Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag

humanji

Picked this up yesterday and although I'm only a few hours in, I'm loving it. It's really well put together with a fantastic attention to detail. The only two problems with it that I have so far is that they've still not sorted out the free-running controls, so I often find that when I want to leap forward into the safety of a pile of hay, Edward would much rather randomly leap to the left and plummet to his death. The second problem is that it's an Assassin's Creed game. That in itself isn't much of a problem (though I've never really liked the overall story line), but this would really have been awesome if they decided to start a new franchise about piracy.

Those aren't major problems and the rest of the game more than makes up for it. They really seemed to have learned from the mistakes of the last game. Within 15-20 minutes you know just about all the controls, and the rest are explained to you soon after, so no 10 hour tutorial this time around.

And I just found out that there's an app that you can use as a second screen for your maps etc: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ubisoft.assassin.blackflag&hl=en Could be quite handy.

Potential-Monke

Right, with 2 1/2 days of solid playing, i've decided that this is simple a fantastic game. I find myself not using fast travel as i want to actually hear the shanties, which add a massive amount of fun to the game. Something so simple, but just perfectly executed and really draws you into the world. Helped completely by some very good voice acting and random comments. Also beginning to think that i'm slightly biased, as the accents are closer to home than some injun and yanks.

As i said before, the map is massive, and i don't know if i'll get to 100% completion in it, but i'll definitely try. And speaking of 100%, the sync objectives are no longer stupid. They're just optional ways of doing what you did without making it a chore, like in previous games. And there seems to be only 2 per mission.

One thing that is annoying me (and it's not the games fault) is having to be connected to the UPlay servers to do the fleet missions. Sometimes connectivity can be a balls.

Jerichoholic

I want this so bad now. Gave up on AC3, it was just a big mess but this looks to have the right amount of victory. What's the best price over the counter? Are tesco doing a nice deal?

Mr Freeze

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Also beginning to think that i'm slightly biased, as the accents are closer to home than some injun and yanks.

Does it actually have Irish slaves in it?

Temptamperu

Ive been on the high seas for two days now, just sailing around fighting whoever gets in my way and collecting animus fragments, chests and other such collectibles. And im having the absolute craic. Its a pirates life for me!!

Jerichoholic

Temptamperu wrote: »

Ive been on the high seas for two days now, just sailing around fighting whoever gets in my way and collecting animus fragments, chests and other such collectibles. And im having the absolute craic. Its a pirates life for me!!

I'm about to set sail myself. Hopefully it will be worth the blooms I traded for it.

ScumLord

All this talk about the improvements on the next gen consoles and quietly in the background the PC version is set to trump them all. I'm guessing their avoiding to much press so as not to overshadow the next gen consoles improvements.

Potential-Monke

Mr Freeze wrote: »

Does it actually have Irish slaves in it?

Haven't directly spoke to any but i've heard a few in my travels. You hear the accent every now and again. And i'm fairly sure i heard a Belfast accent at some stage. Also, there was one bar which had this girls singing a tune, she was 100% Irish. I think it was in Nassau.

ConFurioso

Potential-Monke wrote: »

As i said before, the map is massive, and i don't know if i'll get to 100% completion in it, but i'll definitely try. And speaking of 100%, the sync objectives are no longer stupid. They're just optional ways of doing what you did without making it a chore, like in previous games. And there seems to be only 2 per mission.

Agree with everything you said, and especially this. The improvements on the sync objectives remind me of UbiSoft looking at AC1 and improving with AC2. The overall improvements aren't on this level, but still enough to be a greater game than AC3.

I find it hard to pull myself away from it, too.

I recently tried to battle one of the legendary ships. Kicked my ass. Delighted to be honest, as its something to build towards.

I love how everything is more streamlined than AC3. Edward doesn't have that many weapons, but it makes things less confusing, and less irrelevant. I regularly use all of his equipment. The trading is simple as well, as is crafting.

On more sour notes...the combat is still heavily flawed. Perhaps its because I've also been playing batman, but it really could be better at being a smooth experience. I'd also echo humaji's comments on the free running.

Still, best game I've played in the AC series since brotherhood, and has given me faith in ubisoft again, and I'll be interested to see where they go next.

COYVB

Mr Freeze wrote: »

Does it actually have Irish slaves in it?

dont know about irish slaves, but there are plenty of irish guards

Mars Bar

I still have to finish Revelations and play III before playing this so it's something to look forward to.

I'm delighted to hear/read so many great reviews of the game!

Zero-Cool

Mars Bar wrote: »

I still have to finish Revelations and play III before playing this so it's something to look forward to.

I'm delighted to hear/read so many great reviews of the game!

I highly recommend skipping revelations and 3. Revelations was such a chore to clear, couldnt even finish 3. 2 was my goty when it was out and brotherhood was brilliant.

Mars Bar

sheehy83 wrote: »

I highly recommend skipping revelations and 3. Revelations was such a chore to clear, couldnt even finish 3. 2 was my goty when it was out and brotherhood was brilliant.

I've started now so I might as well finish it and III was given to me by a kind Boardsie so I feel obliged to give it a go!

Nuri Sahin

Watch the last 20 mins of Revelation on Youtube and skip III is what I'd recommend.

___

Was going to wait till the PS4 was released to pick IV up, but now I'm considering getting it over the weekend.

MarkY91

huge assassins creed fan. im looking forward to playing this on ps4 but after seeing comparison videos on youtube, im dissapointed in the improvement in graphics. slight increase ..

MarkY91

Jerichoholic wrote: »

I want this so bad now. Gave up on AC3, it was just a big mess but this looks to have the right amount of victory. What's the best price over the counter? Are tesco doing a nice deal?

i stopped playing AC3 too. its not the worst AC but i found it boring

i re-completed AC2 the other day and i realise again why i love the assassins creed series

YouSavedMyLife

Played AC1 and loved it at the time and played through most of AC2 but didn't get to finish it. Should i finish 2, Brotherhood, Revelations and 3 before jumping into this? Will it affect me storywise or is it a brand new story? Seems Desmond is missing from the real world sections of the game.

Normally i would play through a game series in order but i have heard some pretty bad things about Rev and 3...

MarkY91

YouSavedMyLife wrote: »

Played AC1 and loved it at the time and played through most of AC2 but didn't get to finish it. Should i finish 2, Brotherhood, Revelations and 3 before jumping into this? Will it affect me storywise or is it a brand new story? Seems Desmond is missing from the real world sections of the game.

Normally i would play through a game series in order but i have heard some pretty bad things about Rev and 3...

i think only the real world part of the games have a proper storyline..i dont take much interest in them parts. i just love the proper part of the game. im yet to finish AC3 so ive no idea how desmond is getting on..

krudler

I wish they'd drop the Desmond stuff altogether, it's a big enough franchise now where just having different assassins in different time periods is enough, no need for the sci-fi nonsense linking them together.

MarkY91

krudler wrote: »

I wish they'd drop the Desmond stuff altogether, it's a big enough franchise now where just having different assassins in different time periods is enough, no need for the sci-fi nonsense linking them together.

i totally agree. the game is all fun and tense then you get taken out of the animus to do some boring tasks and have to listen to that annoying englishman moan. its soo boring

krudler

MarkY91 wrote: »

i totally agree. the game is all fun and tense then you get taken out of the animus to do some boring tasks and have to listen to that annoying englishman moan. its soo boring

I can't remember which one it was, might have been AC2, that you had to "practice" free running as Desmond around a warehouse or something about halfway through the game, ffs you'd been doing it for hours at that stage, was pointless.

MarkY91

krudler wrote: »

I can't remember which one it was, might have been AC2, that you had to "practice" free running as Desmond around a warehouse or something about halfway through the game, ffs you'd been doing it for hours at that stage, was pointless.

yeah i rememebr that too. the tasks you do as desmond are soo boring. its like 2 different games in 1. one being good..the other being pointless

COYVB

krudler wrote: »

I wish they'd drop the Desmond stuff altogether, it's a big enough franchise now where just having different assassins in different time periods is enough, no need for the sci-fi nonsense linking them together.

Desmond is not in the new game

krudler

COYVB wrote: »

Desmond is not in the new game

Horray! Is it purely set in the piratey times then?

Deano7788

krudler wrote: »

Horray! Is it purely set in the piratey times then?

No there's parts set in Abstergo as well, but you're not Desmond

Mint Aero

Would I need to like pirates or at least be indifferent to them to enjoy this game? I absolutely hate everything and anything pirate. Can't stand the look of them pirate of the carribean films. I also really really hate the look of palm trees, is there many of them in the game? They popped up in ac3 briefly and I was like ffs!

I really can't explain my hatred of this type of stuff but I love assassins have they ruined it for me?

Ridley

Finished the story today and although I did enjoy it (having burned through the game much quicker than III), Black Flag hasn't really earned the IV. It certainly expands the lore in new ways but the overall plot has barely progressed eye em oh.

While interesting to see the Assassins

from the outside looking in

, Kenway's character doesn't have much of an arc.

He likes money until he stops liking money.

Basically he's Star Wars's

Han Solo

without quite getting to the point of convincingly

signing up for the movement he's working alongside. It's "I like money!" "I wish you cared about more than money." for about ten sequences

. Not quite sure why the Assassins

even trust Kenway

either. Apart from the

named members, as a group they're a bit poo

. Disappointed that

Adéwalé

was such a non-entity considering he's

the subject of the DLC and I'm hoping for something substantial as I think the Da Vinci Disappearance is the only decent story-related one thus far.

But as pointless as

Sequence 13

is, at least it didn't sting as badly as III's disappointing ending. Plus Abstergo is a heck of a lot better than the amazing adventures of Desmond in Tetris Land for Revelations.

Kiith

I've actually been quite enjoying 3. Definitely started off poorly, but it's picked up now and glad i stuck with it.

Delighted 4 is looking good, and i'll definitely pick it up once it's out on the pc (and i have one).

humanji

Mint Aero wrote: »

Would I need to like pirates or at least be indifferent to them to enjoy this game? I absolutely hate everything and anything pirate. Can't stand the look of them pirate of the carribean films. I also really really hate the look of palm trees, is there many of them in the game? They popped up in ac3 briefly and I was like ffs!

I really can't explain my hatred of this type of stuff but I love assassins have they ruined it for me?

It's a story about pirates with the AC story tacked on, so I'd avoid it if I were you.

LostBoy101

I brought the game today and it won't let me log in to Ubisoft servers so I can't play it at all!