I realize the last entry in the Assassins Creed franchise has its fans, but I personally found Ubisoft s wrap-up of its core Desmond -focused AC trilogy too languid in pace, and peculiarly dull for an entry in a series so thoroughly predicated upon swift and creative methods of murdering people.Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag would, at first glance, seem to be cut from similar cloth to III.
![]() Assassin'S Creed Black Flag Review Series So ThoroughlyThough it takes place several decades prior to the Revolutionary War events of the last release, many of the same systems from that game have found their way into this sequel. However, where Black Flag sets itself apart is where AC III fell apart for me. Taking its setting into the pirate-filled waters of the early 18th century Caribbean, Black Flag crafts a surprisingly and wonderfully vibrant world to explore, both at sea and by land. And while its story isnt all that much more interesting than anything in the last few entries in this series, Assassins Creed IV has so much to do, and so much of it is genuinely entertaining, that youll be far too busy to care about its periodic missteps. Surprising as it may sound, Black Flags high seas adventure is one of the most enjoyable entries in the franchise. It helps that Assassins Creed IV doesnt waste much time getting you into the thick of things--or, well, comparatively speaking, anyway. As this series is often wont to do, Black Flag takes a few hours to guide you through its many systems, side-ventures, and mechanics (sometimes tutoring you on things youve already done several times.) Much of this stuff youll probably already recognize if youre a series regular, though the ways in which Black Flag molds its existing gameplay into a heretofore unfamiliar open world design is where its at its best. The boating from AC III is back in roughly the form you may remember, but now sailing the open waters has been expanded to act as your primary method of getting from place to place. The major cities of Havana, Nassau, and Kingston are joined by a large smattering of smaller isles, ports, and deserted specks of land. Even in the open waters, numerous activities will present themselves, including simple ship-to-ship combat and plunder, underwater diving missions, and enemy fort capturing. None of this stuff would work if the ship controls werent up to snuff. Assassin'S Creed Black Flag Review Upgrade Your ShipThough the boat controls certainly take a bit of getting used to--especially early on, before youve been able to upgrade your ship sufficiently to survive anything but the most basic combat scenarios--but once you manage to grasp them, the sea becomes an inviting, and even thrilling place. Ship combat can, at times, certainly be a chore, especially in zones where enemies lay claim to the territory, in which case you will often have to avoid going anywhere near them to avoid a protracted combat scenario. The game also does maybe the dumbest thing imaginable in having you engage in ship-based stealth in a couple of story missions. This is not a small, easily maneuverable boat, mind you, and trying to move it stealthily between enemies while avoiding even the slightest collision or infraction is a deeply irritating process. Fortunately, these situations only arise a couple of times, and represent just a fraction of the far more interesting endeavors youll embark upon while on the water. Many of the Caribbeans most famous pirates make appearances in Black Flag, often as friends, betrayers, or both. The rest of the time youll be on land, engaging in the usual types of story-based assassination missions, while often veering off the main path to do assassination contracts, fight off random enemy encounters, chase down couriers, purchase various businesses, climb to synchronization points, hunt animals, and collect any number of different things, ranging from the usual Animus fragments to sea chanties, which your crew will immediately add to their repertoire once you climb back aboard your ship. That last bit represents a welcome shift toward usefulness in Black Flags side missions. Whereas AC IIIs side stuff often felt kind of pointless, many of Black Flags other missions actually have a bit of impact on your main game. Apart from just those chanties, now rescuing pirates from attacks by soldiers awards you new men for your ships crew. Synchronization points now allow you to fast travel to those locations when necessary.
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