Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

[OL]

The story scenes and characters look great. Love this trailer.

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[Riku Rose]

A comparison of the current gen versions with the PS4 one.

phpBB [video]

In short the game is the same save how plants and rain look plus loading times are cut down.

[OL]

Really enjoying it so far. It starts a little abruptly, but things start to ease in a bit after that. And the "Animus" outer layer of the whole thing is actually pretty cool.

Abstergo has their own entertainment division, where they sift through past memories and get footage from them, then release them as films. You play as one of the subjects using the Animus to get the footage. Of course, being Abstergo, there's obviously something sinister going on, especially when they mention that the memories you'll be visiting are from the donated DNA of one of their biggest contributors: Desmond Miles.
Feels like a really cool outer shell to house all the pirate stuff.

[OL]

Loving it more and more as I go along.
Apparently I'm not the only one. If I'm not mistaken, I think this is the highest-scoring AC in quite a while. I always seem to remember more criticism than praise with, at the very least, the last two or three games (including Liberation). So it's nice to see this getting high marks. People had been complaining before that the series was getting stale. I'm not a fan of numbered scores in general, but at least these reflect that the series still has life in it.
http://blog.ubi.com/assassins-creed-iv- ... w-roundup/

The Escapist – 5/5
“Embodying Edward Kenway and living through his adventures on the seas, while also experiencing his struggle with Assassins and Templars alike, is pure escapist delight.”

EGM – 9.5/10
“This is probably the best pirate simulation in gaming history that successfully lays the groundwork for what’s to come in the series.”

GameTrailers – 9.2/10
“It’s not only the best Assassin’s Creed game to date, but also one of the best games for pirate fans to embark on as well.”

Official Xbox Magazine – 9/10
“It’s dependably fun, endlessly engrossing, and filled with tons of ready distractions everywhere you look, all while bringing to life a fascinating period of history with an engaging story and memorable characters. And if that isn’t enough, it’s the best game about pirates we’ve ever played.”

GameSpot – 9/10
“If there was ever any question that Assassin’s Creed needed something ambitious to get the series back on track, Black Flag is that game and then some.”

Edge – 9/10
“Stealth games are only as good as the flexibility of their encounters, and in that regard Black Flag is the most generous Assassin’s Creed game to date.”

PlayStation Lifestyle – 9/10
“The series is in its prime with Black Flag — and in it there is much treasure of hours of stellar gameplay to be found.”

GamesRadar – 4.5/5
“Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is an incredible pirate adventure. No other game in memory – the mighty Sid Meier’s Pirates included – slides you so snugly into the boots of a brash buccaneer and demands that you collect booty with as much stylish aggression.”

Game Revolution – 4.5/5
“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, Black Flag joins the pantheon of incredible pirate video games, along with Skies of Arcadia and Sid Meier’s Pirates, and swiftly pulls this niche genre into the modern era. With the help of a ninja pirate, of course.”

Nintendo World Report – 9/10
“Black Flag is a must have for fans of Assassin’s Creed, and newcomers with a love for pirates will surely find something to love.”

IGN – 8.5/10
“Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is a gorgeous, fantastic sequel that gives you the freedom to make your own fun.”

And the stealth is amazing in this one. No longer does everyone know where you are if one guy spots you. You can silence him before he calls for others or before anyone sees, and you'll be safe. It's making it a helluva lot more fun to go completely stealth in this one.

[mue 26]

This does look pretty good. Impressive considering they banged it out so quick.

[OL]

It is pretty impressive. Granted, there are some obvious carry-overs from AC3 (some of the kill animations are exactly the same for example), and there are some odd quirks here and there (the game once told me that certain information could also be seen on the second screen, obviously a line meant for the Wii-U version, but somehow left in the PS3 one).
But I do always find myself impressed by the huge amount of content in every game, considering the one-year gap between each iteration. This one also feels a lot more technically-sound than AC3 as well. There are some bugs now and then, but nothing major so far.
Even for those who aren't established AC fans, I'd still recommend it if you just want a damn good pirate game. It's a helluva lot more exciting and immersive than any other pirate game I've played. The AC mythology stuff is still there, but the activities, exploration, and atmosphere seem to come first.
Oh, and Edward seems like a pretty good protagonist so far. Not quite as great as Ezio (I think he'll always be the definitive AC character), but still a damn sight better than little mister whiny-britches Connor.

[Crimson Ryan]

They have second screen stuff working with Vita don't they?

[Riku Rose]

I'll most likely get this along with Crimson Dragon when the Xbox One comes out. I know the differences between current gen and next gen aren't much but I'm happy to wait 3 weeks.

Going to be weird next year though playing the Liberation HD game on 360/PS3 as I'm sure little things will be removed making it feel like a step back. Bit like when the PSP GTA's came out on PS2.

[BigTuna]

Is this game a step up from ACIII? I used to really like this series, until I played that game. Just a dreadful & clunky experience. Did they fix it with this release though? I'm super intrigued, but need to know if I should even bother with it. Pirates are bamfs, man.

[OL]

It's far better than AC3. I enjoyed AC3 myself (as I do the entire series), but I fully recognize its faults, and was overall a bit disappointed with it. It's such a shame that they wasted the excellent American Revolution setting on such an annoying character as Connor.
Black Flag, up to the point I'm at, remedies pretty much anything that sucked in AC3. Stealth, story, everything.
Without rambling too much on it, I think it's safe enough to say that if you like pirates you should play this one. This is probably the best pirate-based game ever made.

[BigTuna]

It's far better than AC3. I enjoyed AC3 myself (as I do the entire series), but I fully recognize its faults, and was overall a bit disappointed with it. It's such a shame that they wasted the excellent American Revolution setting on such an annoying character as Connor.
Black Flag, up to the point I'm at, remedies pretty much anything that sucked in AC3. Stealth, story, everything.
Without rambling too much on it, I think it's safe enough to say that if you like pirates you should play this one. This is probably the best pirate-based game ever made.

Right on! Then I'll definitely be picking up a copy ASAP. Thanks for the reply.

[mue 26]

It's far better than AC3. I enjoyed AC3 myself (as I do the entire series), but I fully recognize its faults, and was overall a bit disappointed with it. It's such a shame that they wasted the excellent American Revolution setting on such an annoying character as Connor.
Black Flag, up to the point I'm at, remedies pretty much anything that sucked in AC3. Stealth, story, everything.
Without rambling too much on it, I think it's safe enough to say that if you like pirates you should play this one. This is probably the best pirate-based game ever made.

Sounds very good. Has me tempted. I need to play Yakuza 4 first though.

[Axm]

Ive never been much of a pirate guy, so im sitting out this one for awhile. However the reviews and impressions have me interested.