Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1141 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 894 out of 1141
  2. Mixed: 145 out of 1141
  3. Negative: 102 out of 1141
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  1. elmaigoch09
    Mar 27, 2014
    9
    Better the the third game, great story, characteres and also has a better unique gameplay and combat system, definitely worth playing if you're a fan of this saga.
  2. mrnice
    Mar 20, 2014
    7
    The non-campaign content redeems this action title that otherwise wouldn't have stood out from the crowd. If you stick around and beat the forts and the legendary ships, and seek out ship upgrades, you'll see plenty of novel gameplay. But the campaign itself has few, if any, missions that amazed me. The transportation by ship or by foot can feel slow if not to fast-travel locations. I wasThe non-campaign content redeems this action title that otherwise wouldn't have stood out from the crowd. If you stick around and beat the forts and the legendary ships, and seek out ship upgrades, you'll see plenty of novel gameplay. But the campaign itself has few, if any, missions that amazed me. The transportation by ship or by foot can feel slow if not to fast-travel locations. I was frustrated dozens of times by the controls (when climbing, your character is 'glued' to his position, so the input will sometimes not be clear enough for him to move in the right direction from the 'glued' position). The 3rd person gameplay has been seen elsewhere before, and I saw no need for the the violence (cutting through people with swords like it was nothing, while the character seems to have conscience outside of combat). Aside from the action and the transportation, for which I give it 5/10, the setting has not been used much in games, much less in AAA 3d games, and it is modelled with lively detail and extreme variety. I could not have expected it to deliver so much graphical content, and compared to GTA V, this game had a lot more "Wow, there's THIS" moments. I could give it an 8/10 but then I remember the many similar missions and the repeating ship fights. Recommended if you're intrigued by the setting and you can see past the fights.… Expand
  3. hiwasafari
    Mar 11, 2014
    9
    I feel very happy about ac4 because it is a really good game. I have played every AC even Liberation on Vita, and honestly AC4 is one of the best if not the best AC game ( This or ac2 fighting for nr 1). After ac3 which was a huge dissapointment AC4 brings back what was so great about that game which was naval combat.
    The naval combat feels a lot better and is the best thing that could    I feel very happy about ac4 because it is a really good game. I have played every AC even Liberation on Vita, and honestly AC4 is one of the best if not the best AC game ( This or ac2 fighting for nr 1). After ac3 which was a huge dissapointment AC4 brings back what was so great about that game which was naval combat.
    The naval combat feels a lot better and is the best thing that could happen to the series. The only thing I feel the naval combat needed was more customization for ur ship, sure you can updrage your ship but what about diffrent ships. Like a heavy ship thats slow, or a fast speed sheep, Would be great if you had options like that and hopefully we will either get a fully pirate game from ubisioft or another ac that uses the naval combat.
    The rest of the game besides the naval combat is like every other AC game. Sure the game has new settings but the gameplay feels a lot like the previous games. The story of Edward is good and enjoyable but the Assassins vs templars story starting to get irrating with no end.
    Another thing i want to praise are the sea shanties , a lot of fun and I enjoy hearing them during my playtrough.

    After all this game is really good and every Ac fan should try it. The setting and the naval combat a lone makes it worth the while. I will give this game a 9/10 and hopefully we will a open world pirate game from ubisoft or another ac game likes this with a lot more customization!    … Expand
  4. WanyaRolf
    Mar 6, 2014
    5
    Assassins Creed is, since the first, a game that takes itself too seriously. It's boring, the missions are all about a boring story that was never any good, bu they seem to think that it's Pulitzer worthy . Instead of making a fun to play game, they made another follow-that-guy-around game. Even the gameplay aspect is getting weaker, since he jump automatically, sword fights are a QTE withAssassins Creed is, since the first, a game that takes itself too seriously. It's boring, the missions are all about a boring story that was never any good, bu they seem to think that it's Pulitzer worthy . Instead of making a fun to play game, they made another follow-that-guy-around game. Even the gameplay aspect is getting weaker, since he jump automatically, sword fights are a QTE with 2 buttons. The whole game feels extremely lazy. But I guess we play AC because of its potential. It has some much potential, but with this new iteration, I guess it's pretty clear that the game is much more focused on some half baked scifi story than to amuse it's players. In the whole game, that was not one mission that was genuinely fun to play.… Expand
  5. mrdodo
    Feb 26, 2014
    10
    Great game, i advise everyone who hasnt tried it to go ahead and get themselves a copy. Its an experience you cannot miss out on. Ubisoft really stepped up their game this year, with beautiful scenery and a mix between both playing on water or inland.
  6. UserScore
    Feb 15, 2014
    8
    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Review.
    Pros/ Good Points:
    + A beautiful, detailed yet enourmous open world to explore. Ship controls and mechanics much more simplified for a better experience. Emotional moments in the story (all I can say without spoiling). It isn't as bugged/glitched as Assassin's Creed III. The sense of verticality everywhere you go, from jungles, to cities and    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Review.
    Pros/ Good Points:
    + A beautiful, detailed yet enourmous open world to explore. Ship controls and mechanics much more simplified for a better experience. Emotional moments in the story (all I can say without spoiling). It isn't as bugged/glitched as Assassin's Creed III. The sense of verticality everywhere you go, from jungles, to cities and islands. The game doesn't restrict you from exploring the world, you can explore it from the get-go. Full of enjoyable side content. Dumber AI that motivate the use of stealth. 100% completition of missions is simplified and the side-objectives aren't as specific as to how to engage the mission. Enjoyable underwater segments. Things to spend your money in, unlike it's predecessors. Strong characters and character development. Impressive graphics. Soundtrack hasn't dropped quality since the first game, this is not the exception. Simple and smooth menus that makes navigating through really easy. There's ambient/background music while you're just playing around, which is a nice little touch.
    Cons/ Bad Points:
    -Way too long and weak story, both in the present day and golden age of piracy, that doesn't add much to the AC universe. Multiplayer needs reinvention and quickly, gamelab wasn't enough. Only the two swords and fists as the game mele weapons. It's difficult to control the character, mainly in the JackDaw and when you're trying to board, considering the tight spaces and that the character usually goes where he wants to go, and not where I want him to. Boarding turns really quickly into something repetitive and boring. The game cannot be completed at a 100% without using Kenway's Fleet (for which you need to be online) and it's really not a very nice change. Though it doesn't have as much bugs/glitches as ACIII, it still have some few game-breaking problems. Aveline missions don't stand on it's own and don't even add anything more to what has been already seen in Liberation. It's a silly thing but, you can't run while using your eagle vission, it's really annoying. Frame rate drops many times when you are running through rooftops in big cities.
    Final thoughts and score:
    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag tries to innovate as much as it can, but the game never managed to stood out from ACII and Brotherhood. Still, it is somewhat refreshing and it is by far the best AC game since Brotherhood.
    Average Score: 8.6/10
    For more Assasssin's Creed Reviews go to:
    http://www.metacritic.com/user/UserScore    … Expand
  7. DittoDude
    Feb 14, 2014
    0
    Awful awful awful game. Wolfpack Discovery mode M4: No Time For Rest is impossible, 100% sync is impossible, and too much sailing. By far, the worst game in the series
  8. NicoDane
    Feb 13, 2014
    10
    Assassins creed 4 Black Flag is a ton of fun. This is the best game i have ever played in 2013. And if this is not the best then it is one of the best assassins creed games that have been made. It has never been more fun looking for treasure. It makes you feel like you are a part of the crew. In Assassins creed Black flag they have combined the gameplay from assassins creed, with theAssassins creed 4 Black Flag is a ton of fun. This is the best game i have ever played in 2013. And if this is not the best then it is one of the best assassins creed games that have been made. It has never been more fun looking for treasure. It makes you feel like you are a part of the crew. In Assassins creed Black flag they have combined the gameplay from assassins creed, with the hunting system from Far Cry. and instead of just have 2 pistol like in Assassins creed 3, you can now have 4 PISTOLS. You have to upgrade Edward, BUT you also have to take care of Jackdaw your ship. Because if you never upgrade it you will never be able to defeat a man'o war.

    Overall: Assassins creed 4 Black Flag is one of the best games Ubisoft has ever made    … Expand
  9. ebj3000
    Feb 2, 2014
    10
    This was easily my favorite AC game so far. It incorporated everything that was good about AC2 and added pirates! One of my favorite games from last year was Far Cry 3, and the open world and crafting of AC4 felt a lot like that game. I absolutely hated AC3 aside form the naval combat, but there wasn't enough of it. AC4 allows you to roam freely, hunt, harpoon, etc. There are plenty ofThis was easily my favorite AC game so far. It incorporated everything that was good about AC2 and added pirates! One of my favorite games from last year was Far Cry 3, and the open world and crafting of AC4 felt a lot like that game. I absolutely hated AC3 aside form the naval combat, but there wasn't enough of it. AC4 allows you to roam freely, hunt, harpoon, etc. There are plenty of side missions to keep you busy as well.

    This is definitely worth your time. Ubisoft is quickly becoming one of my favorite publishers.

    Note: Don't ignore the Community Challenges while you are playing the game if you want to get 100% synced.    … Expand
  10. Vicjo
    Jan 27, 2014
    9
    Assassins creed 4 gets the best the others assassins, the game is very funny, you explore every corner looking all your secrets. Edward kenway is a character with personality (not as connor, assassins 3), but Edward don´t is a assassins only he moves by the money. The gameplay is really fun, climb building never have been so fun, the battles improves respect assassins 3, but far from theAssassins creed 4 gets the best the others assassins, the game is very funny, you explore every corner looking all your secrets. Edward kenway is a character with personality (not as connor, assassins 3), but Edward don´t is a assassins only he moves by the money. The gameplay is really fun, climb building never have been so fun, the battles improves respect assassins 3, but far from the leaders of the genre. The ship battles are something else, very funny but is just doing repetitive. The game has a lot of side quests (follow a guy, kill guy...).

    The main story doesn´t explain anything, if a good game but is a pirates game, not a assassins game.    … Expand
  11. vizard00
    Jan 26, 2014
    3
    AC2 was a great game , but this one named Black flag a pirate story , so expected a great sea experience a views u know sun water birds Land over there... but lol when i played the i was shocked by the quality of the waves and how the Main character Swim its a joke UBI right ?! , a pirate game with a bad water effect and quality , and the character movement are flow at all , so i say andAC2 was a great game , but this one named Black flag a pirate story , so expected a great sea experience a views u know sun water birds Land over there... but lol when i played the i was shocked by the quality of the waves and how the Main character Swim its a joke UBI right ?! , a pirate game with a bad water effect and quality , and the character movement are flow at all , so i say and ill always say AC2 was and will be the best game ever produced in Ac series .… Expand
  12. asfj
    Jan 25, 2014
    0
    Unbelievable for the high reviews. Don't you find this game has very little content, but self copy again and again like bacteria so as to create an epic elusion?

    That's true there are many mini games sprinkled on map...randomly..., but every time you play it, it just repeats the same animation. More annoying is that you have to waste time very long to finish one. Naval battle is in    Unbelievable for the high reviews. Don't you find this game has very little content, but self copy again and again like bacteria so as to create an epic elusion?

    That's true there are many mini games sprinkled on map...randomly..., but every time you play it, it just repeats the same animation. More annoying is that you have to waste time very long to finish one.

    Naval battle is in fact very boring, what all you do is just playing circling game with rival ship to find a good angle to shoot, again and again. If you want to board, you have to waste another 10 mins, during which you just encounter same enemy, same animation, same music and same boarding missions, utterly boring and annoying. But in return, you only gain double loot. The loot is just a form of EXP for your ship, nothing special. So I prefer directly wrecking the rival ship, then gaining even half loot spending just 5 seconds.

    The environment is really visually-tiring, just same coastlines with randomly planted trees.
    The city is very flat, constructed with several pattern of normal buildings randomly composed, Nor historical landmarks or classical/elegant internal architecture at all!!!(Recall what was in AC II is so memorable). The designer boasts the environment is epic... Don't fool us, designing this random and repetitive will cost you very little efforts, you know, lazy. We want diverse and elegant content. I have to say, in AC II, climbing to the peak of buildings to overlook the city is my favorite. However in AC IV, I never do this again because of the so lack-of-characteristic scene.

    What about main story? I have forgotten most of it. What is left is just some repetitive trailing and killing missions. In addition, a strong anxiety/confusion is why the hell does he wear like an assassin?
    The confusion makes me very lack of motivation to continue the game because, in instinct, a strong feeling is that he has no soul of assassin which however is forced to be titled on him by dev so as to be coherent with the franchise.

    After a 4-hour playing, I felt this game is very shabby and hollow, full of random and repetitive mechanism, lack of soul of assassin, with little and tricky effort from dev who seems to have found a lazy way to create an addictive game.
    IMO, it is reasonable for a game to have a certain amount of random and repetitive mechanism to extend gaming time and save cost for dev, but in AC IV , this conduct is too obvious, excessive and aggressive. In other words, the dev are taking customers as fool. This is unacceptable.

    I tried this because of good impression from AC II. Ok, now, I know this franchise has faded. Good bye.    … Expand
  13. Cmcolin
    Jan 22, 2014
    8
    Another winner in the ASSASSIN'S CREED series. A sprawling, open world experience that is as fascinating as it is fun. The graphics, sound, and acting are, perfect and the missions are well designed and interesting. The naval combat has been vastly expanded and is so amazing, it would be easy to simply discard following the story and just pillage on the high seas all day. The game'sAnother winner in the ASSASSIN'S CREED series. A sprawling, open world experience that is as fascinating as it is fun. The graphics, sound, and acting are, perfect and the missions are well designed and interesting. The naval combat has been vastly expanded and is so amazing, it would be easy to simply discard following the story and just pillage on the high seas all day. The game's balance is fantastic, too - never letting the various treasure hunts and side missions muddy the flow.

    The only real problems the game has are in the main storyline. Pirates are simply not as interesting historical figures as those we find in Renaissance Italy or Colonial America. The Templar/Assassin conflict is treated as almost an afterthought and the game does not further the mythology of the AC universe very much. Also, Edward Kenway didn't really do it for me as a main character. His eventual conversion and redemption with the Assassins feels perfunctory and happens far to late in the game to really believe it. I find myself far more interested and engaged in the Black Flag characters when I play as Adawale.

    If you like ASSASSIN'S CREED, you will love this game. It is one that will keep you happy for a good long time.    … Expand
  14. fowl
    Jan 19, 2014
    10
    The BEST AC since the 2nd. Such a great story, so many collectibles, so much to do, maybe the best AC ever, and one of the best Action/Adventure games of 2013.
  15. MikeVernon97
    Jan 12, 2014
    9
    AC4 is a lot of fun. The game's large map demands exploration and the naval element of the game is refreshing and interesting. The story is acceptable but did not come to the same heights as AC3's emotional and powerful story. The caribbean setting is open and full of life. The cities of Kingston, Havana, and Nassau are each very different and fun to explore. The core stealth and combatAC4 is a lot of fun. The game's large map demands exploration and the naval element of the game is refreshing and interesting. The story is acceptable but did not come to the same heights as AC3's emotional and powerful story. The caribbean setting is open and full of life. The cities of Kingston, Havana, and Nassau are each very different and fun to explore. The core stealth and combat mechanics remain basically untouched from AC3 which is both a plus and a minus. It was nice to be able to pick up AC4 and play it without anything new to learn. However, it would have been nice to introduce a deeper combo system. The weapons in AC4 are also pretty limitting being restricted to carrying two swords and only being able to temporarily pick up other weapons. After AC3's large catalogue of swords, tomahawks, daggers, and heavy weapons, AC4 seems like a step down in terms of weapon choice. However, the expansive setting full of rich side quests and missions including hunts for treasure, underwater shipwrecks, island and cave explorations, and plenty of assassination missions make up for any let downs in story or weapon choice. Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag is an excellent game.… Expand
  16. Zodiaci
    Jan 10, 2014
    10
    I'm not a fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise. This game is like they took everything that was wrong with the previous games, threw them in the trash and then disintegrated them. There are way more types of missions, collectibles, secrets and tons of new tricks. Edward Kenway is the first of the series that doesn't decide to chase nearby flies or examine cracks in walls as he's runningI'm not a fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise. This game is like they took everything that was wrong with the previous games, threw them in the trash and then disintegrated them. There are way more types of missions, collectibles, secrets and tons of new tricks. Edward Kenway is the first of the series that doesn't decide to chase nearby flies or examine cracks in walls as he's running around.The combat is still easy, but not as easy as previous games and has an actual feeling like you could be defeated rather than a feeling that you are going to use your massive instakill-explosion at every encounter. It IS still easy though, don't be fooled. The acrobatics you can perform are much easier to use and don't disobey everything you say.
    Also, pirates.    … Expand
  17. Johng4
    Jan 9, 2014
    7
    First off this shouldnt have been called assassins creed 4 because it does not feel like a sequal to ac 3. It does not move the plot along what so ever seriously. I see it as some people like the ships in 3 they were going to make a new ac the next year anyway so they figured wtf they like ships lets give em ships. This is a pirate game with ac gameplay. Asside from that the story is notFirst off this shouldnt have been called assassins creed 4 because it does not feel like a sequal to ac 3. It does not move the plot along what so ever seriously. I see it as some people like the ships in 3 they were going to make a new ac the next year anyway so they figured wtf they like ships lets give em ships. This is a pirate game with ac gameplay. Asside from that the story is not very good tbh, its about connors grandfather . He is a man aspiring to be a very weathly pirate. Thats all he wants is money and fame and hell do whatever it takes to acheive that. He helps both the templars and assassins in this game for his own personal wants. He is not an aassassin, he is a pirate. A **** pirate. Really it all comes down to if you like pirates. If you do then get this game. If you wanted a true sequal to ac 3 in terms of story you **** out of luck they dont adress the the **** that happened at the end of 3 at all. Im bein dead serious. They turned the modern day segments into bull**** people complained before about the desmond segments sucking. HAHA at least they had a purpose the modern day segments in this game have no purpose what so ever. You are an employee at absturgo entertainment goin into the animus to collect research to create a game about pirates. I mean the real issues with the game are its plot. The good gameplay is all still here but that doesnt mean much when you dont give a **** about what your doing or why. Also i didnt like the ships in 3 so playin this game is a chore at times, becuase once you get into the game where it really opens up the ships take center stage you will be sailing for most of the time in this game and to some thats not a bad thing, but i bought this cuz i like assassins creed not **** pirates. There are some minor improvments like there are actually things worth buying in this game. You get different weapons sort of there really jus new sword skins cuz they all do the same **** Im dissapointed in this game and if your getting this game hoping for a sequal to 3 im sorry but dont get this at full price. Its not a sequel to 3 at all its more of an offshoot like brotherhood but hell tht game was like a full on sequel it moved the plot along as well as the gameplay this game does neither youve done all of this before and probabbly had more fun doing it then cuz u jus dont care about the story in this game so what is the motivation to play it. The tedious side quests? The mediocore story ? The combat you have seen many times before in better installments? Point is if your an ac fan dont pay sixty bucks. If you just want a pirate game, go ahead your probablly not gonna regret your purchase.… Expand
  18. XxC_GamingxX
    Jan 9, 2014
    9
    My hopes were Assassin's Creed 4 would be much better than the underwelming, Assssin's Creed 3 (mainly due to the ending).

    The story isn't the best in the franchise but it is well done, For future Assassins Creed games keep The Optional Objectives out of the game, it makes missions more linear if you want that 100%. Naval combat has made a return and better than ever. My favourite    My hopes were Assassin's Creed 4 would be much better than the underwelming, Assssin's Creed 3 (mainly due to the ending).

    The story isn't the best in the franchise but it is well done, For future Assassins Creed games keep The Optional Objectives out of the game, it makes missions more linear if you want that 100%.

    Naval combat has made a return and better than ever.

    My favourite parts of the game were the side missions from Assassin Contracts to simply a game of checkers.

    The Open World is great you can explore the vast sea and access Havana,Nassau and Kingston along with small villages you even get you're own village, you can customize so it has Shops,Taverns etc.

    Despite Assassin's Creed II being the top of the franchise this is my 2nd Favourite Assassin's Creed game

    9/10    … Expand
  19. daan14acdc
    Jan 5, 2014
    9
    i had hopes fore ac4 but this is not what i expectid wow.
    finally a great pirate game a great charecthers and good music.
    a realy great story and ship gameplay just taking down ships is amezing.
    the only thing is they need a new combat then this game wil be even better.
  20. julius98
    Jan 2, 2014
    8
    The game itself deserves a 10/10. The limitations on the PS3 result in framerate issues are problematic. I would recommend it for the PC instead......
  21. Zbrawlrock123
    Jan 2, 2014
    10
    Best free roam and can lift your spirit every time. You can upgrade your ship,boarding ships,liberate naval forts, and a long story that can lift you anytime. I recommend you to buy it. It's Awesome!!!
  22. aGUYtoREMEMBER
    Jan 2, 2014
    9
    For those who do not know this game goes backwards in time, however forward in the story. The main guy is Edward Kennway, father of Haythen in AC3 and Grandfather of Connor. that is all I will say.

    I dont know why people say that AC is dying out. This game is really good. Goes into depth, has good side missions, allows you to really explore a much more realistic world and setting.    For those who do not know this game goes backwards in time, however forward in the story. The main guy is Edward Kennway, father of Haythen in AC3 and Grandfather of Connor. that is all I will say.

    I dont know why people say that AC is dying out. This game is really good. Goes into depth, has good side missions, allows you to really explore a much more realistic world and setting.
    Graphic 9/10
    Story 10/10
    controls 9/10
    online- 7/10
    Smoothness 10/10    … Expand
  23. jbi6059
    Jan 1, 2014
    10
    I cant stop playing this game its got everything you need, great graphics, good story, awesome mechanics and barely any lag im pretty sure most gamers would enjoy this game
  24. awsom
    Dec 31, 2013
    7
    Assassin's Creed 4 is kind of a disappointment to me. Don't get me wrong it's still good but it does a lot of things wrong. Money has some use now considering the main gimmick is the Jackdaw and upgrades for it cost a lot. So it has improved a bit gameplay wise but combat is as boring as ever with only the big brutes to make it bit challenging. Then the story takes a big flop with theAssassin's Creed 4 is kind of a disappointment to me. Don't get me wrong it's still good but it does a lot of things wrong. Money has some use now considering the main gimmick is the Jackdaw and upgrades for it cost a lot. So it has improved a bit gameplay wise but combat is as boring as ever with only the big brutes to make it bit challenging. Then the story takes a big flop with the present day being a first person office simulator with only a hacking mini game to keep you occupied. Most of the quests in the animus on land are tailing missions which is stupid. So in short, AC4 is a good stand alone game. Better than AC1+3 at least but compared to others it's not that good.… Expand
  25. AliBader1997
    Dec 31, 2013
    10
    Amazing, beautiful, and epic. This game is definitely the best AC game yet, there is soo much stuff to do and yes after a while it does get slightly repetitive but not really in a bad way. The story is simple, but still pretty good and perfectly captures the way of life during the Golden Age of Piracy. Graphics are amazing, way better than AC3 and Edward Kenway is a much more excitingAmazing, beautiful, and epic. This game is definitely the best AC game yet, there is soo much stuff to do and yes after a while it does get slightly repetitive but not really in a bad way. The story is simple, but still pretty good and perfectly captures the way of life during the Golden Age of Piracy. Graphics are amazing, way better than AC3 and Edward Kenway is a much more exciting character than Connor. The only problem I had with this game is the controls, Edward disobeys my command every now and then which sometimes has fatal consequences. Its a 9/10 game, I gave it a 10 because it deserves a higher User Score. 8.1 for this? No way should be 9.5.… Expand
  26. AllThingTrivial
    Dec 31, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. AC4 is a stark detraction for the series, it takes the Assassins Vs Templars conflict that has all but defined the previous games by heavily intertwining actual historical elements with a clever and innovative if somewhat contrived narrative of greater conflict and throws it out of the window in favour of committing acts of Piracy and watching Blackbeard intimidate random people. Whilst the assassins and Templars are involved, the new protagonist Edward Kenway, is very clear in his objectives. Make money, get drunk and generally be very stereotypically pirate-y. If it didn’t draw such stark similarities to the known mantra of the AC games it could be justified as an entirely separate release.
    Unfortunately this is where the main problem lies. AC4 seems like a case of going through the motions, endlessly trudging through supposedly intertwining plots that have no relevance to each other and begin to make no sense as Kenway shows up, courtesy of the mission marker, to do something that was never alluded to beforehand and trying to follow his desperate attempts to be pirate like as most if not all consumers expect before running off for no reason to help the assassins because its an assassins creed game and they have to be there. The narrative quickly becomes lost during the two polar opposite behaviours with the only focal point being a contrived pursuit of one obscure target which almost every character tells him to forget about and quite frankly I’m with them. It seems if it wasn’t for Abstergo being so desperate to see what’s inside then there would be no reason for Kenway to even bother. That’s not to say however that the story doesn’t have it moments where occasionally all the contrived nonsense can be forgotten in the face of pure unadulterated joy or the beautiful moment where the well set out missions allow for an incredible flow of play that is endlessly satisfying.
    This turns out to be the truth of AC4, the real fun is not made by the narrative rather by the player themselves which is no bad thing. Cruising the enormous and visually stunning Caribbean aboard a ship which can be directed to any corner of the map, or indeed anywhere inside the largest map ever seen, to commit acts of piracy that are incredible fun. There are few experiences more satisfying than utilising overwhelming force with a sea-tank loaded to the brim with broadside cannons capable of obliterating the enemy leaving them dead in the water as easy pickings or antagonising a brutally powerful man o war into a delicate dance requiring timing and genuine tactics to overcome. This is followed by a sublime boarding experience which really accentuates what the game seeks to encapsulate, swinging from the rigging to assassinate from above and massacring the individuals aboard until their surrender at which point resources are gained and these feed into a well thought out trade and economy system whereby collecting resources allows the ship to be improved so more piracy gives the potential for better upgrades to facilitate targeting higher ranked ships in a perpetual motion. Similarly the sea forts are enormous fun, obliterating towers and fighting to achieve control whilst the warehouses offer a fun and different challenge using assassin skills to sneakily if possible requisition useful items although thankfully the frustrating ‘do not be detected’ sequences have been dropped in a refreshing update of the series which makes the gameplay far more accessable.
    However not all of the creases are ironed out, the game too frequently sinks the immersion to davy jones locker by shoehorning in following characters whilst they spout exposition or eavesdropping sections even if there is no point. I literally found myself following a guy through about three guarded settlements only to drop down from a tree and slash his throat in full view of about twenty other soldiers after he talked about being drunk and other such irrelevant drivel. In an age where computing is so powerful and developed such simple filler seems anachronistic particularly so when the point of its inception is not at its core logical anyway and these blemishes on AC4’s appearances are not the only ones to remain. The navigation is still a bit clunky having Edward sprint up walls, launch himself off buildings or change orientation entirely without any input to suggest that’s what he should be doing with enough frequency it becomes annoying particularly after seamlessly taking out six guards on an immensely fun attack only to throw a smoke bomb to escape their colleagues except when it clears they see you desperately clinging to a roof dangling within sword range like a deranged puppet. The combat also has its problems, the camera does not give a wide enough FOV to parry incoming attacks particularly on ships and suchlike potentially being so close the only solution is to mash counter, some enemies predict what you do before you do it to annoying effect and fighting one enemy who can only be killed by following up an initial counter becomes tiresome when he stands there like an idiot abjectly refusing to attack. Yet the combat ultimately, as is now commonplace, is not that hard and the lack of enemy variety and weapons (Edward can now only wield dual swords) means after a while a certain level of boredom begins to dominate what is arguably one of the best visual melee spectacles in any game series even despite some strange bugs both with targeting and ragdoll animations.
    The characters who are for their part well played feel fleeting cameos purely there for atmosphere and to drive the story forwards being paper thin representations of exactly what is expected of the era. Whilst they deliver appropriately with Blackbeard being a particular highlight there is no humanity, no individualism which knits the characters together and that feels very much like the mantra of the game. It is incredibly enjoyable on its surface, a commit piracy and murder people in an open world with plenty to do setup that gives you a surface on which to operate. Try to read in to it, to go deeper, to spend time to get to know it remains far from the rewarding experience it should be, I spent hours pursuing short term goals of profit for certain expenditure being rewarded quite happily by the game frequently enough to remain invested yet when I took a step back at three o clock in the morning I felt deflated realising the past twelve hours had been used up on menial tasks with no overarching purpose. The superficial very much dominates here, the game expects you to play it obediently and not to question how its numerous well made parts function together as at that instant it begins to fall apart.
    That being said these individual parts cannot be understated in terms of how much they can be enjoyed but as a whole the game feels empty. A story going nowhere much like the character. Yet despite all this there is fun to be had if all pretences of logical story or a reason to keep massacring people for next to no reason can be thrown aside and for that reason it isn’t a bad game with enough entertainment to keep you going provided you do so with independent aims in mind rather than expecting the story to rope you in by itself.    … Expand
  27. hooper-316
    Dec 30, 2013
    10
    Top game absolutely great fun and I wish I had picked it sooner rather than later.
    I love nearly all aspects of this game from free running to taking control of a full sized galleon but if there is any criticism I would say the online modes are most definitely the worst I've played in recent years which is a crying shame as the rest of the game is a joy to play.
  28. Prometheus_ts
    Dec 30, 2013
    7
    The game started as if it was a previous version of the AC3 with the usual bugs, and strange animations, not the ACII that one was the best) But after you discover the ship and you get to own it the game changes and becomes quite entertaining and fun, much better than the previous.

    Though the annoying part is the Bastergo where every dependant there treats you like a 10 years old    The game started as if it was a previous version of the AC3 with the usual bugs, and strange animations, not the ACII that one was the best) But after you discover the ship and you get to own it the game changes and becomes quite entertaining and fun, much better than the previous.

    Though the annoying part is the Bastergo where every dependant there treats you like a 10 years old kid making funny faces and talking of pirates of carribean arrr and other stupid voices....

    They should just have dropped the assassin creed story and make a pure piratesque game!    … Expand
  29. IcedDemon
    Dec 29, 2013
    9
    Jogo fantástico, quem tiver a oportunidade JOGUE.
    Comprei este jogo sem muitas expectativas (pois já havia enjoado do universo de Assassins Creed no 2° jogo da franquia), mesmo assim, após ver a temática nova do jogo fui correndo comprar.
    MEU, QUE JOGO ESSE?
    Se vc gosta de assassinos compre, se vc gosta de piratas compre, se vc gosta de gta com barcos compre, resumindo: JOGÃO!
  30. XxBlackpoisonxX
    Dec 26, 2013
    10
    I thought no AC game could top AC2, but then this game came out, and it was by far the best assassin's creed game I have ever played, and easily the best game I have ever played, after playing the last of us this year, I said it was my favorite game ever, but this game topped it, you should really buy it
  31. LegacyFlareGame
    Dec 26, 2013
    8
    So the assassin's creed franchise continues to amaze gamers with this game being set it the pirate time era it calls for great pirate gameplay,fun and shenanigans. You play the role of Edward Kenway farther to Haythem Kenway [Charter from AC3]. I played this on ps3 and the game looks good for how a PS3 game also on next gen game should be. It brings over the naval combat from AC3 and isSo the assassin's creed franchise continues to amaze gamers with this game being set it the pirate time era it calls for great pirate gameplay,fun and shenanigans. You play the role of Edward Kenway farther to Haythem Kenway [Charter from AC3]. I played this on ps3 and the game looks good for how a PS3 game also on next gen game should be. It brings over the naval combat from AC3 and is stella the naval combat is definitely the best bit of the game. Where the naval combat is great the hand to hand combat really sucks press square to attack and press circle to counter in coming attacks adding pistol and other weapons to the combat that have other effects. The stealth feels really lame in this game with it being used less and less from other assassin's creed games. The charters such as Edward and your pirate crew are really awesome but you never feel like a pirate your crew always loves you and nothing really fell as your a pirate. The world in this game is amazing from the giant open ocean and vass epic landscapes are great to play in felt as a massive expanded far cry 3. The Desmond story dosen't continue
    in this game [thankfully] instead you play as you and go into the animus to play as Edward and do all the epic pirate snazz. The misson types are great ranging from a wide range of activates to do and plenty of side quest, hunting and plenty more. Assassin's Creed 4 black flag is my favourite assassin's creed game ever the pirate theme is great its well packed with a great open world but it still lacks in the combat which lets the game down for they really need to fix this in the instalment of the franchise The final verdict is a 8.5 a Great game and this defiantly one not to miss this holiday season    … Expand
  32. Hellion
    Dec 21, 2013
    0
    One of the most overrated franchises ever created. Predictable plot, mediocre combat, and worst of all..tons of cliches. Don't understand the hype or the interest.
  33. Apollus
    Dec 20, 2013
    10
    I really wanted to give this game a 9.5, but I rounded to 10.

    Let me start off by saying that this is my first Assassin's Creed game. I have been reluctant to start one for a while since I figured I didn't know the story or game-play. I easily jumped right into the game. The controls are pretty basic and the gameplay is fairly easy to grasp. I would suggest looking up some major    I really wanted to give this game a 9.5, but I rounded to 10.

    Let me start off by saying that this is my first Assassin's Creed game. I have been reluctant to start one for a while since I figured I didn't know the story or game-play.

    I easily jumped right into the game. The controls are pretty basic and the gameplay is fairly easy to grasp. I would suggest looking up some major plot points before starting, though not really necessary. I do not love this game because of the story, but rather the open world pirate setting. It baffles me that it took this long for a pirate game of this quality to be made.

    I am still curious as to whether I would like another Assassin's Creed game due to somewhat repetitive trailing missions, but this was the perfect dose for me.    … Expand
  34. eimajamie
    Dec 18, 2013
    8
    Black Flag has greatly improved on the previous installments of Assassin's Creed, for the most part... First of all there is a huge, beautifully detailed open world for you to explore, with dozens of islands and secrets to uncover. Riding around as the captain of your own ship plundering booty and recruiting crew has never been so much fun. Battles are well done and the cannon mechanicsBlack Flag has greatly improved on the previous installments of Assassin's Creed, for the most part... First of all there is a huge, beautifully detailed open world for you to explore, with dozens of islands and secrets to uncover. Riding around as the captain of your own ship plundering booty and recruiting crew has never been so much fun. Battles are well done and the cannon mechanics have been polished, you can can customize your ship with new sails and other decorations. The combat is sharp and the stealth has been improved upon, however, the selection of weapons available to you has actually been reduced, which I found unimpressive. The story, while taken in a different direction from past games, is very compelling and will draw you into the world. The soundtrack is wonderful, being appropriately powerful or tense in given situations. The multiplayer is nicely presented though I thought some of the modes could have been done better, especially "Wolfpack" where you find yourself in a team with other online players constantly running to targets assassinating them and protecting chests, this felt rather cluttered and the narrating woman's voice was quite annoying after repeating the same phrase 20 times in 2 minutes. Black Flag still suffers from numerous glitches, repetitve missions and frustrating moments where free running doesn't work as well as it should, but this is without a doubt still a very enjoyable, beautiful game with tons to do.… Expand
  35. austenite
    Dec 15, 2013
    2
    This game is bland. The combat is the same boring system used in previous AC games. You simply wait for the O to appear above your head then press it, then do it, then Square then do it over again 1000 times.(twirls finger in the air).

    The ship combat had the potential to be interesting. If they had included actual sailing mechanics (adjusting the sail angle depending on wind) it would    This game is bland. The combat is the same boring system used in previous AC games. You simply wait for the O to appear above your head then press it, then do it, then Square then do it over again 1000 times.(twirls finger in the air).

    The ship combat had the potential to be interesting. If they had included actual sailing mechanics (adjusting the sail angle depending on wind) it would have been. Instead it controls like driving a really big car about 5 mph in a giant parking lot. Not terribly exciting.

    The parkour bits are the same as previous games. You hold down a button and do all sorts of fancy free running stuff. No effort needed on the part of the player.

    The dialog and story are, at best, boring.    … Expand
  36. Kdub58
    Dec 12, 2013
    5
    I love this series.but I had to take 2 games back because they would freeze up on my PS3 .i cleaned the lens but the problem is still there. Hasn't happened to any other games just this one. It really sucks.
  37. Druganov
    Dec 11, 2013
    9
    Very nice mix between classic AC gameplay and sailing the seas. open world sandbox is great, and a lot to do. graphics are starting to get a bit old but the athmosphere is great.
  38. TrackkSixx
    Dec 10, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is one of the first that really gives you a sense of what sailing is. Personally I enjoyed AC3 ONLY for the sailing parts. That being said, this is AC, not a pirate sim. I didn't play the main story line until I had to, which means immediately. If you want to upgrade your ship at all, you have to play the main story. That would work if the main story was actually engaging. To me it was all the same: Find this guy; follow this guy through all kinds of ridiculous obstacles (groups of 20 guards); eavesdrop on this guy while he wanders through more hordes of guards; DON'T KILL HIM YET!!!; watch from the shadows as he wanders very slowly into a guarded fort; now you can kill him. I don't understand why they do this, why must I follow him for so long? As he's wandering the streets, I'm on a building ready and able to drop onto him and rain down awesomeness, but no, I have to wait for what seems like hours until he gets to a fortified location. Edward Kenway must be the worst Assassin of all time. Or he's a masochist and enjoys torturing himself assaulting a fort by himself. Overall the game was great, but for the wrong reasons. I loved the freedom of sailing all over the map and pirating with no sense of urgency. But when your main story line is so tedious and annoying, it reduces the good parts of the game.

    GOOD
    Great pirating and ship mechanics.
    LOVE the sea shanties the crew sings!
    Graphically beautiful, bought it on the 360 and it's the best looking game I've ever seen.
    Ship customization options were good, not great.
    Much better character in Edward Kenway rather than Conner.
    Huge map, and fun to sail across.

    BAD
    Boring Main Story, made it feel like the main story was a side mission.
    Tedious repeating missions (WHY EAVESDROPPING!?!?!?).
    Mute, Formless, and Clunky character during play outside the animus, AC Revelations did just fine without having much of a part for Desmond, I understand the reason to remind people they're in the animus, but I hate mute main characters, just a pet peeve.
    The story animus/real doesn't give anything new to the series which makes me think it's more of a really big expansion to AC3 along with the $60 pricetag.
    Uplay You'd think by now Ubisoft would have made Uplay seamless... They haven't, it interferes just about every time I turn it on.
    Took me a few upgrades to realize buying sails has no effect other than visually, kind of disappointing. Leather sails are quite different from canvas, just sayin.
    Kenway's fleet... minigames were dumb turn based ship to ship, and the biggest problem I had: You only ever control the Jackdaw! With the exception of 2 missions I can remember, all you have is a comparably small brig with a maximum of 23 guns.

    Overall: Mediocre (Pretty much what I've come to expect from an AC, but I keep buying them for some reason)    … Expand
  39. wildpitch
    Dec 10, 2013
    9
    After being mildly disappointed with AC 3, I am pleasantly surprised by this title. The story line might not be the best in the Assassins Creed series but that is made up for through a tight atmosphere, interesting characters and, of course, Pirates! Who doesn't like pirates?

    The graphics are well executed. Game play and controls are on par with similar titles. In game actions besides    After being mildly disappointed with AC 3, I am pleasantly surprised by this title. The story line might not be the best in the Assassins Creed series but that is made up for through a tight atmosphere, interesting characters and, of course, Pirates! Who doesn't like pirates?

    The graphics are well executed. Game play and controls are on par with similar titles. In game actions besides the main mission are varied, reaching from harpooning and hunting through stealth looting of plantations, to the ever popular collectibles, which by the way include shanties that will be sung by the crew while at sea after unlocking.

    Overall the game is extremely captivating. More so than it's direct predecessor AC 3 and way more than for instance this years pity of a Batman: Arkham game.

    There are some annoying glitches with the single player online content, which I hope will be solved by some upcoming patch. Other than that I see no reason to rate this game less than 9.    … Expand
  40. monkeydluffy
    Dec 8, 2013
    9
    this is the best ac game the best part are the fights you can have with your ship the whole pirate theme is really good the online is pretty fun but no one is better than ezio and thats why is not a ten on ten
  41. mr10123
    Dec 8, 2013
    9
    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag represents new life for the franchise which, just a year ago, seemed to be aging dramatically. Everything about it is like a well-oiled machine, and Ubisoft's experience with the pirate genre shines through. Notable improvements include manual aim for pistols and other weapons, along with a series of noticeable tweaks here and there.
    This is indisputably    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag represents new life for the franchise which, just a year ago, seemed to be aging dramatically. Everything about it is like a well-oiled machine, and Ubisoft's experience with the pirate genre shines through. Notable improvements include manual aim for pistols and other weapons, along with a series of noticeable tweaks here and there.
    This is indisputably the greatest in the series since Assassin's Creed II.    … Expand
  42. fredojep75
    Dec 4, 2013
    10
    First I have to say Assassin's Creed is by far my favourite game series. and this installment is the best by far. the characters are all lovable and deep, especially the protagonist. the story is interesting and keeps you emotionally invested all the way through. (There is one moment that brought tears in my eyes...) All the land locations are recreated with the care we have come to expectFirst I have to say Assassin's Creed is by far my favourite game series. and this installment is the best by far. the characters are all lovable and deep, especially the protagonist. the story is interesting and keeps you emotionally invested all the way through. (There is one moment that brought tears in my eyes...) All the land locations are recreated with the care we have come to expect from Ubisoft (especially Havana.) and the missions are all interesting. but it's the freedom to explore the open seas, the naval combat and the upgrading of the Jackdaw that make the game rise above the others in the franchise. the open world of the Caribbean is a joy to explore and plunder. it's a masterpiece. 10 for me.… Expand
  43. Krobolt
    Dec 2, 2013
    9
    After the release of Assassin's Creed II, the series became an annual release franchise. Ubisoft eases inevitable gamer fatigue by making major changes to each new game to come. Brotherhood brought in a well-received ability to create your own Assassin's Order, which the player could call upon in combat. Revelations brought in a less-successful brand of tower defense mini-games and IIIAfter the release of Assassin's Creed II, the series became an annual release franchise. Ubisoft eases inevitable gamer fatigue by making major changes to each new game to come. Brotherhood brought in a well-received ability to create your own Assassin's Order, which the player could call upon in combat. Revelations brought in a less-successful brand of tower defense mini-games and III brought in a new system of homestead missions as well as naval based combat that was highly successful. Black Flag is a bit different in those regards. Black Flag took the naval mechanics of III and expanded on it, creating an open world, and an entire game, in itself. Its the most successful series of mechanics the series has seen in years.

    With a new age comes a new hero; Captain Edward Kenway. This new assassin isn't like
    the previous heroes in the series. Where as our past heroes fought for honor, justice, and freedom, Edward 's motive is pretty straight forward; to make himself some coin. Edward became a pirate so that
    he could get money (a lot of money) and that remains when he enters into the assassin order. Preferring the “everything is permitted” side of the creed, Edward kills and plunders to his heart's content. During the majority of the game, this remains until the last few hours when his character finally develops into a hero fans are willing to root for.

    The story itself is very similar to the character of Edward in fact; straight forward and bland.
    Aside from his search for the “Observatory,” Edward has no real motive, antagonist, even loyalty, making his character arc the weakest in the series so far. The characters you meet can be your friends one scene and your enemies in the next. These transitions are poorly executed and abrupt, leaving only a few characters feeling truly fleshed out. The plot also makes the game feel very separated as an Assassin's Creed game. Considering Edward spends so little time affiliating with the assassins and more with pirates, you'll sometimes think your not playing an Assassin's Creed game. In the end, however when your stabbing, climbing, and eliminating Templars, you'll feel familiarity take you home.

    As for the present day story, I would stay away from it entirely. Following the story of the previous game, you take the role of an Absetergo Entertainment (not Industries) employee who uses the Animus to research the life of Edward for a future Abstergo project. The present day story itself is nonsense and feels separated from the previous entries as if its taking place in another universe entirely. Filled with lame hacking puzzles and little to explore, this is a feature to stay away from as much as possible. I couldn't get into the Animus any faster.

    As for the missions, there is plenty of variety here. The main campaign is filled with lame tail/eavesdrop missions that will keep you sighing every time. The side missions however will keep you
    begging for more. As well as a vast open sea to explore filled with small islands beaming with chests and animus fragments, sunken ships filled with treasures, and massive forts and enemies to plunder.

    On land, familiarity takes over. Edward stabs and climbs as his ancestors before. Straying away from the towering monuments of the previous games, you'll be sticking to smaller cities with a few forts and castles here and there. The environments are all beautifully rendered, from the Caribbean jungles to the towering buildings of Kingston. There is plenty to do in each city, from chests to find, viewpoints and sea shanties, even animals to hunt to upgrade Edward's weapons and pouches. There is also assassin contracts as well as missions tied to collecting five Templar keys to unlock some sweet armor. The combat has been refined from the previous game, making it more comfortable when combating multiple foes. This creates fast high paced action sequences all the more fun with a new weapon selection system, making combat simplified.

    On sea however, you enter a whole new world. The massive scope of the West Indies is exciting to explore, filled with activities to keep the player entertained.

    You take wheel of your ship “The Jackdaw,” armed to the teeth and filled with a crew all your own. The naval gameplay has been modified this time around creating a more flexible way to pilot your ship and combat. Instead of a weapon wheel, the weapon you fire is dictated by the direction the camera’s facing, so looking to the side means that the broadside cannons are active, while looking behind gets the fire barrels ready to drop. This makes the combat simplified and easy to learn. As for the crew, they are my personal favorite element of the game. Your crew takes a major role in plundering as they will help in your success in plundering. As you sail your crew will sing sea shanties (that you can acquire more of through collectibles) as well as comment on your actions such as abandoning ship. It never gets old when you reach for the wheel after a successful looting and your crew cheers for you in your glory and success. The crew is filled with such charm I can't imagine the game without this element. There has been many days where I leave with a shanty or two stuck in my head, constantly humming them throughout my day.

    But the naval gameplay doesn't just end there. To survive out in the West Indies, your going to need a powerful ship capable of making Davy Jones quiver in his boots. You'll need plenty of resources to make The Jackdaw into a force to be reckoned with. All of the ships that explore out on the open sea carry plenty of supplies necessary for upgrading the Jackdaw. You can use the captain's spyglass to see what each ship is leveled and what resources each ship carry. You'll be using this a lot to make sure your next assault will really be worth the hassle. These ships won't go down lightly as they will fire back as well as call for reinforcements, so plan accordingly. Once you've withered the ships health down to red, its time to plunder the ship. I encourage all players to plunder a good majority of ships early on as resources are a necessity. If you just destroy a ship without properly plundering it, you only receive half the resources.

    Once plundering, you are tasked to completing a few objectives before capturing the ship fully, some include killing a certain amount of crew members and destroying the enemy flag. As you jump abroad the enemy ship, this is where things can get a little hectic, as combat can get feel really crammed on the deck of a ship. With enemy soldiers fully surrounding you as well as combating your fellow crew-mates, you be constantly wondering who has their shot aimed at you. As you successfully plunder the ship, you will be given a few as to what to do next, repair the Jackdaw from its previous battle scars, remove your current wanted level, or send the now captured ship into your own fleet.

    Edward's Fleet is a new gameplay element similarly to the Assassins' order mechanics from Brotherhood. You can access your own personal fleet inside the Jackdaw's captain's quarters. Its here where you can manage your ships, access trade routes, and combat other ships to acquire more resources. As you send your ships off to locations, an in-game timer is set often taking a few hours for ships to get there and back. As your fleet returns, fortune follows with treasure maps and outfits, as well as coin and upgrades for the Jackdaw. The experience is completely optional however, but I would suggest using it ever now and again.

    Multiplayer returns once again in as high of quality as ever. It won't knock off Grand Theft Auto Online or Call of Duty off their pedestals but it is definitive an enjoyable experience through and through. Wolfpack returns once again for co-op based missionary where players team up to hunt NPCs as well as a new Game Labs mode. In Game Labs, players can create their own game types and share them with friends and other players. “Pistoleer” was a personal favorite of mine, where a player is given the abilities, shield and disguise, and players can only kill using a pistol. This made matches feel intense, leaving me paranoid and careful of every move I made.

    Despite its story flaws, frustrating stealth gameplay, and sometimes glitchy world, Assassin's Creed 4 is a hard game to put down. Some elements have been crafted to fit for a better experience. You'll notice the lack of tutorial missions as well as a redefined weapon selection system assigned to the d-pad, making the game easier to pick up for new players. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience much more than the last few games in the series, but it still hasn't reached its full potential just yet. Once you get through the few rough tides, its all smooth sailing here on in.    … Expand
  44. Leandro36
    Dec 1, 2013
    6
    Story is weak and hard to follow at times, too many ship and tailing missions, but other than that it easily improves vastly from the other games and does everything other than the story much better.
  45. manofawker
    Nov 27, 2013
    10
    There's no way I could give it a lower score. AC IV is what AC III should have been and it's even more. It takes everything its predecessor has done right like the smooth movements, fluid, brutal fights and naval combats and improves to make them even better. It brings back the "Assassin's Creed" feeling that had been lost in AC III, because they also took references from past games, likeThere's no way I could give it a lower score. AC IV is what AC III should have been and it's even more. It takes everything its predecessor has done right like the smooth movements, fluid, brutal fights and naval combats and improves to make them even better. It brings back the "Assassin's Creed" feeling that had been lost in AC III, because they also took references from past games, like the insuperable AC II. Nothing feels repetitive and boring; and talking about "boring", Edward is a WAY more interesting character than Connor was, I don't even know why he is Connor's grandfather, because his personality remembers me more of Ezio's than Connor's. He's womanizer, funny, smart, and very serious about his business. The game visuals are outstanding, the environments are rich, even the AI is improved. Missions are more diversified and Ubisoft has even implemented a mission review system. After completing a mission, you simply fill up to 5 stars and send them as a notice of how much you enjoyed that mission, it's very cool.… Expand
  46. 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
  47. SJ555
    Nov 26, 2013
    9
    Pros-
    *Vast and Beautiful World
    *Distinctive cities and locations to see
    *Edward is Epic
    *Vastly improved naval gameplay
    *Stylish story and character
    *Surprisingly good side-mission

    Cons-
    *Bugs
    *Repetition in story mission
    *Kinda lost that Assassins Creed Edge

    Overall a way much better than AC3 an absolute amazing game
  48. Madmaz
    Nov 23, 2013
    10
    Fun, fun fun, thats what you get wen you play this game. Ive only had one other AC game and that was revelations so I was a bit reluctant to get this, but having read a few user reviews Im glad I did. I dont get where the negative reviews are coming from as there is nothing to warrant that in this game,

    Sailing the seas looking to pirate is just awesome, I love the open world aspect    Fun, fun fun, thats what you get wen you play this game. Ive only had one other AC game and that was revelations so I was a bit reluctant to get this, but having read a few user reviews Im glad I did. I dont get where the negative reviews are coming from as there is nothing to warrant that in this game,

    Sailing the seas looking to pirate is just awesome, I love the open world aspect there is so much to do, yes you could mention it might feel a little repetitive but never enough to stop you coming back for more and thats a sign of a good game, and theres still the single player story to keep you going.

    This is a great game to play just go buy it,    … Expand
  49. fatgamer
    Nov 19, 2013
    9
    This game is amazing The exploration is the best thing. the combat was upgraded and so was the counter system well worth the price. usually i can play AC for an hour at most but with black flag i have to force myself to put the controller down.
  50. ACFAN
    Nov 18, 2013
    7
    First of all, the graphics & the story telling has definitely been improved. The game itselfs lacks mystery and assassins creed spirit. It's too much "Yarr I'm a pirate" and what most players know as Assassins Creed has been toned down heavily.

    I love Assassins Creed and I really enjoyed this game but I was quite let down by the story. Pros: * Great improvement in storytelling and    First of all, the graphics & the story telling has definitely been improved. The game itselfs lacks mystery and assassins creed spirit. It's too much "Yarr I'm a pirate" and what most players know as Assassins Creed has been toned down heavily.

    I love Assassins Creed and I really enjoyed this game but I was quite let down by the story.

    Pros:

    * Great improvement in storytelling and graphics

    Cons:

    * Doesnt quite feel like Assassins Creed
    * Nothing new when it comes to combat and missions

    Overall: Enjoyable game but has lost the Assassins Creed spirit, please go back to it or lose the Assassins Creed name.    … Expand
  51. hbk
    Nov 18, 2013
    10
    i m a great fan of assasins creed series....this game is really awesome and outstanding in all aspects...i had played all the games{gta 5,call of duty ghosts adn battlefield 4} but in my opinion no other game can compete with AC 4 BLACKFLAG and i wish it will get GOTY
  52. Raikiri123
    Nov 18, 2013
    5
    It's simply pitiful. This game, is pitiful. And the fact that reviewers as well as the public are deep in Ubisoft's pocket is even more pitiful. To put things simply: Assassin's Creed 4: Blackflag is simply Assassin's Creed 3 with every bit of its annoying-ness multiplied by 10. Among the constant nagging from Ubisoft for feedback, going online, etc... the horribly predictable story sameIt's simply pitiful. This game, is pitiful. And the fact that reviewers as well as the public are deep in Ubisoft's pocket is even more pitiful. To put things simply: Assassin's Creed 4: Blackflag is simply Assassin's Creed 3 with every bit of its annoying-ness multiplied by 10. Among the constant nagging from Ubisoft for feedback, going online, etc... the horribly predictable story same intro, same structure, same flow, same bull ending that doesn't seem to lead the series anywhere), the repetitive, dull combat/ fetch gameplay brought back from previous titles, Assassin's Creed has now won the title of the most milked, exploit and exhausted franchise ever. Ubisoft doesn't seem to realize that the game is called Assassin's Creed, not farmville or battleship. I don't ever think anyone comes to a game called "Assassin's Creed" looking to spend hours on a ship slugging around the oceans and running around collecting "crafting ingredients". Such an respected franchise is now dumbed down to this. The reason is pretty evident: 1 game per year, can anyone believe it? Such a short span in development can never result in a worthy product. Gamers have been wondering as to why the gaming industry is standing still with little progress. That fact kept me thinking that when recycled pieces of trash like this get tossed around, people will at least stand up to them or ignore them. But no, they get glowing reviews, cash flows in their pockets and the cycle goes on. Now I just need to wait for more c*****, half baked DLCs to come around until this score becomes 1.… Expand
  53. militarynewb
    Nov 17, 2013
    9
    I've just started this great adventure that we call Black Flag, and I have to say plainly and simply. Wow. Just when I thought Assassins Creed was reaching the end of its days, it comes in and brings this next exciting installment to the stage. With this, they have secured the franshises future for years to come, Bravo!!!
  54. REfreakk55
    Nov 17, 2013
    3
    It's difficult to describe this game, if you look at it from the pirate aspect then no doubt you can see why this game is fun but when you look at it from the Assassin's Creed aspect, then this game is just a downright train-wreck, Where is the stealth? Why has this franchise suddenly become obsessed with pirates? Not to mention the poorly written storyline that they scribbled together forIt's difficult to describe this game, if you look at it from the pirate aspect then no doubt you can see why this game is fun but when you look at it from the Assassin's Creed aspect, then this game is just a downright train-wreck, Where is the stealth? Why has this franchise suddenly become obsessed with pirates? Not to mention the poorly written storyline that they scribbled together for this game, I personally think Ubisoft is just desperately trying to make this franchise all that and more and they are failing at it, but then again I gave it a 3 because when you play this game and forget the other Assassin's Creed games and their plots, then yes the game can be some-what enjoyable but to all the die-hard Assassin's Creed fans, like myself, I strongly recommend that you DON'T buy this game, it has become clear Assassin's Creed is turning into Call of Duty, expect another similar or below-average sequel next year from Ubisoft for the same 60 dollars you keep wishing you had back............… Expand
  55. The_Crusader
    Nov 17, 2013
    8
    In AC4, you follow the life of a privateer turned pirate turned assassin, Edward Kenway. This game, however, mostly ignores the conflict between Assassins and Templars.
  56. Rassill
    Nov 16, 2013
    9
    This is the pirate game you never knew you always wanted! And just to clarify, it is just that: a pirate game, and a bloody good one. Think Sid Meyer's "Pirates" realised in 3D with all the trappings you'd expect: ship battles, harpooning, ship boarding and treasure hunting to name but some of the main activities you'll experience out on the open sea, all of which are great fun!

    But    This is the pirate game you never knew you always wanted! And just to clarify, it is just that: a pirate game, and a bloody good one. Think Sid Meyer's "Pirates" realised in 3D with all the trappings you'd expect: ship battles, harpooning, ship boarding and treasure hunting to name but some of the main activities you'll experience out on the open sea, all of which are great fun!

    But then it's also an Assassin's creed game and as such has all the usual on-land activities we've come to expect from the series. And while there haven't been any major overhauls on these activities most have been tweaked and tightened and are as much fun as they've always been.

    But again, the most fun to be had with this game is out on the open water, and searching and earning the materials needed to upgrade your ship is extremely addictive. Hours would go by where I was nowhere near the main story and still having a whale (ahem) of a time and that is the sign of a great open world game.

    This game only loses a mark because yes, there are a few bugs, though they're nothing close to intrusive and combat (especially when taking place on a crowded enemy ship) can be a little messy and confusing, though for the most part still good fun.

    Even if you've become tired of this series, which to be fair, could benefit from a little more polishing and not being released EVERY year, this has enough fresh and fun ideas to be worthy of your time. And clocking in at over 50 hours on a play through, including most of the side quests, is terrific value for money!    … Expand
  57. Rafalmetacritic
    Nov 16, 2013
    9
    Best assasin's game I have ever played. Climate, graphics, not too much run. Of course ships battles, great pleasure to be on the sail and board some spanish ship
  58. aaronspada
    Nov 15, 2013
    3
    The graphics are great, the game play is just awful. I didn't like ac 3 and I was wishing for a better game here and it just didn't deliver a great game. this will honestly be the last ac i will ever buy.
  59. Connorsauras
    Nov 12, 2013
    7
    It is in the amazing visuals, vicious combat and smooth free-running that Assassin's Creed IV truly shines. Unfortunately, a disappointing storyline and two-dimensional characters make this one of the weakest additions to the AC franchise, story-wise. Like the other games in the series, the story is set both in the Animus and out of it. While outside of the Animus, you will see someIt is in the amazing visuals, vicious combat and smooth free-running that Assassin's Creed IV truly shines. Unfortunately, a disappointing storyline and two-dimensional characters make this one of the weakest additions to the AC franchise, story-wise. Like the other games in the series, the story is set both in the Animus and out of it. While outside of the Animus, you will see some familiar faces however their appearance is short and unimportant to the overall story, their inclusion in the game feels forced as if to make a connection between this game and the events at the climax of Assassin's Creed III.

    Despite the lacklustre story, there is still a lot of fun to be had with this game. The naval combat from ACIII is back and improved upon in many ways, the "Jackdaw", Kenway's ship. Is fully upgradable, from the power of the cannons to the strength of the hull. You can also customize your ship aesthetically, by changing the colour of the sails and the figurehead on the front of The Jackdaw. The customization is limited but it is still enjoyable. Despite being disappointing in certain areas, as a whole it is still an enjoyable game.    … Expand
  60. Disp0sition
    Nov 11, 2013
    6
    This game was disappointing.

    I was under the impression that Ubisoft decided to make more Assassin's Creed games because people liked the early ones and wanted to see where the story was going, I couldn't have been more wrong. The modern storyline was, as decided by a lot of players, immersion breaking and frustrating. I felt otherwise, the modern storyline gives history a point, the    This game was disappointing.

    I was under the impression that Ubisoft decided to make more Assassin's Creed games because people liked the early ones and wanted to see where the story was going, I couldn't have been more wrong. The modern storyline was, as decided by a lot of players, immersion breaking and frustrating. I felt otherwise, the modern storyline gives history a point, the larger story gave me a reason to keep going and a bigger picture to influence with my smaller actions. Something that was recognised with ACIII all the way up to killing the guy who spent all of Ezio and Altaïr's lives training to be the perfect assassin.

    As for the pirate part of the game, it was very piratey. Blackbeard was as fierce and respectable as expected and by far my favourite, I felt like a giant selfish tool stealing from tradespeople and Navy men like any pirate would. But that was still kind of fun! What wasn't fun is the way this game talks down to the player.

    Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag takes the standpoint that you have never played an AC game before and has tutorials on every single mechanic brought back from the previous titles. Text pops up over Edwards head during combat telling you exactly which button you need to press to damage and enemy, essentially turning combat into a series of slow time events. Information in the story is so blatantly obvious to the player that it makes the characters in the game look like morons for not realising things sooner.

    CQC on ships is a complete mess. When boarding a ship, half of the hits I took were from my own pirate crew who couldn't wait for me to move before slashing at the enemy. ALSO they removed the Assassin Recruit mechanic which would've fit perfectly into boarding ships! A trainable crew that actually manages to kill something that you can command to complete objectives with you... Talk about a missed opportunity. As a result, ship combat end up being a massive boring drag as you get to a point where you have to grind and grind to get materials to upgrade the Jackdaw.

    As a completionist I obviously had to spend a lot of time sailing to treasure chests, so trust me when I tell you this, the map is big, and the map is lazy. The chests are placed on tiny copy pasted islands spaced evenly across the ocean. It is so mind numbingly repetitive that I wish I'd never bought the game. Collectibles are revealed on the map as soon as viewpoints are synched, so there is no challenge to any part of it, no satisfaction to be felt for achieving 100% sync, which there isn't even a trophy for (easy platinum hey?)

    As a long standing fan of the series with a merchandise collection to be reckoned with, I feel personally offended and let down by this game. It's an insult to canon and to the rich Universe that is Assassin's Creed, I don't want to see the series continue to degrade itself and lose all subtlety and nuance, if this is the future of AC then this is my last purchase.    … Expand
  61. felipeblackdog
    Nov 11, 2013
    9
    This is really an AMAZING game,with great graphics,great story and great gameplay,with lots of things to do and explore,but even great games are not perfect,you can find some glitches and all the combat system is too easy,they better put a harder difficulty setting next time.
    But overall this game is fantastic,it is the best Assassin's Creed game since AC 2 (my personal favorite),if you    This is really an AMAZING game,with great graphics,great story and great gameplay,with lots of things to do and explore,but even great games are not perfect,you can find some glitches and all the combat system is too easy,they better put a harder difficulty setting next time.
    But overall this game is fantastic,it is the best Assassin's Creed game since AC 2 (my personal favorite),if you are a fan of the series and didn't enjoy AC 3 very much like me,relax because this game is much better.    … Expand
  62. akman
    Nov 11, 2013
    8
    I love this game really.The naval combat, the regular combat, the environments the gameplay(for the most part) and i dare say the story is pretty good.And the meld between assassins and pirates is excellent.But i have 2 main problems that really annoyed me.First the stealth mechanics are poor, basicly the only thing you are worrying about is that the enemy doesn't see you, other thanI love this game really.The naval combat, the regular combat, the environments the gameplay(for the most part) and i dare say the story is pretty good.And the meld between assassins and pirates is excellent.But i have 2 main problems that really annoyed me.First the stealth mechanics are poor, basicly the only thing you are worrying about is that the enemy doesn't see you, other than that you can just freerun behind them and they wont even know a thing(before you backstab them hehe), so basicly sound stealth mechanics are missing from the game.The second problem i have is with the missions, they are dull as f*ck Edward go stalk those guys, Edward go eavesdrop on those guys, Edward go assassinate those guys, Edward sneakingly infiltrate a base but you are not actually going to do that you will just kill everyone with the first chance you get then get to a checkpoint.That pretty much sums up 50% of the missions.Over all a great game, whether you have ps3 xbox 360 pc ps4 xbox one you should buy this game.… Expand
  63. soomeMafia
    Nov 11, 2013
    9
    This game would've get a 10/10 if it didn't have a certain 'legacy' to protect. As a pirate game this was nearly excellent, but the true beaut is in the pace changing of the game. There are awesome and huge naval battles, but there is also a great stealth system. The greatness is that both of these work well and both of them have their places. The story is something new and the charactersThis game would've get a 10/10 if it didn't have a certain 'legacy' to protect. As a pirate game this was nearly excellent, but the true beaut is in the pace changing of the game. There are awesome and huge naval battles, but there is also a great stealth system. The greatness is that both of these work well and both of them have their places. The story is something new and the characters we're unique and mostly very entertaining.

    But to me, that isn't what the series are all about. To me, it's about the feeling, the spirit! You have to feel that you're the goddamn angel of death. I felt that when running in the roofs of Venice, but since that it has been facing away. Here it has returned, with the feeling of freedom that Caribbean offers. Endless activities and places to visit, the weather simulations, the crew singing, the ocean! All of those are great and they all make this the 2nd best game in the series this far.

    I recommend this game to everyone because of it's versatility. Both new players and long-time AC-fan like me will find something to like in it.    … Expand
  64. fanboykiller
    Nov 10, 2013
    10
    best assassins creed easily... I thought nothing could top assassins creed 2 but this game... what a suprise, I honestly didn't expect a game this good. Congratz to ubisoft, since the addition of the multiplayer and the yearly releases I saw this franchise going downhill and turning into another disgrace like call of duty but AC4 has totally changed my mind. So much stuff has beenbest assassins creed easily... I thought nothing could top assassins creed 2 but this game... what a suprise, I honestly didn't expect a game this good. Congratz to ubisoft, since the addition of the multiplayer and the yearly releases I saw this franchise going downhill and turning into another disgrace like call of duty but AC4 has totally changed my mind. So much stuff has been changed, the only thing that makes me associate AC4 with AC3 is the "walking on trees" feature. Even the naval aspect (which was pretty good in AC3) is so much better. It brings the best out of all the games and so much more.… Expand
  65. LiquidFrostbite
    Nov 9, 2013
    10
    Easily the best game in the Assassin's Creed franchise. After the low that was Assassin's Creed 3, I think most fans can agree that we were worried about the next AC being a disappointment, as well.

    Connor was probably the most disliked AC character to date, with his monotone, mediocre voice-acting and overall dull "must do right" character. Edward Kenway, on the other hand, brings a    Easily the best game in the Assassin's Creed franchise. After the low that was Assassin's Creed 3, I think most fans can agree that we were worried about the next AC being a disappointment, as well.

    Connor was probably the most disliked AC character to date, with his monotone, mediocre voice-acting and overall dull "must do right" character.

    Edward Kenway, on the other hand, brings a much lighter tone to the franchise, akin to Jack Sparrow.

    The story is great. The combat, crafting, free-running and everything else has all been revamped. I bought this game the day it came out and it has quickly become my favorite Assassin's Creed.

    Can't wait for the PC release, already have it pre-ordered.    … Expand
  66. FWordFizz
    Nov 8, 2013
    7
    Did you play Assassins Creed 2? Did you like it? Did you play Assassins creed three? Were you disappointed? If you answered yes to all of these questions you are like me. I had fun with it. Check it out if you arent getting GTA 5. Its better than ghosts but if you want something new and fresh skip it.
  67. TCJT11-10-1996
    Nov 8, 2013
    10
    THAT IS AN AWESOME GAME MAN! IT`S SOOOO COOOOL!!!!!!! I love ASSASSINS!!! NICE GAMEPLAY, GRAPHICS, AND VISUALS! THIS GAME IS VERY NICE!!! OXD OXD OXD OXD
  68. Scootinfruity
    Nov 8, 2013
    5
    Much like previous Assassin's Creed games, this one is pretty much the same. The story is bland and unoriginal. Although, the pirates and boat sailing alone make this title worthy of playing. While the story is.. well.. lame, the boating and combat is fantastic. Piloting your boat in the ocean with your crew singing shanties is one of the most fun things i've done in a video game, butMuch like previous Assassin's Creed games, this one is pretty much the same. The story is bland and unoriginal. Although, the pirates and boat sailing alone make this title worthy of playing. While the story is.. well.. lame, the boating and combat is fantastic. Piloting your boat in the ocean with your crew singing shanties is one of the most fun things i've done in a video game, but unfortunately, i can't score this game high because of the bland, unoriginal story. Not to mention that there are many performance issues and bugs. Unlike most reviewers, I will take the bugs into account. I noticed framerate going from around 30 down to 24-22 FPS which is an unacceptable drop. Overall, it's a decent game, but I'd wait for the price to drop before you even think about picking it up.

    5/10.    … Expand
  69. jafc34
    Nov 7, 2013
    9
    Assassin’s Creed Black Flag is a solid step up from the previous games, while it retains the core stealth assassination aspects of the game the story line has been re grafted around the life and times of a pirate captain which provides a more balanced and accessible gaming experience which would give it a wider appeal to more gamers. You can choose which aspect to focus on and advance theAssassin’s Creed Black Flag is a solid step up from the previous games, while it retains the core stealth assassination aspects of the game the story line has been re grafted around the life and times of a pirate captain which provides a more balanced and accessible gaming experience which would give it a wider appeal to more gamers. You can choose which aspect to focus on and advance the story as you please with plenty of side missions and exploration to ignore or investigate along the way.

    The story line is not a heavy presence in the game, that may please some but not all, the real world non historical persona of the character is nearly minimal and far less obtrusive than before.

    The game play mechanic is essentially the same with the addition of the new ability to pilot a ship and engaged in ship to ship warfare which is well done. The graphics are of high quality with the exception of the game world edge zones which are just annoying and the Hud which can get a little cluttered if there is a lot going on. The upgrade system is good, but some items do require additional real world purchases to obtain which is disappointing.

    An excellent AS game, it is well rounded, engaging and much better than the previous two games. An excellent point for those who have not played the series before to enter and enjoy. Wait until the price is not ridiculous and then put this one on your shelf, you will not be sorry.    … Expand
  70. akshajb07
    Nov 7, 2013
    10
    superb game! great mix of assasins creed 2 and brotherhood plus the pirates theme and gemeplay is amazing! it's a must buy for all real gamers. A great game no matter what the critics say it is a great game
  71. djmusic10
    Nov 7, 2013
    9
    When i bought Black Flag I expected the same repetitive game as it was in the other Assassin Creed games and it was for the most part which isn't a bad thing however I wished they changed the controlls back to AC1 and AC2 but thats not the point. What really suprised me was the naval gameplay portion of the game. There is so much to explore on the seas for it is your only means of travelWhen i bought Black Flag I expected the same repetitive game as it was in the other Assassin Creed games and it was for the most part which isn't a bad thing however I wished they changed the controlls back to AC1 and AC2 but thats not the point. What really suprised me was the naval gameplay portion of the game. There is so much to explore on the seas for it is your only means of travel instead of moving through waypoints on land. you can Board other ships and steal their resources to make your ship even stronger. Then there are the naval convoys and my favorite part the Legendary Ships (these things are like floating islands). I have spent 25 hours of the game just on the seas exploring and clearing islands before touching the story. I took off one point because the story is weak but does touch back to AC3 so no spoilers however I feel this game should of ended there now they are trying to milk it lol). I say This game is a must buy… Expand
  72. MitchellKiss
    Nov 6, 2013
    10
    Fantastic game! Best in the series since the glorious Assassin's Creed 2 and fixes almost all of the issues of the divisive Assassin's Creed 3. Black Flag delivers a beautiful open world experience which is as good as other open world games we have seen this gen, like Red Dead Redemption and Far Cry 3!
  73. Zidane_Mina
    Nov 6, 2013
    9
    Assassins Creed IV Blackflag improves on nearly every aspect over its predecessor. The world is bast, filled with many activities, secrets to discover and upgrades to collect. The story is fast paced (when compared to AC3), Edward Kenway is way more interesting character than previous AC protagonists, and his phillosophy over Assassin and Templar affairs feels like a refreshing change. OnAssassins Creed IV Blackflag improves on nearly every aspect over its predecessor. The world is bast, filled with many activities, secrets to discover and upgrades to collect. The story is fast paced (when compared to AC3), Edward Kenway is way more interesting character than previous AC protagonists, and his phillosophy over Assassin and Templar affairs feels like a refreshing change. On the downhill: the combat remains almost the same, with great emphasis on counter attacks, and it may become somewhat confusing when the amount of enemies on the screen grows high. Many may argue which AC game is the best, 4 or 2, in my case it'll have to chose Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, the big world and the liberty this game provides is enough to make it earn its places as the Best Assassin's Creed Game to date, after all, when the story ends is the gameplay and RPG elements that makes this game so special. (sorry, Ezio)… Expand
  74. TheGaminSheep
    Nov 6, 2013
    9
    After playing and completing Ac4 Black Flag it became clear to me that Ac4 is far better than any other game in the series (apart from ac2). It takes a great setting, fills it with a storyline of great and iconic characters and above all else brings brilliant combat and stealth gameplay! The only thing that i could find to put this game down by was the lack of story development in theAfter playing and completing Ac4 Black Flag it became clear to me that Ac4 is far better than any other game in the series (apart from ac2). It takes a great setting, fills it with a storyline of great and iconic characters and above all else brings brilliant combat and stealth gameplay! The only thing that i could find to put this game down by was the lack of story development in the modern day, but it's the same in all of the games.… Expand
  75. X_Matt_X
    Nov 6, 2013
    10
    After seeing the trailer, I will not hide that I was not placing much hope on this game. However, after playing for nearly 10 hours straight, I was pleasantly surprised. In past Assassin's Creed games, being in the city felt natural as you were always in it. In ACIV, I found myself longing for my ship and the vast open world that is the sea/ocean. Additionally, successfully capturing aAfter seeing the trailer, I will not hide that I was not placing much hope on this game. However, after playing for nearly 10 hours straight, I was pleasantly surprised. In past Assassin's Creed games, being in the city felt natural as you were always in it. In ACIV, I found myself longing for my ship and the vast open world that is the sea/ocean. Additionally, successfully capturing a high-level man o' war, or any ship for that matter, is incredibly satisfying. You would think that such an act would get repetitive and boring, but it does not. I predict that the opinions will be split on this game, as you either hate it or love it, but I personally think that it is a huge step-up from the odd ACIII.… Expand
  76. woop952
    Nov 6, 2013
    9
    Wow Samax22 I hope you're not expecting anyone to take your review seriously, jaysus. First off, this game is great, absolutely beautiful, there is a lot of stuff to do.Very addicting, I played over 30 hours in my first session. It will take you about 60 hours or more to do the main story, explore every location, and to do most of the side quest. Characters are pretty good as well,Wow Samax22 I hope you're not expecting anyone to take your review seriously, jaysus. First off, this game is great, absolutely beautiful, there is a lot of stuff to do.Very addicting, I played over 30 hours in my first session. It will take you about 60 hours or more to do the main story, explore every location, and to do most of the side quest. Characters are pretty good as well, Blackbeard and James Kidd are among the standouts. I liked the story except for the ending. Gameplay is good, same as AC3. There are a few things I didn't like, you will spend a lot of time following people around while trying to avoid guards and it can get annoying. And there in not that many missions in each sequence. But overall it's a great game, 9/10 for me.… Expand
  77. tombo
    Nov 6, 2013
    8
    Beautiful as Renaissance paintings, Assassin Creed games are also incredibly fun,i.e., acrobatic
    maneuvering; exploration and discovery, thrill of the kill, etc. For all the greatness, I can't help
    but wish that Ubisoft would invest more time in refining stealth and combat. All too often, the enemy AI is repetitive, dumb, and oblivious. Combat doesn't approach the challenge, diversity,    Beautiful as Renaissance paintings, Assassin Creed games are also incredibly fun,i.e., acrobatic
    maneuvering; exploration and discovery, thrill of the kill, etc. For all the greatness, I can't help
    but wish that Ubisoft would invest more time in refining stealth and combat. All too often, the
    enemy AI is repetitive, dumb, and oblivious. Combat doesn't approach the challenge, diversity,
    and joy of say a "Demon's Souls" or "Witcher 2". Still, with winter fast approaching, it's great
    being in the Caribbean!    … Expand
  78. moviefan2
    Nov 6, 2013
    10
    i was not in the mood to write a review, but i thought this one deserves some props. when i first started playing, i was thinking brotherhood, which i did like. as i continued to play it just kept getting better. there is so much to do. the side missions and challenges were rewarding and challenging. the choice to do inland or sea missions was great because sometimes your mood wantsi was not in the mood to write a review, but i thought this one deserves some props. when i first started playing, i was thinking brotherhood, which i did like. as i continued to play it just kept getting better. there is so much to do. the side missions and challenges were rewarding and challenging. the choice to do inland or sea missions was great because sometimes your mood wants something different. the ship action was fun. i can't imagine why some didn't like this unless they don't like ac games. this is probably my favorite ac game so far. thank you ubi for a awesome game. the only thing i didn't like about this was that you can't attack the characters that aren't part of the mission. i like being able to interact with the innocent like in brotherhood. you can run into them or not them off of the docks, but that's pretty much it. great game still, just bring back the cheap attacks on the innocent...sounds bad, but it added a little mischievousness to the game.… Expand
  79. CrashJones
    Nov 6, 2013
    9
    The 1st AC I played was III. About 4 months ago. I stopped playing before opening up anything major due to weird control issues. I got II about a month and a half ago, hearing it was the best one, and wanting to get to know the story before Black Flag came out. I burned through ACII & Brotherhood. I loved them both. Revelations is a beautiful game. The tower defense game people complainThe 1st AC I played was III. About 4 months ago. I stopped playing before opening up anything major due to weird control issues. I got II about a month and a half ago, hearing it was the best one, and wanting to get to know the story before Black Flag came out. I burned through ACII & Brotherhood. I loved them both. Revelations is a beautiful game. The tower defense game people complain about can be avoided by visiting the heralds. I was going to finish Revelations before picking up black flag, but could not resist.
    Black Flag is a Pirate game first and foremost. A GREAT pirate game. Since November 1st I have hardly stopped(November 9th today...wow... 8 days, gone, just like that). I am at 52% completed and the game awesome.
    I took a break from it yesterday and put Revelations back on and enjoyed a great 1 hour session playing the older Ezio. During that session I got to compare straight up(I also collected the 3rd disc and got to play Altair, seeing what happened to his youngest son and wife.. Revelations rocks as well...making the "Ezio Trilogy" the best Assassin "game".
    BUT!!!
    If you want Pirates!?!

    AC4:Black Flag IS the game for you!    … Expand
  80. Munich
    Nov 6, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Since the release of GTA V, this is the highest score I am giving to a game. I played almost all of the AC games. Not particularly a fan of them ,but I enjoyed most of them a lot. The only games I haven't played are Assassin's Creed III and Liberation. I didn't expect anything major when I first inserted the disc in my console, but just when you don't expect it, miracles happen. I found myself playing for 5 straight hours with a bunch of soda cans to my left, and some sandwich left overs to my right. The game just dragged me in, in some sort.

    Apparently, you play as Edward Kenway, a privateer who takes down a rogue member of the Assassins and assumes his identity in order to make some profit about himself. Kenway is a really good character, perhaps my favorite videogame character of all times. He is charismatic, mature and yet pretty naive in a few occasions. Very relatable, to say the least. There are also some very interesting historical figures that make an appearance in this game, like Stede Bonnet, the failed pirate, Edward Thatch also known as the devilish Blackbeard, Bartholomew Roberts, Benjamin Hornigold and more. The voicework is also perfect, and the dialogue makes the characters feel very lively.

    What makes Assassin's Creed IV so addicting is the world that surrounds it and the number of activities you can do. You have your own ship, with your own crew, with which you can attack other ships and steal their cargo. You can go hunting, or diving around shipwrecks in an attempt to find lost treasures. It's all up to you, really. After I was done with the campaign, I spent most of my time shooting berserker darts at a bunch of guards in Kingston and then had fun watching them brawl with each other. It's all up to you on how you wanna spend your free time, really. The main campaign is not something to be noted, though. With a handful of missions being quite repetitive, but all of the sandbox games suffer from that, even GTA V.

    Overall, I think the game totally deserves it's score. It's the best games in the franchise, and probably one of the best games released in PS3 this year. It's totally worth your cash.    … Expand
  81. spookey0188
    Nov 5, 2013
    10
    I'm a big fan of the ac series. ac1 was awesome, ac2 was amazing, brotherhood was pretty good, revelation was crap, ac3 was terrible, but ac4 is probably my favorite out of the whole series. although ezio is still a better character with a better story, I still loved Edward as well. just get the game!
  82. C3realkillah
    Nov 5, 2013
    9
    You like pirates? You like AC? If you answered yes then you will LOVE this game. Even though it is more a pirate game then ac because, well, you are a pirate. You have a ship, crew mates, and do pirate things. That being said it is still an ac game in the way the free running and assassinations/combat go but once you get out on the beautiful seas it shifts full focus to pirates then theYou like pirates? You like AC? If you answered yes then you will LOVE this game. Even though it is more a pirate game then ac because, well, you are a pirate. You have a ship, crew mates, and do pirate things. That being said it is still an ac game in the way the free running and assassinations/combat go but once you get out on the beautiful seas it shifts full focus to pirates then the creed. Assassins are still part of the story but the main draw here is the golden age of piracy. It's a great game in both regards. The best pirate game ever made and the best ac game in the series. The graphics on ps3 are fantastic and at times mindblowingly beautiful. The game has the best looking water effects and oceans I've ever seen in a game(besides gta v oceans) the ship combat is addicting and open world is full of things to do. I am only on sequence 3 but the story is pretty good. There is just so much to say about this game but I recommend you play this yourself. It is a highly entertaining experience that pirate fans and ac fans will love.… Expand
  83. MarcusFenix0012
    Nov 5, 2013
    10
    Best of series outside of Assassin's Creed 2. Love the open world combat and I love that they throw you right into the action as opposed to Assassin's Creed 3's five hour long tutorial. I love completing each island in the hope of fully upgrading my ship. Only issue being that Uplay kicked out every once in a while stopping me from playing the Kenway's Fleet minigame.
  84. seantimothy
    Nov 5, 2013
    10
    The game is blowing my mind. They've combined all the best elements of all the games before, including Brotherhood, and packed it into what is undeniably the best action adventure game out on the PS3 right now. But don't take my word for it, at least rent it. But I'm thinking the replay value is worth the buy.
  85. Shahid646
    Nov 5, 2013
    10
    It took me a while to make an honest opinion. Those who wrote their comments on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd day, didn't wrote a review after understanding the game.

    In start you just feel that graphics has been improved in much much much better way. Then as the story passes you feel newness and new strategies. I bet you cant explore the whole world in 2 or 3 days. There is lot lot lot to    It took me a while to make an honest opinion. Those who wrote their comments on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd day, didn't wrote a review after understanding the game.

    In start you just feel that graphics has been improved in much much much better way. Then as the story passes you feel newness and new strategies. I bet you cant explore the whole world in 2 or 3 days. There is lot lot lot to explore and lotto do. Pirates part is beautiful. Castle are superb. Graphics are of high class. Missions has new tactics. I can write a lot on it.

    It is the best game.     … Expand
  86. Doughnutzz
    Nov 5, 2013
    10
    This is the best AC so far, great graphics and smooth game play..and as ever some good story and relaxing soundtrack..mixed with the android app so you can send your fleet on missions it makes for a nd fun and realistic game play..
  87. Jacktown04
    Nov 4, 2013
    10
    I was a little worried at buying this game, even though I had already read a few reviews that said it was better than any of the other AC games. I had played every AC and after AC3 I said that I wouldn't buy another one until the game became something worth wasting time playing. Black flag is that game. It is incredible, magnifique, and worth throwing some dinero at. All the glory of navalI was a little worried at buying this game, even though I had already read a few reviews that said it was better than any of the other AC games. I had played every AC and after AC3 I said that I wouldn't buy another one until the game became something worth wasting time playing. Black flag is that game. It is incredible, magnifique, and worth throwing some dinero at. All the glory of naval combat is worth the price of admission as it is, let alone plundering islands, stealing money and goods from plantations, and discovering new locations of the sea. Recruiting the crew and upgrading your beautiful ship are other small parts of the game that make it even more fun. You can spend hours at sea (literally) and be completely satisfied with your gaming experience. Throw some money and go be a pirate!… Expand
  88. ThomJ
    Nov 4, 2013
    10
    I am absolutely stunned by the sheer joy I get out of this Assassin's Creed. The world and possibilities are so vast this time. It just all fits very well. After hours of plundering, I can say I am positively surprised about the fact that this Assassin's Creed has "it" for me. For the first time since AC2, I feel they've put an element of perfection in the game. It was totally worth theI am absolutely stunned by the sheer joy I get out of this Assassin's Creed. The world and possibilities are so vast this time. It just all fits very well. After hours of plundering, I can say I am positively surprised about the fact that this Assassin's Creed has "it" for me. For the first time since AC2, I feel they've put an element of perfection in the game. It was totally worth the money and time!… Expand
  89. Txino_K
    Nov 4, 2013
    10
    Fun, the best after AC2, I've just finished the history and I still want more naval battles and more trips around islands...... A good game, really enjoyable..
  90. Gamer44
    Nov 4, 2013
    10
    Assassins Creed IV is a phenomenal gaming experience this is truly the best assassins creed to date. The graphics is gorgeous the controls are smooth and the game is extremely fun and quickly becomes addictive. Ubisoft once again delivered a phenomenal game.

    Being a true die hard fan of the assassins creed games I was not let down one bit by this game it is a flawless gaming experience    Assassins Creed IV is a phenomenal gaming experience this is truly the best assassins creed to date. The graphics is gorgeous the controls are smooth and the game is extremely fun and quickly becomes addictive. Ubisoft once again delivered a phenomenal game.

    Being a true die hard fan of the assassins creed games I was not let down one bit by this game it is a flawless gaming experience and one I will enjoy for many more hours and years to come.

    If you played all the assassins creed games then I highly recommend this for you because simply you won't be disappointed a bit. Each assassins creed game was phenomenal but the fourth installment is by far the most superior one of them all.

    Thank you Ubisoft for delivering and making such an amazing game and I look forward to the future ahead wit Ubisoft    … Expand
  91. Joss
    Nov 3, 2013
    8
    Very interesting open world with excellent Naval navigation and boat fight. A lot of frustration from ACIII disapear with smart upgrades like economic system, hunting, and it's bug free On the ground, Parkour and jumping aren't precise enough for me, and AI is so dumb. But sword fight and assassinate is always the force of the game (more and more brutal). The Story is good withVery interesting open world with excellent Naval navigation and boat fight. A lot of frustration from ACIII disapear with smart upgrades like economic system, hunting, and it's bug free On the ground, Parkour and jumping aren't precise enough for me, and AI is so dumb. But sword fight and assassinate is always the force of the game (more and more brutal). The Story is good with charismatic pirates, and a good evolution. but like in every open world, it's sometime difficult to maintain the rythm. Seemless transitions between cinematic and gameplay are on the good way. To be honest, it's a good opus (more pirate than assassin and you could appreciate the multiplayer upgrade too.… Expand
  92. TheGamer31
    Nov 3, 2013
    9
    Game of the year, calling it here right now. The only problem I could find with the game is how repetitive it can get. But they did improve a ton compared to the horrible atrocity to the serious, Assassin's Creed 3.
  93. Papamiau
    Nov 3, 2013
    4
    The gameplay is great. The fighting for me is better than it was in previous games. Pirates thing is quite nice. And boat fights are pretty great. But I was disappointed very much with the general storyline (DESMOND, PRESENT DAYS STORYLINE). No questions answered, some new stupid questions raised and basically those new questions are not so important. So after playing this game, lookingThe gameplay is great. The fighting for me is better than it was in previous games. Pirates thing is quite nice. And boat fights are pretty great. But I was disappointed very much with the general storyline (DESMOND, PRESENT DAYS STORYLINE). No questions answered, some new stupid questions raised and basically those new questions are not so important. So after playing this game, looking from the storyline point of view you can say that you found out absolutely nothing that could interest you. People may skip this game and move on to the following part, which will be probably show up next year and won't feel that they missed something. Anyway, disappointing.… Expand
  94. RobyMarian2800
    Nov 3, 2013
    10
    Guys, the AC series is one of the best video games ever made. Yeah AC4 brings some things from AC2 like exploration but the are a lot of things that are better in AC4: 1.the Jackdaw is like the AC3 manor. In AC3 you needed to upgrade it in order to unlock some upgrades to the weapons. The Jackdaw is more resistent if you upgrade it.
    2. There are new weapons in the game like the dual    Guys, the AC series is one of the best video games ever made. Yeah AC4 brings some things from AC2 like exploration but the are a lot of things that are better in AC4: 1.the Jackdaw is like the AC3 manor. In AC3 you needed to upgrade it in order to unlock some upgrades to the weapons. The Jackdaw is more resistent if you upgrade it.
    2. There are new weapons in the game like the dual swords, the blow pipe, berzerk pipe, and the best of them all the 4 pistols that have free aiming.
    3. the treasures are all over the world
    4.you can hunt sharks.
    So before leaving a negative review to this game, please PLAY IT!    … Expand
  95. McSkittle
    Nov 3, 2013
    6
    On the positive this game looks the best on the Wii U. My overall problem is there is no online and the game needs it because this still looks like assassins Creed 3 with pirate DLC.
  96. Justagamer95
    Nov 2, 2013
    10
    Plz don't say anything until you play this game.I know your feeling,since AC II (which is one of the best game with me),these AC:B,AC:R and then AC III completely ruined my love with the series.After AC III (which i really hyped for -_-),i decided not to buy any AC games,but,i gave it a change,and trust me,it's worth it.
  97. Gamingrules37
    Nov 2, 2013
    9
    If you are looking for a game that will immerse you in its amazing atmosphere and world with dynamic graphics and different ways to analyze the gameplay look no further AC4 is here and this is the boost the franchise needed way back when Ac Brotherhood was announced.The problem is in the multiplayer it is fun for about 9-12 hours of playing but after that well i guess you have to findIf you are looking for a game that will immerse you in its amazing atmosphere and world with dynamic graphics and different ways to analyze the gameplay look no further AC4 is here and this is the boost the franchise needed way back when Ac Brotherhood was announced.The problem is in the multiplayer it is fun for about 9-12 hours of playing but after that well i guess you have to find something else to do … Expand
  98. artemartem
    Nov 2, 2013
    10
    The game features original stealth system and a beautiful open world!A great story,good graphic.The game is enclosed in one original ecosystem!The game has something Activities
  99. Sceptic
    Nov 2, 2013
    8
    Imagine if Rockstar Games made a Pirate-themed,open world adventure.Now imagine that AC 4 was its second rate cousin....Another year of development time could have made this one of the finest games of all time.But nope,quarterly reports are this games studios main reason to exist and they'll obviously already be working on AC4,BF2 right now.Expect it in 12 months time.The game itself isImagine if Rockstar Games made a Pirate-themed,open world adventure.Now imagine that AC 4 was its second rate cousin....Another year of development time could have made this one of the finest games of all time.But nope,quarterly reports are this games studios main reason to exist and they'll obviously already be working on AC4,BF2 right now.Expect it in 12 months time.The game itself is quite good,acceptable even,but with a massive team and budget,it should have been amazing.In its defense,there's tons to do and at least it's easily better than the last 3 AC titles.The animus is less intrusive this time,though being taken out of the adventure still annoys no end.That said,it was worth a $2 hire.… Expand
  100. rashedmhm
    Nov 2, 2013
    9
    One of the best games of 2013.
    must have for assassin's creed fans
    the single player has many things to do and see and it's beautiful to look at
    the mutliplayer remains the same but it's much better than assassin's creed III
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PS3 Game of 2013
11
#11 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2013
15
#15 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. CD-Action
    Dec 13, 2013
    90
    All the distinguishing features of the series – the Templars, parkour and brutal assassinations – are here, but now they are not the core, they are just elements of the best pirate game ever, of a Red Dead Redemption at sea. [13/2013, p.52]
  2. Impulsegamer
    Nov 16, 2013
    90
    Black Flag is a remarkably new take on the series, and I would go as far to say it’s the finest entry we’ve seen to date.
    Read full review
  3. XGN
    Nov 15, 2013
    85
    With the new Assassin’s Creed we find ourselves in the Caribbean with a new main character called Edward Kenway. Black Flag focuses on the sea battles we saw in the third game and continues with this, with some new additions. Overall, you’ll be busy for a while – 40 hours, give or take – but the story isn’t that compelling.
    Read full review
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