you’ll see the huge creature swim past. Do the same actions again and a tentacle will rise up, giving Ezio a little wave. Or warning him of his impending death – depends how you read it.

5. When seeing Mario for the first time, he says to Florentine “It’s-a-me, Mario!” clearly referencing the famous Nintendo franchise.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

6. Oh, but Ubisoft aren’t done with their Mario references. When you drag Lucrezia Borgia towards Caterina’s prison cell in one mission, she’ll come out with “Rescuing princesses from castles now?” On top of this, one of the achievements is called Principessa in Another Castello and another was called Plumber, accompanied by a picture of Mario. Phew, three in one game – someone’s a big fan.

7. Just before you meet up with Leonardo, Ezio notices a cardboard box that doesn’t belong there, but quickly forgets about it. This is referencing the Metal Gear Solid series and Snake’s love of boxes. You can also get a Raiden outfit if you manage to complete every Animus training level with at least a bronze medal. So no naked cartwheels?

8. If you leave the Animus (I always forget that you can do that) and head over to Lucy’s computer, you can see her playing the Facebook game Assassin’s Creed: Project Legacy. It’s okay Lucy, we forgive you for not doing your work.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

9. In the mission The Brawler, once you’ve beaten the citizen he’ll say “We will call it a draw, alright?” which references Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the limbless Black Knight calls it a draw with King Arthur.

Assassin’s Creed III

10. There’s a new assassin in town, ready to gobble you up. That’s right, this assassin is a turkey! Lame jokes aside, this is a nice little easter egg. In Sequence 6, head down to Davenport Homestead, take cover around a corner and whistle. Your two-legged friend will begin to follow you around, which is pretty cool, but that’s not all. Input the Konami Code, which does differ for each platform:

• PC: 2, 2, 4, 4, 1, 3, 1, E, Space
• PS3: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, O, X
• Xbox 360: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A

and Connor will feed the animal who then shows his real identity through a tiny little assassin hood. Can we take him home? He’d make the coolest Christmas dinner! I mean pet, he’d make the coolest pet. Ahem.

11. The laundry is hung up to look like the French flag. These women have far too much time on their hands. I’m not sexist, just historically accurate. Spot the washing, win a prize!

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

12. Although this game has sold fewer copies than Assassin’s Creed III (ten million compared to its predecessor’s twelve million), it’s still the best selling pirate game ever released. Arrr! Sounds perfect. Let’s celebrate with some rum and a pirate party! No clocks allowed.

13. Remember the giant squid from before? Well he’s back and he’s not playing very nice. If you look out a window in the Antioch shipwreck, you’ll eventually see a fight between a giant squid and white whale. I’ll take bets on who wins!