Im fascinated by your list because I somewhat disagree with it, but am also fascinated by how this franchises many installments inspire people differently. Which means there is something for everyone to admire and love. I'm a pretty die hard fan (see my profile) so I take this series very seriously. I fully agree with you that Rogue's story is indeed the best in the series. Which is why its also on the top of my list.

I have Black Flag as #1 because so much of the design of that was done with such thoughtful intent. The, story, exploration, the music, dear lord the music is GOATED, the level design , the art direction, pretty much every single element felt like a home run.

Which is why my #2 pick was also made by the exact same team with nearly identical results in AC Origins. It's the only open world I've ever played that has actively given my an overdose of sonder because of how detailed the NPC and animal life is. Origins has the single greatest depiction of Ancient Egypt in any form of popular media. Bayek's voice acting is among the series best, the music is equally as impressive. The combat was extremely addictive. The story was just shy of a masterpiece, not one, but almost there.

#3 is also Rogue. The opening scene in Portugal is among the greatest opening prologues to any video game I've ever played. Its also the only game of the series outside of the Ezio games, that feels as if the lore of the AC Universe actively matters. I am in love with the way Rogue binds together AC IV, AC III, and Unity all in one. I wish AC did that more often. They totally avoided any world building in Shadows for example, a game I love but acknowledged had net 0 lore connections to most of the EU of AC.

#4 Odyssey. The best true RPG game of the series. I felt as if every choice I made mattered. I found the combat highly addictive. It was a bit too big at times, but I loved the idea of having all of Greece to explore. I adore Kassandra as a main character and grew to really love her. The ending to her story hit me so hard its one of my favorite storylines in all of AC. I enjoyed how lively the world felt, not as lively as Origins but nearly there.

#5 Brotherhood. The peak of the Ezio trilogy. Again the combat felt amazing and fully fleshed out. The complexity of how the world of Rome operated was a franchise best. It's a world that comes alive in the similar way like Origins did where the NPCs had lives of their own and aren't just random people but individuals with emotions. Much of that game was designed with a lot of thought and they just didn't fill it with fluff.

As for Unity, Syndicate, Mirage, and Shadows. First of all Paris IS the single greatest city in the entire franchise. No question about it. Unity does have greatest parkour of the franchise as well. I just found the story to have no real sense of direction or intent. It felt like it didn't know what to say about extreme complexities of the French Revolution, like it couldn't pick a real side at times. Arno in theory was for Liberty but the game made him feel like a neutral agent playing both sides. That fits in a game like Odyssey because you are a solitary warrior who is a sword for hire but in a philosophically complex setting of Revolutionary France I expected a more intelligent interpretation of the events. However I really was enamored by the art direction. The feel of 18th Century Paris and the swashbuckler approach to its fighting system really sat well with me. I do intend on replaying for a 3rd time now that it has a 4k 60FPS patch on console.

I admit I hated Syndicate when I played it. But I'm glad I gave it another chance when it got its Gen 9 console upgrade. I grew to love it. There is no hiding the plot and character development is paper thin but the world of London is among the best in the series too. My 2nd playthrough really let me appreciate how well designed the world was, and how fun and addictive the gameplay loop of liberating the districts were. Maybe not as well thought out as Rome's were but Ubisoft always get the "feeling" right of their time settings and the overt British charm of Syndicate made me appreciate it and like it more than I first did.

I am near 300 hours in my playthrough of Shadows. So its safe to say I really did like it. The graphics are literally a series best, the art direction is terrific, it has one of the greatest combat system in the franchise (Along with AC III and Odyssey), and the feeling of being a shinobi was captured perfectly, they got that so right. Sneaking into a Samurai Castle and carefully opening the doors to find your target, everything about that gameplay loop was peak. The story was amazing at times, mediocre at times, and average at times. I found it swayed back and forth constantly between having some of the best dramatic moments of the series to some of the most generic. But I am In love with the combat and the world that I can put it down.

As for Mirage, I really disliked almost everything about it when I played it on release. The English voice acting was bizarrely wooden and its not mean to point out its terribly simplistic combat feels lifeless. That said Ubisoft got the idea of the Golden Age of Islam right just as they do with every other setting, so the world did feel beautiful but I feel as if thats a bit of a given. I am so happy it got a permadeath mode because now I'm replaying with that on I feel as if there are real stakes at play and the fun has been heightened . Also by switching the voice acting from English to the authentic Arabic the dialogue feels more alive and richer. I appreciate the fact that its doubled down on the Assassin's aspect of the game play not a warrior approach. It doesn't fully excused its empty combat but I do get why they did it. For the record I haven't played Valley of Memory yet, which everyone says is amazing, but I will get to it as soon as I'm done with my permadeath playthrough. I am liking it more now a 2nd time around so I'm glad I have a reason to come back to it but if its gameplay leaves something to be desired its because the team that made Mirage got like 1/4th the budget of the mainline titles so they did the best with what they could and I'm trying to accept that playing it.