Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 922 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 723 out of 922
  2. Mixed: 96 out of 922
  3. Negative: 103 out of 922
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  1. Nasher
    Nov 16, 2013
    8
    A HUGE improvement over the previous game. But maybe not quite as good as Brotherhood, which was the best of the series. IV setting is very different, as is the main character's story os don't expect traditional Assassin's Creed stuff so much.

    The setting is good, the characters are interesting and the combat system is as good as it always was. If you avoided AC3 but enjoyed the earlier    A HUGE improvement over the previous game. But maybe not quite as good as Brotherhood, which was the best of the series. IV setting is very different, as is the main character's story os don't expect traditional Assassin's Creed stuff so much.

    The setting is good, the characters are interesting and the combat system is as good as it always was. If you avoided AC3 but enjoyed the earlier games then get this one.    … Expand
  2. Yandaton
    Feb 1, 2014
    8
    The most successfully innovative AC game since AC2. The franchise was starting to get a bit stale but the massive improvement on the sailing from AC3 has brought all the fun back! Sailing on the high sea singing shanties before engaging a fleet of 10 ships is pure glee. Graphically more impressive; while running on the same engine as AC3, the lush greens and pale blues of the CaribbeanThe most successfully innovative AC game since AC2. The franchise was starting to get a bit stale but the massive improvement on the sailing from AC3 has brought all the fun back! Sailing on the high sea singing shanties before engaging a fleet of 10 ships is pure glee. Graphically more impressive; while running on the same engine as AC3, the lush greens and pale blues of the Caribbean stand out so much more. Running and climbing is faster and animations for them are smoother, the animal hunting has more of a purpose as a side activity and is much more rewarding to do and needless to say Edward and his pirate cove are much more enjoyable characters than in the previous games.

    Only issues are the fighting animations which clip more than ever before and the fighting itself remains far too easy. When boarding larger ships I noticed the frame rate would tank to abysmal levels but for a 360 game what do you expect? And the addition of ship combat undermines everything else in the game with the basic assassin work being a chore, such as tailing and conversation listening which quickly began to infuriate me. Overall a definite recommend.    … Expand
  3. PlayaPozition
    Apr 18, 2015
    8
    Ok so before i jumped off the roof i loaded this up on my blue Xbox 360 [with custom plexiglass case and LED's] So this game is way better than AC:3 is a lot of ways and also a lot bigger [but nowhere near as big as my penis, please don't hate] . Also my girlfriend said she liked to have even more sex while i played this game because she liked the idea of me being a pirate? I eat moreOk so before i jumped off the roof i loaded this up on my blue Xbox 360 [with custom plexiglass case and LED's] So this game is way better than AC:3 is a lot of ways and also a lot bigger [but nowhere near as big as my penis, please don't hate] . Also my girlfriend said she liked to have even more sex while i played this game because she liked the idea of me being a pirate? I eat more tacos while playing this. Also i saved that hoodrat from the castle. P.S. Pwn the sharks my girlfriend loves me. Gotta go =)… Expand
  4. timsim26
    Jan 2, 2014
    8
    i major step in the right direction for the assassins creed franchise. finally a game that emphasizes exploration and discovery. The game really makes you feel as if you are a pirate searching for loot and that greater sense of freedom. the locations around the game are interesting and despite being fairly similar are all unique and have a great sense of the Caribbean about them. the worldi major step in the right direction for the assassins creed franchise. finally a game that emphasizes exploration and discovery. The game really makes you feel as if you are a pirate searching for loot and that greater sense of freedom. the locations around the game are interesting and despite being fairly similar are all unique and have a great sense of the Caribbean about them. the world is filled with life as the locations offer many missions and side quests and other interesting things to see and do. The story is lacking in terms of sheer narrative however there is a few memorable moments and edward is a hugely different main character compared to connor, Ezio and Altair. The pirate dynamic also makes it by far the most interesting game in the series as the ship to ship combat and underwater exploration just add to an already solid list of things to do in an AC game. to go along with fantastic combat, hunting, huge cities to explore, sea shanties and other fun moments of exploration this game is well worth picking up and sinking 30 hours into… Expand
  5. paddystudmuffin
    Oct 30, 2013
    8
    Yeah good game but definitely not perfect in my opinion. I've always enjoyed ac games but there's always something missing...a bloody crouch button! It's one of the weirdest game designs to never include it in a so called stealth game. So it means you can never ever sneak when so many occassions call for it. ubisoft are missing a trick here because to have the option to go in quiet andYeah good game but definitely not perfect in my opinion. I've always enjoyed ac games but there's always something missing...a bloody crouch button! It's one of the weirdest game designs to never include it in a so called stealth game. So it means you can never ever sneak when so many occassions call for it. ubisoft are missing a trick here because to have the option to go in quiet and unseen would improve this otherwise great game dramitically. That why for me ac has never been a stealth game. So I find it really annoying when your asked to sneak into a fort when you can't do anything but walk in! Standing on a rooftop gets noticed ALL the time whereas crouching and having the ability to sneak/ ghost wouldn't!!! I still love the ac games but this is a massive flaw in an assassin game! It's such a shame cos with that inprovement it would be one of the best game series ever.But yeah for me this games an eight.… Expand
  6. Mazmorrero47
    Jun 23, 2015
    8
    t took a while to grow on me, but overall, it's a great game, and an out of the box experience for Assassin's Creed from a storytelling standpoint. The Mayan ruins are among my favorite levels in any videogame.
  7. ricothewise
    Nov 13, 2013
    8
    Being a pirate is the most fun I've had in this series since AC2. There is a huge world to explore, more importantly you want to explore it, impart to the great upgrade system both for Edward and and the ship. The wilderness and small Caribbean islands all feel real and alive with plenty of booty to discover and lots of animals to hunt, the hunting and upgrade system go hand in hand and isBeing a pirate is the most fun I've had in this series since AC2. There is a huge world to explore, more importantly you want to explore it, impart to the great upgrade system both for Edward and and the ship. The wilderness and small Caribbean islands all feel real and alive with plenty of booty to discover and lots of animals to hunt, the hunting and upgrade system go hand in hand and is clearly based off of farcry 3. Combat is much improved from AC3, its much easier to access your weapons on the fly and edwards animations are all great. But its the way the game makes you feel like a pirate that makes it so great, searching for sunken treasure, harping whales, and of course taking the fight to the seas on your ship,i never get board boarding enemy ships. The visuals on this game are the best in the series and there is an impressive attention to detail considering the games size. The things that held the game back for me were a few minor glitches, way to many missions that told you to follow this guy for 10 minutes, and of course being an AC game, a subpar story. The game has likeable characters but they are not given time to develop, partially because the story is to busy with ancient civilizations and apples of eden. i really like the idea of the templars and assassins but i wish they'd stop with this ancient mystical crap, it boating takes me out of the experience, and takes up valuable time that could be spent on giving us a story that isn't half bad. Bad story and missions aside, being a pirate is just to much fun not to get this game… Expand
  8. Bo33y
    Sep 9, 2015
    8
    A solid game with many hours of game play, they took most of the best out of the many assassin games and put it into this one. Although possibly debatable if it is better then the second assassin Italian game, a matter of preference.

    A few gripes; The game is easy.. The wanted level should have stuck, until lowering it, not from de-syncing, possibly also causing a loss of cargo if    A solid game with many hours of game play, they took most of the best out of the many assassin games and put it into this one. Although possibly debatable if it is better then the second assassin Italian game, a matter of preference.

    A few gripes; The game is easy.. The wanted level should have stuck, until lowering it, not from de-syncing, possibly also causing a loss of cargo if from de-syncing. The naval combat in the previous game was often much harder and timed. I agree there are some exceptions, but a few upgrades later, invicibly it becomes an exercise in really simple repetition. Even those legendary ships are easily mortared using speed at a range for their easy sinking. In naval combat there shouldn't have been any quick repairs via boarding until after combat, making combat a lot easier. There is far to much pointless assimust, low value chest, and some other craft that will never get used. I agree sometimes some of these collectibles provide other challenge with their exceptional customization. However those many sandbars with that single assimust fragment, or some cheap chest are more often just annoying. When playing the fleet side mini mission naval routes game, I really don't want to wait for them all to come home and get emptied, before later selecting just how I want to arrange my fleet. I wanted to hold stock of ships, within storage, choosing how to later customize my fleet. Who designed the awful sim city in the Assbergo HQ, the traffic on those roads is colliding into each other. Please make a separate run button outside of the free run button, I really don't want to be climbing walls every time I sprint.

    Overall a really solid 8. This game is very enjoyable and fun it contains mostly everything wanted within a better game, containing a lot of customisation and problem solving, using great graphics, characters and gameplay. Although it soon can become quite easy and repetitive..    … Expand
  9. Hoopie
    Jan 7, 2014
    8
    Let just give a quick review on the game. A lot of aspects are repeated from earlier games, such as mostly the same combat, but I feel that a lot of new features were added that almost freshen it up. Assassins Creed 4 is a good game, maybe even a great one, but there aren't enough changes done and new features added to make it really great. Also the story could have been better. It wasn'tLet just give a quick review on the game. A lot of aspects are repeated from earlier games, such as mostly the same combat, but I feel that a lot of new features were added that almost freshen it up. Assassins Creed 4 is a good game, maybe even a great one, but there aren't enough changes done and new features added to make it really great. Also the story could have been better. It wasn't terrible but their were many boring parts, then occasionally it would draw me back in. Overall I think I over hyped it, and expected to much, but new features make it very much deserving of my time.… Expand
  10. JohnWitten
    Nov 13, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Concept: Live a pirate's life one big raid at a time, and forget all about the main story- instead, opt for a plethora of side content and leisurely paced treasure hunts to engross players.

    Graphics: Somewhat unstable framerate changes and drops occur from time to time, but the vistas and open seas look and react beautifully.

    Sound: From the realistic ballistics and sheathing of swords to the sounds in the background and melodic sea shanties, all is fair on the high seas in terms of sound.

    Playability: There are still a few issues with naval controls and encounters, but by the by everything has largely been improved or at least stayed relatively the same.

    Entertainment: The side content is impressive in amount and fun to troll through, but having to go through the ropes with your core encounters is often boring and out of sync with the rest of your misadventures.

    Replay Value: High.

    Overall Score: 8.0    … Expand
  11. Daelus
    Feb 3, 2014
    8
    Broken down by components this game would likely be a 7, however in its entirety it was a very good game.

    Story - always the weakest point of a AC game; story and execution here probably a 6 tops....why they continue to put the lame present-day story in is beyond me....that BS is always a ZERO! Action - the game allowed significant scope in how to approach the objectives; stealth,    Broken down by components this game would likely be a 7, however in its entirety it was a very good game.

    Story - always the weakest point of a AC game; story and execution here probably a 6 tops....why they continue to put the lame present-day story in is beyond me....that BS is always a ZERO!
    Action - the game allowed significant scope in how to approach the objectives; stealth, force or a combination - 8
    World size - It looks bigger than it is; AC3 was actually larger. The only true area to roam is the ocean (which is a lot of fun), with all but a few of the islands very linear (no entering the woods, etc) follow the path stuff. - 7
    Open world - mini games (8), sea roaming & battles/ boarding/ fort battles (9.5 - the shanties are what stick with me from the game), mini-convoy activity (6), looting warehouses (6), underwater exploration (3), chase the courier (0), collectibles (6 - the rewards are not worth the time, but they aren't onerous)
    .    … Expand
  12. callumjsouth
    Nov 8, 2015
    8
    Black Flag takes the freedom of Assassin's Creed III and improves upon it in every way. Naval combat is now fully cemented into the roots of the gameplay and is a joy to behold. Plundering the West Indies makes for fantastic entertainment and combat is rich here too. The multiple settings in Black Flag are the most tropical yet. Havana and Nassau have a distinct beauty and charm and it'sBlack Flag takes the freedom of Assassin's Creed III and improves upon it in every way. Naval combat is now fully cemented into the roots of the gameplay and is a joy to behold. Plundering the West Indies makes for fantastic entertainment and combat is rich here too. The multiple settings in Black Flag are the most tropical yet. Havana and Nassau have a distinct beauty and charm and it's wonderfully refreshing to not be trapped within one city in an AC game, freedom is everything here. However as free as you are, you are not free from yet another tepid story that lacks any really backbone. The playable protagonist is likeable though and this leads to you having some sort of investment in the outcome of his tale. Again I was fascinated to be in the presence of real historical characters. Franklin last year, Blackbeard this year. Not since Brotherhood have I found few flaws with an AC game. Black Flag is a brilliant adventure in the West Indies rich in naval combat which is led by a likeable protagonist who is able to successfully tie up the Kenway story.… Expand
  13. Sneaktastic
    Feb 19, 2014
    8
    Gameplay same old same old Assassin's Creed- Boat combat is on of the best mechanics in gaming of the last couple years- The ability to free roam around in boats, collect buried treasure, fight legendary ships, take on fleets of ships- Story is fantastic- Pirate genre is a PLUS.
    Get this game if:
    1. You love the pirate genre 2. Loved the ship combat in AC3 3. You love history Do not    Gameplay same old same old Assassin's Creed- Boat combat is on of the best mechanics in gaming of the last couple years- The ability to free roam around in boats, collect buried treasure, fight legendary ships, take on fleets of ships- Story is fantastic- Pirate genre is a PLUS.
    Get this game if:
    1. You love the pirate genre
    2. Loved the ship combat in AC3
    3. You love history

    Do not get this game if:
    1. You do not like AC combat    … Expand
  14. FRYMANATION
    Oct 31, 2013
    8
    Although admittedly buggy in the opening, and not impressed with opening sequence, it is worth the time to keep playing. The game is deep, looks good, and is fun all around in what feels like the first true step forward in an AC game in a long time. The series is in obvious need of next gen hardware, but I will have no problems enjoying my time until then playing AC IV Black Flag on theAlthough admittedly buggy in the opening, and not impressed with opening sequence, it is worth the time to keep playing. The game is deep, looks good, and is fun all around in what feels like the first true step forward in an AC game in a long time. The series is in obvious need of next gen hardware, but I will have no problems enjoying my time until then playing AC IV Black Flag on the 360 for many many hours. The first game since GTA V that was actually worth changing the disc in my tray.… Expand
  15. vonzuchter
    Apr 27, 2015
    8
    I liked it... its the first assasins creed title I play.. I played it cause it was free on xbox live gold on the 360. Smart move cause now I'm definitly byuing more games of this franchise. Great game.
  16. DamienP1324
    Oct 29, 2013
    8
    There is some SERIOUS astroturfing going on, or people are just making an account to just give this game and only this game a 10, which I doubt. However, whoever states this game sucks and the franchise is dying has not played the game. I was skeptic about Black Flag due to my disappointment with 3, and while 3 was the worst game in the series, I still enjoyed it at points. Black FlagThere is some SERIOUS astroturfing going on, or people are just making an account to just give this game and only this game a 10, which I doubt. However, whoever states this game sucks and the franchise is dying has not played the game. I was skeptic about Black Flag due to my disappointment with 3, and while 3 was the worst game in the series, I still enjoyed it at points. Black Flag takes the disappointments from 3 and enhances them, as well introducing a much better plot, better gameplay, and a better experience overall. Remember, a different company makes each Assassin's Creed game, it is impossible for the same team to create one every single year. Hard work goes into each one, and the minds behind each team are different, which proves sure that each game isn't %100 monetized yet, and there is just a bit of love for making the game good. If you were disappointed with how different 3 was, get Black Flag. If you aren't a fan, get it, or rent it. I recommend renting due to the fact that unless you're a huge fan of multiplayer, after you beat the single player and 100% it there isn't much to do. Play the game, then voice your opinion. I did, and my opinion is that ACIV is easily one of the best in the franchise.… Expand
  17. NateAvocadoGame
    Oct 31, 2013
    8
    Ubisoft years ago have been at it's peak releasing great...nay, outstanding games such as my favorite Assassin's Creed II. Outside of the walls of the Ubisoft building they praise on how well their game are going to be and how well they are, but I secretly think inside of the walls they are collapsing. I'm not saying Ubisoft is a bad company and that they are going balls-up like companiesUbisoft years ago have been at it's peak releasing great...nay, outstanding games such as my favorite Assassin's Creed II. Outside of the walls of the Ubisoft building they praise on how well their game are going to be and how well they are, but I secretly think inside of the walls they are collapsing. I'm not saying Ubisoft is a bad company and that they are going balls-up like companies such as THQ did in 2011, no I'm saying that recently they have been making some calls. Some examples are the push backs of some anticipated games like watch dogs and (sadly) south park the stick of truth. Plus, there quarterly financial bulls*** they have said is taking a terrible toll. Like I said, their not a bad company just making some bad call on the games that could make them a little dough. I don't want to see them go under I love their games, but the more they turn Assassin's Creed into a yearly release like CoD the more it's the same old and same old. Assassin's Creed IV was the story changer in the series that should be over now, not saying it was the worst (Assassin's Creed 1 in my book in the worst, good but not the best of them all) but still could have been better. The story note a big changer, but not the best in the story-line (the games went historically future, future, future, and then past? Why?). I will admit the huge open world was great, loved the huge naval-pirating features that really added to what the game was to be about. The addition of Blackbeard is also a nice touch, and some twists (while foreseeable) were still nice. The music and shanties were great. The story outside the animus added that Desmond feel but still felt empty without him, but the secrets that the game answers while at the same time asks added that feel that makes it Assassin's Creed. Assassin's Creed IV:Black Flag: +Huge Open World. +Naval and Pirating adds a great feel. +Music fits in with game. +THE SECRETS...WHAT DO THEY MEAN? -No Desmond Miles. -More of the same old, same old with yearly releases. -No end in sight, lets try to put some IPs to rest (at least for a few years).… Expand
  18. MrAwesome091
    Nov 5, 2013
    8
    Big Improvement from the last game. The game looks beautiful the Controls are sharp. and its just a game that will keep you occupied for hours on end.
  19. VoltaicWarPrey
    Nov 7, 2013
    8
    I like this game, it has its glitches sometimes, but other than that, its fantastic! Graphics are beautiful and the ship battles are great! but I wish there was ship battles on mutiplayer.
  20. FlyinBlind72
    Nov 27, 2013
    8
    Much to my surprise, I'm very much enjoying this game. I personally feel that the last good game in this series was AC2 and have been disappointed by the following chapters prior to AC4. Lots of complaints about the story not being as strong but I'm ok with that...it's toned down a bit and that's good b/c the story sometimes feels overly weighty when all you really want to do is playMuch to my surprise, I'm very much enjoying this game. I personally feel that the last good game in this series was AC2 and have been disappointed by the following chapters prior to AC4. Lots of complaints about the story not being as strong but I'm ok with that...it's toned down a bit and that's good b/c the story sometimes feels overly weighty when all you really want to do is play loose and fast. I will say that the naval battles and such do tend to get a bit monotonous after a bit but the world is quite bit and there are lots of things to explore. haven't tried the MP yet but plan to as soon as single player is complete.… Expand
  21. Refolox
    Mar 24, 2014
    8
    Black Flag is full of stuff to do. Plunder ships, take forts, hunt animals, dive wrecks, find buried treasure, and assassinate those bad bad Templars. The single-player is fun, but can get repetitive. Don't even bother with the multiplayer. They missed so much co-op potential, going for a boring bizarre hunt and kill mode instead of an actual story.
    Singleplayer: 8/10
    Multiplayer: 3/10
  22. OllyPlays
    Jan 23, 2014
    8
    Amazing game
    + Great Graphics
    + Fun, addicting game play
    + Amazingly giant map
    - Boring Start
    + New main character
    + Epic Ship Battles
    + Great Soundtrack
    + Fun Multi player
  23. Legion455
    Feb 17, 2014
    8
    After the disappointing ACIII this game in the series revives some aspects of the AC series but it also fails in some others

    Pros:Much better Character unlike Conor, Edward Kenway is much more likable and just more badass,The open ocean and your ship are a breath of fresh air to the Cashcow series it also controls good, and is arguably the best part of the game,Cheats yes cheats unlike    After the disappointing ACIII this game in the series revives some aspects of the AC series but it also fails in some others

    Pros:Much better Character unlike Conor, Edward Kenway is much more likable and just more badass,The open ocean and your ship are a breath of fresh air to the Cashcow series it also controls good, and is arguably the best part of the game,Cheats yes cheats unlike the other games with 100% mission complete and no rewards collecting things and doing good is rewarded with humorous cheats,the modern sections are much better this time around, and finally the graphics, for a game on a 8 year old console ACIV really looks good.

    Cons:The story is a bit lacking,there's alot and i mean alot of tail missions,combat is still a bit clunky, and finally the ship and ocean itself, you almost never want to go on land sine the ship is too damn fun and land is well...not a giant pirate ship used to plunder Man-O-Wars    … Expand
  24. tidjo19
    May 17, 2014
    8
    Great game
    if you liked the other games of the serie, you will for sur like it
    improved mechanics and attention to details is what makes it a hit.
    My only negative point is, yes, all that moth**f*** naval thing. fun for one single mission but in this case it's just too much.
  25. TheRoyalMelon
    Aug 3, 2014
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I played the whole Assassin's Creed series right from the beginning and sadly i have to say that this one was the weakest (besides AC Revelations). Now, this was not a bad game! You had a lot of things to do, with a open world and graphics which were blowing your mind for the size of the world and amount of animations. I was sailing on the water without thinking about how long I will do that, because it was so much fun. You really had that sailor/pirate feeling!
    Now comes the big...
    BUT, I think that the protagonist (Edward Kenway) is not an Assassin! Until the end he did not enter the Brotherhood of Assassins. Besides that, he did not even have to learn all the stuff like climbing, assassination with the hidden blade or stuff like that. Right from the beginning he was able to do that kind of things!
    The story was, in my opinion, a little bit thin and could not keep up with the other parts of the series. (Except AC Revelations).
    The characters were ok. Not very interesting, not too boring or annoying. Excepting this little guy named Stede Bonnett or whatever his name was. He was just unnecessary...
    But, like I wrote above, this game was not bad! I don't know if I would buy it again for 70€ but Iam ok with the statement that I bought it.    … Expand
  26. GuywiththeGames
    Apr 5, 2015
    8
    YEAH! Pirates! Treasure! Adventure! Assassins! Everything is fun in this game. I love it. Its one of my favorite games. But, it cant get a higher score because of some boring stealth sections and glitches.
  27. PsychoShane
    Apr 27, 2015
    8
    Assassin's Creed 4 may have the most interesting and expansive open world in any Assassin's Creed creed game, but the adventure element of number 2 is missing a little bit because of '100% checklist formula' that plagues it.
  28. thelion71
    Aug 28, 2015
    8
    Scores first:
    Graphics 8.5/10
    Sound 9.5/10
    Story 10/10
    Game play 9/10

    A worthy addition to the series though lacking in the depth that AC2 set. Totally saves itself with PIRATES and fun ship combat.
  29. punkmilitia
    Nov 24, 2020
    8
    TL;DR spoiler-free Review.

    Great story, good gameplay, the AI feels poor, still.

    Overall: 85
  30. Snowertx64
    Jan 7, 2018
    8
    Assassins'Creed IV: It is a game Developed by Ubisoft, Being the sixth installment of the main saga

    History: That tells The story Edward Kenway a pirate of the era of the Reconquest of the Caribbean, although the story is well built and filled many gaps in the vacuum of the saga, I can not stop thinking that It could have been more and during the Most of the game, I did not feel what    Assassins'Creed IV: It is a game Developed by Ubisoft, Being the sixth installment of the main saga

    History: That tells The story Edward Kenway a pirate of the era of the Reconquest of the Caribbean, although the story is well built and filled many gaps in the vacuum of the saga, I can not stop thinking that It could have been more and during the Most of the game, I did not feel what they wanted to tell me But that's why it's much more heartbreaking The end, Edward realized that despite all his effort to return home he just realizes he has a daughter and that his woman died, along with all her companions, if the story conveyed her message as it should give her a 10 but does not pay attention until the last minute

    Gameplay: I'm not going to overreach, The gameplay on land is almost the same as previous deliveries but adds the maritime component that is a good plus since almost all the game happens at sea, but we know that it is ubisoft and there is always some bugs in my case were not very important but they were somewhat annoying

    Music: Even though I do not stay for the memory as a legendary melody, I'm not going to say that they were not interesting, they transmit a story normally about their protagonists and that's appreciated

    Art: The art is beautiful and The truth gives the sensation of being in our own Caribbean game field But it seemed to me that they should vary a little more the landscape between the small islands

    Final Note: History: 8.5

    Gameplay: 7

    Music: 8.5

    Art: 9

    Final Score: 8.25    … Expand
  31. brendo214
    May 21, 2019
    8
    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is easily my favorite Assassin's Creed game. The combat, which super simple when you break it down, is tons of fun and super satisfying.
  32. Nart566
    Apr 13, 2021
    8
    I feel like I am pirate. Open world is very big and amazing. Graphics are good for 2013. But Edward's combat mechanics aren't enjoyable It is simple and it looks weird. Story is so so but characters are very bad especially our enemies
  33. farrrullll
    Jan 27, 2023
    8
    Assassins Creed Assassins Creed Assassins Creed Assassins Creed Assassins Creed
  34. Jerg4n
    Apr 7, 2023
    8
    One of the best pirate games ever made but not that great of an assassin game. The story is really good though, and the pirate aspects alone make this one of the best games in the series, for all the wrong reasons. They should've called it Pirate's Creed.
  35. FrankCreeper
    Jul 28, 2023
    8
    A beatiful sequel of Assassin's Creed 3 with a fantastic free roaming style....and a great setting of atmosphere and a beatiful story.Still worth it to play after a decade only one thing is bad the repetitive of combat system style P.S. (I Played both version of the game PS3/PS4 and XBOX360)
  36. M1sfiT
    Sep 3, 2023
    8
    Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!acbf
  37. CoolDadTx
    Apr 22, 2014
    7
    Finally Ubisoft found their way back to what made AC fun - assassinations. BF still doesn't do as good a job as AC1 or AC2 but it is better than the last 2 entries. BF is a mixture of assassinations and sailing. BF wisely gets rid of (most) of the mass combat aspects that recent entries had and returns to the "hidden is better" formula. Each mission has 1 or 2 optional objectives thatFinally Ubisoft found their way back to what made AC fun - assassinations. BF still doesn't do as good a job as AC1 or AC2 but it is better than the last 2 entries. BF is a mixture of assassinations and sailing. BF wisely gets rid of (most) of the mass combat aspects that recent entries had and returns to the "hidden is better" formula. Each mission has 1 or 2 optional objectives that (mostly) fit the mission. Unlike some of the previous entries you don't have to be perfect to get 100% on this game.

    Unfortunately BF contains RTS stuff that has littered the series of late. It is scaled back but still there and mandatory even if you don't want it. The most glaring is Kenway's Fleet which is a borefest that extends for days (because of the moronic hours long missions). The "companion app" only works with a few devices so is mostly useless. Once I got the item I needed from KF I stopped playing it because it is useless, dull and slow.

    The story itself would be OK except for 1 very big plot hole, where did Kenway learn the assassin skills? Every game in the series has a mentor of some sort. BF just gives you the powers of an assassin and never even bothers to explain how. Suddenly you can kill like Ezio with no training whatsoever, go figure. The modern day parts are still lame and boring. Why Ubisoft continues to include it is beyond me. Does anybody actually care (or even follow) the crappy modern day end of times story line? I doubt it. Fortunately the sequences aren't too long so you can skip past them pretty quick. Kudos to the designers though for at least an interesting backstory for BF.

    Since you're a pirate sailing seems reasonable but it still isn't really enjoyable (better than AC3). Ships are hard to control, you see more rogue waves in the span of a single battle than has been recorded in all of modern history and every water funnel seems to aim straight for you. The underwater wrecks should have been a highlight but the implementation is horribly bad. You have to get air every so often and you are continually attacked by sharks (which give little warning) and other creatures (which give no warning). Rather than being fun they are an act of frustration marred with reality over entertainment. I dreaded each time I had to dive.

    Glitches are not as bad as AC3 but still present. At one point I started boarding a ship but my ship kept moving forward and began dragging the other ship. I was trying to kill a captain but I couldn't get to them because the boat was on its side and the captain was underwater. Combat is iffy as has been the norm since they tried to turn it into an FPS. Climbing continues to be iffy as well. Please explain why I would be high above the ground and suddenly decide to leap off into mid air where I'm going to die? Some rudimentary logic would be useful for climbing. There are times where you cannot climb even though you should be able to (you have to move down and then back up) and other times where you won't drop even though you should.

    Overall BF is better than recent entries and brings back some of the fun of the series but Ubisoft's attempts to cram RTS and boring side activities into the game in combination with the need to finish the modern thread that nobody cares about limits its potential.    … Expand
  38. TheSquirrel
    Feb 3, 2014
    7
    Assassin's Creed 4 is a thoroughly enjoyable pirate adventure game that has no business being tied to the Assassin's Creed franchise. This is a stand alone game that happens to use the same engines and styles as Assassin's Creed, with a weak story line taking place somewhere you're not interested in.

    The positives: Great sailing and naval combat experience, beautiful sea environment,    Assassin's Creed 4 is a thoroughly enjoyable pirate adventure game that has no business being tied to the Assassin's Creed franchise. This is a stand alone game that happens to use the same engines and styles as Assassin's Creed, with a weak story line taking place somewhere you're not interested in.

    The positives: Great sailing and naval combat experience, beautiful sea environment, excellent soundtrack, great side missions, and an awesome open world experience.

    The negatives: Very poor storyline, more follow a conversation missions, some frustrating environment interaction glitches, resource collecting requires some serious pirating farming.

    A very good game I like to break out when I feel the need to sail, but held back primarily by a lack of unifying story to drive the player.    … Expand
  39. Mattyice
    Oct 30, 2013
    7
    Assassin's Creed IV definitely has disappointed me. I was expecting a much better game than what I got.
    I primarily play AC for the story, and this story was definitely the worst the series has to offer. It's boring to go through repetitive and terribly annoying "follow the enemy and hear what he says" missions that AC IV has to offer. The story is also too jubilant and is not engaging at    Assassin's Creed IV definitely has disappointed me. I was expecting a much better game than what I got.
    I primarily play AC for the story, and this story was definitely the worst the series has to offer. It's boring to go through repetitive and terribly annoying "follow the enemy and hear what he says" missions that AC IV has to offer. The story is also too jubilant and is not engaging at all. Edward's story gave me no reason to keep playing in order to achieve a deep and vengeful goal, like AC II, AC Brotherhood, and AC III did. The only motive of Edward is money, which doesn't appeal to me.The last con of mine is the fact that the game was based around naval combat, which I thought was the worst aspect of AC III. These missions were, in my opinion, tedious, boring and did not excite me at all.
    However, while the story and missions are subpar, the gameplay and visuals are some of the best of the franchise. The gameplay has been polished and works well, and the visuals improve on the visual improvements made by AC III. Also, the multiplayer has been improved a bit as well.
    While the open world of the Caribbean is huge, it is a bit dull and uninteresting. Most of the islands you discover are just woodlands, and the cities, unlike Florence and Venice from AC II, Rome from Brotherhood, Istanbul from Revelations, and even New York and Boston from AC III, are uninteresting and not worth exploring.
    While this game certainly has the best gameplay, visuals, and multiplayer the franchise has ever offered, the rest of the aspects of the game did not appeal to me.
    Overall, I would say: "Buy at your own risk." If you loved AC III and it's open world, then you should buy this game, but if you are more into the story and the beautiful, diverse cities that AC II, Brotherhood, and Revelations has to offer, then this game is not for you.    … Expand
  40. Sean-M
    Jul 23, 2020
    7
    Really enjoyed being a pirate and all those sailing and raiding stuff. But the game itself is not really good with a bland story. This was the last ASSASSIN'S CREED that I have played.
  41. Adamm4231
    Nov 6, 2013
    7
    Much better than AC3 but still lacking in a few departments.First off, I wanted to play Assassin's Creed, not "Pirates of the Caribbean with a slight AC twist". You play as Edward Kenway who is a pirate, he likes to hang out with pirates, and he likes to do pirate things, he likes doing this so much that he literally does them the entire game. Half way through i was getting sick ofMuch better than AC3 but still lacking in a few departments.First off, I wanted to play Assassin's Creed, not "Pirates of the Caribbean with a slight AC twist". You play as Edward Kenway who is a pirate, he likes to hang out with pirates, and he likes to do pirate things, he likes doing this so much that he literally does them the entire game. Half way through i was getting sick of hearing about how he wanted to achieve certain things just for the money, hell even the characters you come across like James Kidd have something to say about his one dimensional attitude to every problem that arises. Finally some form of character development arrives and then BAM!! credit screen. Overall the game play is fun, the combat follows Assassin's Creed protocol but the real improvement lies in the ship combat. Huge amount of ship customization with a hefty amount of new toys to make sure your adversaries sink to the bottom of the ocean. I rate this a 7 because the game play I expected was delivered, I took away points because, like AC3, the main character lacks depth. Maybe one day Ubisoft will realize that is what made Ezio such a great character and such a great enjoyment to play.… Expand
  42. joao1198pedro
    Nov 17, 2013
    7
    this game compared to the two last assassin's creed is terrific,the game is good in various things,but it is not as good as the firsts assassin's creed but is still a good game.
  43. Wolverinemetacr
    Nov 19, 2013
    7
    Its an okay game I liked it. Why so many of the bad reviews were taken off metacritic i dont understand. Not cool when we look to you for reviews guys. It is not worth 60 bones though not for what you get. If you are a fan you will like it, I should have waited a little though bit expensive......
  44. LooseCannonCop
    Nov 4, 2013
    7
    A nice refresher game from the failure of AC3, AC4 gives us a great story tied in with an impressive open world environment combined with a ton of activities spread along the Caribbean. The story is a lot stronger than that of AC3 and possibly AC1, however the story suffers from plot twists that were really not surprising and too much one-dimensional character development for Edward. IA nice refresher game from the failure of AC3, AC4 gives us a great story tied in with an impressive open world environment combined with a ton of activities spread along the Caribbean. The story is a lot stronger than that of AC3 and possibly AC1, however the story suffers from plot twists that were really not surprising and too much one-dimensional character development for Edward. I found Edward's quartermaster and Kidd to have better character development than the main character himself, but it isnt anywhere near Connor "One-Dimensional Character" Kenway bad.

    The setting of the game is what bothers me the most. The Age of Pirates is a great time for this game, but it gets really gimmicky as the story progresses. The setting seems like a ploy to take the two best mechanics from AC3 (free running in forests and naval) and then shoving it down our throats. Naval goes from being a fun and niche mechanic from AC3 to a major storybound mechanic in AC4, to the point where it seems more of an inconvenience and a hassle then actually fun and innovating. The lack of rather climbable cities kind of makes me sad, but expected due to the time period and area.

    The idea of the main character being a pirate just seems gimmicky to me overall. Mostly because "pirate-ninja lolz", but it just seems as a plot device for this entire game to sound decent.

    Another notable issue is enemy AI. It tends to range from "The March of the Deaf" to "Superman X-ray Vision". In some stealth portions of the game, you can sprint behind enemies and they wont become alerted. As in others, enemies will tend to spot you in hidden areas (hay, tall grass) without even being detected or checking it.

    Overall, this game has its issues but it has its strengths. Its story is nice and a great breath of fresh air from AC3. The environment is beautiful and vivid, with plenty of new adventures and activities to take part in. The game however makes naval seem less interesting and parkour in the city almost non-existent. Tied in with a rather uninteresting, one-dimensional character the game suffers a bit from what killed AC3, but its amount of activities and the beautiful environments make up for this....making it a rather fun game.    … Expand
  45. BurdIzTheWurd
    Nov 15, 2013
    7
    A great effort by Ubisoft to follow up to AC3, which, in my opinion, paled in comparison to previous entries. However, Black Flag's character models are ugly, to the point where the main character looks inhuman. I feel that AC2 still remains the best entry in the series. However, this game gets a decent score because the all-out ship battles are fun, and the controls are intuitive. WhatA great effort by Ubisoft to follow up to AC3, which, in my opinion, paled in comparison to previous entries. However, Black Flag's character models are ugly, to the point where the main character looks inhuman. I feel that AC2 still remains the best entry in the series. However, this game gets a decent score because the all-out ship battles are fun, and the controls are intuitive. What probably impressed me the most was the broad variety of things to do while playing and the near-complete lack of loading screens. I also felt that the voice actors in this game are more "time appropriate" if that makes sense. Overall, a decent game from beginning to end.… Expand
  46. StevenJC
    Nov 21, 2013
    7
    Remains a fun game but the game essentially hasn't improved since the first game in this series. Enjoyable but not original. Still worth playing though.
  47. pixarghettolamp
    Jan 4, 2014
    7
    My first AC game and a good purchase. The only reason I am writing this review is because I was so disappointed with one thing in this game.... the first person stages. Everyone once in a while you have to do these Tedious tasks in an office which completely throws off the theme and takes forever! You are forced to ride elevators talk to managers and what not and hack computers (StupidMy first AC game and a good purchase. The only reason I am writing this review is because I was so disappointed with one thing in this game.... the first person stages. Everyone once in a while you have to do these Tedious tasks in an office which completely throws off the theme and takes forever! You are forced to ride elevators talk to managers and what not and hack computers (Stupid boring easy puzzle). Anyways I wish you could skip that I didn't even want to play the campaign because of the risk of being thrown into another stupid ass stage.… Expand
  48. stvissocoolgive
    Jan 27, 2014
    7
    this game to me is probably the best one in its series yet, with all the shanties, the loot, secrets and even the pirates itself are amazing. the down side to the game is how short the story is but all the secrets and treasures you can find make it more interesting and longer. for me this game gos up into the top of my list for the assassin creed series
  49. Jayson97
    Jun 22, 2014
    7
    I have always loved the Assassin's Creed franchise but, while i DO like this title, this not one of the best. Perhaps it is due to the reason that the main character of this game is a swashbuckling pirate.
    Not that there is anything wrong with that, but what does he have to do with the Assassin Order?
    Apparently, absolutely nothing. Apart from finding some silly observatory and NOT    I have always loved the Assassin's Creed franchise but, while i DO like this title, this not one of the best. Perhaps it is due to the reason that the main character of this game is a swashbuckling pirate.
    Not that there is anything wrong with that, but what does he have to do with the Assassin Order?

    Apparently, absolutely nothing. Apart from finding some silly observatory and NOT joining the order. This game is good, don't think i do not like it, but it would have been better, were it a stand-alone pirate/adventure game. Now the whole Assassin's Creed thing (stealth, assassinations etc.) feels unnecessary and dull.

    Believe it or not, but you do get tired of following another target. And the sailing is great and good fun at first but when you have to sail to a remote island (surrounded by dangerous ships, so you have to upgrade yours again) again, after so many times.

    Apart from that, this game is a lot of fun to play. Especially when you consider all the mini games and extras you can do.    … Expand
  50. soulfunk
    Apr 30, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My progression so far is around 30% for the campaign, if you loves arts ,graphics are matter to you ,then this game probably suits you as the graphics are pretty stunning and the environments are impressive and remarkable and i'm quite often take screenshots for wallpapers.
    My 1st AC game was AC:Brotherhood,Revelation as the following game, i think the combat is much more satisfying than the AC III and this new AC IV ,i meant the feel is not there ..felt something missing...
    The combat system in AC series are fairly easy, i don't really want to complaint about it, but i hope the following sequels will getting more challenging in combat system.
    The sea hunt side missions are a lot fun & challenging than others hunter missions on land.
    The Assassins contract mission ,its tends to be repetitive and soon you will felt tedious.
    Naval missions are one of the good features,as they are improved on control and fast pace combat.
    AC series has always being my favourite , but i would like developer will make the stealth and combat more challenging, more bad ass feeling, more blood, more realistic martial arts.
    AC series has the charm to keep me playing despite it is not perfect in some aspect ,and i am happy to see more improvement in future sequels.    … Expand
  51. CrimsonEwok
    Jul 17, 2014
    7
    After being disappointed by AC3 I found AC4 to be an unexpectedly enjoyable game. The protagonist and the characters in this game are so much more interesting than 3. The controls while not as good as AC2 are a solid improvement over 3. While you will be spending a lot of time in the ocean the rooftops and towns you can explore are much more enjoyable than 3. If AC3 disappointed you likeAfter being disappointed by AC3 I found AC4 to be an unexpectedly enjoyable game. The protagonist and the characters in this game are so much more interesting than 3. The controls while not as good as AC2 are a solid improvement over 3. While you will be spending a lot of time in the ocean the rooftops and towns you can explore are much more enjoyable than 3. If AC3 disappointed you like it did me I think there is a chance this one will give you a glimmer of hope/interest for the series(which I'm sure we will see more of).… Expand
  52. Dylanwarrener
    Nov 14, 2014
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a great game...But I cant seem to get the elite barrel plan? It says i've only found 20/22 chests even though when I go on my map and search all the different islands, everything has been done including chests. I've went to the place where the plan is but the chest is already opened? even though I apparently havent got it? Pisses me off as I cant complete the game now, the only other thing I can do is start again but i shouldnt have to do this! but is it going to happen again?? I dont know...but I'm not willing to play the whole game again just for them two chests...Needs sorting out!!!!!!!!!!… Expand
  53. AstralAssassin3
    Dec 11, 2016
    7
    Well this is a bit weird. A fan favourite in the series, I personally found it to be the weakest assassin's creed game yet. Did I have fun though? Hell yes:

    Pros: -Beautiful graphics and soundtrack -Awesome kill animations -Naval combat/boarding ships is easily the best part of the game -Good amount of weapons -Cool setting -Good amount of historical characters -Gargantuan sized    Well this is a bit weird. A fan favourite in the series, I personally found it to be the weakest assassin's creed game yet. Did I have fun though? Hell yes:

    Pros:
    -Beautiful graphics and soundtrack
    -Awesome kill animations
    -Naval combat/boarding ships is easily the best part of the game
    -Good amount of weapons
    -Cool setting
    -Good amount of historical characters
    -Gargantuan sized map with heaps of content

    Cons:
    -The story has little to do with assassins
    -Edward is a pretty selfish and weak character, despite having some good moments
    -Too many tailing missions
    -Tailing missions..... in boats. For gods sake no.

    In the end:
    -Story: 6/10
    -Gameplay: 8/10
    Graphics/sound design: 8/10
    Overall: 7/10

    Note: The 7/10 rating is judging it as an assassin's creed game.

    If I was judging it as a pirate game it is an easy 8/10. But as an assassin's creed game, it falls short.    … Expand
  54. grimreapersims
    Aug 31, 2021
    7
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  55. MalFet1999
    Jan 15, 2014
    6
    I'm having some difficulty understanding the 10/10 scores for this game. Don't get me wrong, it's good. But it isn't a 10.

    As you've undoubtedly read the naval combat is addictive and loads of fun, and the characters (especially Edward) are engaging and drive emotional moments. Hunting animals and boarding ships for gear/weapon upgrades is a blast, and will have you using Eagle Vision    I'm having some difficulty understanding the 10/10 scores for this game. Don't get me wrong, it's good. But it isn't a 10.

    As you've undoubtedly read the naval combat is addictive and loads of fun, and the characters (especially Edward) are engaging and drive emotional moments. Hunting animals and boarding ships for gear/weapon upgrades is a blast, and will have you using Eagle Vision to track down monkeys instead of vile Templars, which I found particularly amusing. The element of mystery and tension featured in the portions of the game that take place outside the Animus were a big highlight for me, as are any quest lines involving the First Civ.

    However, the combat and free running elements of this franchise are tired, just like they have been for a couple of years now. If it weren't for a fun, engaging story I would have shelved this one after the first mission. The combat is button-mashingly boring, and the stealth/tailing sequences feel tacked on in order to keep this entry in line with the franchise as a whole.

    I understand rave reviews for a triple-A game with a few flaws, but you won't find that here. This could have been a unique game, about pirates of all things. Instead it's bogged down with franchise history, and chooses to follow meekly behind instead of setting its own course. This series needs a new direction.    … Expand
  56. Matty2012
    Jan 2, 2014
    6
    Very ambitious but not as good as last years AC3. I had a lot of fun with last years AC3, couldn't put it down for days, but ACIV Black Flag has failed to float my boat and keep me entertained. Some of it is pretty cool, the underwater missions for instance and a few cool set pieces that I won't spoil for you. I also like the whales, sharks and dolphins jumping and splashing about, theyVery ambitious but not as good as last years AC3. I had a lot of fun with last years AC3, couldn't put it down for days, but ACIV Black Flag has failed to float my boat and keep me entertained. Some of it is pretty cool, the underwater missions for instance and a few cool set pieces that I won't spoil for you. I also like the whales, sharks and dolphins jumping and splashing about, they add a nice touch. The problem i have with this game is the combat. The combat is so so boring and repetitive this time around and has less moves than AC3, and the combat has been watered/dumbed down so you get annoying pop up messages in the middle of the combat saying "Press A to break defense" or "Press B to counter" to cater for novice gamers. Performing the same sets of moves over and over and the text pop ups soon get boring. Most of the animals are done quite well, really well in fact, the sea life looks amazing. However, the same can't be said for all the land wildlife. I came across a couple of black panthers and they are seriously broken. They run into objects, get stuck, fly around when running about, they really are bad and take away from the experience of the game. You have this cool soundtrack and following the "ok" if slightly boring story, and then come across a flying black panther going bat crazy flying around crashing and getting stuck into things. Another annoyance with ACIV Black Flag is the amount of tailing and eavesdrop missions, there are far too many and have always been tedious. There are also some seriously pathetic stealth missions which are very poorly thought out and constructed. You're sneaking around apparently in stealth mode yet you are 2 feet away from an enemy in the bright scorching sunlight of the Bahamas and they supposedly can't see you! And these enemies are supposed to be other assassins like you! They can't see you because they are all on sequence mode walking from point A to point B while you have to sit and wait for them to move before you can pass by. However if you walk at the wrong moment during their sequence, they will spot you. You can also make a lot of noise rustling around and running around in a bush directly millimeter's behind them and they don't have a clue you are there, yet if you give off a light whistle it will distract and alert them. It's all very silly and poorly done. Naval combat has added a lot of improvements over AC3, but has also taken some away. For instance, in AC3 you use the chain shot to take out an enemy sails and slow them down to a halt before finishing them off. You also heard a cool ripping cloth sound as the chain shots ripped through their sails. This has been removed from ACIV and the chain shot now seems pretty pointless and has the same effect as a normal cannon ball. And you can only fire chain shot from the front of the ship. Another problem with the naval battles is the side guns. Once you conquer a ship, you then have to board it and take it over. While boarding you can then control small side cannons to take out a few gunpowder barrels on deck or a few enemies. However, it often doesn't work. You can clearly shoot a mass of gunpowder barrels or an enemy and nothing will happen, the cannonball will do nothing and travel right through them, even at close range. Also being open world it can take quite a long time getting across the map in a slow arse sailing boat, even if it does suspiciously zip across the water like a speedboat. As an AC game it's just "ok" not the best and not the worst. Oh and be warned, the many sea shanties your crew sings will stick in your head for days and days lol.… Expand
  57. memus
    Jul 13, 2021
    6
    The weakest one so far: Brotherhood's structure with hi-def version of Liberation's setting.

    The good: * Pirates! Everyone loves pirates. Also, their shanties are great. * Sailing the ship can be quite fun. Fight and plunder! * The side missions with treasure maps are great. * The weather changes were surprising. Both storms at sea and rainfalls at land were a nice change of pace.    The weakest one so far: Brotherhood's structure with hi-def version of Liberation's setting.

    The good:
    * Pirates! Everyone loves pirates. Also, their shanties are great.
    * Sailing the ship can be quite fun. Fight and plunder!
    * The side missions with treasure maps are great.
    * The weather changes were surprising. Both storms at sea and rainfalls at land were a nice change of pace.
    * It's less glitchy than AC3. Still, it's glitchy.

    The bad:
    * Edward is the weakest protagonist so far. And the overall story doesn't make much sense and is boring. In general, despite game's length all the characters seem hollow and disconnected.
    * The art direction is weak. All the cities and islands look the same. There is no great architecture. And the game doesn't uses colors in an interesting way. It's no Uncharted by any means.
    * Also, that's the first game where climbing is boring. There is no precision to it. And with the weak art direction, I was always confused what's climbable and what's not.
    * The Animus puzzles are bad. Maybe even worse than in ACR.
    * The soundtrack is copied from Pirates of the Caribbean and Game of Thrones
    * The achievements are a disaster. You need to play multiplayer and buy DLC to get them. Ubisoft, what?!    … Expand
  58. 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
  59. LausDaeus
    Dec 7, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Assassin's Creed 4 is a decent game, although it seems a bit lacking in polish when compared to its predecessors. The main plot is a bit lacking in excitement (both on the Animus and real world side) and somewhat fails to draw one in, the gameplay has gained some features, but on the whole doesn't seem like a major improvement. The only thing really worthy of credit are the graphics, effects and sound, as those are truly beautiful to behold.

    Plot: 4/10
    Without giving too much away, it can be said that the Desmond storyline is over and that our new main protagonist is pretty much without any identity whatsoever. While some of the former characters recur in a couple of scenes and one can tell that there is some connection to what has already happened, it really makes more of an impression as a side story and the initial mystery and showdown of the last games seem to have basically been forgotten about. Abstergo has interest in a device called "The Observatory" that allows one to see people wherever they want, provided they have their blood, which given the modern era of security and that they control most of the world anyway (as is hinted throughout the game) seems pretty obsolete and bland, especially when compared to something like the "Apple" from the last games. The Assassins are playing some role, but ultimately have no influence on what happens, so one again does not have the impression of much plot progression and the actual writers are just biding their time.
    In the actual game, one plays as a notorious pirate, whose whole goal for around 80% of the game is to make money to live a better life and when he hears of the observatory from the templars he plans to use it to rule the ocean and make more money. Apart from this being a rather dull goal, the character does not make a convincing effort to rule or gain anything and just wreaks havoc inbetween his drunk depressions. Finally towards the end of the game, after almost every friend he knows dies for reasons that he is actually not responsible for, the assassins more or less guilt him into joining them and the story ends with him killing the templars and returning home. So while this plot does place him into the AC universe, he really doesn't fit into it very well and is himself not particularly fun to play given his lacking ambition and accordingly little happening.

    Gameplay: 5/10
    The gameplay of AC has expanded in some ways, as the sailing has now become an integral component and has been somewhat revamped and there are some new minigames such as fishing and a fleet. Some assassination techniques, like the double assassination have also been made easier and the controls are more player-friendly (although I myself found some of them more difficult to get used to).
    So in that aspect the game is all well, but there are also some major pitfalls. For instance a huge number of missions involve tailing somebody, then tailing somebody else, then listening to them and then *maybe* killing somebody. This is all fine to do once in a while, but doing this every second mission or so becomes very tedious and ultimately boring.
    Further criticism can be made to the side quests, where one has to complete shape fitting puzzles that require the intelligence of a 3-year-old in order to get an armor, or mindlessly collect 200 animus fragments that do nothing other than get you an achievement. This, in combination with a map/level design of very small cities (with little to do in them) and numerous islands of which many look the exact same does feel very repetitive and takes some of the fun out of the game.
    The array of tools and weapons in the game has also been reduced, allowing for a dozen dual swords/pistols of one type with slightly different skins and stats and no daggers whatsoever. One final aspect that bothered me, was that the enemy AI has taken to a whole new level of disappointingly easy to the extent, that running up to somebody and jumping on them was a substantially easier method of "assassination" than employing stealth and planning. Admittedly, some of these criticisms are a matter of preference, but with others, it's pretty obvious the game developers were just plain lazy, which does not merit a good score.

    Graphics/Effects: 9/10
    So after all this complaining, it can at least be said that the graphics of the actual game are wonderful to the extent that some PC players may experience quite a bit of lag when compared to the predecessors. Is it worth it? Yes, as the game world is very picturesque and a good level of detail has been applied to make it feel real. The combat animations are also smooth and the characters designs have been put together nicely. One can at the very least say that the artists and graphics engineers know what they're doing.

    Anyways, after all this the verdict is 6/10. This doesn't mean it is a great game or a bad game, but rather one to enjoy more for the effects than the story or novelties of game play.    … Expand
  60. YeaBoi
    Jan 28, 2015
    6
    Good game, but gets boring before you finish. It's a good Pirate Sim, definitely the best I've played. But MAN the sea battles get dull. The same 30m by 30m by 40m battle arena every single time. Every-single-time.

    Assassinations aren't special. Land on a guy from a building and run. Or shoot him from a distance. Big whop! Nothing new since the Original Assassins Creed in    Good game, but gets boring before you finish. It's a good Pirate Sim, definitely the best I've played. But MAN the sea battles get dull. The same 30m by 30m by 40m battle arena every single time. Every-single-time.

    Assassinations aren't special. Land on a guy from a building and run. Or shoot him from a distance. Big whop!

    Nothing new since the Original Assassins Creed in terms of land-game play and combat (easy to kill 25 guards, and no real consequence).

    Trade system is terrible, which largely detracts from the Pirate Sim experience.

    Basically be prepared to like this game for the first 10hrs, and then put it down due to boredom after that,    … Expand
  61. ammarlord1991
    Nov 8, 2013
    5
    what a stupid repetitive game!!! I think when you play GTA V all other games become so silly.
    stupid missions,stupid characters, very huge map for nothing but repeating the same again and again.
  62. Starkiller94
    Jan 10, 2014
    5
    Here we are, another year, another Assassin's Creed installment. To be honest, this game is medicore at best. After the Assassin's Creed 3 flop, it seems the games are starting to take a step in the wrong direction. Mixing pirates and assassins in my opinion is really ridiculous... I mean, sailing the seas and taking out infinite waves of enemy ships starts to become very tiresome after aHere we are, another year, another Assassin's Creed installment. To be honest, this game is medicore at best. After the Assassin's Creed 3 flop, it seems the games are starting to take a step in the wrong direction. Mixing pirates and assassins in my opinion is really ridiculous... I mean, sailing the seas and taking out infinite waves of enemy ships starts to become very tiresome after a while. While Assassin's Creed 3's naval combat was fun, it's really nothing to boast about. It was cool because you got to sail to different islands and stuff, but the combat was really buggy and felt very unrealistic. Seriously, this is Assassin's Creed, not Pirates of the Assassin's Creed... Come on Ubisoft... I'll be saving my money as my friend let me borrow this to test it. Also, I don't know why people are giving it so much rep for the graphics. It looks exactly like AC3 at least on the Xbox 360 version. I don't know how someone could give this game a 10. No game in history deserves a perfect score in my opinion, because games are never perfect. But mindless Ubisoft drones were quick to gobble this up and crap out 9s and 10s.

    If you must play this game, just wait. It will be appearing in the game store bargin bin pretty soon.    … Expand
  63. jackdaw
    Nov 10, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. black flag is gorgeous and naval combat is much improved. you have much more oufit options and the outfits are better than ever. that being said its about all this game has going for it. now for the bad parts. they got rid of daggers axes and heavy weapons. there are no longer any double barrel weapons or a bow. they dont give you the ropedart until the last 2 or 3 missions making it pretty much useless. before the game was released ubisoft claimed it boasted a 20 hour campaign and 60 hours of other content. not even close. the campaign took me about ten hours and almost every single mission was tailing and eavesdropping on people who for no reason feel the need to stop and look around every ten feet. the main missions that didnt have me repetitively tailing on land it was tailing ships and 'sneak sailing' thats right sneak sailing witch just means instead of yelling orders edward whispers them to his crew. the side missions took me about thirty hours to finish all of them. thats including the obvious filler that is collectibles chasing sea shanties opening chests collecting the hundreds of animus fragments. the story was extremely weak. the assassins hate edward until the very end of the game and for good reason edward is selfish greedy and often times dimwitted. james kidd is actually mary read which is painfully obvious from the second you meet her. it really makes edward look stupid as he continues call her james until she 'reveals' she is a woman. even though her voice actor often slips up and talks like a woman prior to us knowing who she is.the story is so predictable they actually thought it would be ok to name the achievement for beating the game 'saw that one coming' almost every single supporting character dies or betrays you. edward doesnt seem to care whenever he is betrayed. at one point your friend and quarter master ?adeu? steals your ship and leaves you for dead with roberts. and then adeu just shows up and gives the jackdaw back and edward couldnt care less that he was betrayed and left for dead though. and thats followed by a scene where edward hallucinates his dead friends and stabs a couple assassins. the scene is never really explained. it seems they got tired of people complaining about desmond so rather than writing an interesting character they just made you a first person mute with no personal story just left to watch things happen and stare blankly at characters as they ask you questions that you cant answer. i will say the modern day sage twist was good though. and for the worst part of it all they already had a trailer released for dlc before the game even came out as well as the option for a season pass. and the season pass doesnt include any of the time saver packs. there are like six or so packs that you have to purchase seperately. the jackdaw thankfully has tons of upgrades which require massive amounts of materials which leads to the most repetitive part of the game aside from tail missions. ship boarding. to fully upgrade the jackdaw you will need to battle and board hundreds of ships over and over and over. for something you will spend so much time doing it seems to have the most problems. if you miss the rope swing over to the ship you will have to climb the side of the ship to board but the enemies will see you and proceed to magically swing their swords through the side of the ship and knock you down. once you board the ship you will be prompted to kill the captain and about twenty crew members as well as blowing up powder reserves which inevitably blows up some of your own crew. your own crew will even shoot or stab you multiple times if your between him and an enemy. though it does no damage it does leave you vulnerable for enemy attacks and even interrupts combos. sometimes the combat controls are just completely unresponsive and refuse to do as you say. which would be a lot worse if the combat wasnt so simple to begin with. counter combo combo counter combo and so on. hunting is still required to craft upgrades but they took away your bait and snares so its either shoot the animals or do a boring qte to kill them. all in all a very dissapointing game the only reason i put so much time into the game is because im a completionist and already bought the game.… Expand
  64. ziggiekitty
    Nov 15, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game ok and not lived up to AC exspectation. 1st the story holy god i forgot what happened in most the story it was boring and missed a few oprotunites like when mary and other girl said they were pregnent anyoyed me alot it should of been just a lie ti get them out jail insted they were telling the truth. 2nd the world is mostly water and the land that is there is small or medium sized. But i did like the small secret islands are fun also the underwater missons are realy cool and i dyed ALOT because it looks realy good. 3rd graphics wich hasent chaned alot it looks like ac3. 4th equitment The wepons selection is very small i only chaned my gun 2 times and sowrd 4 but you will be ok by the middel of the game. The eqitment has inproved just a littel bit from sleep darts bezerk darts wich both can be Extreamly useful. 5th the sea battels are easy at times but just a littel the rest of the time it realy challenging and fun at the same time but the final conlusin is that the story is forgetibel and the world is just ok not Amazing like every one says it but the game is ok and thats final… Expand
  65. Nebraska619
    Feb 27, 2021
    5
    This game is pretty average. I loved the idea of the naval warfare mechanics which made the game sorta fun but the rest of the game just seems like a carbon copy. The combat is extremely easy to the point where i can take out 7 enemies without taking any damage. Then you give me a gun and smoke bombs and the game gets even easier. The bush takedowns and hay bale takedowns are way to cheapThis game is pretty average. I loved the idea of the naval warfare mechanics which made the game sorta fun but the rest of the game just seems like a carbon copy. The combat is extremely easy to the point where i can take out 7 enemies without taking any damage. Then you give me a gun and smoke bombs and the game gets even easier. The bush takedowns and hay bale takedowns are way to cheap because you can just continuously spam them and take out entire compounds in one bush. The story is ok but i got pretty bored of it because it is so stretched out that i lost focus after 20 minutes of playing. Trying to get all the collectibles is a pain cause there are just so many scattered around the 30+ islands. All of the islands kinda look the same but with just minor changes such as the way people talk or the flags on the walls. This game is below average and the only fun part is the naval warfare part.… Expand
  66. Prosthetics
    Nov 8, 2013
    4
    Dull at best.

    The story had great potential, but falls flat on its face near the end. I was so damn disappointed when you reach a climax and pinnacle moment in Edward's life, only to have the last few key events rushed in one chain mission. On top of that, little is revealed in the modern day story. No new revelations. The missions are dull with no real content. The side missions    Dull at best.

    The story had great potential, but falls flat on its face near the end. I was so damn disappointed when you reach a climax and pinnacle moment in Edward's life, only to have the last few key events rushed in one chain mission. On top of that, little is revealed in the modern day story. No new revelations. The missions are dull with no real content. The side missions are bland and boring.
    It is rather obvious that they went with a pirate theme due to the fact that some players liked the ship combat in AC3. They come to depend on it here. You have to spend hours doing the same stuff to build up your ship before you do missions, which is rewarding at first, but gets tedious and boring after awhile. Its a mechanic that was added to take up time, giving the illusion that the story is longer than it really is. The underwater areas are just a mechanic added to force the player to grind boring content to get the ultimate upgrades for your ship.

    You can tell that Ubisoft is starting to milk the franchise now, and it is giving off the stench of either them not giving a crap, or trying too hard with very little innovation/creativity.    … Expand
  67. AWSOME-O
    Feb 26, 2014
    4
    Now, I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the WORST game in the series, but I would easily say it is the most boring next to the last 3. I was never really a gigantic fan of the series, but it is like Call of Duty to me. I just ignore it every year, after year, after year of the same generic crap.

    I would say this is probably the funniest game so far, not from the dialog or anything    Now, I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the WORST game in the series, but I would easily say it is the most boring next to the last 3. I was never really a gigantic fan of the series, but it is like Call of Duty to me. I just ignore it every year, after year, after year of the same generic crap.

    I would say this is probably the funniest game so far, not from the dialog or anything even close to that, much more from the hilarious things that the AI does. From traders yelling with no audio at all to the civilians that just mumble down the street.

    The combat is very forgettable, and not exciting at all ever. I never once felt a moment of panic while doing it, if anything I felt it was probably the weakest point of the game.

    The ship combat is way, WAY overhyped. It is practically identical to that of Assasin's Creed 3 (Which was also very boring).

    The dialog is easily forgettable and isn't even accurate to the time period, the characters are the same, and the environment's would probably be the best part of the game to me. I won't deny that in SOME parts, the environments look pretty impressive and beautiful at times. Though not always.

    Ship customization is actually pretty cool to be honest, though it hardly brings the game above a mediocre score.

    All in all, if for whatever reason you are a huge Assassin's Creed fan, by all means you should get this game. But otherwise I can't see what audience it could claim, it is confusing, and extremely boring. This is probably the most dull game I have trudged through since Call of Duty Ghosts, but at least that was a short pain. This lasts hours and hours, just like every one of these.

    If I could choose between beating this game 5 times (Which I did with Gta 5, which I personally think is one of, if not the best games ever made) or being punched in the face by Mike Tyson, I'd take some Advil and choose Tyson.    … Expand
  68. CygnusX1Bk2
    Dec 17, 2013
    4
    This is not Assassin's Creed. It's a pirate sea game. Not fun. Infuriating. Dude isn't even an Assassin or a Templar. The fleet system is terrible. No way to complete. So convoluted. Please Ubi, make Assassins Creed games be assassins creed games.
  69. BladeStrike
    Oct 29, 2013
    4
    Stop paying full price for minor updates. This is a glorified dlc campaign, nothing more. If you must play it wait for a sale. Ubisoft don't deserve full price for this lazy dlc pack. Whatever you do don't listen to the mindless drones giving this a 10, it does not deserve it. They are just fanboys.

    Btw Metacritic have been deleting user reviews all day that don't think highly of this    Stop paying full price for minor updates. This is a glorified dlc campaign, nothing more. If you must play it wait for a sale. Ubisoft don't deserve full price for this lazy dlc pack. Whatever you do don't listen to the mindless drones giving this a 10, it does not deserve it. They are just fanboys.

    Btw Metacritic have been deleting user reviews all day that don't think highly of this game. Thats just pathetic...    … Expand
  70. Thug1992
    Oct 29, 2013
    4
    One of the worst entry in the series.. many pointless things to do and a cheap story. AC was all about the story and now it's a complete mess. I hope in a better future for the series.. but i lost faith.
  71. eldiabs
    Nov 1, 2013
    4
    Created an account to review this game. Will start with the good. It's a VERY pretty game... especially the water. And since you'll be looking at the water most of the time, it's a good thing they got that right.

    Now onto the other stuff. I really wanted to like this game. Perhaps I'll go back and try it again in a few days. It became extremely repetitive after about 15 hours. The story    Created an account to review this game. Will start with the good. It's a VERY pretty game... especially the water. And since you'll be looking at the water most of the time, it's a good thing they got that right.

    Now onto the other stuff. I really wanted to like this game. Perhaps I'll go back and try it again in a few days. It became extremely repetitive after about 15 hours. The story was predictable and somewhat pointless, other than to drive you across the huge map of mostly empty islands (unless you want to stop to grab a worthless chest). The environments are more or less the same everywhere you go. You have to either fast travel or sail huge distances to work through the main story line, with a lot of water and repetitive BS in the middle. The cities feel empty and disjointed compared to AC3. The combat has been simplified (repetitive kill animations, ho!), and the AI is borderline retarded. Even the ship fights are fairly easy once you get a wee bit of armor and cannon upgrade. You can take on a fleet of frigates at the same time while sustaining very little damage after about halfway upgrading your ship. About to die, no worries, just board a defeated enemy ship and all the enemies call time out. Feels more like you're a god of the sea than an actual pirate. The choice of weapons has been reduced drastically. No more daggers or blunt weapons. You can't even pick up the daggers from fallen enemies. I actually really enjoyed the environments and seasons in AC3. There will be none of that in the Caribbean, but you'll see plenty of lush green trees, sand, rogue waves, waterspouts, and pretty sunsets. The hunting has been given a back seat compared to AC3, unless of course you like sailing to a different island to hunt for different animals. And you'll either fast travel everywhere, or spend a vast majority of your game time collecting lost sailors and barrels or rum on the open seas (didn't know the open seas were so full of flotsam), or encountering a constant respawn of enemy ships. I could go on, but this should get the point across.

    I can't recommend buying this game unless you want a ship simulator. If it was titled, Charming God Pirate of the Caribbean, I'd give it a 9, but it's supposed to be an Assassins Creed game, which it really isn't.    … Expand
  72. OMGtoasty
    Jan 7, 2014
    4
    Here is a brutally honest review by a big fan of the franchise. This game is a wreck. It doesn't feel like any of the other classic Assassin's creed games. You spend most of your time out on the ocean using the only successful mechanic from the third game, the naval warfare. This game resembles nothing but a really cool pirate game, but even that part of the game gets old after so long.Here is a brutally honest review by a big fan of the franchise. This game is a wreck. It doesn't feel like any of the other classic Assassin's creed games. You spend most of your time out on the ocean using the only successful mechanic from the third game, the naval warfare. This game resembles nothing but a really cool pirate game, but even that part of the game gets old after so long. The land combat doesn't improve on that. It is way to easy. After you have taken out one enemy you just have to span the attack button and you will kill everyone. All of the characters (excluding Thatch aka Black Beard) are predictable and uninteresting. Even the main character, Edward Kenway, pales in comparison o the franchises past characters (Ezio Auditore).The missions are all very repetitive and seem to drag on. The stalking missions are pathetic because of the eagle visions change.his is the second worst game in he franchise and sincerely hope that changes are made to ring back the old assassin's creed that I love to play. the only reason im not giving this a 0 is because I atleast has a beautiful world an decent voice acting, but they ned to work on the story.… Expand
  73. Aidgrand
    Nov 28, 2014
    4
    This game did not feel like an assassin creed game,sure the gameplay is fine and the visuals are above mediocre but I just didn't enjoy it as I was expecting an assassin creed game,not a pirate simulator.I didn't enjoy naval combat in the third game and didn't here eventhough I do realize that it is better than the assassin creed 3 naval.If, it was a different title and not under theThis game did not feel like an assassin creed game,sure the gameplay is fine and the visuals are above mediocre but I just didn't enjoy it as I was expecting an assassin creed game,not a pirate simulator.I didn't enjoy naval combat in the third game and didn't here eventhough I do realize that it is better than the assassin creed 3 naval.If, it was a different title and not under the assassin creed name,I would consider a fairly good game… Expand
  74. sontopo98
    Sep 10, 2023
    4
    Never seen such a horrible game like this. Really horrible experience with the ships, very boring story. Def top 1 of the worst assassin's creed for me.
  75. netcoder
    Nov 3, 2013
    3
    So clearly Ubisoft has put "Assassin's Creed" in the title to make it sell, because like AC3, it's not really an AC game. It's a pirate game, and a pretty boring one at that.

    After the disappointment of AC3 I promised to myself I'd never buy another AC game. I'm glad I did: I rented this one, mainly because I was curious. I still feel cheated of my $5. It's a 3 days rental, and returned    So clearly Ubisoft has put "Assassin's Creed" in the title to make it sell, because like AC3, it's not really an AC game. It's a pirate game, and a pretty boring one at that.

    After the disappointment of AC3 I promised to myself I'd never buy another AC game. I'm glad I did: I rented this one, mainly because I was curious. I still feel cheated of my $5. It's a 3 days rental, and returned it after 3 hours. It's unbelievably a big bore of a game.

    I feel all major developers (you too Rockstar) really aim their game at retards now or something. There is no sense of reward in the supposedly AAA games that comes out lately. I can get an upgraded pistol holster? That's great, but I didn't need it because the game wasn't difficult with the low grade holster anyway. What would I waste hours of my life hunting virtual ocelots to upgrade gear I don't need in the first place?

    Nowadays, either it's too easy, or it's just frustrating because of glitches and bad game design. I'm not spending any more money with you Ubisoft. I'll be encouraging the indie and small time developers that make low budget, cheap to buy, yet actually fun games instead.    … Expand
  76. BinaryRecoil
    Nov 22, 2013
    3
    To be fair, I started into playing this within a day of finishing up Skyrim. Realistically, anyone who's rating this experience based on it's visual prowess has lost their marbles. Yes, it looks gorgeous- Do I care? NO. The ONLY reason this game gets more than a zero is for how belligerently large the world is. Dis's & Then Likes.
    Dis's *The game was not finished upon manufacturing, and    To be fair, I started into playing this within a day of finishing up Skyrim. Realistically, anyone who's rating this experience based on it's visual prowess has lost their marbles. Yes, it looks gorgeous- Do I care? NO. The ONLY reason this game gets more than a zero is for how belligerently large the world is. Dis's & Then Likes.
    Dis's *The game was not finished upon manufacturing, and if you attempt to play through it without downloading updates, the campaign side quests aren't exactly capable of registering on the map. (for me specifically, I didn't know there was a "Templar Hunt" in a specific city until I downloaded the update)
    *I have completed the game and still have NO idea how to commit to "Whale/Shark Hunting"- so to accomplish the task of acquiring certain gear, I'm left with only the option to Grind ship kills for $$
    * Of the 4 Legendary Ship Encounters, with a fully upgraded JackDaw- One seemed impossible & I was so frustrated from seeing a ship 3 times larger than mine accelerating like a rocket was strapped to it, that I refused to finish the 2nd most difficult encounter.
    *I quit playing before finding the final upgrade, apparently there were quite a few more hidden treasure chests/maps than I had in my inventory after clearing the locations of all noted finds.
    *The Online Element: This puts a pistol to the head of this game and blows it's brains out. You Can NOT Rent this Game and fully experience it. AGAIN, it is required that you have a "Uplay Passport" that you get with a NEW Copy of the Game OR PURCHASE IT TO THE SIDE. This is In Your FACE, Profiteering, for a game that really only managed to change it's scale & pixel count for the next installment after AC3.
    *MOREOVER, Without the Uplay passport you will have several items for your ship (ascetic) that will sit and taunt you to purchase them for the duration of your playthrough (such as "Unlocked by Kenway's Fleet") that are impossible to ever have.
    *The Story line has effectively played out its entertainment value with the conclusion of Assassin's Creed 3.
    *Loss of objectivity for a consistent tie in from the digital "real world" to the digital "animus world".
    The one crazy guy isn't enough now that I'm in a new characters shoes that has NO Face Or Body Or Back Plot other than Conformity for Joining Abstergo so I can digitally WORK A JOB to play a game.
    *Plotline of the Pirates is extremely tragic and heart wrenching, burning out my "drive" to continue as this is only a game, not reality.
    *Just like previous installments, the game hinges on a "Wash, Rinse, Dry, Repeat" mode of play. This is unacceptable for a character that basically NEVER improves his position in his own world across over 1/ a Decade of time.
    *Constantly taunted with a Larger ship class plaguing the game, to end up stealing one during the main story- to NEVER be able to use it again.
    Likes:: It sticks to the genre of exposing the power hungry, shadow government functionality of the world around us, which will unlock the minds of a few children at most.
    *This has definitely been a serious Upgrade to the unsatisfying experience of Digitally owning a ship in AC3
    *The plotline of the Pirates is extremely interesting.
    *Blowing up ships and using a blow dart gun.
    *The Mayan (1st Civ.) Outfit
    *Hacking others consoles.
    ..... I can't even say I like the main characters because *spoiler Spoiler spoiler*, basically your main character stands alone.
    Will I ever pay to play multiplayer or complete this game? NO. In fact, seeing the constant profiteering & now knowing that Ubisoft cares more about manufacturing an unfinished product to later update (like so many lazy slobs have begun doing these days) has severely shaken my faith in the future of the gaming industry. The Will to create is there, but the people in charge are perfectly represented within this games plotline as Abstergo/ AGAINST The Right to Decide. Basically, this game is worth $10.00 USD & when the American dollar Crashes and is worth next to nothing- this game will still have a maximum value of $10.00 USD because it can NOT stand without crutches of:: internet connection for updates (+add personal cost), uplay specific authorization through Uplay "Passport" (+add personal cost), a foundation of constant players to fill the multiplayer world- which is a higher cost than anything else in the world. If you haven't noticed, most people in America that have jobs are now working two to three jobs just to break even at this point- The "Templars" crippled your ability to have a "Mature" audience/user base, leaving only the children who will say "Mommy please let me play that game that teaches me how to be an Assassin" further hurting your own sales in the long run because the USA is a Hub of brainwashed, zombie-like, morons that don't realize the legal definition of War is taking place in their nation against them or that Martial Law is already in place.    … Expand
  77. JackBounce
    Nov 13, 2013
    3
    AC3 was a bad game but this is so much worse. I've enjoyed this series a lot but unfortunately it has been downhill since AC2, which still is the best one in the series. AC2 spinoffs with annoying Ezio character were just following EA template for yearly sporting games: minor changes with full price.

    The latest yearly edition of the AC series is primarily Ubisoft's Pirates! and all the    AC3 was a bad game but this is so much worse. I've enjoyed this series a lot but unfortunately it has been downhill since AC2, which still is the best one in the series. AC2 spinoffs with annoying Ezio character were just following EA template for yearly sporting games: minor changes with full price.

    The latest yearly edition of the AC series is primarily Ubisoft's Pirates! and all the good things of the AC series have been lost. All the fascinating secret society i.e. assassin/templar fights, great puzzles, all the great Lara Croft like tombs and especially the scifi-side: modern day main story is all gone. AC has always been a series about modern day and the past is just used to reveal information. Now it's all gone and what happens today is irrelevant and uninteresting. Thank you for ruining it for us!

    The open world approach doesn't fit here at all, as AC game should be a tight, strict story that drives you forward. Now the story is a side product, as you will spend most of the time just sailing around the sea. Which gets boring after two hours. Luckily you can do a fast trip to visited sites, which helps a lot.

    As a AC game this is 3 out of 10, as a pirate game maybe 7/10. The pirating works nice but gets very repetitive. I spent 30 hours for this and still have at least 20 to go for 100%. Too much the same, not worth your time.The length of the previous games was good, now it just is too much. I will not play it to the 100%, that is for sure.

    The controls suck again (I thought AC3 was better, what happened???) so much that it is practically impossible to run in a city or on a ship without the game doing something else than you wanted to do. You often start climbing ladders or drop down from a rooftop when you are running away from guards which is really annoying.

    There is however one great thing and this is the Second Screen feature of the game. We've already seen slow and cumbersome SmartGlass in action but this is a real, native iOS/Android app and it works perfectly. You can even continue playing without the console game, great job UbiSoft! I really hope we will see more of these in the future.    … Expand
  78. Cimentoid123
    Dec 6, 2013
    3
    Ubisoft presents: PIRATES OF CARRIBEAN: Assassin's Creed. I liked the AC series, but Black Flag SLAUGHTED it. I like the idea of being stealthy and stab stuff in the back and I HATE the idea of sailing half of the game! I mean srs, the action happens in Carraibe! I don't even want to go in a game shop because of this garbage!
  79. misterduck
    Sep 14, 2014
    3
    The setting is great, but gameplay-wise it's more or less the same than Assassins Creed 3. Same sounds, same game mechanics, same sounds, same enemies, same missions, same collect-everything and get a new uniform for it.

    I don't even care about graphics, the Caribbean is put in scene very nicely and for "last-gen" this is pretty good looking! Character models are great and the whole    The setting is great, but gameplay-wise it's more or less the same than Assassins Creed 3. Same sounds, same game mechanics, same sounds, same enemies, same missions, same collect-everything and get a new uniform for it.

    I don't even care about graphics, the Caribbean is put in scene very nicely and for "last-gen" this is pretty good looking! Character models are great and the whole scenery, jungle or ocean feels very alive.

    What I care about that nothing has changed or is new. Some things are even worse than before, like the fights, they don't feel as "raw" as in AC3, it's just smashing buttons and get your kill. Naval battles are the same as in AC3, the only change in being able to board enemy ships. Which gets very repetitive after a short wile. Smart tactical elements like the chain canon balls have been left out.

    As a DLC Black Flag would have been great, as a stand-alone game it is very disappointing since everything in the game is well-known.    … Expand
  80. Z3pplin
    Jun 20, 2020
    3
    This game is just trailing missions, do not buy this, people dont know a good game like Resident Evil 4.
  81. MeAD
    Nov 4, 2013
    2
    To those of you giving this game a 10, I'm guessing you're those people giving every call of duty installment a 10 as well. Honestly, what the hell. Zero character development (your dude just makes Ezio-esque one-liners and is somehow super-badass from the beginning, killing an assassin with no effort) story falls totally flat, and textures haven't even improved since AC2. Blood spraysTo those of you giving this game a 10, I'm guessing you're those people giving every call of duty installment a 10 as well. Honestly, what the hell. Zero character development (your dude just makes Ezio-esque one-liners and is somehow super-badass from the beginning, killing an assassin with no effort) story falls totally flat, and textures haven't even improved since AC2. Blood sprays still look awful, and visual bugs are rampant. No kidding; I understand there's more stuff in the open world, but little of that is interesting and it's mostly just more grinding crap to do. It's fun as a hack-and-slash game, but the stealth mechanics are lackluster considering it's supposed to be based on assassins. Not nearly as much historical alternate-timeline appeal as the other games. I basically agree with every other low review, that Ubisoft is now just cashing in on a yearly installment. Don't buy until sale, you're not missing out on anything except some brainless chain-killing. Why not just play the Arkham series, it's the same goddamn thing with a more interesting backdrop. Even if you sincerely enjoy the gameplay and don't care about story, a 10/10? You've got to be joking.… Expand
  82. LouCypher666
    Nov 17, 2013
    2
    I played AC2/ACR/AC3 in the past. Generally AC4 is just refreshed AC3 game imho woth moniro changes in game code except extended gameplay on the sea there is nothing new from AC2 through ACR, AC3. All the same type off tasks/challanges, all the same game mechanics and the same ridiculous fight with enemies when you use swords etc (most of them satys behind your back instead kill you withI played AC2/ACR/AC3 in the past. Generally AC4 is just refreshed AC3 game imho woth moniro changes in game code except extended gameplay on the sea there is nothing new from AC2 through ACR, AC3. All the same type off tasks/challanges, all the same game mechanics and the same ridiculous fight with enemies when you use swords etc (most of them satys behind your back instead kill you with one move...). I dropped singleplayer just after 30 minutes of gameplay. Multiplayer after some changes right now is more random in terms of results you can achieve, completly broken abstergo ladder makes this competition absurd. In game contracting/respawning algorhytm seems to be not changed from ACIV and is now very weak when gameplay became more dynamic you lose 2-3 sometimes more contracts before you even cpuld see who your contract was... respawning seems to be fully random and sometimes you respawn all the time in the same position... AC3 MP was good change vs ACR. But AV4 vs old MPs is much weaker. What I did not like beside the gameplay in MP is fact that UBISOFT proposed all extra ouftis just from the beginning to buy to everyone just for bunch of from the beginning. So it is not real gameplay achievement anymore.

    As a summary lack of innovation in singleplayer, lack of vision in multiplayer. From such company like UBISoft I expect more then this. Specially for money I pay for such a game....    … Expand
  83. officer7161
    Jan 30, 2014
    2
    boycott this franchise please! All assasin's creed has done is just recycle, recycle, recyle. If you compare the characters and maps etc from the previous titles in the franchise, they just take the same stuff and repackage it. I used to be a huge fan of MP of the series, but just got bored after they just repackage the same stuff repeatedly.
    Now I tried out MP in blackflag I can spot    boycott this franchise please! All assasin's creed has done is just recycle, recycle, recyle. If you compare the characters and maps etc from the previous titles in the franchise, they just take the same stuff and repackage it. I used to be a huge fan of MP of the series, but just got bored after they just repackage the same stuff repeatedly.
    Now I tried out MP in blackflag I can spot characters recycled from brotherhood, revelations etc...
    It's just terrible! guys, boycott the franchise so they will actually put some energy into creating new titles instead of recycling old ones!
    don't buy this game if you played previous title/titles!    … Expand
  84. Deusex
    Mar 2, 2014
    2
    I gave AC one last chance..
    But unfountantly they took the Rockstar bridge with gta 5 and made the same s*** as before except ruined every element.
    I want to play as an assassin, not some pirate. Edward is an affront to the creed, and a badly written character. The side missions are horrible, everything is Repititive and the story is now weak. Everything is ruined.. I've played all 6    I gave AC one last chance..
    But unfountantly they took the Rockstar bridge with gta 5 and made the same s*** as before except ruined every element.

    I want to play as an assassin, not some pirate. Edward is an affront to the creed, and a badly written character. The side missions are horrible, everything is Repititive and the story is now weak. Everything is ruined.. I've played all 6 games (the main ones not psp bulls***) and ill play no more.    … Expand
  85. KrazyCrayon
    Jan 15, 2014
    1
    This is the worst AC ever made. The story is crap, the multiplayer is sorta crap and the difficulty scales from easy as hell one mission, the next it is hard and impossible the next. The difficulty takes the fun out of the game as a whole. The story in itself is boring and hard to follow period. Honestly gonna just trade it in tomorrow
  86. K3nney
    Dec 28, 2013
    1
    I went through the effort of making an account so I could post how I feel about the new game, Im disappointed, ive played the AC games from the first up until now, and 3 was the drop off point, the games are getting worse, they changed the combat so instead of doing satisfying finishing moves, im just pushing the enemy around, the constant tail missions are boring and I hate them, this isI went through the effort of making an account so I could post how I feel about the new game, Im disappointed, ive played the AC games from the first up until now, and 3 was the drop off point, the games are getting worse, they changed the combat so instead of doing satisfying finishing moves, im just pushing the enemy around, the constant tail missions are boring and I hate them, this is not the future for the AC games, it shouldn't be, I loved Ezios story, and desmonds, now I just dont really want to complete the games, the only reason I did 3 was to see the ending of desmond, if your not into the story then this game might be for you, but if you loved the first few games, you will not be pleased by this… Expand
  87. whats_this
    Aug 29, 2014
    1
    Wow. First off, let me say that this is not just the worst Assassin's Creed game, but one of the worst games I have ever played. Do NOT listen to all of the positive hype about this game. They are obviously coming from the people who made the game. I am so glad I bought this after it dropped below $20. Here's a few observations:

    1. Bad story-line, terrible characters. (REALLY BAD)    Wow. First off, let me say that this is not just the worst Assassin's Creed game, but one of the worst games I have ever played. Do NOT listen to all of the positive hype about this game. They are obviously coming from the people who made the game. I am so glad I bought this after it dropped below $20. Here's a few observations:

    1. Bad story-line, terrible characters. (REALLY BAD) It really makes AC III look amazing.
    2. I played several hours through, only to end with an anti-climactic scene and boom, credits roll. It will catch you off guard.
    3. SAME missions over and over. So boring.
    4. Nothing makes sense about this game at all.

    It is crap. Don't buy it. This was easy money for Ubisoft, and they had to do nothing. Shame on you for destroying what could have been a good game.

    Sadly, I don't think I will buy another AC game- off to Ebay I go.    … Expand
  88. lopuxilo
    Feb 11, 2023
    1
    Дерьмеще с невозможностью нормального сохранения. Такое ещё поискать надо.
  89. Link
    Dec 25, 2013
    0
    I have all Assassin's Creed games, and I feel like everything went really wrong after 3. AC III is the worst, yes, but this one isn't much better. Don't get me wrong, I like pirates and I think this is a really nice pirate action game or something, but this doesn't feel a bit of ASSASSIN'S CREED game. Characters are not so interesting as they were in Ac2 brotherhood games. Assassin goingI have all Assassin's Creed games, and I feel like everything went really wrong after 3. AC III is the worst, yes, but this one isn't much better. Don't get me wrong, I like pirates and I think this is a really nice pirate action game or something, but this doesn't feel a bit of ASSASSIN'S CREED game. Characters are not so interesting as they were in Ac2 brotherhood games. Assassin going to the mission with a ship with cannons singing feels so stealthy...... right... Battles are easy, you can just go in and take out everyone no need of planning anything.. Just go in and take them down.. I would like this as a pirate-action-game but as a assassin's creed, this feels wrong, so wrong.… Expand
  90. kirkkaboom
    Mar 15, 2014
    0
    Repetitive as hell, terrible controls, boring story. I have honestly not played such a terrible game since the first Assassin's Creed. Will not be trying any games from this franchise again, 2 disasters is enough.
  91. ishtar
    Nov 24, 2013
    0
    This is possibly the worst Ubisoft major title ever. They've ruined the controls, made most mandatory missions dumb "tail/follow the person" missions with little interactions, and added very little since the previous version.
  92. Fried
    Apr 13, 2014
    0
    Complete and utter **** The story sucks, multiplayer is no different from ''Cawadoody'' or whatever the **** the only good thing to do is piss around. Worse than that, for this game it pivots entirely on naval free roam and pretending like you're some kind of Blackbeard wannabe. But that gets boring really fast, too; after you beat the legendary ships (which provide ZERO tacticalComplete and utter **** The story sucks, multiplayer is no different from ''Cawadoody'' or whatever the **** the only good thing to do is piss around. Worse than that, for this game it pivots entirely on naval free roam and pretending like you're some kind of Blackbeard wannabe. But that gets boring really fast, too; after you beat the legendary ships (which provide ZERO tactical challenge), you learn a ram attack that pretty much turns you into Jesus. When the Man o' War ships start going down faster than your mother on a Saturday night and you easily gain massive profits on a regular basis, upgrading your ship to 100%, that's when you need to think about snapping your disk. No, seriously.

    Plotline? Utter nonsense. Some linear **** regarding pirates partaking in their usual antics, before getting hanged and then what's left of the Assassins **** and whining about how Edward is so much better than all of them put together. Incidentally, they still haven't adjusted this game to reality, so whilst every NPC in-game is a total **** the man character is still supernaturally overpowered by comparison.

    Even small features such as combat- which really gave a bonus to all the other games in the franchise, except Revelations, of course- are completely massacred in this pile of poo. Why the **** did they even bring back the multiple- counter- option feature if every enemy it works on can be counter-killed? The only other one you'd ever need to use is the ''disarm'' feature if you need to take some guy's rifle off him so you can shoot when you're out of ammo, but otherwise pointless. We've also apparently gone back to relying heavily on kicking someone in the balls like a coward, since in this game ''Officer'' class enemies can't be defeated in melee combat without doing so.

    In conclusion, this is the worst game I have ever played in my entire life and if you disagree you're wrong, sorry. Now I'm off to pwn some noobs in Modern Warfare 3.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2013
9
#9 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2013
12
#12 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 11, 2014
    92
    The sun, the waves, the smell of salt in the air. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag offers an amazing pirate adventure experience. [Nov 2013]
  2. Level7.nu
    Jan 3, 2014
    80
    Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is a game that feels locked between two worlds. Not only between to generations of consoles but between a run of the mill AC-game and an astonishing pirate game. It’s not only a well needed spark to the series as much it’s a redefining of it. Everything that is use is great and everything old feels like it should be thrown overboard. Try it regardless of your thoughts about earlier Assassin’s Creed games.
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  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Dec 7, 2013
    80
    Black Flag tightens enough screws and adds enough cool new stuff to make it the best in ages. [Issue#105, p.79]
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