Ubisoft shook up the Assassin’s Creed formula with the fourth main instalment. While they didn’t deviate from the gameplay too much, they brought pirates into the mix which created an entirely new dynamic, which saw protagonist Edward Kenway sail the high seas.
It proved very successful, moving away from everything that made the third title feel a little bit boring and making a genuinely exciting sailing adventure, along with some of the more traditional assassinations.
This also led to a wealth of side content, from obliterating ships – from small boats to colossal, legendary vessels – to even just hunting some whales to upgrade your storage options. Beyond that, just sailing the seas and taking on huge storms, with wonderful twisters proved amazing.
And it looked incredible too. The next generation versions boasted improved visuals compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360 releases, which reacted stunningly to your movements. I only played the first quarter or so, but just writing this I’m eager to find some time and go take to the seas once again.
Gareth reviewed the game for us, and he told me soon after that he thought it was one of his favourite games, and definitely the best in the series. That explains why he scored it 9/10 then, and why his glowing review concluded with:
Black Flag is more than just a return to form for Assassin’s Creed, it is an overall improvement and probably the best game in the series yet. Wherever Ubisoft take us next, it will have serious difficulty living up to this instalment. It has taken the gameplay of the previous games, refined it, and combined it with a huge open world that is packed with enough content to literally last for days. If you have ever wanted a proper pirate game, this is as good as it gets.
It was a really smart move for Ubisoft to not take risks with a standalone pirate game and somehow make it feels as though it wasn’t shoehorned into the Assassin’s universe. I for one can’t wait to see where they take the series next, but I’m getting ahead of myself…
So, what did you think of the title? Did it improve on its predecessor enough to calm your woes, or did it just make you feel a bit seasick?
Let us know in the comments section below, by writing a short review of the title. Don’t drag on too long, and keep it short but sweet (or sour, if you feel so inclined). Remember to leave a Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It or Avoid It rating on the end, and get your words in before Sunday afternoon to be included in next week’s Verdict round-up.
MadBoJangles
Really enjoyed it at first.
Then it fell foul of the AC curse…repetition…I found myself sinking ship after ship for the resources I needed. Got bored and moved onto another game.
Rent it for me.
psychobudgie
The game is an absolute joy, start to finish. Best Piratey adventure since Guybrush Threepwood bested Le Chuck. Buy it.
Lyts1985
This is my first WeView I think, but felt compelled to participate considering the game…
I’ve never really “got” the hype around previous AC games; I played a chunk of the first and moved on for whatever reason, then tried AC2 hoping it’d be better and felt very disappointed. I skipped AC3 and Brotherhood entirely…
But then came the AC4 announcement – pirates! Sailing! Plundering! All of which were massive draws for me, and then came the sale on the PSN store… I threw down my 20 something quid for the PS4 version and jumped in.
And I’m bloody glad I did too! I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish, with even a pang of sadness as the end credits rolled, knowing my adventure had ended – something very few games have left me with before. Everything about it, from the sailing to the story to the combat, really impressed me, not to mention the next gen graphics.
The only bit I didn’t enjoy was the multiplayer – something I don’t feel is at all necessary in this series. It feels very “tacked on”, with very few people actually playing it out of enjoyment when I played it; moreso trophies. It almost bored me to tears grinding my way to level 55. I’m just glad I left that til after the story or it could easily have put me off!
All that said, I don’t think you buy an AC game for the multiplayer… So it would have to be a BUY IT NOW from me :-)
TSBonyman
I’ve had this since launch but i haven’t played very much of it yet, just haven’t been ‘feeling’ it. I’ve just started watching Black Sails though so hopefully that’ll get me in the mood to give the game another go – because it sounds like i’m missing out :)
JR.
I don’t think they’ll ever top AC2 but AC4 came pretty close. Looked and played fantastic on PS4.
JR.
Buy it.
DividSmythe
Buy it. I had given up on AC as a series but my wife couldn’t think of a birthday present to get me so got me this on Ps4. I was very surprised. I loved Ac2 I looked story of AC:B, didn’t really like the rest.
There is still some annoying control bugs but apart from that it’s great fun.
matthangzhou
Took me two months to 100% the single player. So much fun, graphically amazing and a joy to play. BUY IT!
rob_b
I hated AC1, I kinda liked AC2 although it got very repetitive, absolutely LOVED Black Flag!
The usual AC formula broken up with sea battles works brilliantly, the smartphone app got a lot of use and meant I had possibly to much money to spend in game but that’s a picky complaint!
I didn’t end up platinum-ing out as I just didn’t have time but I spent many late nights (far too late) playing this.
Buy it, just buy it!
double-o-dave
Like most people I preferred AC2/Brotherhood. I wasn’t going to buy this as the pirate section put me off but it ended up being the most enjoyable section & saviour of the game as the normal sneaking around & combat has passed it sell by date in my eyes.
If you’re an avid AC fan & want to play it just because it’s the next instalment to the series – RENT IT.
On the other hand, if you’re not that interested in the AC universe but you like Pirates and plundering which is surprisingly fun – BUY IT.