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. exxr
    Nov 23, 2013
    9
    Great game. Haven't finished it yet but so far it doesn't disappoint. Only a couple of issues, the controls sometimes have a mind of their own (not sure if due to consolitis) and the game needs you to get heaps of money which can be tedious to achieve.

    Other than that the graphics and the world are awesome, the story is good and no crashes at all which is a nice thing.
  2. Timmyblookbug
    Nov 23, 2013
    8
    A user review pointed out how shallow Black Flag's naval combat is, i noticed the same issues and initially felt disappointment myself.
    I hanker after a sandbox pirate sim with AAA production values, and some reviews lead my to believe ACIV had a bit of that going on.
    However, after mastering the ships controls and a few upgrades, something clicked. The naval combat in this game is    A user review pointed out how shallow Black Flag's naval combat is, i noticed the same issues and initially felt disappointment myself.
    I hanker after a sandbox pirate sim with AAA production values, and some reviews lead my to believe ACIV had a bit of that going on.
    However, after mastering the ships controls and a few upgrades, something clicked. The naval combat in this game is amazing fun. It just works and if you're not overly cautious you can find yourself in some tight scrapes and the battles can be thrilling. It's pure arcade, but not dumbed down, it's masterfully designed for sheer enjoyment.
    I also noticed many user reviews claiming "poor console port" then only siting control issues. Yes this game was designed to be played using a console controller, a great deal of third person games are. If you enjoy this type of game why not buy a controller? Cheaper than most hi-end gaming mice. Is mouse and keyboard sacrosanct or something? We get a superior version of a console game to play on pc, we're not losing we're gaining. I only have sympathy for this kind of bleating when a game that plays better with mouse and keyboard, like Skyrim for instance, is shackled with an unwieldy console menu system or something of that sort. Otherwise, just buy a bloody controller.    … Expand
  3. Shane_IL
    Nov 23, 2013
    9
    I must say that after being disappointed by AC3, this title has restored my faith in the franchise. My opinion is possibly biased by an academic interest in pirates, but I am truly absorbed into the game. The openness of the game is a vast improvement on what was attempted in AC3 (where most of the open map areas were empty and dull) in terms of game-play and graphics. I do have to deductI must say that after being disappointed by AC3, this title has restored my faith in the franchise. My opinion is possibly biased by an academic interest in pirates, but I am truly absorbed into the game. The openness of the game is a vast improvement on what was attempted in AC3 (where most of the open map areas were empty and dull) in terms of game-play and graphics. I do have to deduct a point though due to some graphic bugs and due to the control interface (since AC Revelations) which I find unintuitive. All in all an absorbing title with some amazing graphics.… Expand
  4. fat_funny_freak
    Nov 22, 2013
    10
    First of all I would like to say OFF HATERS, now, with that done lets get into the actual review.

    The game starts of like many others have with you being chucked right into the mist of battle and expected to know what to do, and from there on its pretty much what you would expect from previous games until....... you get your first ship. This is were the game flourishes, ship combat    First of all I would like to say OFF HATERS, now, with that done lets get into the actual review.

    The game starts of like many others have with you being chucked right into the mist of battle and expected to know what to do, and from there on its pretty much what you would expect from previous games until....... you get your first ship.

    This is were the game flourishes, ship combat is so well refined and not to mention my favorite part is ship boarding, when you attack a ship enough its disabled and you can board it and slaughter its crew, THIS IS SO FUN!

    The sound is ok, I found a few times where the sound of a sword hitting an enemy what out of time with the action itself, and the sword sounds are much quieter then what they usually are, the musics pretty good, there are some new animations which give a feel of "A new assassin".

    The story seems ok so far, nothing special but walking around in Abstergo Industries is nice because god rays nice colour pallet Nice Place.

    I was planning on giving this game a 9.5/10 only because of the screen tearing im getting, I run the game on a gtx 670 and am playing it at optimal settings for my PC and if I enable V Sync that just drops my frame rate harder then the anchors in the game, the reason im giving it a 10 is to offset all the haters, this game is a massive UP for the series, it took a small element from AC3 and made it the sole chemistry for AC4, ships.

    Again, OFF HATERS.    … Expand
  5. CBZ
    Nov 22, 2013
    8
    As a big fan of the series, having played all the PC games (hated AC3), I can say that they have really produced the best game so far. There are many things to praise, such as the visuals, the technical aspect, the story, the streamlined movements and the naval combat. The only things that I dont really like are the anymus fragmets, which are everywhere but they are useless, and the factAs a big fan of the series, having played all the PC games (hated AC3), I can say that they have really produced the best game so far. There are many things to praise, such as the visuals, the technical aspect, the story, the streamlined movements and the naval combat. The only things that I dont really like are the anymus fragmets, which are everywhere but they are useless, and the fact that its almost impossible to fall or trip. That takes away the fun and excitement of chasing people not knowing if your next jump might not be right. Now EVERY jump will make it unless you do something really stupid. They should have an option of no falling available to be switched on and off in the menu.… Expand
  6. Muath
    Nov 22, 2013
    10
    Absolutely one of the best games i've ever played, a very huge world to explore and a very gripping story, brilliant naval combat, and it's well optimized for NVIDIA cards.
  7. HEXHUN
    Nov 22, 2013
    5
    AC: Black Flag was announced like a big break through for the series. Unfortunately it fails this in so many ways.
    The single player content is carried out very badly. The multiplayer is totally the same, lacks the sight of the smallest innovations. It was satisfying two games ago... now it feels like Call of Duty...
    The game mechanism are so dumb down, even a monkey could play the    AC: Black Flag was announced like a big break through for the series. Unfortunately it fails this in so many ways.
    The single player content is carried out very badly. The multiplayer is totally the same, lacks the sight of the smallest innovations. It was satisfying two games ago... now it feels like Call of Duty...

    The game mechanism are so dumb down, even a monkey could play the game. A lot of good features from the predecessor games are missing. Specially from the combat... this game was build around it, but still this is the most unpretending part of the game... Everything that was good in AC3's naval combat, devs just trashed all of it.

    - There aren't any diffirences between ships... a 3500 tonne man of war will be as fast as Edward's small ship. The legendary ships are some kind of freaking jokes... they accelerate at 80 m/s and they are equipped with jet engines. WTF?
    - Canon reload time is so low... it takes (even for the man of war's 100 canons) only 3 seconds... just spam full boardside volleys, that is the only thing you will do in combat. Frigates and man of war ships have some future tech gatling canons... they can fire up to 5 volleys in quick succession (under ~10 seconds)
    - You can no longer change canon rounds like in AC3.
    - Ship sails no longer takes dmg, chain-shots lost there whole function... oh wait they've got a new one, now they STUN ships like in damn WoW...
    -This game is so arcade... you have the option to repair your ship AND loose all you notority after you board a ship.

    Melee combat sucks also... Thee E is your ultimate key used for anything... counter, dodge, parry. HP potions removed entirely.
    Edward regain heatlh automatically.. The fast-travel option added to the game, it has some nice side effects too, it can be used anytime, even in combat. Also recharges your full ammo supply (smokebombs, darts too) Eagle vision now tags enemies like the annoying wallhack in Far Cry 3. Assassinte missions are so arcade, you can run straight to your target, don't worry about being detected, because it's no longer cause desync. (mission fail, not even in story mission)

    The world looks big on the map, but its feels empty even towns and also lacks detail. Side activities are so few and even those are so boring, just a tons of ridiculously easy assassination contracts.

    This game won't provide any fun for whose played the older games. Black Flag is a huge disapointment. Made for 10 yrs old console-kids. This game probably don't deserve a medicore score.    … Expand
  8. Syadin
    Nov 22, 2013
    10
    This game is absolutely a masterpiece. Very rarely is it ever that I enjoy a game as much as I am enjoying AC4. They have added countless things, a very intricate naval system, and the graphics are outstanding! This is exactly what the Assassin's Creed franchise needed to make the game fresh again.

    The voice acting is amazing, the graphics are outstanding, and the characters really grow    This game is absolutely a masterpiece. Very rarely is it ever that I enjoy a game as much as I am enjoying AC4. They have added countless things, a very intricate naval system, and the graphics are outstanding! This is exactly what the Assassin's Creed franchise needed to make the game fresh again.

    The voice acting is amazing, the graphics are outstanding, and the characters really grow on you. I haven't been as emotionally invested into a video game character as I have become with Edward, since AC2 with young Ezio. Anybody who picks this game up, I can assure will thoroughly enjoy it, and another great thing that Ubisoft did was, instead of making the pirates how most people view them, they made them exactly how they were in the Golden Ages.

    What really pisses me off is all of the people who are giving this game negative reviews. I can assure you that not one of the negative reviews is actually about what the game brings to the table, which is WHAT REVIEWS ARE, they are not about you not being able to run the game. People are complaining saying "Oh, this game sucks, nothing to see here, it doesn't even run properly." Wrong, actually these people just have terrible graphics cards and need to stop crying and get their parents to buy them a new PC. I can run this game fully maxed constant 60 fps. Then you have some people who say this game has terrible graphics and rate it with 0. I don't know if these people are delusional, playing on low settings on a 240p monitor, or just feel the need to cry about something because of their terrible childhoods.

    To anyone who is contemplating on purchasing this game, it is a must, and I can assure you that as long as you aren't a child, mentally retarded, or like to complain because your upset with your current life status, then you will have some of the most fun you ever will with a game in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.    … Expand
  9. Atticas14
    Nov 22, 2013
    8
    Runs beautifully. With my GTX770 I'm getting easily over 60 FPS consistently. The world is beautiful traveling by see. The sea battle are great, and the story is the best I've seen yet out of an Assassin's Creed game. That said, it stills Assassin's Creed plus sea battles, you know what your getting here. The upgrades are awesome, with a FarCry 3 style system. I've put about twelve hoursRuns beautifully. With my GTX770 I'm getting easily over 60 FPS consistently. The world is beautiful traveling by see. The sea battle are great, and the story is the best I've seen yet out of an Assassin's Creed game. That said, it stills Assassin's Creed plus sea battles, you know what your getting here. The upgrades are awesome, with a FarCry 3 style system. I've put about twelve hours into the game and are no where near bored with it. I recommend it if you have a good gaming system to run it. I played it on PS3, but framerate was awful. I'm glad I got it on PC.… Expand
  10. jspenillo
    Nov 22, 2013
    10
    This game is a lot of fun, and way better then ACIII. The more I play it the more fun I am having. I am slowly traversing the story because there are so many side things to do. Out on the seas sailing your ship its incredible! This game is Huge! Will keep you all sorts of busy. If you haven't bought it yet, I suggest you do! Maybe wait for a Steam Fall Sale (thanksgiving time?) or SteamThis game is a lot of fun, and way better then ACIII. The more I play it the more fun I am having. I am slowly traversing the story because there are so many side things to do. Out on the seas sailing your ship its incredible! This game is Huge! Will keep you all sorts of busy. If you haven't bought it yet, I suggest you do! Maybe wait for a Steam Fall Sale (thanksgiving time?) or Steam Holiday Sale (typically X-mas time)!!!… Expand
  11. ppoczokk
    Nov 22, 2013
    1
    This game is basically an AC3 somewhat expanded. They changed the settings to pirate and added some visual effects, but thats all. Ubisoft milking the same cow.
    Any reviewer who writes it is a great game, and "it has some minor technical issues (FPS) that will need patching", are lying or part of the hype-troll factory. There aren't minor glitches, there are huge ones... Doesn't matter    This game is basically an AC3 somewhat expanded. They changed the settings to pirate and added some visual effects, but thats all. Ubisoft milking the same cow.
    Any reviewer who writes it is a great game, and "it has some minor technical issues (FPS) that will need patching", are lying or part of the hype-troll factory. There aren't minor glitches, there are huge ones... Doesn't matter what the Ubisoft copy/paste promo revs say.

    THE FACTS: the controls are the same as in prequels, made for the console, you have 8 buttons to do everything. If the view changes you're not running forward but sideward with the same button, making impossible some difficult moves and finishing 100% (if you care about it). If a reviewer never mentions bad controls, it means they never played the game. Read carefully.

    There are no savegames, but checkpoints. So if you scrw it up because of the bad controls, you can start all over again. Is it really that difficult to make a good port to the pc? I don't think so. But Ubi cares about money not about fans or gamers. On the long run this will prove an epic fail.

    I give 1 for the score because exactly that much they improved the game from AC3 (some flashy effects and a bigger map). If you are not payed by Ubi, you would never score this game above 3 or 4 (on the PC).    … Expand
  12. sg4rb0
    Nov 22, 2013
    9
    I have no idea how you can say it's boring. I'm about 4 hours in, and I love it. This is my first assassins creed game, so I cannot compare it to a previous version. However, I am really enjoying the story line, and stuff like being stealthy, catching thieves, pick-pocketing people, creating distractions, fighting with various weapons, sailing and shooting ships etc etc. I enjoy theI have no idea how you can say it's boring. I'm about 4 hours in, and I love it. This is my first assassins creed game, so I cannot compare it to a previous version. However, I am really enjoying the story line, and stuff like being stealthy, catching thieves, pick-pocketing people, creating distractions, fighting with various weapons, sailing and shooting ships etc etc. I enjoy the different platforms you use also. So far I really love it a lot. If anyone has every played the fairly new tomb raider game, it reminds me a little of that. However, tomb raider was a little short! Hopefully this will take a longer time to complete. Awsome!… Expand
  13. Duskspark
    Nov 21, 2013
    8
    A ridiculously large Carribean game world filled with stunning detail, memorable characters, secrets to collect and discover and a surprisingly well crafted storyline. "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" boosted my hope for the franchise again after a disappointing third installment. Even though the engine still takes a bit of getting used to, it quickly becomes easy to see its advantages.A ridiculously large Carribean game world filled with stunning detail, memorable characters, secrets to collect and discover and a surprisingly well crafted storyline. "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" boosted my hope for the franchise again after a disappointing third installment. Even though the engine still takes a bit of getting used to, it quickly becomes easy to see its advantages. There are some audio issues at times and some may find it hard to run the game, but nvidia already released a driverupdate to fix a noticable amount of that.… Expand
  14. Skilled_Seeker
    Nov 21, 2013
    10
    The best AC game yet. So much better than AC3's campaign. Large beautiful world to explore, variety in the gameplay with land sea and underwater and a seamless transition between these modes, lots to do and find. Missions are less linear gameplay wise and stealth is improved. Multiplayer game lab is an excellent addition.
  15. wolverine67
    Nov 21, 2013
    7
    The game is fun to play, and the graphics for the most part look great. My only observation that stood out was the low res textures for vegetation, and some bad character facial models. But all in all the game has more good than bad going for it, just wonder how they could have overlooked some details like vegetation etc. That being said could take away from the immersion in the game. WeThe game is fun to play, and the graphics for the most part look great. My only observation that stood out was the low res textures for vegetation, and some bad character facial models. But all in all the game has more good than bad going for it, just wonder how they could have overlooked some details like vegetation etc. That being said could take away from the immersion in the game. We are playing as pirates at sea, and roaming around the jungle Islands, so here's hoping for and update Ubisoft, but if not maybe some modder can fix it.… Expand
  16. Frantzelino
    Nov 21, 2013
    8
    Well,10 is so much for an AC game, and nothing below 5 would adress to a game of such quality,so i think an 8 or 9 at best gives a full picture of what AC4 have to offer us.If u buy it for the story and the go-on from AC1,then u will be very dissapointed, but if we leave the story apart,the whole gameplay and setting of the game will blow your mind in excellency. Solid pakour-free runWell,10 is so much for an AC game, and nothing below 5 would adress to a game of such quality,so i think an 8 or 9 at best gives a full picture of what AC4 have to offer us.If u buy it for the story and the go-on from AC1,then u will be very dissapointed, but if we leave the story apart,the whole gameplay and setting of the game will blow your mind in excellency. Solid pakour-free run execution(in the best ubisoft standards), quick and fun battles, amazing animations(especially when u achieve a combo), dozens of things to do to a fully open and interactive world, a better execution of the… Expand
  17. Hatshoo
    Nov 21, 2013
    10
    I have played them all and this is my favorite one by far! it is bigger in every way (map, history, complexity)
    I would give it a 9 but due to all the scrubs giving low score for no reason...
  18. asy8492
    Nov 21, 2013
    10
    Among all the AC series that had been released, this sequel by far is the best one ever. No doubt Ubisoft seems to have done a very good job in fulfilling customer's request for features in game that was first unveiled in AC3 but was not polished well which was naval warfare. Honestly, when AC3 came out, the naval warfare was one key feature that really attracts me the most but I was a bitAmong all the AC series that had been released, this sequel by far is the best one ever. No doubt Ubisoft seems to have done a very good job in fulfilling customer's request for features in game that was first unveiled in AC3 but was not polished well which was naval warfare. Honestly, when AC3 came out, the naval warfare was one key feature that really attracts me the most but I was a bit disappointed because it only appears as side missions and players don't have much choice to sail to other places and uses it as a mean of transports for exploring. However, AC4 really revamped that whole concept and brought my wish to real. For me, the open sea free-for-exploration with a ship is the best selling point for AC4. Never in my entire life have I seen a game that managed to handle naval warfare very well. It is too awesome. The ability to sail across the sea, stop by islands and explore them seamlessly without any boundaries, engage in epic naval battle and board the ships are the best key features for me. Playing the game somehow kind of reminds me a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean especially during the naval battle. Plus the new engine in the game which allows for spontaneous storms and huge waves to occur really added to the realism and epicness of the game. Seriously I wouldn't mind if the next AC5 continues on the sea exploration concept. In fact, I really hope they would retain naval exploration in the next installment. For anyone that has not played any Assassin's Creed series before, I think this installment is the best way to start with. It's like GTA but in a pirate settings in the caribbeans.… Expand
  19. NavyEurofighter
    Nov 21, 2013
    4
    I love this game, but the Pc version has a lot of Framerate issue and Ubisoft said they will not patch it for economic reasons, what a software house. PLEASE DON'T SPEND ANY MONEY ON IT, UBISOFT MUST CRY FOR THIS
  20. Necrotaur
    Nov 21, 2013
    8
    Compared to the previous two AC titles, Black Flag regains a lot of the momentum the series had. The graphics, sea battles and sailing aspect are top notch, and the lush jungle islands are fun to stop off at and explore. The Kenway story isn't bad, though the Abstergo section is wayyyy too meta and uninteresting for its own good. Controls are about the same as previous games, i.e. notCompared to the previous two AC titles, Black Flag regains a lot of the momentum the series had. The graphics, sea battles and sailing aspect are top notch, and the lush jungle islands are fun to stop off at and explore. The Kenway story isn't bad, though the Abstergo section is wayyyy too meta and uninteresting for its own good. Controls are about the same as previous games, i.e. not good. You'll probably fail each chase sequence at least once because your character decides to go down a ladder instead of run past it.

    Anyhow, I'm about 6 hours in and apart from control issues I'm enjoying Black Flag a lot. If you've been burned by Revelations or AC:3, this will make up for it.    … Expand
  21. convtabl
    Nov 21, 2013
    0
    Only reviews of 10 (payed/promo) and 0 (user).
    It has the same problems as the earlier ACs, nothing changed, a bad port to pc. Make a bad game, spend tons of money on advertising, fake reviewers and there you are. I was so hoping after the 2nd part, that they will fix issues, but Ubisoft is only out for money. It's a shame.
  22. JPulowski
    Nov 21, 2013
    0
    Just another Assassin's Creed game. Good on you Ubisoft for "callofdutizing" the series. Do not expect something totally different, you know just jumping around, killing things etc. etc.
  23. Lang15
    Nov 20, 2013
    9
    Great game! One of the best of the year. I didn't care for past couple of AC games, but with the open world sailing and pirating, it feels like a different game. I love just sailing around, the world is beatifully rendered on PC (AMD 7970).
  24. asscreedfanboi
    Nov 20, 2013
    2
    Best part of the game is the theme/setting, which is done very well. Everything else seems pretty stale. Probably would be worth a 6 or 7 if I were on a console, but this is a PC review, and it runs like ass on PC. Poorly optimized would be a compliment in this case, and Ubisoft even came out and said they didn't give a crap. I was sort of amused by the DLC, where you can pay money toBest part of the game is the theme/setting, which is done very well. Everything else seems pretty stale. Probably would be worth a 6 or 7 if I were on a console, but this is a PC review, and it runs like ass on PC. Poorly optimized would be a compliment in this case, and Ubisoft even came out and said they didn't give a crap. I was sort of amused by the DLC, where you can pay money to reveal the locations of activities and other things. At least it wasn't day 1 DLC to get the rest of the game!… Expand
  25. mucitel1
    Nov 20, 2013
    8
    The game looks quite good graphically. The story is rather short and all you really do is sail around or explore an island. While sailing or trying to do something you will often get 'area not available' and you will have to proceed with story. I would really like to see me being able to sail the distant lands on my own doing whatever i want I'm a pirate after all! This game reminds me ofThe game looks quite good graphically. The story is rather short and all you really do is sail around or explore an island. While sailing or trying to do something you will often get 'area not available' and you will have to proceed with story. I would really like to see me being able to sail the distant lands on my own doing whatever i want I'm a pirate after all! This game reminds me of Far Cry 3 a lot as some systems are similar. You have similar 'quick travel' options, you can create stuff from hides, hunt animals and tag enemies similarly. There are some minor glitches that we can look past, but I have been detected by enemies a few times and had to do it all over again.

    Sailing the ship can be fun but I was looking forward for bigger interaction. I haven't finished the game yet, but so far I find my pirates rather useless. They do help during ship vs ship battles, but you can't really use them elsewhere (yet?). I remember calling assassins in AC:B to aid me in combat a lot, but in Black Flag you have more 'stealth' missions. Hiding in bushes for a minute or so, so you can learn enemies path to know when it's time to move. Sailing the ship is okay, but I think they should let you scroll out further to really see what's going on around you.

    Overall I give this game 8/10. It's fun to play and I'm looking forward to finish it soon, which I usually don't do with most new games.    … Expand
  26. fgeth
    Nov 20, 2013
    0
    Yet another poor console port. The controls bad, as in the previous titles, no savegame, as I wrote, console...
    Don't believe the hype and the promo reviews and don't buy it for the pc.
  27. dzcamper
    Nov 20, 2013
    10
    This is the best assassin's creed game i ever play. I soo love pirate concept and it's SANDBOX!!! But best thing is naval combat! I recommend evrybody ITS AWSOME!!!
  28. jonoawesomeguy
    Nov 19, 2013
    7
    An important note- despite how great the naval combat is, it literally made me motion sick so I was only able to play a small portion of these sections. If you get seasick, try to avoid these parts of the game. Also, I was unable to play the FPS sections of the game because the FoV was locked to about 60 which also made me motion-sick. Caveat emptor- let the buyer beware.

    As someone who    An important note- despite how great the naval combat is, it literally made me motion sick so I was only able to play a small portion of these sections. If you get seasick, try to avoid these parts of the game. Also, I was unable to play the FPS sections of the game because the FoV was locked to about 60 which also made me motion-sick. Caveat emptor- let the buyer beware.

    As someone who has never actually played an Assassin's Creed game before and someone who has recently completed both Splinter Cell: Blacklist and FarCry 3 (both from Ubisoft) within the past 6 months, to me, Assassin's Creed IV really does nothing new, judging by the heavily borrowed concepts from the 2 aforementioned games. Despite the mostly unoriginal campaign, the graphics are pretty good and the PC port as a whole is decent, with the exception of the Abstergo entertainment FPS parts of the campaign.
    Starting with the gameplay, Assassin's Creed IV does barely anything new and what it provides is essentially the same seen in some of Ubisoft's other IPs. Examples of what Black Flag 'borrows' can be seen through none other than the crafting, hunting, assassinating, body hiding, climbing and looting mechanics. Crafting, hunting and looting mechanics within Black Flag are pretty much identical to that seen in FarCry 3- you craft holsters to hold more weapons, pouches for ammo etc. THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS FARCRY 3. Hunting is also pretty much the same, down to the animations and cutscenes for skinning the corpses of the animals (this time around, they let you skip the cutscene, which is a positive). Onto the assassinating, climbing and body hiding mechanics, they are so similar to those seen in Splinter Cell: Blacklist, that it may as well be a reskin of the game, but with hidden blades or swords sometimes. I don't have a problem with iterating gameplay features, but when these mechanics are so similar to games that the same publisher have the rights to or even released within the same year, I feel cheated. Also, the freerunning system felt like cheating the game- kind of like how Sonic is jokingly called 'press W to win', AC4's freerunning could be compared to 'press shift-W to win'.
    However, the seemingly more original gameplay from Black Flag comes in the form of its combat and naval aspects. The actual combat of the game is very well done, with a free-flowing combat system which makes fights seem very fluid and satisfying. It's somewhat similar to melee combat in Sleeping Dogs. The naval combat is enthralling and engaging. From the previews of the ship combat, I was worried that the naval elements were just going to be the worst parts of the game. Fortunately, they are surprisingly fun- much thanks to the execution of the concept which makes the ship handling feel adequate and exciting.
    The actual PC port is quite well done- plenty of options for users, fully rebindable keys, reasonable controls that actually work very well and the performance is fine (on an ATi Radeon 5800), so long as you leave ambient occlusion on SSAO, shadows not on soft, motion blur off and the antialiasing off (AA made my game extremely laggy and blurry), the game will run fine. It may not have run as well for me as the game is Nvidia optimised, so keep that in mind if you have a Nvidia card. The actual game's graphics are very nice, but in my opinion, does not qualify as 'next-gen'. The graphics are on a similar level to Tomb Raider (2013), but I subjectively think that Tomb Raider has better graphics, again, maybe because that game was AMD optimised so I was able to play it on relatively higher settings. I personally expected next-gen to be on a similar level to Crysis 3, but that may be asking too much.
    If you are looking for a decent PC port, you are in luck. However, if you are seeking a game which has original gameplay, you are looking in the wrong place. Assassin's Creed IV is a good-looking (but not quite next-gen in my opinion) game which has diverse gameplay features, but most of which are unashamedly 'borrowed' from Ubisoft's other IPs, making it seem as if they are merely sticking to a formula to make money.    … Expand
  29. The_Ommadawn
    Nov 19, 2013
    9
    People are funny (or is that just PC gamers?). Yes, yes, yes it has some minor technical issues (FPS) that will need patching, but these are expected for a game with this much scale. I felt that depressing feeling during the opening cutscene and tutorial island when the game wasn't as smooth as I'd hoped. Once I boarded my ship and headed to Havana, things improved and confidencePeople are funny (or is that just PC gamers?). Yes, yes, yes it has some minor technical issues (FPS) that will need patching, but these are expected for a game with this much scale. I felt that depressing feeling during the opening cutscene and tutorial island when the game wasn't as smooth as I'd hoped. Once I boarded my ship and headed to Havana, things improved and confidence regained (unlike my hairline). AC:BF is very good. The map is HUGE, the graphics (some frame rate drops) are excellent, the sound passionate, the naval element well implemented, animations are fabulous, cutscenes and voice acting some of the best i've seen and the game is simply fun. Greatly improved from AC3 and with so much to do and collect, it's gonna take a while to see all of it. This is my new favourite AC game. Enjoy.… Expand
  30. sensuality
    Nov 19, 2013
    4
    really good that there are in the game so the naval battles, because otherwise contained in AC3 and sameness more so this time worsened. the killer already starts strong and does not even need training to matar.fora the pessima optimization that in certain parts falls to 17 fps.ubisoft shot himself in the foot with this game, that really turning this fighter nickel
  31. Sloanster
    Nov 19, 2013
    10
    The Assassin Creed Franchise has had its up and downs, but ACV is absolutely an up. This game is extremely fun and I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the previous games. The ship combat has improved and the graphics are beautiful. This game is probably my favorite in the franchise so far.
  32. Ozimandeus
    Nov 19, 2013
    10
    A lovingly created masterpiece. Each element seems handmade, the gameplay mixture of assassins creed, Sid Mier's Pirates! a dash of Zelda wind walker, and a pinch of Farcry 3. It is HUGE in scope, a fully realised open world. The companion App on iPad works like a dream. As of now this is my personal game of the year.. It is a true video game classic a must buy and the best thing toA lovingly created masterpiece. Each element seems handmade, the gameplay mixture of assassins creed, Sid Mier's Pirates! a dash of Zelda wind walker, and a pinch of Farcry 3. It is HUGE in scope, a fully realised open world. The companion App on iPad works like a dream. As of now this is my personal game of the year.. It is a true video game classic a must buy and the best thing to happen to the franchise since Assassin's Creed 2.… Expand
  33. Sandy_Hook_MVP
    Nov 19, 2013
    0
    This game is absolutely abysmal. Here we go again with the optional objectives to get 100% sync (I don't think the developer understands what optional means. Optional should be bonus gold or supplies, not sync and at that, they shouldn't be absurd, like touch your toes while being eaten by a shark.

    The movement is horrible, if you want to run in a straight line, tough, you are going to    This game is absolutely abysmal. Here we go again with the optional objectives to get 100% sync (I don't think the developer understands what optional means. Optional should be bonus gold or supplies, not sync and at that, they shouldn't be absurd, like touch your toes while being eaten by a shark.

    The movement is horrible, if you want to run in a straight line, tough, you are going to bounce off every wall in site.

    They recycled models, combat, minigames, objectives, etc. I think the only new thing is boats, which loses is okay, but doesn't make up for the huge disappointment in atrocity that is the rest of the game.

    The game does look good though, but that doesn't mean it feels good.    … Expand
  34. joacko1990
    Nov 19, 2013
    8
    The games looks beautiful immersive atmosphere and good story but There is one big issue .
    Running on i5 3570k 4,8 2 zotac 670 amp Edition Sli (RUNNING 55-60 FPS not all time They need to fix sli scaling right know
  35. Jpnn
    Nov 19, 2013
    0
    They up everything, they have trashed the story of the game, the amasing story build in assasins 1 and up at revelations and got worse at assasins 3 now its over IT THATS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHATS HAPPENS WHEN A ENTERPRIZE WINS TONS OF MONEY WITH A SERIES AND THEN TURNS IT TO A NEW THING JUST BECAUSE IS MORE LUCRATIVE
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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

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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,
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  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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