Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3161 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,500 out of 3161
  2. Mixed: 438 out of 3161
  3. Negative: 223 out of 3161
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  1. jaydi
    Dec 28, 2013
    9
    If you enjoyed Sid meiers Pirates as well as the AC series, then this game is a piece of heaven for you.

    When I was younger I played Sid meiers pirates and this has all the features of that wonderful title that I spend days off from work to play. Ship upgradeability, a fleet, simple trade, in addition to more management features from previous AC games but this time for ships in your    If you enjoyed Sid meiers Pirates as well as the AC series, then this game is a piece of heaven for you.

    When I was younger I played Sid meiers pirates and this has all the features of that wonderful title that I spend days off from work to play. Ship upgradeability, a fleet, simple trade, in addition to more management features from previous AC games but this time for ships in your fleet. Its pretty cool I wish there was tutorial however for these menus. I have been finding features by accident.

    As they did with Farcry3, ubisoft has created an enormous, atmospheric expanse to sandbox around in while taking bites off the main linear storyline. The ships are wonderfully portrayed, the emerald seas are rolling and unforgiving at times and the ship to ship battles, including boarding and harpooning are well done and intense. I spend most of my time at sea in this game. Knowing the ground based AC game is still always there is really a lot of game for your dollar.

    I give this game a 9 out of 10 it deserves it. Its addictive and fun.    … Expand
  2. explodr
    Dec 27, 2013
    0
    I bought this game because it was rated highly and I liked the premises of the other Assassin Creed games. This was a mistake. As soon as I started the game, I noticed the graphics were not really that great, although the framerate was also not spectacular. The voice acting was okay, but the talking animations were lacking. When I try to run, the sticky auto-climbing mode makes it nearlyI bought this game because it was rated highly and I liked the premises of the other Assassin Creed games. This was a mistake. As soon as I started the game, I noticed the graphics were not really that great, although the framerate was also not spectacular. The voice acting was okay, but the talking animations were lacking. When I try to run, the sticky auto-climbing mode makes it nearly impossible to stay on the ground. The fighting mechanics also feel slow, virtual, and only require one button pressed rapidly for the most part. It's like if Mirror's Edge's manual freerunning was replaced by a system that does the acrobatics for you; there's no skill involved, and I don't feel like I've done anything significant.… Expand
  3. Mcwipenshiner
    Dec 25, 2013
    10
    I went into this game not expecting much, as in the past Assassin's Creed games were not as satisfying as I'd hoped. On the contrary, this game incorporates much more than just running around a city, climbing walls, and performing assassinations. Unlike it's predecessors, the game is actually very open and allows for the player to explore a vast world unseen in the franchise up to thisI went into this game not expecting much, as in the past Assassin's Creed games were not as satisfying as I'd hoped. On the contrary, this game incorporates much more than just running around a city, climbing walls, and performing assassinations. Unlike it's predecessors, the game is actually very open and allows for the player to explore a vast world unseen in the franchise up to this point. To be honest, I had lost much of my faith in the Assassin's Creed franchise due to it's previous lackluster titles, but AC4's Edward Kenway has restored hope for this series. The story itself draws you in and takes for a ride you would never expect. All in all, I would highly recommend this game to a friend, especially if you ever played and liked "Sid Meier's Pirates! 2".… Expand
  4. Chris989
    Dec 24, 2013
    10
    I had played 2 of the Assassin's Creed games before this and found them...wanting. From annoying control issues to lack of variety, they seemed to fall short of the ambition.

    This game, however, is brilliant. Brilliant as in a brilliant work it has faults many of the same that plagued the earlier games; Running to chase someone? Let me start climbing a wall you don't want to. Trying a    I had played 2 of the Assassin's Creed games before this and found them...wanting. From annoying control issues to lack of variety, they seemed to fall short of the ambition.

    This game, however, is brilliant. Brilliant as in a brilliant work it has faults many of the same that plagued the earlier games; Running to chase someone? Let me start climbing a wall you don't want to. Trying a stealth mission? Allow me to make your character do stuff you don't want him to just so you are discovered. The side plot outside the "dream" is hackneyed and uninspiring.

    But.

    The main game is the "pirate" game I have been waiting for since excitedly unpacking my ZX81 33 years ago. Sure, the sailing isn't realistic but neither are the land based parts. There are "mini games" that would have constituted a full game 8 years ago from the ship fleet management to the whale/shark hunting.

    Naval combat is a joy to play and the missions, varied.

    Some missions are too difficult I find the stealth/following simply too hard, but the game has so much else going for it that it doesn't annoy me in the same way as, say, GTA IV did.

    So, despite its flaws, I feel it would be churlish to give this game anything less than 10/10.

    I bought BF4 shortly before this. The game I keep coming back to is this and I *love* the BF series.

    I am enjoying the plot and the acting is, in the main, of a high standard.

    I alt tabbed out of the game to write this review so I'm off back now. It does this perfectly too and so far (touch wood) hasn't crashed once.    … Expand
  5. TheDeadGhost
    Dec 24, 2013
    9
    The Assassin's Creed series has had a hard time during the last few years, the first few games with Ezio and Altaïr were a huge success and a really fun, enjoyable experience. But during the last few years the experience has become less enjoyable due to a poor story and bugs and glitches. But this is a great kickstart to a brand new series of amazing and enjoyable new Assassin's CreedThe Assassin's Creed series has had a hard time during the last few years, the first few games with Ezio and Altaïr were a huge success and a really fun, enjoyable experience. But during the last few years the experience has become less enjoyable due to a poor story and bugs and glitches. But this is a great kickstart to a brand new series of amazing and enjoyable new Assassin's Creed games. I recommend Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag to anyone who is a fan of the Assassin's Creed series or pirates. This is also a great game for those who wish to get into the Assassin's Creed series because this is truly a new standard Ubisoft has set for their games.… Expand
  6. Banhammer0
    Dec 24, 2013
    7
    I tried to not feel disappointed on this one but I was. a lot. In some aspects Black Flag is an utter failure but in others it's amazingly well done and outshine the previous games in the series by far.
    The bad thing: Modern Abstergo plot
    I'm a fan of Assassin's Creed series and I think what they did with the plot is total BS. I'm talking about the modern-day plot not getting into    I tried to not feel disappointed on this one but I was. a lot. In some aspects Black Flag is an utter failure but in others it's amazingly well done and outshine the previous games in the series by far.
    The bad thing: Modern Abstergo plot
    I'm a fan of Assassin's Creed series and I think what they did with the plot is total BS. I'm talking about the modern-day plot not getting into spoilers here, it was absolutely terrible, both the idea and the execution of it. This was the most disappointing part.
    Another bad thing: GLITCHES, ARMY OF THEM
    Every part of the game is filled with minor glitches, patches fix a lot of them but it's super-common for camera to go crazy or the character having problems with scalling a 0,5 meters tall fence, or character falling to the ground in combat for no reason, or weapons clipping and animations desyncing...you get the idea I hope. It's just very rough on the edges.
    Last but not least: Controls
    It's obvious they are meant for consoles and they suck on PC. It's very hard to control character when free running or in combat. No target lock. Weird aiming (at least we finally have it implemented).

    Now to the good part: The World
    The world is HUUUGE. There are some reused assets but it's still a pleasure to explore new places and gather those little collectibles that I never cared about before.

    Also good: The visuals
    This game is beautiful and there is no denying of it, and it's pretty well optimized aside from some FPS issues, but I was able to almost max it out on GTX 570. Surprisingly good job Ubisoft.

    I'm not really going into details because you can google them...I don't care.
    Mixed feelings, best get it on sale.    … Expand
  7. d__b
    Dec 24, 2013
    5
    Basic of making next game in the series is improving on previous games. But Ubi managed to get it backward. Even if resulting game is still somewhat decent, it's still step backward in almost all areas.

    Even flag feature of this game sea combat, got wrose than in AC3. Even if combat system got expanded, it's irrelevant since sea fights are so easy now, and storms no longer cause waves    Basic of making next game in the series is improving on previous games. But Ubi managed to get it backward. Even if resulting game is still somewhat decent, it's still step backward in almost all areas.

    Even flag feature of this game sea combat, got wrose than in AC3. Even if combat system got expanded, it's irrelevant since sea fights are so easy now, and storms no longer cause waves big enough to matter(which was best part of sea combat in AC3, in my opinion). Yes, combat is enjoyable, but less so than it was in previous game. Also, "travel speed" at sea despite being "Animus-side speed to make travel fast" still maes most travels between points few minutes of boring screen staring.

    You remember hunting or crafting from AC3? Well, now hunting got reduced to "hunt 2 of each kind of animals, craft one thing per animal, forget about it". Harpooning is new minigame, I'm not so sure if it's good minigame, so in that case it might be good that you only need to do it few times per animal.

    Hideout present since AC2 is here too, it's big, but upgrading it is pretty much irrelevant, only serving as money sink. What's more, none of vanity collectibles actually affect any part of the world. You can upgrade your ship, sure, but it's like buying upgrades to yourself. Whole economy system present since AC2 is gone.
    Brotherhood gave us "your people", and here fleet takes this role, but it's bloody SimCity all again, play with "friends" or anything will take ages to do. Because Ubi couln't find good reason for their piracy-detergent of online requirement, they just turned part of game into "social" game.

    When you think difficulty hit rock bottom, here comes out another AC game to prove you wrong and define new bottom. In some cases, enemies will even ignore you murdering one of them right in front of them. Killing enemies with gun rarely makes anyone react at all. Only good change in that department is whistling now you have to whistle for a while before guard decides to og investigate, making picking them off one by one less reliable.

    Older games used to have optional missions that were one big jumping puzzle. If you strain youself, you might find one or at most two of those in this game. Historical places? Not in this setting. Beuitifull cities? Not in this setting. Huge buildings to climb? Not in this setting. Collectibles? Well, some are hidden. Most of them are at sea and main challenge is to not say "screw it" and not spend hours sailing from point to point to jump ship, swim to island, pick it up from ground, get back to sihp and repeat.

    Characters? Hmph. Your out-of-Animus character is nobody, he does not speak, has no motivation, could not find any mirror so not sure if he even has actual body. He's just getting used by everyone around him, like a tool. As for in-Animus... Ezio started as a rash youth, and grew. Connor started as kid, and grew a lot. Edward starts as badass without clear motivation or character, and remains as such pretty much whole game.

    Story there is no story. There is some pirating "do what we want" story, small Assassin substory, but overall, it's just "do random things and maybe you stumble across something relevant to this or that plot".

    It's PC version, ported from console, so optimization is terrible, and graphic settings are lacking. There is no gamma correction, so everything is so freaking bright that you just can't see some things during the day. But, at least they enabled mouse control so you can actually select tings on map with mouse, instead of moving map around to center relevant icon and select it.

    Overall, it's not bad game, if it was not part of AC series but standalone pirate game, it could be decent 8 or even 9, depending how "assassiny" elements of game would be substituted. But as part of series, it's worst Creed ever released. So far.    … Expand
  8. vangomaextreme
    Dec 23, 2013
    7
    This is for all those poor souls like me who have a low end PC that supposedly doesn't quite meet minimum requirements (my case Nividia 630M and i7 2.3 Ghz) but who really enjoy the series and feel bummed that they can't play this game. If you optimize for the lowest settings it still looks pretty good and although the framerate can dip occasionally it is actually playable. So if youThis is for all those poor souls like me who have a low end PC that supposedly doesn't quite meet minimum requirements (my case Nividia 630M and i7 2.3 Ghz) but who really enjoy the series and feel bummed that they can't play this game. If you optimize for the lowest settings it still looks pretty good and although the framerate can dip occasionally it is actually playable. So if you love the series and are willing to shell out it is a fun experience and you can get pretty much the same enjoyment that everyone else is getting just be prepared to make some sacrifices and have the occasional frustration. If you can handle that then you will get to see a fairly remarkable game and enjoy it till like me you can afford your next rig. Besides even people with super duper rigs seem to be having optimization problems so it could be it has just been poorly optimized in general. Bottom line on low end machines it is playable with some sacrifices!… Expand
  9. Galaroth
    Dec 23, 2013
    10
    The last few Assassin's Creed games hasn't been so satisfying, but THIS one goes straight to the top on the list of awesome games! I really enjoyed this game and find myself still playing after completing the main quest, because i want to keep plundering, fighting and improve my ship. The main story line was extremely good. The entire game itself was incredible, everything in the game justThe last few Assassin's Creed games hasn't been so satisfying, but THIS one goes straight to the top on the list of awesome games! I really enjoyed this game and find myself still playing after completing the main quest, because i want to keep plundering, fighting and improve my ship. The main story line was extremely good. The entire game itself was incredible, everything in the game just makes sense, and is so well done.… Expand
  10. Qieth
    Dec 22, 2013
    9
    I've been with Assassin's Creed since the blunder that was AC1. To see it evolve into such a comprehensive game over the years is an amazing experience. Black Flag offers more of the same. A lot more. And it's all pick and choose to do what you like. You can get through most of the game without having to deal with things you don't want to, but if you enjoy exploring the waters, there isI've been with Assassin's Creed since the blunder that was AC1. To see it evolve into such a comprehensive game over the years is an amazing experience. Black Flag offers more of the same. A lot more. And it's all pick and choose to do what you like. You can get through most of the game without having to deal with things you don't want to, but if you enjoy exploring the waters, there is plenty for you to see.

    The ship combat is very enjoyable. I didn't like the cumbersome ship combat in AC3, but it's very different in Black Flag. It's smooth, engaging and entertaining. The story is good, the characters are well written and the sheer scale of the world is mindboggling.

    It's like GTA with boats!    … Expand
  11. Blackcompany
    Dec 22, 2013
    4
    A good open world pirate game that could have been better, hampered by the same tired, frustrating "mission structure" we see in every AC game. The constant need to do exactly as Ubisoft demands hinders the fun in exploring this visually gorgeous game world, and the frustrating mission types, such as Eavesdropping and Tailing, are far, far too frequent, and over-used. The weather system isA good open world pirate game that could have been better, hampered by the same tired, frustrating "mission structure" we see in every AC game. The constant need to do exactly as Ubisoft demands hinders the fun in exploring this visually gorgeous game world, and the frustrating mission types, such as Eavesdropping and Tailing, are far, far too frequent, and over-used. The weather system is also frustrating, as the developers tend to overuse storms on the open sea in order to make missions feel more "dramatic."

    Black Flag is a game that would have been far, far better, had it not needed the Assassin's Creed name attached at all. This is Assassin's Creed ruining what could otherwise have been a great pirate game.    … Expand
  12. DrZed
    Dec 22, 2013
    8
    Oh my gosh... assassin´s creed is getting more boring again. First ones were pretty good and AC 3 was the best, but these "pirate thingies" are not so good. Oh yeah... the game also gets easier and more boring, but still... they did a good job.
  13. FPSSucks
    Dec 22, 2013
    9
    This game is fantastic. The world is large, beautiful and full of different things to do. Story mode is fun (Even though the actual story is weak) The Muti-Player has many enjoyable things to do, even introducing the new 'Game Lab' feature where you can make your own game mode. I recommend this game, BUY IT!!
  14. JTyran
    Dec 20, 2013
    8
    This was the one of the first Assassin's Creed games to interest me in a long time, visually the game is great looking and the detail in the world both on land and at sea is superb. I would have liked a variable difficulty setting though, even though I do not play 3rd person fighting games often and lack experience in them the combat is far to easy. Eddy can fight off whole packs of enemyThis was the one of the first Assassin's Creed games to interest me in a long time, visually the game is great looking and the detail in the world both on land and at sea is superb. I would have liked a variable difficulty setting though, even though I do not play 3rd person fighting games often and lack experience in them the combat is far to easy. Eddy can fight off whole packs of enemy soldiers with little difficulty, the same applies to the sea combat. At first taking on the larger ships like Frigates and Man'o'wars is challenging but once you get a firm of the combat and upgrade your ship you can single handily take on several Man'o'wars and their escorts. Only the four non respawning "legendary" ships provide a challenge after that.

    I would have liked some crew management options too, having to take care of the Jackdaws crew and their morale is strangely missing. Criticisms aside though the game is a lot of fun with varied missions and some really thematic set pieces like trying to slowly stealthily sail your ship down a narrow and foggy bayou avoiding watchtowers or fighting running battles through Havana and trying to escape back to your ship through a burning town as the Royal Navy bombard the port you are hiding at. There are loads of side activities to do like the naval assassination missions where you do everything from sinking ships to boarding a ship to kill its captain or escorting another ship past its enemies. There are various land assassination side missions too, some are in cities and others you have to sail to a lonely cove or hidden smuggling den.

    You can go hunting to collect items for crafting to improve Kenways equipment or make new outfits and hunt on both land at sea, there is a large multi part quest to collect items to unlock a unique piece of armour as well as many other collectibles with unique rewards. The highest end ship upgrades for instance need you to collect the plans and blueprints, you even need to use a diving bell and dive to ship wrecks for some of them. You can capture some of the ships you take and add them to your fleet, your fleet is a strategic mini game where you can send ships on trade or diplomatic missions and take part in turn based fleet battles. The fleet missions also earn you cash, collectibles and upgrade items. There is a huge amount of content in this game as well as the main storyline and I have got nearly 40 hours of gameplay out of it so far, even though I am only 50% or so through the main story so far so good. There are some interesting and iconic characters and the writing and voice acting is good.    … Expand
  15. Bionic-Reviewer
    Dec 20, 2013
    10
    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a good game. Combat is good, plenty to do after beating the storyline. There are some bugs, but nothing too gamebreaking. The storyline takes a while to leave the "Pirate doing pirate-y stuff with pirate-y friends" phase, though its still fun and the ending was good. Edward started out rather flat as a character, but grew more complex later. Ship combatAssassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a good game. Combat is good, plenty to do after beating the storyline. There are some bugs, but nothing too gamebreaking. The storyline takes a while to leave the "Pirate doing pirate-y stuff with pirate-y friends" phase, though its still fun and the ending was good. Edward started out rather flat as a character, but grew more complex later. Ship combat is intuitive, and boarding is fun. My only complaint is that the framerate an take a hit during some larger boarding procedures such as Man of War and Frigate attacks. Overall, good game, but don't come in expecting the same sort of story as AC III.… Expand
  16. prototype3276
    Dec 19, 2013
    10
    A great game, very enjoyable, I think the reason why some people disliked the sequel or ""prequel"' was because the game was mostly based around pirates rather than assassins. but personally this did not bother me. I really enjoyed this game, and I think its one of the best assassins creed that has been released in a while. also, beautiful graphics
  17. taygor
    Dec 18, 2013
    9
    I have not played any of the previous versions of Assassin's Creed, but I have become hooked on Black Flag. The graphics are awesome and the story engaging, the only reason it doesn't get a 10 is because the missions and tasks become somewhat repetitive once you get into the meat of the story. Well worth the buy!
  18. gerszom
    Dec 17, 2013
    9
    Definitely the best Assassin's game ever. Main character is much more convincing than Connor. I like the Pirates times better also. Gameplay is marvelous. Especially on see. This is one big innovation. Plot is quite nice, and You won't get bored. It is a pearl for every Pirates and Assassins fun. I miss good old Sid Meier's Pirates! this game is like a surrogate to me. I had many greatDefinitely the best Assassin's game ever. Main character is much more convincing than Connor. I like the Pirates times better also. Gameplay is marvelous. Especially on see. This is one big innovation. Plot is quite nice, and You won't get bored. It is a pearl for every Pirates and Assassins fun. I miss good old Sid Meier's Pirates! this game is like a surrogate to me. I had many great hours with Black Flag. And i don't regret even a minute playing this.… Expand
  19. detrios
    Dec 17, 2013
    10
    I played assassins'creed one, and give up in 1hour, and I not play the other... I'm a pirate fan, and I bought black flag, and it's incredible, the naval battle are a game in the game, I love it, it's very immersive, the fight is nervous.
    We buy first for playing in multi with my brother, but we are both in solo for the naval combat ;)
    it's a good experiance to live with a good graphic    I played assassins'creed one, and give up in 1hour, and I not play the other... I'm a pirate fan, and I bought black flag, and it's incredible, the naval battle are a game in the game, I love it, it's very immersive, the fight is nervous.
    We buy first for playing in multi with my brother, but we are both in solo for the naval combat ;)
    it's a good experiance to live with a good graphic card.
    the hater are assassin's creed fan, but for other player, it's a game to own    … Expand
  20. Seryin
    Dec 16, 2013
    9
    This game loses a SINGLE point from me for its lack of PC optimization. As much as I enjoyed the Black Flag experience, I cannot ignore that. Ubisoft definitely needs to shift some focus towards making their games more enjoyable across a broader range of machines.
    Looking beyond the obvious optimization flaws for PC, everything else was phenomenal!
    AC4 carries over all the things that    This game loses a SINGLE point from me for its lack of PC optimization. As much as I enjoyed the Black Flag experience, I cannot ignore that. Ubisoft definitely needs to shift some focus towards making their games more enjoyable across a broader range of machines.
    Looking beyond the obvious optimization flaws for PC, everything else was phenomenal!

    AC4 carries over all the things that made the past titles a success, but it was the story of this installment that absolutely blew me away!
    However, I can't help but realize that if I did not have a prior knowledge of the Golden Age of Piracy, that I would not have been able to understand, or enjoy, the story as much as I did. For instance, several scenes seem to expect you to know what will happen next to someone considering the tone, even though the game never touches on it itself. I would have never known what happened to Stede Bonnet if it was not for my history class, and it added a lot of impact and drama to an otherwise uneventful moment.
    If you were already familiar with popular figures from the Golden Age of Piracy, like Teach, Rackham, Bonnet, Vane, Black Bart, and Anne Bonny, your going to be blown away by this re-imagining of their stories.

    Despite the enormous amount of entertainment I got out of this game, I definitely want to critique a few key points for the sake of future improvement; The Island that you consider home and can invest resources in to improve, Inagua, is just as useless and unrewarding as the Homestead feature from AC3. They need to do more with these places of interest; Spending 90% of the game on the high seas, it was extremely disappointing that the ship Haythem took at the beginning of AC3 was still more detailed than the Jackdaw. You cannot enter the inside of the ship, and the only recognizable and unique person in your crew is Adéwale from the upcoming DLC himself. It would have added much more depth to be able to have familiar faces on the ship to feel more connected to and protective of; And also, Kenway's Fleet. This trade/revenue system was similiar to the old ones, but tedious and boring compared to the trade system and assassins guild from AC3.
    Those were the 3 things I had really wanted more from in Black Flag; A more rewarding and innovative homestead feature; A better detailed crew and ship to sail with; And a less tedious Kenway's Fleet feature.

    ALSO: Multiplayer is still amazing to play in this installment. AC Multiplayer is an incredible and unique experience that too many AC players overlook.    … Expand
  21. goodlordcz
    Dec 15, 2013
    8
    Assassin's Creed IV stands out in game play and environment, because it is based on pirate culture. Just sailing your ship around, boarding other ships and unlocking new stuff makes the game really fun to play. The story is still pretty good, but it doesn't really have anything to do with the previous games, like AC II. The Assassin order doesn't really have too much influence on theAssassin's Creed IV stands out in game play and environment, because it is based on pirate culture. Just sailing your ship around, boarding other ships and unlocking new stuff makes the game really fun to play. The story is still pretty good, but it doesn't really have anything to do with the previous games, like AC II. The Assassin order doesn't really have too much influence on the story, so AC IV is not exactly a sequel to the previous games. It also offers you some nice graphics, but the performance sometimes is really bad. You will need to have a really good computer to get to the max out of the graphics.
    AC IV has its bad moments, but it is still an excellent game that you should consider buying.    … Expand
  22. NoWanga
    Dec 13, 2013
    0
    This is my Multiplayer review.

    The development of the multiplayer with AC has been right in par with its single player, steadily decreasing. I first multiplayer had some issues, and as they resolved them over time they just created new ones. The scores are basically arbitrary, they make sense in theory until some gets 1200 points for poisoning someone in the first 2 seconds of the    This is my Multiplayer review.

    The development of the multiplayer with AC has been right in par with its single player, steadily decreasing. I first multiplayer had some issues, and as they resolved them over time they just created new ones. The scores are basically arbitrary, they make sense in theory until some gets 1200 points for poisoning someone in the first 2 seconds of the game, or getting 600 points for someones you literally runs right into them. Essentially AC multiplayer is Brink, a fantastic idea that never really landed    … Expand
  23. Alby94play
    Dec 12, 2013
    3
    Take ACIII, add guns, boats and some palm trees and TA-DA!! you have Black Flag... sad, really sad...
    Another garbage sequel for a series lost years ago...
  24. Apojuice
    Dec 11, 2013
    10
    I have poured hours of gameplay into this game and feel like there is still so much to do. Long games that are of a good quality are rare to find nowadays. Assassins Creed 4 is a master in stealing your time. Once you take the helm upon your trusted vessel and throw caution to the wind as you and your band of pirates sail, plunder and drink your way through a gorgeous virtual recreation ofI have poured hours of gameplay into this game and feel like there is still so much to do. Long games that are of a good quality are rare to find nowadays. Assassins Creed 4 is a master in stealing your time. Once you take the helm upon your trusted vessel and throw caution to the wind as you and your band of pirates sail, plunder and drink your way through a gorgeous virtual recreation of the Caribbean. The graphics are gorgeous on the highest settings and the world never fails to completely immerse you every time you decide to captain the Jackdaw. The ship and ground sections are like playing two different games but they cross-over seamlessly as you can see when boarding another ship. The free-running is also much improved but it still suffers from being a bit imprecise at times. The Underwater segments are amazing and thrilling, a mix of treasure hunting and stealth parts. Overall I think this is my GOTY. I hope Ubisoft keeps this kind of innovation going because if they do, franchising Assassins Creed might not be so bad after all.… Expand
  25. Sk3z
    Dec 11, 2013
    9
    Ok, naval combat is arcade, not simulation. Yes the mechanics are the same as usual, with very few innovations. Yes the game feels easy most of the times since you can counter anything and so on...

    Still this game has some magic, even with it's flaws. AC titles have always been full of details and this one it's way the better by this criteria. Some missions are boring, and the    Ok, naval combat is arcade, not simulation. Yes the mechanics are the same as usual, with very few innovations. Yes the game feels easy most of the times since you can counter anything and so on...

    Still this game has some magic, even with it's flaws.
    AC titles have always been full of details and this one it's way the better by this criteria. Some missions are boring, and the achievement madness is still there.
    Gameplay is good because it may totally be affected by one fundamental thing: the way you want to play it. You can win missions in a ton of ways, and you may enjoy the aspects of game the way you prefer. The game is incredibly polished, and the story BEHIND what's going on in the caribbean (if you don't know, every AC game is set on a double world, the present and the past) keeps you there wanting to get new material and unveil the facts you are still not aware of. In the game itself you'll find many many things to do, and most importantly, you'll see BEAUTY... Yes, i mean it. Frankly, i'm a huge fan of pirate themed stuff. I played every game on this theme, and while every each one had it's pro and cons, none had the thing that i enjoyed the most on this title: The feeling of being deep in the pirate era: the landscapes of the isles, are them big and covered with vegetation or loose low sand ones... the pirate crew singing pirate-ish songs (or not, while you can mute them with a screamed order!) while cruising through the waves of an late foggy dawn... Cruising your ship in a huge storm or through a placid clear sea... all these things are priceless.

    If i where to compare this game with other titles, i really would say this game should be put in the league of Skyrim, while being HUGELY better. Since the latter is aswell a game for exploration, history and arcade combat, i think the comparison should be true. This game won't leave you disappointed if you are seeking for something beautiful to try. Still, if you already played earlyer AC games and are seeking for something dramatically new, then you may not find it. The work have been done in other directions, clearly.

    For those arguing this is a bad port, you may not listen to them. Yes, this title may be ported, but you would not see that. This game is well ported, no bugs or annoying feature, and i won't say more.

    MULTYPLAYER: the multyplayer mode it's quite chaotic. Since i've not tried that deeply i'll only say that there have clearly been done a lot of work around it. It has potential.

    GAME CONS: While being an huge game full of content, as someone said sometimes it feels repetitive. You don't see this only in the scripted missions which are very similar most of the time, but also in the models. I believe that both the necessity to sell it for consoles and the vastness of things to be crafted and polished, led to a general lacking of variety in each one of the many aspects of the game (ship models for example).

    GENERAL CONS: Game has it's downs too. For instance Ubisoft force you to start the game through his annoying "Uplay" service, (yet if you want to play it offline you can, but without the special content you may have bought; "hey ubisoft, i've payed for it, what do you mean i cant unlock it offline? are you mocking me?" I won't argue politics here, i will only say that i had to literally fight with the Uplay software to make it work, since it was not working in the beginning (some conflicts with system files). Also, the game is clearly full of buyable content, making you wonder how much of it would be in the game itself if this marketing trend where not so fully adopted by the company.

    BIGGEST CON of the game, to me, was the general feeling that the lack of modding support, make this a ruined masterpiece. It's like you wonder if something like this game could be modded to be enriched, or converted into a simulation game... This game is so near to what i've always dreamed about, that it frustrates me so much. Why so few ships? Why fantasy ships? Why frigate on spanish army? Where are the Dutch, the French and the portuguese? Why wheren't you able to put accourate historically ships ingame? are you kidding, ship rams? Why can't i switch a captured ship with mine? Why so limited access to the ship itself? why only 5 things to trade? Why aren't there different types of cannonballs? You'll keep asking yourself these questions againg and againg.

    but you will enjoy the game nonetheless.

    9 out of 10 for me. (I am really surprised myself to have found a game so entertaining).    … Expand
  26. idohaker
    Dec 11, 2013
    10
    in my opinion the best assassins creed game in the franchise, although the game is bad optimized for pc i could run it on a 50-60 fps on ultra 1680x1050 with my r9 290, the story is well written, the game is dark and heavy, the gameplay is much improved, the characters are good, and the naval combat is better than ever, i loved ac3 and gave it a 10/10 and most of you didnt like my opinionin my opinion the best assassins creed game in the franchise, although the game is bad optimized for pc i could run it on a 50-60 fps on ultra 1680x1050 with my r9 290, the story is well written, the game is dark and heavy, the gameplay is much improved, the characters are good, and the naval combat is better than ever, i loved ac3 and gave it a 10/10 and most of you didnt like my opinion but for me ac3 is now 7/10 compared to this, but i am giving you a warning, this game is very bad optimized and i guess not everyone have a card like r9 290 or gtx 780 so if you have a low end card stay away from this game, i tried the game on my other pc with a low end card and it was very slow and unplayble, but for the end assassins creed iv is the best in the franchise and i reccomend it to everyone that have a decent pc that can run the game on 30 fps on any setting, (if you want to know check your card benchmark on ac iv in youtube)the best in the franchise in my opinion… Expand
  27. Jackl3
    Dec 11, 2013
    5
    Excellent atmosphere.

    After playing all the Assassins Creeds, this felt a little different but not enough. After destroying a few ships, seeing the same surrender animation, the same faced enemies... it's breaking the immersion. Terrible re-used and over-use of the same cut-scenes/animations. Nothing changes, nothing is a challenge. Missions are the same as usual. Combat is    Excellent atmosphere.

    After playing all the Assassins Creeds, this felt a little different but not enough.

    After destroying a few ships, seeing the same surrender animation, the same faced enemies... it's breaking the immersion.

    Terrible re-used and over-use of the same cut-scenes/animations. Nothing changes, nothing is a challenge.

    Missions are the same as usual.

    Combat is still so-so.

    5/10 in my opinion.    … Expand
  28. fox294
    Dec 10, 2013
    8
    I wish I could give this game two scores.

    The pirate (in-animus) part of the game is pretty great. In fact, the parts that focus on simply being a scallywag and scoundrel on the high seas are phenomenal. Ultimately, the game itself gets weighed down under the weight of the assinine and trite Assassin's Creed mythos and loses steam. Even so, the fantastic attention to detail and the    I wish I could give this game two scores.

    The pirate (in-animus) part of the game is pretty great. In fact, the parts that focus on simply being a scallywag and scoundrel on the high seas are phenomenal. Ultimately, the game itself gets weighed down under the weight of the assinine and trite Assassin's Creed mythos and loses steam. Even so, the fantastic attention to detail and the euphoria of piracy are enough to earn a solid 8.5.

    BUT. The Abstergo (out-of-animus) portion of the game is an abomination. Every second I spent outside the animus was a moment of my life I'll never get back. I felt like Ubisoft was shoving this nonsense down my throat. If anyone at Ubisoft happens to read this, here's a message: NO ONE CARES ABOUT ASSASSINS, TEMPLARS, OR ABSTERGO. STOP MAKING ME RUN AROUND AN OFFICE BUILDING WHEN I COULD BE SWASHBUCKLING. 0/10 for this part.    … Expand
  29. REDPhantomPie
    Dec 10, 2013
    9
    When I first saw the trailer, it was epic and make me wanna play it more. And when i played the game, it was awesome, the gameplay, the graphics and stuff but there is something about the PC version is that it's not optimized for the PC so I get lags and have to play it on low graphic settings. But all in all, the naval combat, combat, stealth, storyline, gameplay was awesome. I say it's aWhen I first saw the trailer, it was epic and make me wanna play it more. And when i played the game, it was awesome, the gameplay, the graphics and stuff but there is something about the PC version is that it's not optimized for the PC so I get lags and have to play it on low graphic settings. But all in all, the naval combat, combat, stealth, storyline, gameplay was awesome. I say it's a must buy.… Expand
  30. Arrahant
    Dec 10, 2013
    8
    It's great to be in an open world 18th century pirate world; treasure maps, naval battling, black flags with skulls on them: it's all in here and it's simply amazing.
    Sadly the game is way too easy: combat is very easy if you counter timely, the sneaking mechanics are very basic and predictable, and enemy AI is weak. Also, the game holds the player by the hand way too much. I like the    It's great to be in an open world 18th century pirate world; treasure maps, naval battling, black flags with skulls on them: it's all in here and it's simply amazing.
    Sadly the game is way too easy: combat is very easy if you counter timely, the sneaking mechanics are very basic and predictable, and enemy AI is weak. Also, the game holds the player by the hand way too much. I like the feeling of finding things out by myself (yet it does make the game accessible). Nevertheless, being in this brilliantly crafted world still makes for a 8/10 game imo!    … Expand
  31. cryhax
    Dec 9, 2013
    8
    This was great given the rapid release schedule of AC games but far from perfect. The naval elements and game play were spot on however it seemed like the story line was jammed in without tact. That's really the only issue with the game, fitting the main story line in with all the rest. There is _no_ concept of time in this game. Every now and then a character mentions how it's been 5This was great given the rapid release schedule of AC games but far from perfect. The naval elements and game play were spot on however it seemed like the story line was jammed in without tact. That's really the only issue with the game, fitting the main story line in with all the rest. There is _no_ concept of time in this game. Every now and then a character mentions how it's been 5 years that Kenway was captain without any reference to time moving prior to this event. Villain transgressions are lost somewhere along the way and you're left just running around killing people. 'Oh look it's that guy again from a while back, let's kill him for something!' Also, get ready for the ending... it comes almost out of nowhere. The percentage tracker on the main page said I was at 62% completion when the game ended thus nullifying any incentive to complete the optional objectives (which I was planning on doing, personally).

    Final note: For the love of god, do some google-fu about how to optimize this game for your pc specs. I went 75% of the way on garbage settings before adjusting the proper ones. It's much, much better visually and the controls feel smoother after.    … Expand
  32. mareak
    Dec 9, 2013
    10
    I was skeptical at first to buy this new franchise because I am afraid of the bad port. However after the installation and right after 79++ hours in game, this is truly the best AC series ever. The pirates experience can be enhance further if all this ships in the game can be commandeer.
  33. Ralf
    Dec 5, 2013
    10
    My favourite game in 2013. Wonderful graphics, long playtime with a huge open world to explore. Beside the main quest lots of gameplay variations with mini games, hunting and much more.
  34. Vampire
    Dec 5, 2013
    10
    I have nothing to say cause Ubisoft once again made an awesome game. This game just made me remain speechless. I still wonder how many people gave negative rating. It is a must have game and recommended for all the assassin gamers
  35. TwiggyMcSexy
    Dec 4, 2013
    10
    Best Assassins Creed game yet, its a new idea carried out perfectly for the Assassins Creed title. The exploration is endless and starts almost immediately after you start the game. I highly recommend you buy this game if you love Assassins Creed and limitless exploration and activities.
  36. AssassinM
    Dec 4, 2013
    10
    This is an awesome and great and amazing game!!!
    The campaign missions was interesting and a lot of fun and also upgrading my ship and Edward (the main pirate your playing with) was fun too!
    Overall the graphics on PC don't have high recommendations and after all it's one of the most beautiful graphics I've ever seen! Looks great, great gameplay... Best assassin's creed game that I played 10/10
  37. zaka80
    Dec 4, 2013
    8
    Positive:Fantastic Graphics Mixed:In Pc version the game have bad otimization
    Good continuation of the old stories
    Good Gameplay
    Innovative naval fights
  38. Sabatasso
    Dec 4, 2013
    5
    Yet another timesink from with the AC stamp on it. The graphics is quite fine and even though the animations are mor jittery than previous releases it looks good overall. The story isn't really bad but it isn't very good either and you're very confined during story missions, unlike the original.

    The naval part of the game is very shallow yet probably the best part about the game. Enemy    Yet another timesink from with the AC stamp on it. The graphics is quite fine and even though the animations are mor jittery than previous releases it looks good overall. The story isn't really bad but it isn't very good either and you're very confined during story missions, unlike the original.

    The naval part of the game is very shallow yet probably the best part about the game. Enemy ships have a single hit location and once you've damaged it enough you can board it. Sounds arcade-ish? You're right, it is. The waters are littered with floating cargo and survivors, and I mean LITTERED. They're everywhere. Enemy ships pop in large amounts so if you're in the mood for some pirating, you can literaly hang around outside any harbour and shoot anything that moves... and there's a lot of movement. Too much to be honest. The boarding is incredibly boring and repetitive, so you'll soon resort to settle for half the loot and just sink the bastards. With a few upgrades you can sink 2-3 ships in the same time that one boarding sequence takes so you'll actually earn a lot more that way. The only reason to board is to heal your ship mid-combat.

    Otherwise the game is more or less like the prequel.    … Expand
  39. Green_spy
    Dec 4, 2013
    10
    Ubisoft took all wrongs from AC3 and made them right.
    AC4 has a much more immersive and intriguing world. The naval combat and exploration are very enjoyable, mission aren't as repetitive and give you MUCH more freedom.
    Edward is also a very interesting character. You see him mature and become a better person. Character development is very good. Overall this game is fun and you will    Ubisoft took all wrongs from AC3 and made them right.
    AC4 has a much more immersive and intriguing world. The naval combat and exploration are very enjoyable, mission aren't as repetitive and give you MUCH more freedom.
    Edward is also a very interesting character. You see him mature and become a better person. Character development is very good.
    Overall this game is fun and you will find yourself spending much more time in it than you probably expected.     … Expand
  40. KrunkTX
    Dec 3, 2013
    9
    This game is quite refreshing since the mild and gradual downturn (in my opinion) since ACII. I've played and enjoyed all the games in the series, and even enjoyed the newer style and fresh era of III, but am very happy they expanded upon what was actually so great about ACIII.... Naval Combat. The graphics are breathtaking and this era will be very hard to top because let's face it, whoThis game is quite refreshing since the mild and gradual downturn (in my opinion) since ACII. I've played and enjoyed all the games in the series, and even enjoyed the newer style and fresh era of III, but am very happy they expanded upon what was actually so great about ACIII.... Naval Combat. The graphics are breathtaking and this era will be very hard to top because let's face it, who doesn't dig pirates? The game is extremely engaging from the start, there is always something to do. If you find yourself with nothing to do, you either don't want to do anything, or aren't looking close enough. A lot of the in-game unlockable content (special armors/weapons) etc. can be obtained without progressing too deep into the main storyline so that you can actually enjoy those cool new toys. I really dig that because it seemed that in the past, they always left the best armor or coolest toys in the game only obtainable at the very end. The voice acting is some of the best I've ever heard in a game, hats off to that department for sure. The new massive open world is an absolute pleasure to explore, sailing island to island, jumping off of your ship to search each one for hidden treasure chests etc. The beautiful white sand/blue water carribbean beaches make me want to take a tropical vacation very soon!

    The only reason I'm not giving this game a solid 10 is due to the fact that at a certain point is sort of feels like a "grind" in the naval combat aspect, which looks to be what the game was mostly built around. If it would have been given a more evolving role where the combat felt "refreshed" it wouldn't be so repetitive sometimes(yet it is still strangely fun in a sense). They do attempt to do this with different ship classes/difficulty, but in the end, it still becomes a grind. Also, contrary to other reviews I've watched/read/seen it still feels rather sticky like previous games when in towns etc. There are still your typical bug issues, but with a game of this magnitude, I am not surprised nor offended. In addition to that last point being lost, the final and main reasoning would be of course the Desmond story (refraining from spoilers) and how the Animus back story is portrayed in this installation. I don't particularly care for it this time around, but I am curious as to how they plan to improve upon this or return back to the older style where we had two great storyline interwoven with each other.

    I do not regret my pre-purchase of this game at it's full price plus it's season pass on PC. I rarely if ever pre-purchase a game, even more rarely do I buy a game at full price. I usually ALWAYS wait for a steam sale, or a few months down the road. For how meaty this game is (a solid 40 hours PLUS), it's been worth every penny and I recommend it to not only TRUE fans of the franchise but fans of pirates/naval games alike!    … Expand
  41. Sgtdemondays
    Dec 3, 2013
    10
    Amazing game play!. Fantastic Graphics! great story line. an amazing game all a round! Best game of all the assassin creeds by far! the huge open world and ship combat is just beautiful.
  42. nwmk
    Dec 3, 2013
    8
    Just Assassin´s creed being Assassin´s creed...
    I thing the Black Flag is best Assassin´s creed ever with best story..
    Thank you Ubisoft.
    Blablablabla
  43. tedur1
    Dec 2, 2013
    10
    To be honest, I have never played an assassin's creed game before, so if you are a die-hard AC guy, you may disregard my review as I cannot compare it to others in the franchise. I really enjoy first person shooters and I never cared for 3rd person games. However, I have to say that this game really blew me away. The graphics are absolutely top notch and I really enjoy the story. InTo be honest, I have never played an assassin's creed game before, so if you are a die-hard AC guy, you may disregard my review as I cannot compare it to others in the franchise. I really enjoy first person shooters and I never cared for 3rd person games. However, I have to say that this game really blew me away. The graphics are absolutely top notch and I really enjoy the story. In fact, they have put such a great effort into even the most minute details that I am shocked. For example, I speak Spanish as I have lived in Spain and the people in Havana speak with the Spanish dialect as you would expect within the historical context. The sea battles are brilliant and the game is just damn fun to play. I haven't finished it yet, but wow am I enjoying it. It has been a huge surprise and I highly recommend it to everyone, even FPS players. It does contain some similar elements to Far Cry 3, but it is a much better game. I can't tell you the last time, I just enjoyed a game for the scenery; which I often do when sailing in AC4.… Expand
  44. Epsilon24
    Dec 2, 2013
    10
    Even though this is very far from what I would have imagined as a sequel to the Assassin's Creed I played in 2008, it's hard to blame the game for this departure from the original. AC4: Black Flag is over the top entertaining and one of the most addicting games I have played in a long time, while still looking absolutely stunning, even on low-end machines. Except for the controlsEven though this is very far from what I would have imagined as a sequel to the Assassin's Creed I played in 2008, it's hard to blame the game for this departure from the original. AC4: Black Flag is over the top entertaining and one of the most addicting games I have played in a long time, while still looking absolutely stunning, even on low-end machines. Except for the controls (controller recommended) the game is very well ported to the PC and runs very smoothly.… Expand
  45. wisefool
    Dec 2, 2013
    10
    This is one of the best pirate games i ever played and It's the best assassin's creed of all time. I humbly recommend this game if you're an assassin's creed & a pirate fan
  46. Vixremento
    Dec 2, 2013
    6
    Being a fan of AC2 and brotherhood I'd been rather let down with anything that followed and even with the over-hyped AC3 I got seriously burnt. I then waited...cautiously...for the Black Flag reviews and in general it all seemed to point out that they'd corrected their flaws and gone back a little to their roots. Is it true you ask?
     
      Well yes for some bits and sadly...no for the most    Being a fan of AC2 and brotherhood I'd been rather let down with anything that followed and even with the over-hyped AC3 I got seriously burnt. I then waited...cautiously...for the Black Flag reviews and in general it all seemed to point out that they'd corrected their flaws and gone back a little to their roots. Is it true you ask?
     
     
    Well yes for some bits and sadly...no for the most part. AC2 had you really involved and it made sure that you had to do a little more than just "point and shoot" so to speak. Black Flag comes along and introduces us to some more intensive ship control and ship battles that really do feel pretty good to take part in initially. Soon though you do feel that this "pirate-battle-ship-thing" is a bit flat and it starts to get quite boring pretty quickly so it's sad that it has such a huge focus in the game because it really stops being fun after the first two hours or so.
     
     
    Platforming it's just gone I'm sad to say. Every bit of navigation required now is only made more difficult by figuring out which bit of the map it is that you have to navigate around everything in-between that is just pointing and holding down the shift key to get there (and then sometimes you just can't "disconnect" because you've become a sticky monkey to anything that is not at ground level). It's fun right in the beginning but then you soon start to realise that there is actually no challenge to doing any of it.
     
     
    Combat: Pretty much nothing new here boring and as easy as ever (in fact it felt even easier this time around). Sure, you'll have to dodge a few grenades, counter (feels very much like Batmans counter-moves) and break defenses by using a key press...rather un-rewarding in the end especially when you know that a monkey could pull off the same moves.
     
     
    Once again I'm left rather disappointed (and I haven't even touched on the "future" bits that feel about as fun to play as just watching a clip of someone else play the game...hell even that would have been more fun!) and after having played through the somewhat long and fairly boring story I just didn't feel anything special about this game (I actually had to force myself to keep playing through it and all the time I kept thinking "maybe I should just re-install and play through AC2 or AC:Brotherhood again instead). With promises of an upgrade system similar to Far Cry 3 (sure, it's mostly true but pretty much damn boring and not very much required) and the usual "hunt" for collectables being slapped in there I eventually stopped because the game just become sooo long in the tooth.
     
     
    Ah well I guess I should have realised this after revelations that the game has just been effectively dumbed down to a more simplistic experience that what we were introduced to before in the previous titles...maybe I'm just getting old or maybe I'm just trying to expect too much when consoles dominate so heavily. My conclusion: if you loved AC2/Brotherhood and despised AC3/Revelations then give this one a skip. In the end this one looks pretty and plays fairly nicely with my PC hardware yet in the end it just feels overly simplified and too heavily story-focused without really giving too much of a damn about game-play.    … Expand
  47. weazz1980
    Dec 2, 2013
    9
    I played the first AC and had a blast with it. Then i skipped AC 2 and 3, because of the same mechanics. But the setting in Black Flag with the pirates and ships was really interresting for me.

    What can i say? I played about 30 hours, cruising the seas, discover treasures, power up my ship and charakter, hunt sharks and wales, assassinate targets and not even giving a about the    I played the first AC and had a blast with it. Then i skipped AC 2 and 3, because of the same mechanics. But the setting in Black Flag with the pirates and ships was really interresting for me.

    What can i say? I played about 30 hours, cruising the seas, discover treasures, power up my ship and charakter, hunt sharks and wales, assassinate targets and not even giving a about the mainquest.

    I love the setting, the atmosphere, my ship, my crew... it's fantastic. And you always have the option to silently kill someone or running in, guns blazing and kill everyone in sight (maybe get rid of the snipers first :-)).

    On the other side, for me the controlls are a little bit clumsy. Many times my character didn't move to where i expected (especially on the hunt for shantis).

    So for me it's a good 9 out of 10. If you like pirates and you want a good open world game with lots of exploration, go and get the game!    … Expand
  48. S1D1K
    Dec 1, 2013
    9
    What an amazing edition from the Assassin's Creed franchise!

    This game was easily an enjoyable title, there was always that one game that I wanted to play to remind me of the well known Pirates Of The Caribbean. The visuals in this game were superb, absolutely stunning horizons and lush landscapes. There were plenty moments where i found myself grunting in frustrating as how the    What an amazing edition from the Assassin's Creed franchise!

    This game was easily an enjoyable title, there was always that one game that I wanted to play to remind me of the well known Pirates Of The Caribbean. The visuals in this game were superb, absolutely stunning horizons and lush landscapes.

    There were plenty moments where i found myself grunting in frustrating as how the controls felt as if they we stacking against each other, let alone how often your character is clinging on to anything whilst running around aimlessly.

    When it comes to naval battle's it really does show this game off. I did enjoy how well the combat mechanics worked, very fluid and smooth, and very easy to understand. However I would have liked if they would have implemented a free motion camera to view ship distance from shores in case you're a clumsy driver like my self.

    Other than that, this game is a definite MUST have if you are into plunder and pillaging!    … Expand
  49. kudryon
    Dec 1, 2013
    0
    Another garbage Ubisoft port. Nothing to see here. Awful optimization for PC......................................................................................
  50. Moza_m
    Nov 30, 2013
    10
    Although I wasn't a major fan of AC3, Black Flag is absolutely fantastic! They have focused entirely on gameplay to make it fun and exciting. NO downtime, quick action, mission to mission to sidequest in no time at all. It's the very best bits of all the past AC games made better, and rolled into one. Absolutely one of the best game's i've ever played. Well polished and awesome fun!
  51. Tenshi-Ryu
    Nov 30, 2013
    8
    I've been playing the game basically non-stop since I bought it and I love it. I haven't come across any game breaking bugs yet and the game run smooth for me on highest settings (i7 3.4GHz, 12GB RAM, GTX 680 4GB RAM). This is how you're supposed to play a pirate game Huge open-world to explore, fight, trade and come up with other mischief. Tough I admit the trade part is pure basic, butI've been playing the game basically non-stop since I bought it and I love it. I haven't come across any game breaking bugs yet and the game run smooth for me on highest settings (i7 3.4GHz, 12GB RAM, GTX 680 4GB RAM). This is how you're supposed to play a pirate game Huge open-world to explore, fight, trade and come up with other mischief. Tough I admit the trade part is pure basic, but that's fine! it's a pirate game after all and no trading game ;).

    The only reason I'm not given 10/10 is because of the multiplayer mode. It's just some generic arena crap PvP/Co-Op. I was hoping for the same open-world style, where you can play with friends in a co-op fleet (or even PvP, for those that care about this I DON'T). As it is the 10 minutes I spent in multiplayer will be it. I'll just player it Single-Player, which is fine with me.    … Expand
  52. Valay
    Nov 30, 2013
    9
    On my PC this game working on medium graphic settings and its looks very good. They fixed many mistakes and fails from AC 3... world is more attractive, battles on the sea are more spectacular and story is better than in any other AC game. Im really excited of this game and i dont understand people who giving "0" vote only because they havent moneys to buy good PC and they are playing onOn my PC this game working on medium graphic settings and its looks very good. They fixed many mistakes and fails from AC 3... world is more attractive, battles on the sea are more spectacular and story is better than in any other AC game. Im really excited of this game and i dont understand people who giving "0" vote only because they havent moneys to buy good PC and they are playing on old craps GJ ubisoft!… Expand
  53. moidoid
    Nov 30, 2013
    10
    As a veteran of the AC series I am so glad that the mis-step of AC3 has not been repeated. The setting is lush and beautiful to play in and I'm enjoying the gameplay which is in part familiar but with a beefed up emphasis on sailing which I wouldn't have thought I would enjoy but have done. No problems with it running flawlessly for me on an AMD card in hi res for everything looksAs a veteran of the AC series I am so glad that the mis-step of AC3 has not been repeated. The setting is lush and beautiful to play in and I'm enjoying the gameplay which is in part familiar but with a beefed up emphasis on sailing which I wouldn't have thought I would enjoy but have done. No problems with it running flawlessly for me on an AMD card in hi res for everything looks stunning. Halfway through and enjoying it as much as AC2, the best in the series so far.… Expand
  54. Motcritic
    Nov 30, 2013
    7
    While I don't like some aspects of this game, it's one of most fun games I ever played.

    Graphics are great, the towns look very nice, the landscape of both missions and islands is amazing, the sea looks nice enough and the waves behave very smoothly. The character movement is very good, definitely an improvement, you can connect most of the movement you want to make, rarely you will    While I don't like some aspects of this game, it's one of most fun games I ever played.

    Graphics are great, the towns look very nice, the landscape of both missions and islands is amazing, the sea looks nice enough and the waves behave very smoothly.
    The character movement is very good, definitely an improvement, you can connect most of the movement you want to make, rarely you will start to jump and grab places you didn't meant too.
    The missions are mostly well made and fun, and while some might say they are too easy, I think they are just fine because I like to go through the story, I hate bottlenecks of repetitive tries due to chance or difficulty, for the sake of being hard. Sea combat is fun. Boarding ships is fun if you roleplay them, don't go immediately to the goals and you will be immersed into nice visuals and combat.

    But this game has a lot of downsizes. Very easy naval combat, too easy, specially when attacking naval fortress's, the repercussions of pirating are basically none. Land combat is also extremely easy, its all about knowing what type of enemies you are facing and hit the according button, but, its fun, very fun, still way too easy. The map size is extremely small (caribbean islands packed into a 20km per 20km give or take) and the view ranges of enemy ships is ridiculous low, we are talking about having an enemy ship 50 meters away from you and they can't see you!! This game design choice obliterates the immersion of being at sea, the feeling of being alone, of spotting enemies on the horizon, storms are well made but they come and go in a minute, rogue waves and water tornados are just too easy to avoid. Due to the map being so filled with islands and ships, immersion is completely crushed.

    All in all, its a fun game to play, but once you play it the replay value is null, this means that for a open world game something went wrong when they designed it, kinda remembers me of Sleeping Dogs, making an open world that serves no purpose since only the missions have any value.    … Expand
  55. dubeysiddhant16
    Nov 30, 2013
    9
    game graphics are better than the previews one as it is little bite left.ships play major role in game.we can sail ship as it as we want that thing was not in acr 3 ,can upgrade ships,new weapons,animals,more places and so on.....
  56. JorisK
    Nov 30, 2013
    8
    When i played this game the first 15 minutes my morale almost hit rock bottom as the game gave me the idea it is simply 'just another assassins creed', but after playing 30 minutes i noticed that was far away from the truth.
    Yes, in general this is 'another' Assassins Creed but the pirating stuff in this game is so massive that you sometimes have the feeling the game doesn't feel like a    When i played this game the first 15 minutes my morale almost hit rock bottom as the game gave me the idea it is simply 'just another assassins creed', but after playing 30 minutes i noticed that was far away from the truth.
    Yes, in general this is 'another' Assassins Creed but the pirating stuff in this game is so massive that you sometimes have the feeling the game doesn't feel like a 'true' Assassins Creed game at all. This game is for 80% all about pirating which makes you simply forget all the Assassins stuff. Even the Abstergo intermezzo's are minimal and that says enough...
    The way Ubi set up the massive sea, the beautifull Carribean islands and scenery, the great sea battles, the huge amount of upgades to both Edward and his ship is just very well done, no doubt about it.
    This whole pirating adds loads of new stuff to the game and when looking back at the history of Assassins Creed, that is just what this game needs. Altough i don't like the fact they are overusing some old stuff from previous versions, this whole new pirating system makes me simply forget all of it.
    Another big plus is that this game is well balanced. As i said before, you need upgrades but the amount of resources it takes (money, wood, metal, etc) forces you to battle, hunt, kill, explore, fight and enter ships alot, causing loads of gameplay. I have been playing this game for loads of hours this past 1,5 week. My ship is still not fully upgraded and i'm still at 50% progression.
    I remember i threw away my AC3: Revelations CD as the game was simply rubbish but Black Flag is simply awsome. I love it and Ubi, well done.    … Expand
  57. Cocopelicanul
    Nov 30, 2013
    10
    Don't listen to the haters AC IV has nice visuals great game-play (naval battles are very good) great story and a incredible ending. AC IV is a must if you are a gamer.
  58. Whiteloaf
    Nov 30, 2013
    8
    Easily the best iteration on the series in a while.
    Why?
    Because it features the least "assassin" gameplay of all entries in the series. Its no surprise that the AC gameplay formula has grown incredibly stale and the Naval battles provide an incredibly addicting way to break up that tedium. On top of that the game looks absolutely gorgeous with 4k textures and fantastic water design.    Easily the best iteration on the series in a while.
    Why?
    Because it features the least "assassin" gameplay of all entries in the series.
    Its no surprise that the AC gameplay formula has grown incredibly stale and the Naval battles provide an incredibly addicting way to break up that tedium.
    On top of that the game looks absolutely gorgeous with 4k textures and fantastic water design. This also makes the game fairly demanding, so dont walk in expecting a smooth experience on a middle to low end system, this is Ubisoft we're talking about, theyre not exactly the optimization experts (Worth noting, there is NO triple buffering. Use RadeonPro or the Nvidia alternative for a MUCH MUCH MUCH smoother framerate. Seriously Ubisoft, what the hell).
    Of course this is all from the perspective of someone who sat out the past 2 iterations in the series. If youve been an avid fan than from what I understand theres not much new in the gameplay department to keep you hooked. The melee combat once again proves to be bewilderingly easy as well, with the counter button being the quintessential win button.
    The story however is far more engaging than the usual assassin tripe of old games. Pirates make for far more entertaining and unusual scenarios than any other backdrop from the previous games, and I dare say I actually cared about seeing the story through to the end.
    The same can not be said for the new abstergo segments though, as the "Assassins creed" part of the story once again proves to be the worst part of the assassins creed series. If only it was never included in the first place...

    tl;dr:
    Pirates GOOD!
    Abstergo BAD!
    Graphics GOOD!
    Optimization BAD!
    Naval combat/exploration GOOD!
    Assassin gameplay Meh....

    Final recommendation: If you haven't played the last one or two its a good place to jump back in. Hopefully they'll spice up the combat in the next iteration.    … Expand
  59. TallGermanGuy
    Nov 29, 2013
    10
    I have played all of the games in this franchise, but this game is by far my favorite. AC3 was a little bit of a let down, but this game is fantastic. Ship combat is extremely fun and the graphics are stunning. I have had absolutely no issues with this game whether it is fps or screen tearing, and people that do should probably update their rigs. 10/10 because i found myself playing forI have played all of the games in this franchise, but this game is by far my favorite. AC3 was a little bit of a let down, but this game is fantastic. Ship combat is extremely fun and the graphics are stunning. I have had absolutely no issues with this game whether it is fps or screen tearing, and people that do should probably update their rigs. 10/10 because i found myself playing for five hours straight without a single minute of boredom. Anyone who has been a fan of the previous games, this is a must have.… Expand
  60. Freez
    Nov 29, 2013
    10
    As much as PC gamers are neglected in the gaming world, this game is just as good if not better than the others...for PC. If you love the assassins creed series this is a must buy, if you own more than 1 im sure you have them all and know this already. Its really a shame corps don't adhere to PC gamers more than consoles, I guess more people buy consoles since the younger generation are toAs much as PC gamers are neglected in the gaming world, this game is just as good if not better than the others...for PC. If you love the assassins creed series this is a must buy, if you own more than 1 im sure you have them all and know this already. Its really a shame corps don't adhere to PC gamers more than consoles, I guess more people buy consoles since the younger generation are to amateur for PC skill but that shouldn't stop devs from making good pc games. heheh ya I said it, consoles are for amateurs. Any true PC gamer knows what I mean Anyways excellent game for PC, not a garbage port like so many others.… Expand
  61. OneAsianGamer
    Nov 29, 2013
    8
    The series that is Assassin's Creed went down a bit with the last game, but AC4 certainly has brought it back up. First of all, AC4 has picked a much better setting than the American Revolution, because instead of paper signing, we now get swashbuckling pirate adventures. This game has also made great improvements on the sailing mechanic that was in AC3 and now it's mandatory, unlike inThe series that is Assassin's Creed went down a bit with the last game, but AC4 certainly has brought it back up. First of all, AC4 has picked a much better setting than the American Revolution, because instead of paper signing, we now get swashbuckling pirate adventures. This game has also made great improvements on the sailing mechanic that was in AC3 and now it's mandatory, unlike in AC3 where it was merely a gimmick to collect more useless money. Speaking of money, it also has use now, since ship upgrades are expensive and add to game play, rather than idiotic city improvements or home decorating. I've heard that there are technical issues, but those aren't fair to judge a game by since my computer ran it perfectly fine. However, one thing that can't be excused is that most of the land missions are a little boring when compared to naval missions, since tailing or eavesdropping missions can be annoying to play. This time around in the present you are a silent protagonist working for Abstergo Entertainment, a mega corporation which is using the memories of Desmond to make AC4. The present day has its own set of collectibles, and the crew that was working with Desmond also makes much welcomed appearances in the story. To wrap things up, the environments are pretty, sailing is fun, there is a lot of exploration, and I personally had great fun with it and so might you.… Expand
  62. xTobyMc
    Nov 29, 2013
    9
    Once again Ubisoft have produced an outstanding game, one which I thoroughly enjoyed and can easily put on my top games list for 2013. I myself am a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed series, not necessarily for its combat and action packed world, but for the unique and mysterious storyline regarding Desmond Miles and the 'people who came before'. Throughout every Assassin's Creed game IOnce again Ubisoft have produced an outstanding game, one which I thoroughly enjoyed and can easily put on my top games list for 2013. I myself am a huge fan of the Assassin's Creed series, not necessarily for its combat and action packed world, but for the unique and mysterious storyline regarding Desmond Miles and the 'people who came before'. Throughout every Assassin's Creed game I find myself really wanting to know about the history of the first civilisation within the game, it truly is the one set of games I am completely fixated on.

    Assassin's Creed Black Flag was a nice addition to the series with its enormous and interactive world, with huge emphasis on being a pirate and sailing the seas with your new ship, the Jackdaw. As a personal note, I was not overly impressed with the naval combat, and neither was I in previous games. I found the naval side of this game to be slightly too much for my liking. For example, there's a few missions where you HAVE to upgrade your ship in order to proceed with the mission which includes taking down ships. I was forced to spend a few hours just roaming the seas outside of the main storyline just so I could find resources and attack other ships in order to upgrade my own and proceed with the main storyline. Upgrading your ship is a hassling and tedious process, one which I hope they don't include in future games. Aside from this problem though, the rest of the game was fantastic. I recently got a new GTX 780 graphics card, meaning I was able to max the settings out for this game on PC, and it truly does look phenomenal. I also found the game to be very long, which is a good thing. With previous AC games I have completed the main story within 2-3 days (yes, I like to play them pretty solidly!), but with this game, it took me around 4-5 days, mainly due to having to upgrade my ship all the time.

    As far as combat goes, there's no real change. The weapon system is still very much the same and there aren't any 'mind-blowing' additions. If you've played AC before, you'll fit right into the game without any issues. One thing I wish they'd do is bring more unique weaponry to the game, like they did in Assassin's Creed 2 (my favourite AC game). One thing I also loved about this game was the personality connection you gained with other characters. Black Flag really shows off a personal side to Edward (your character), and you develop strong relationships with other people throughout the game. This is by far the best way to captivate a gamer into a game, and with the great voice acting and facial animation, I felt very much like I was in the story myself.

    Overall I loved it, despite the few issues it has. QUICK NOTE: There is a small sequence after the credits, so don't quit the game before the credits end!    … Expand
  63. Thatweirdguy
    Nov 28, 2013
    6
    Good Game but with issues the PC versions always faced Fps bugs, and graphics issues and poor performance other then that it can be considered as a great game
  64. mphst
    Nov 28, 2013
    5
    Same mistakes were made again like AC3. Soulness and Nonsense game story is boring. Ubisoft must understand that, last two games is not AC game. Maybe expansion pack of rookie assasins but, i didnt see any assasins whole two games. they need to get rid of being "callofdutiism". they didnt mess up any game like this, even PoP series.
  65. Verdan
    Nov 28, 2013
    7
    This game is bit rushed. When Assassin's Creed gets pushed out. My thoughts are "Oh awesome new story, historical views, new characters yay!". Waiting for a good game. Assassin's creed: black Flag is not bad game by any standard. It's just not ground breaking and awesome like the old ones. The story line is different and will play out to be nice, but side quests...Really? I liked toThis game is bit rushed. When Assassin's Creed gets pushed out. My thoughts are "Oh awesome new story, historical views, new characters yay!". Waiting for a good game. Assassin's creed: black Flag is not bad game by any standard. It's just not ground breaking and awesome like the old ones. The story line is different and will play out to be nice, but side quests...Really? I liked to collect optional stuff from each zone, yet it netted me nothing (I don't really like that i only get 1% when i complete a zone). Outside story mode this game has nothing to offer in terms of gamplay. Pirating is fun for a while, but since you blunder basically same resources (Women, new ships, slaves, art, gold yarrr???) all over...You are not feeling like a pirate.

    Quick fire round to pro´s and con´s.

    Pro´s:
    - Setting is not limited to cities only like older releases
    - Pirate setting is done nicely, you are spending time on a vessel
    - Crafting got useful again and ship customization looks awesome
    - Sneaking, fighting got updated amongst other things.

    Cons:
    - The "Real life" story is left out for good part of the game
    - You don't really have a clue about the grand schemes, so you are not pursuing a goal.
    - Little to no graphical improvements (Well they don't even need to those, but added them anyway. Game looks awesome!)
    - Characters are uninteresting
    - Optional stuff is optional...And useless. Why collect 15 fragments that will not grant you anything expect 0,5 progress sync story.
    - I´m pretty sure i have seen some character models in AC 1 3 as major storyline...
    - You need to wait a long time until story kicks in. Don't get bored until then.    … Expand
  66. fragman
    Nov 28, 2013
    8
    Your satisfaction with AC4 will be depending on what you want from the game. In terms of a successor to games like Brotherhood it may seem a little bit subpar since it isn't on that level story-wise. However the protagonist is an enjoyable character and I like the change regarding the Assassin's order-based main characters. Instead of one more installment of basically the same game itYour satisfaction with AC4 will be depending on what you want from the game. In terms of a successor to games like Brotherhood it may seem a little bit subpar since it isn't on that level story-wise. However the protagonist is an enjoyable character and I like the change regarding the Assassin's order-based main characters. Instead of one more installment of basically the same game it takes quite a different approach while still providing links to previous versions.

    The mix between the classic rooftop hopping from the early days and the nature parkour we know from AC3 gives the game a nice variety. You'll always have something fun to do and in my experience the most enjoyable thing in AC4 is leaving the main story behind every now and then and just go explore, hunt and sail the open seas. It is extremely nice to pull up next to a huge british ship and blasting it to smithereens. And while I really miss some mechanics from earlier games (like calling assassins to your aid), if you look at it as a pirate game it is completely awesome.    … Expand
  67. 1ManAndHisDroid
    Nov 27, 2013
    9
    a) don't read the obvious fake 10s
    b) don't read the obvious fake 0s
    This game is great... I haven't bought an AC game since the 2nd one... Skipped AC3 and I have to say LOVE this... Like the reviews say it's less "in the real world templar assassin nonsense" and more pirating! Best pirate game I've ever played (and I've played a few!) Naval battles are really quite    a) don't read the obvious fake 10s
    b) don't read the obvious fake 0s

    This game is great... I haven't bought an AC game since the 2nd one...
    Skipped AC3 and I have to say LOVE this...
    Like the reviews say it's less "in the real world templar assassin nonsense" and more pirating!
    Best pirate game I've ever played (and I've played a few!)
    Naval battles are really quite spectacular (as are naval base attacks)
    It's just plain fun...
    And ignore all the fakery about not being optimised and all that jazz it looks stunning, plays stunning and if you have half a decent rig it'll be as next gen as it's going to get! (not quite the next-gen look I was hoping for but getting there!)    … Expand
  68. WestLil0
    Nov 26, 2013
    9
    A definite improvement in graphics! This AC is a mixture of Skyrim with Far Cry 3 you can't get bored. If you want to sail and fight on the seas, you can. If you want to travel on land and kill a few bad guys, you can. Lots of places to explore, including underwater. Some geography lessons are needed, though, since Havana in reality doesn't have mountains around it. I do miss the AssassinA definite improvement in graphics! This AC is a mixture of Skyrim with Far Cry 3 you can't get bored. If you want to sail and fight on the seas, you can. If you want to travel on land and kill a few bad guys, you can. Lots of places to explore, including underwater. Some geography lessons are needed, though, since Havana in reality doesn't have mountains around it. I do miss the Assassin story and continuity, but after playing nearly 30 hours I have only gotten 25% through, so not sure if it will resurface later. In addition to the main mission, the side missions and the assassination contracts keep it varied. This is the kind of game you can play several times without feeling it's repetitive. Great job Ubisoft. Looking forward to the next one already!… Expand
  69. ZabaZu
    Nov 26, 2013
    8
    This is my favorite Assassin's Creed game since Brotherhood. The game takes some of the mechanics from Assassin's Creed 3 (which I hated) and improves them slightly, but the atmosphere and story this time around is much better and really sucks you in. While the series still suffers from boring filler missions, the games mechanics make them fun enough. In my opinion, the game reallyThis is my favorite Assassin's Creed game since Brotherhood. The game takes some of the mechanics from Assassin's Creed 3 (which I hated) and improves them slightly, but the atmosphere and story this time around is much better and really sucks you in. While the series still suffers from boring filler missions, the games mechanics make them fun enough. In my opinion, the game really shines during the naval battles and pirate ship everything. Going from land to sea is seamless and easy, and your pirate crew sets the mood perfectly by cheering for the captain (you). They sing shanties while sailing to really bring the mood home. When you engage in battle, it is completely dynamic and increases immersion. When you can board an enemy ship, everything feels very dynamic which makes the experience feel authentic and makes you feel like you really accomplished something cool. After every battle you feel like a badass.

    The same can't really be said for the land fights though. The series has been making the stealth portions easier and easier, and the laughable ease of Assassin's Creed 3 remains fully intact. At least this time around, most of the bushes you hide in actually conceal you. You can still run right into an enemies face, then jump into a bush and they will act like they were "just seeing things", which is mood killing. If you played AC3, you know all about the land combat.

    This game is great solely because of the pirate theme and what they have done with naval battles. It feels like it is being tacked onto the Assassin's Creed brand in order to boost sales when it should have been a fresh new IP that could take full advantage of the amazing ideas introduced. The game gets an 8 from me because the pirate aspects truly hold the game up that much.    … Expand
  70. gletara
    Nov 26, 2013
    5
    Ahh a new AC game, remember when ubisoft stated they are putting a lot of effort in Assassin Creed 3? As Ubisoft claimed, the scheduler used for the rendering was ‘rewritten from the ground up and in AC4, the engine will use all the cores it needs until it sees that using more cores brings no more gain. Well it appears that ubisoft lied once more. My I5 2500k so call recommended processorAhh a new AC game, remember when ubisoft stated they are putting a lot of effort in Assassin Creed 3? As Ubisoft claimed, the scheduler used for the rendering was ‘rewritten from the ground up and in AC4, the engine will use all the cores it needs until it sees that using more cores brings no more gain. Well it appears that ubisoft lied once more. My I5 2500k so call recommended processor peg at 100% on 1 core and 5-15% on the rest, 2013 game running single core how awesome is that.After all optimizing game on the pc are not ubisoft priority anyway as stated them self. Good thing is naval combat is nothing short of amazing and revolutionary, a major improvement on AC3 which i do like if it isn't crippled by performance issue. Theme and setting are done very well, lush vegetation in stunning detail. They said the game would perform well even on low end machine, an overclocked 560Ti is apparently getting 40 fps on lowest setting and 800x600 resolution with vysyn turn off. Ashame really this could have been the best AC game yet after AC2 if it is actually enjoyable.… Expand
  71. DanielCorfour
    Nov 26, 2013
    6
    Assassin's Creed 4: 90% pirate, 10% assassin. To see a summary of this review scroll to the end.

    Ubisoft went ahead and did the obvious. They took, the best part of Assassin's Creed 3, really the only really good part, and made a game out of it. Literally, they retrofitted the game engine used in the previous title into this a new game, while barely adding or changing anything. This    Assassin's Creed 4: 90% pirate, 10% assassin. To see a summary of this review scroll to the end.

    Ubisoft went ahead and did the obvious. They took, the best part of Assassin's Creed 3, really the only really good part, and made a game out of it. Literally, they retrofitted the game engine used in the previous title into this a new game, while barely adding or changing anything. This whole game felt like an AC 3.1, rather than a new title.. which, I wouldn't have had a problem with, if they would have fixed the problems that plagued AC3, or actually gave us a good, satisfying story, like AC2, but they didn't.

    Assassin's Creed wasn't particularly good when it came to game mechanics, AC1 and 2 were kind of bad actually, instead, it was built by it's amazing storytelling, beautiful setting, and wonderful soundtrack. I still listen to Ezio's Family by Jesper Kyd from AC2. That song brings back a kind of emotions that I rarely feel with games. AC4, however delivers only one of these, the setting. I'm going to start by criticizing the story itself. It's terrible. First off, it has nothing to do with Assassins, they barely make a cameo appearance, both inside and outside the Animus. The whole game revolves around pirates, and that wouldn't be a problem, if it was a good story. And it starts out good, but then it gets riddled with plot holes, poor writing, scenes that don't make sense, and although they stayed away from the obvious parrot cliches, they added a bunch of them story-wise. The story does make a few twists, but most of them you'll see coming a mily away, and most of them don't make sense. There is no main enemy in the game, and most of the things that happen in the game make no sense. And if you were expecting a great ending.. don't.. it is terrible. The only plot-twist you won't see coming in this game is the ending.. they drop it on you out of nowhere, just when you were expecting the game would truly begin, and then they hit you in the face with a poorly done cutscene, and leave you confused.

    Here's a tip, dear Ubisoft. A story, every story, follows 5 basic steps, not necessarily in this order: Exposition, Rising Action, Progression, Climax, Ending. The 4th is completely missing, and the fifth leaves you confused, when it should leave you satisfied.

    Then there are the actual missions in the story. Boring, repetitive and most of them don't make sense. All you do is follow this guy, eavesdrop on that guy. And on rare occasions you kill someone. Missions involving ships can be interesting, but at times they are the same boring "follow that ship" nonsense. In comparison with GTA 5, or Red Dead Redemption, where every mission was unique and intriguing, here they are boring, unimaginative and repetitive. The same goes for side missions. Assassinations, Naval Missions and Templar Hunts. All of them are basically the same. If you did one then you did all, there's no point in continuing. You play through it once, but you won't want to play through it a second time.

    What saves the game is the beautiful and huge open world game, the side activities(not missions) and the naval combat. The setting is really amazing, although some fans of the series will find it irritating that you won't visit cities that much, only a couple times, and they are small with not a lot of things to do, the setting just didn't allow for that. Most of the time you will do what the game is all about: pirating. Naval combat is really fun, and it's been expanded upon a lot.: you can board ships, capture them, steal their cargo and send them to your fleet, you can attack naval forts and capture them. You can use those resources to upgrade your ship and so on. There are also underwater places you can explore, but there are limited, and in comparison with GTAV, where there was an entire open-world you could explore, here there are only ten locations, but it still looks great, and avoiding sharks and medusas is great fun. You can also raid plantations, which are a ton of fun... basically the side activities are really great, and make this game enjoyable, even though the story brings it down.

    In summary, it looks like this game was made just so Ubisoft can make more money off of the ship mechanics in AC3. Combat and land based mechanics are basically the same as the previous game, although they did need changing and improving. The game engine is the same as it was in the third title, with very little improvement, or change, when it, again needed it. And all of this would not be a problem if the game offered a good story, but it doesn't. The story seems like an excuse to sell an adapted version of AC3, and the story is driven by the game mechanics, and not vice versa. Luckily the beautiful setting, graphics and excellent pirate game save the game and prop up the rating to a 6/10. You can't help but feel, if they only spent a little bit more time, and wouldn't pump out a game every year, it could've been an amazing game.    … Expand
  72. Dunk
    Nov 26, 2013
    8
    Gameplay wise, great fun, in particular the naval elements.

    Very poorly optimised for PC hardware though. As with previous A.C games, it's hugely cpu dependant, even if you have a pair of top end cards in SLI.
  73. MontyDKoege
    Nov 26, 2013
    9
    Well I'm a long time fan of AC, but have been rather critical of some of the historical settings, which we have been presented.
    Where AC would have gotten a 7 this setting and all the new features has blown me out of the water.

    Best pirate game ever love sailing (instead of that irritating horse and discovering loads of secrets.
    Absolutely great graphics and wonderful ideas.
  74. andymac20
    Nov 26, 2013
    10
    Better story than the rest of the series better graphics and gameplay overall improvement and graphics are realy realy good played 27 hours not finishes story yet but one of best games played this year surprising with the amount of good games this year
  75. WiiDiEs
    Nov 26, 2013
    5
    Game is great.No questions asked but the optimization is one of the worst i saw in my life.This game is beautifull but tehnically it barely runs.And it has a short story.
  76. Lrv7795
    Nov 25, 2013
    10
    I have been a long-time fan of the Assassin's Creed series. Black Flag does not disappoint. What I look for in a game is how long I can play it until it gets old. I'm over 20 hours in, haven't beaten it, and am still having a blast. The only downside is tailing and eavesdropping missions, and even those include the new style of stealth Ubisoft has incorporated into the game. I love theI have been a long-time fan of the Assassin's Creed series. Black Flag does not disappoint. What I look for in a game is how long I can play it until it gets old. I'm over 20 hours in, haven't beaten it, and am still having a blast. The only downside is tailing and eavesdropping missions, and even those include the new style of stealth Ubisoft has incorporated into the game. I love the stealth system in Dishonored and Farcry 3, and Assassin's Creed IV comes close to the same level of quality. Now for the rest of the game. You will find yourself swinging from ropes and boarding ships with explosions around you, dual swords in hand, slicing up British to your heart's content. The combat has been made noticeably smoother and the same with the naval combat. There is so very little wrong with this game; it amazes me how critics take those small errors and take 20 points off of a game's score.… Expand
  77. BlackBear
    Nov 25, 2013
    9
    Amazing detail. Several hours of game play. Being a pirate through the Caribbean is amazing fun. Just when you think you have seen it all, Ubisoft makes it better.
  78. darkcerb
    Nov 25, 2013
    8
    Large open world with an interesting lead, and no desmond!

    I suppose I'm biased really, not only was the boat sections the only redeeming quality of three imo I'm also a sucker for pirates, I thought making the player the main character of the real world was perfect and really fit the meta concepts of the series, the only down side is you're mute and completely un-responsive which    Large open world with an interesting lead, and no desmond!

    I suppose I'm biased really, not only was the boat sections the only redeeming quality of three imo I'm also a sucker for pirates, I thought making the player the main character of the real world was perfect and really fit the meta concepts of the series, the only down side is you're mute and completely un-responsive which becomes incredibly grating at many points of the real world story arc.

    My only complaint is I wish there was more to the world, it's big geographically but feels stale...they're getting close though if they keep up with this trend and hopefully with a more interactive real world story arc the next game could be truly fantastic.

    Oh and my five year old pc plays this just fine, not sure where the technical complaints are coming from really.    … Expand
  79. red259
    Nov 25, 2013
    6
    I took the time to write a review, because I don't want people to get misled by the hype and run out and blow all their money on this game. There is no way this game is a 10. The premise of the game is interesting and the game is ambitions. I enjoy the graphics. However, the controls are absolutely terrible. Its even worse than I remember from brotherhood. Its very difficult to do anythingI took the time to write a review, because I don't want people to get misled by the hype and run out and blow all their money on this game. There is no way this game is a 10. The premise of the game is interesting and the game is ambitions. I enjoy the graphics. However, the controls are absolutely terrible. Its even worse than I remember from brotherhood. Its very difficult to do anything without the game thinking your trying to do something else. I have found the game to be extremely frustrating due to the poor control design. Unfortunately, since the story is not that great the only thing that could save this game is the game play, but you need intuitive controls for that. If this had been the first attempt of a company at a game maybe I could be a bit more forgiving. However, this is another game in a long series of games and apparently the company could not be bothered to fix problems that have existed in their prior games. Bottom line is that it was a game with potential, but poor game design has really taken the fun out of it.… Expand
  80. Basem101
    Nov 25, 2013
    9
    this game is amazing yes it is and could be the best game in the AC franchise but i don't understand this LAG problem no matter what i do it is there it would the experience much better but for it the gameplay is really good and the story too if you have a very pwerful PC then play this game if not you might not like it because of the problems in the end it is an awesome game and ithis game is amazing yes it is and could be the best game in the AC franchise but i don't understand this LAG problem no matter what i do it is there it would the experience much better but for it the gameplay is really good and the story too if you have a very pwerful PC then play this game if not you might not like it because of the problems in the end it is an awesome game and i would have given it a 10 out of 10 if they just fix this problem… Expand
  81. Praesi
    Nov 25, 2013
    9
    Who like AC have to play this one. Its the best AC Gamer so far. It has the same Problems like every other AC, with melee combat and sometimes climbing. But its nothing compared to the good stuff this Game bring up. Nice Quests, good Voiceacting, alot more animations in combat. They reduced the Watchtowers and added nice stealth mechanics, with overworked enemy/spot system. With everythingWho like AC have to play this one. Its the best AC Gamer so far. It has the same Problems like every other AC, with melee combat and sometimes climbing. But its nothing compared to the good stuff this Game bring up. Nice Quests, good Voiceacting, alot more animations in combat. They reduced the Watchtowers and added nice stealth mechanics, with overworked enemy/spot system. With everything maxed out, this Game looks just beatifull and runs so smooth(GTX 670). Stunning graphics, Light-Shadow..everything. "Currentgen" Port to PC and what a nice one. Shipbattles are just Fun too, amazing Water (visuals and physics). Its a realy good AC Game with alot of Content and funny new stuff.… Expand
  82. theLionheart
    Nov 25, 2013
    9
    second only to the legendary assassin's creed II, black flag is without doubt one of the franchises best releases.
    black flag's gameplay is refreshing and gives you the tools to get lost for hours in the huge world filled with pirates scums,honest traders,evil templars and brave assassins. edward, like the game is a much stronger character than his grandson (connor from assassin's creed    second only to the legendary assassin's creed II, black flag is without doubt one of the franchises best releases.
    black flag's gameplay is refreshing and gives you the tools to get lost for hours in the huge world filled with pirates scums,honest traders,evil templars and brave assassins. edward, like the game is a much stronger character than his grandson (connor from assassin's creed III). the plot is superb thanks to good writing and sticking to historical fact as far as famous pirate deaths (some of the best scenes the game has to offer).the second plot (21st century) is compelling as it relates the other games, answers allot of questions but bring the tension up with a brilliant ending. in short assassin's creed IV black flag is one of the best games i got to play in the last decade. 9/10    … Expand
  83. Azerniss
    Nov 25, 2013
    9
    Great game, nice map and gameplay, especially the naval combat. You get most upgrades too fast though, and there could have been more, more diverse upgrades.
  84. tacomodo
    Nov 24, 2013
    2
    Nothing new to see here, move along. If you've played any of the other asscreeds, you've played this one too. They really should stop milking this dead cow. Graphics actually seem worse than before.
  85. kimdba
    Nov 24, 2013
    8
    Open world, sea battle, stealth move and in-game puzzles are things I like. Upgrading system is somewhat dry and not so "open world" thing.

    I spent whole weekend and now getting slightly bored. It is a great game but definitely not as great as Skyrim.
  86. serp86
    Nov 24, 2013
    6
    Great pirate game with stupid Assasins/Templar non-sense. I really dislike the storyline of the Assasins Creed series with it's convoluted non-sensical mystic mumbo-jumbo In this you can mostly ignore those and just sail around pirating you can have tons of fun for hours very early. The rest of the game outside the naval battles is pretty eh. At least the protagonist is aware of howGreat pirate game with stupid Assasins/Templar non-sense. I really dislike the storyline of the Assasins Creed series with it's convoluted non-sensical mystic mumbo-jumbo In this you can mostly ignore those and just sail around pirating you can have tons of fun for hours very early. The rest of the game outside the naval battles is pretty eh. At least the protagonist is aware of how stupid the stuff he sees is and comments on it .

    Ubisoft should just completely drop the Assasins stuff and make game full Naval/Pirate game Cause thats awesome and i fully recommend to buy the game it at a lower price just for that.

    Optimization isn't optimal but it runs very well on my PC on basically maxed details with some glitches here and there. Didn't run into anything major yet.    … Expand
  87. gibbstar
    Nov 24, 2013
    9
    I'm relatively new to the AC line of games; they never appealed to me because of their strong console port setup. I got AC3 free with a new graphics card last year, so I gave it a whirl. I wasn't too impressed, although the graphics were good. There were tons of control related glitches, mostly pertaining to the fact it was a poorly done port from the console, i believe. This was after theI'm relatively new to the AC line of games; they never appealed to me because of their strong console port setup. I got AC3 free with a new graphics card last year, so I gave it a whirl. I wasn't too impressed, although the graphics were good. There were tons of control related glitches, mostly pertaining to the fact it was a poorly done port from the console, i believe. This was after the game had been out for a while and had all the DLC out, so it's like they didn't even care to patch it to full functionality.
    AC4, however, exhibited none of these technical flaws so far. I've played the game about 38 hours and have been having a great time. I havent had any crashes, lock ups, frame rate drops (the settings are all on ultra/high) and things are great. I love pirate games like the classic sid meirs (sp?) pirates! game from early 90s on the com64. It's rare to find a good pirate game, and this has tons to do.
    I love upgrading and customizing my ship, weapons, clothing etc to fit my playstyle, and just sailing around the huge sandbox attacking ships is also fun.
    There are some things that could be improved, but for what it is (a console port) it is awesome. The people that are saying it's the same as AC3 with pirates are being ridiculous. Of course a lot of the same things from other AC games are going to be in it, it's another installment of the AC franchise. If they changed how everything worked people would cry about that. If you read most of the reviews, the complaints are petty. It runs great on my mid-level machine maxed out, plays better than the last AC, and is Pirates!!!    … Expand
  88. Archie101
    Nov 24, 2013
    0
    I hate it. Its very poorly optimized. Its as buggy as it can get. Then the genre should have been action adventure because there is no stealth in this. Ubisoft has not done justice to a game which had a lot of potential.
  89. davidgbf
    Nov 24, 2013
    10
    This game surprised me! I thought it'll be just a little continuation of AC3, but the game is a hole new world, a very beautiful world. The sea battles are awesome! And the game is very optimized to PC. Perfect!
  90. Reidlos65
    Nov 24, 2013
    5
    Good game hindered by the Poorest PC optimization ive seen in a few years. Top of the line rigs hitting 45 to maybe 60 if your lucky? Nah don't think so. The game is fun and story is good considering this is outside the trilogy
  91. RustyJames
    Nov 24, 2013
    1
    Booring! We saw all that stuff in AC3. In my opinion Ubisoft consider PC gamers as a bunch of silly children, again and again. The graphics just a bit better, than in AC3, but with poor tech support of PC, the lags and freezes appears even on the recently upgraded machines. But what is advice by Ubisoft? "HA-HA. Try again and buy the high-end system!". I'm tired of this ****
    But what do    Booring! We saw all that stuff in AC3. In my opinion Ubisoft consider PC gamers as a bunch of silly children, again and again. The graphics just a bit better, than in AC3, but with poor tech support of PC, the lags and freezes appears even on the recently upgraded machines. But what is advice by Ubisoft? "HA-HA. Try again and buy the high-end system!". I'm tired of this ****
    But what do you find at the game? Silly screenplay, as usual, 1-dimensional characters, as usual, a lot of extremely stupid mini-games, as usual. But the most annoying things are the missions, i suppose it's the worst game design in the series. After a couple hours it seems that you play replays type 1: shadowing and chase, type 2: annoying naval battles (the fun leaves after 3-4 battle), type 3: the robbery that appears to massacre.

    I hoped AC4 to be at least open-world game, but it fails, of course just a dead cities (like an exact copy past from AC3), with number of treasures and other "pirate" stuff...

    Music and sound are usual, quite ok, sounds like a lot of money wasted to something similar to "historical" or "original"...Actors are ok, but the dialogues, no doubt, was writen by the children and for the children...

    Controls in PC version are still headache since AC1, the alter-ego tries to irritate you at least 1 time per 2 minutes, especially when you're doing "cool parkour stuff"...

    It's the same situation again on PC, the series still have failed since AC2, which was a real step forward, so what can i say "use your assassin's abilities" and don't waste your time and money as "a fake pirate" in AC3,5.    … Expand
  92. bobreviews
    Nov 24, 2013
    1
    Runs like absolute ass. Yet another console port, from ubisoft. Tons of boring sailing. Unnecessary bolted-on additions to the story. Pretty much par for course now from ubisoft.
  93. kuffey
    Nov 24, 2013
    0
    Honestly, this game is an unoptimized cop out on ubisofts part. Runs absolutely terribly on pc, and the fact that atl east half the missions are recycled "stealth" get to point a to point b without getting detected. Literally, tailing simulator 2012. The "NAVAL STEALTH" was the last straw, if you are gonna get this game, i suggest pirating it.
  94. Ulson
    Nov 24, 2013
    9
    Black Flag joined Assassin's Creed 2 at the very top of my fav games list. Game is filled with side missions and activities, music is beautiful, views are breathtaking and characters are incredible James Kidd is my favourite character in all AC series). Every fan of Assassin's Creed will be ecstatic, people who don't like series won't be dissapointed. Thanks to Ubisoft for that incredibleBlack Flag joined Assassin's Creed 2 at the very top of my fav games list. Game is filled with side missions and activities, music is beautiful, views are breathtaking and characters are incredible James Kidd is my favourite character in all AC series). Every fan of Assassin's Creed will be ecstatic, people who don't like series won't be dissapointed. Thanks to Ubisoft for that incredible experience!… Expand
  95. GamerNumberOne
    Nov 24, 2013
    10
    This years Assassins Creed is just awesome. Great graphics, awesome gameplay and an amazing story. And the rain gives me orgasms...it just looks so good!
  96. Baronz
    Nov 24, 2013
    0
    Game on PC is unplayable, tearing everywhere, even if i can play most games with high detail, this game is barely playable with low settings. While AC3 was a bad porting but was at least playable, this one is really not worth the money. I really don't think PC gamer deserve a poorly optimized game like this.
  97. OliverGrau
    Nov 24, 2013
    0
    I love the AC series and I would love to play the game. But hard lock ups keeps keeping me away. This game is no where near out of alpha stage, in the short minutes I've gotten to play the game has been a pain, it suffers from some really hard screen tearing even with VSYNC or adaptive VSYNC on. 0/10 unplayable.
  98. Pengion
    Nov 23, 2013
    0
    Auto saves don't work, unless you want to replay the beginning over and over and over again don't buy. Broken game, should never have been released as is.
  99. CardinalStorm
    Nov 23, 2013
    10
    I think most gamers who visit Metacritic have learnt to ignore the typical fools who give ridiculously low scores due to inadequate hardware or pirate versions of the game that either don't work properly or are simply not up to date.

    For those that want the typically honest, straight-up review from myself, pull up chair for a simple one. Combine the "I fancy messing around for a    I think most gamers who visit Metacritic have learnt to ignore the typical fools who give ridiculously low scores due to inadequate hardware or pirate versions of the game that either don't work properly or are simply not up to date.

    For those that want the typically honest, straight-up review from myself, pull up chair for a simple one.

    Combine the "I fancy messing around for a while" freedom of GTA with the beauty and crafting of Far Cry 3 and the cast of Pirates of the Caribbean oh, and add the usual Assassin's Creed and you've got Black Flag.

    Up until this point, Assassin's Creed has pretty much been the same old thing; which is not a problem for those of you who, like me, enjoy the games. But, to be honest, after a hour or two of ACIII I'd had enough, the enjoyment I had from the first two games was completely gone. Ubisift must of detected this stale feedback of ACIII and obviously decided to really mix things up, and wow, what a result!

    So, you've got your usual Assassin's Creed gameplay, you know, running around towns, killing guards, blah blah blah, and then you've got what is, quite literally, the best depiction of naval adventure and battle that's ever graced a computer. Once you've completed the introductory bits (usual AC sort of stuff) you basically get your own warship and crew and then you choose to do whatever it is you want to do, be it following the game or not.

    Sailing, treasure hunting, swimming, diving, harpooning, bar brawls...........and on, and on.....

    Assassin's Creed Black Flag simply puts the fun back into AC, fun that left the series after ACII.

    Oh, and if you've got a decent rig (GTX 670+) then you're in for a visual masterpiece. The towns look better, the shadows are better, the animation is better, the details are better and the water? Well, it's spectacular, combined with very good time of day lighting and outstanding weather effects. Audio is also extremely good. The PC version (which already far surpasses what the PS4/XBox One can achieve) is also receiving a Physx patch for even more effects.

    With an i7@4.2Ghz, GTX 680 and 12GB RAM, I'm running it completely maxed (apart from High Env quality and Low God rays) at 2560x1440 and it runs at a smooth frame rate; granted, not 60fps solid, but a very acceptable and more than playable 40-45fps.

    Just make sure to disable VSync in game and run D3DOverrider, forcing VSync and TB.

    I don't often give 10/10 for anything in life, but when there's nothing else quite like Black Flag available, it is truly epic.    … Expand
  100. HONDOMAN
    Nov 23, 2013
    9
    I was genuinely surprised at this Assassin's Creed. After the last one, I had lost hope in the franchise and figured they were going to milk it. This game turned the franchise completely around. This game is right up there with Assassin's Creed II and Edward is on par with Ezio. The setting is just beautiful and the characters are some of the best. The new approach to the assassins is alsoI was genuinely surprised at this Assassin's Creed. After the last one, I had lost hope in the franchise and figured they were going to milk it. This game turned the franchise completely around. This game is right up there with Assassin's Creed II and Edward is on par with Ezio. The setting is just beautiful and the characters are some of the best. The new approach to the assassins is also neat. The thing holding it back is the performance. While most of the time it runs fairly smooth, some other times it will drop frame rate for no reason. Over all an awesome game.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Best PC Game of 2013
15
#15 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
16
#16 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. GameCritics
    Mar 5, 2014
    60
    Ironically enough for a game which centers around the concept of genetic ancestry, however, it continually lets itself down by refusing to break away from its own tired and worn-out heritage,
    Read full review
  2. DarkZero
    Jan 16, 2014
    90
    Fans that were bummed out by Assassin’s Creed III will most likely find Black Flag to be a welcoming return to what they love about the series, with a great story, amazingly crafted world and smart additions to the sailing that make it a refreshing part of the Assassin’s Creed formula.
    Read full review
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Dec 30, 2013
    90
    Makes up for the failings of AC3, delivering a fantastic, engaging open world experience. [Jan 2014, p.78]
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