My sentiments as well, I thought about giving it another try but couldn't be bothered wading through the plethora of games  that have become AC's future.

AC2 had horrible combat so I preferred to run away from enemies xD

I can understand, Black Flag had fun but shallow ship combat and I'm surprised that nobody points that when talking of Black Flag. But like I said its fun. What I didn't like was the grindy economy and the worst assassin missions in the series.

I thought Origins gameplay was alright but it felt like a B rate WRPG.

AC3 was made by AC2 team.

I understand your point, but you're wrong. God of War changed into an A rate RPG with better combat than any other RPG game. It was industry leading in its cinematic approach with its uncut shots. It didn't forget its heritage but built upon it.

Assassin's Creed has become a B rate RPG. Its got decent combat for an RPG but there are tons better than it in terms of combat. The series initially revolved around stealth and Origins strayed completely away from it hence forgetting what it was. Odyssey isn't even a story of assassins. AC 4 and Rogue were pirate games. The series is all around the place much like Need For Speed and while that doesn't mean every game in the series is bad it doesn't have an identity.

Also, God of War never had a bad game. Ascension was the worst and it was still alright. Assassin's Creed though has had tons of bad games. Revelations, Bloodlines, Liberation, Unity at release, were all bad.

I honestly can't even remember the way combat worked in AC2, I just remember being able to fight my way through pretty much anything - this was very different experience from original AC where I really enjoyed the fact that I'm quite vulnerable against soldiers and have to be sneaky and fast on the feet to survive.

It is indeed surprising that most people I've seen talking about ship combat in Black Flag are actually praising it - I found it terribly lacking compare to games that do it properly (old Age of Sail series, Sea Dogs 1/2, Age of Pirates, Naval Action, even mobile games like The Pirate: Caribbean Hunt, to name a few), but I guess that is what we get as ship combat with mass market games like AC.

Origins is gorgeous game - but never have I once felt like assassin, instead it all felt like some low tier super hero action adventure sprinkled with few RPG alike elements (honestly, it's quite hilarious what passes as RPG these days) with usual Ubisoft busy map and pointless side missions.

Have never played it. Own 3 of them from last gen though. Still in the cellophane. #gamecrypt

Playing Syndicate at the moment and nope, still a great series with one or the other misstep (Revelations, III, Unity). None of them were bad though, just not on par with the rest.
It's definitely getting stale when you play one every year, so give yourself some time to play them. I finished Unity exactly 2 years ago and now have loads of fun in Syndicate even though the gameplay hasn't changed that much.

Syndicate was good and it felt like an Assassin's Creed game. My problems stem from AC 4, Rogue and Origins where the series loses its identity. They aren't bad games, they just lack what attracted me to the series.

Syndicate still wasn't quite as good as AC 2 and Brotherhood, that was the height of the AC series.

I never got into the early Ass Creed games. But, I thought Origins was a great game. It was probably my GoY 2017. I'm excited about the next one. And, in the medium term, I'm excited to see where they go over the next few years.

At the time, yeah. AC2 was my favourite, but I bet if I was playing it today, I wouldn't nearly like it as much. Gameplay-wise a lot has improved and mission design is also a lot better and more varied nowadays.
Tailing and eavesdropping missions are the worst kind of activities in any AC game and they got (almost) rid of them later on.
AC2 also doesn't have nearly as much content as the modern AC games, which is understandable since the maps are far bigger in later games.

I kinda want to play the new upcoming one. Haven't properly played AC since AC3.

The gameplay mechanics are a definitely better in Syndicate. But AC as a series has never centred around the gameplay which is really shallow compared to most other games. The thing that draws me to AC 2 are its cities, Florence, Tuscany and Venice. These are some of the most beautiful, atmospheric and soulful cities I've experienced in a game, they feel like real places where you would want to stay. They are also varied, with Florence having those massive streets and intricate paths, the huge cathedral at the centre and warm weather. Tuscany had an ancient feel to the city and the surroundings with the lush garden and satellite villages. Venice of course has its beautiful canals and its iconic design, and its tall buildings right on the sea. Forli and mountains were also good. These were all in 1 game but felt like they could be their own games with the bigger cities and a separate game with the smaller cities. The loading screens between these enhanced the experience by making the map feel huge. It was loading screens done right. Monterrigioni remains the best hub in the series and among the best hub in all of gaming.

The soundtrack was absolutely breathtaking and suited the story and the era. Jasper Kyd created a masterpiece of a soundtrack and AC 2 and Brotherhood's soundtracks are my favourite in games. The story of AC 2 was good, the pacing was masterful, the characters were well developed in their motives, even side characters were well portrayed. The stealth missions involved some of the best stealth designs in the series, where it really mattered. Its not often that I care for story and characters in a game but AC 2 made me care for them. It was beautiful and soulful game. The sequels were much more factory produced, good in their own ways and improved the core gameplay but lack the soul of AC 2.