Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Fandangos said:

The title.. oh my fucking god L O L

So you become a black flag if you play this game?

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...this went over my head.

I'm glad it's not just me.

Taiso said:

as well as the aesthetically boring setting of revolutionary period America that lacks the sweeping vistas and majestic spires of renaissance Italy, AC III is a definite step back and a low point in the franchise.

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I'm a history geek so it tickled my fancy not to mention the Vita counterpart was right up my alley literally.

SPINMASTER X said:

I'm a history geek so it tickled my fancy not to mention the Vita counterpart was right up my alley literally.

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Just to clarify, I don't think that the American Revolution era in history is boring. I am a history buff too.

It's just that when compared to the magnificent architecture of renaissance Italy and Constantinople, the cities of the late 18th century are just kind of dull for me to navigate in a video game sense. The same goes for the wilderness. There's a 'sameness' to the environments and nothing really stands out all that much in contrast to anything else. In the older AC games, you could look out over the city and you really got a sense of the grandness of it all. The general low story layouts of AC III just look like these low sprawls and doesn't really inspire me as much as presented in the game. The forest is just trees, you know? Gets kinda dull for me after a while.

I think I might have enjoyed it more if Connor's journey would have been more compelling and not as glitchy. But I was never able to get into Connor as a character and the game's design seemed as bland as the world he was running around in. The only time I really enjoyed the game was during the naval battles, and now I'm starting to feel that those parts, forced as they were into AC III, were a test bed for AC IV. It's the Capcom method of game development!

AC: Liberation didn't grab me, but that has nothing to do with the game. I think my original plan was to play both of them at the same time and that was a huge mistake. My general dissatisfaction with AC III made me not want to look at AC for a little while, but I really liked the idea of an AC game centered on a character who was both female and a slave during the time period. Talk about overcoming social barriers.

A part of me wishes that AC IV would have used a woman as the main character. The whole 'pirate queen' thing may be played out, but pirates are played out anyway. Plus, what if getting pregnant made her walk away from the pirate game, and rather than raise her son as an Assassin, she taught him the skills secretly just to get him away from that lifestyle? They could have written it so that eventually, he grew up agreeing more with the order of the Templars and less with the 'live and let live' ideology of the Assassins. The lawlessness and chaos of a pirate lifestyle could have cost her her life when he was 10 or 11 years old (an old enemy come back to take vengeance) and in Haytham's mind, law and order would have stamped out piracy. Thinking it through to a logical conclusion, he could easily adopt a mentality that people, left to their own devices, are a naturally lawless and selfish race and with so much at stake (apple of eden, end of the world, etc.), somebody had to step in and secure the future and in his view, the Templars were doing that.

It could have worked

Bump


I love this video. It's everything I could hope for in a pirate themed game.

Sid Meier's Pirates was always, I felt, the best game that simulated piracy. It offered just enough different game elements to give you a good feel for the way pirates might have lived without burying you in minutae.

Capturing and plundering ships to recruiting and pressganging crewmen, killing ship captains and fort commanders to win battles, upgrading and repairing...I love that these elements are making it into AC IV. I also love the idea of finding blueprints to enhance your ship and using captured ships to repair damage to your own. I love the open world feel of this game, as well: just the idea that you can choose to be a scavenger and attack the periphery of ship battles or get in there and join the fight proper is really intriguing. The whaling is an interesting mechanic as well. I hope the goods trading system is far less combersume than it was in III.

At any rate, this video shows me that they are on the path. Even the environments promise more than AC III could ever hope to deliver on.

It looks fantastic. My problem is that this arrives two weeks after Pokemon X and two weeks before Watch Dogs. I'm buying, just not day one. Try not to spoil too much for me, would you Taiso?

Magician said:

It looks fantastic. My problem is that this arrives two weeks after Pokemon X and two weeks before Watch Dogs. I'm buying, just not day one. Try not to spoil too much for me, would you Taiso?

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I'll spoilertag any comments I make about the game which I think might kill your buzz. That's the best I can do for someone who gave away their PS3.

Bump it up, for today's release.

After being on the fence for Black Flag (considering Watch Dogs was around the corner) I think I'll pickup it up afterall. With Watch Dogs delayed into 2014, taking a pass on Batman: Arkham Origins, and being nearly done with Deus Ex: HR DC I could go for something new. The reviews are positive; much better than the new Batman. Online reviews range from "the best entry in the series" to "the worst entry in the series" depending on how much you like pirates in your video games.

Straight away, there're a few things that make this a better game than AC3. One, no snow. I see the stuff six months out of the year, I don't need it in my video games...slowing my movement to a crawl. Two, a reduced intro, from ten hours to less than half an hour. To that I say bravo, Ubisoft. And lastly, I didn't notice any sub-objectives in the intro mission. The sub-objectives were so damn frustrating if you wanted to 100% AC3, I hope they're truely gone but I have to play further to know for sure.

Edit: bah, looks like the sub-objectives are still here.

Vastly better than AC III so far.

I especially like that PS3 buyers can get the PS4 version for $10. I will have something to play on my PS4 now. Wonder if the data will transfer via cloud save?

Edward Kenway is just so much more entertaining than Connor. Connor, the silent-strong type, with his monotone line delivery. Then here comes Edward. The man truely is a pirate. Using language that would make a nun blush and running head first into a fight. I like this protagonist.

Another thing I'm enjoying about this AC is the lack of a wanted system. Outside of scripted missions that require stealth you "could" sneak around and take enemies out quietly, but there's really no need for it. Nope, you're free to carve your way through whatever stands in your path. And because Edward is neither an assassin nor templar it works.

Edit: ...continuing thoughts...

The choice of setting and location is also the most appealing I've seen in the series. From the grey/brown of the first couple entries, to the white/brown of the third. Everything in the fourth is green/blue. The chains of islands, the flora and fauna of those islands, it's all very pleasing the eye.

Edit: ...adding a video for a side by side between current and next gen versions...

Best in the series. I like Ezio more than Edward, but only by a little, and I like the exotic locales of renaissance Italy more than the early 18th century Caribbean as a historical setting, but the gameplay will not be held down. This is a phenomenal game.

Fire Emblem: Awakening, you just got bumped to second best game released this year.

TV Party tonight!

Taiso said:

Fire Emblem: Awakening, you just got bumped to second best game released this year.

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That sir...is a bold statement. Admittedly, I'm finding it difficult to disagree with you. Although I doubt anything will topple Animal Crossing: New Leaf for my pick this year. I myself just unlocked my ship and crew last night. And by far the most impressive thing (for me) are the shanties that your crew sings whenever you sail the high seas.

Magician said:

That sir...is a bold statement. Admittedly, I'm finding it difficult to disagree with you. Although I doubt anything will topple Animal Crossing: New Leaf for my pick this year. I myself just unlocked my ship and crew last night. And by far the most impressive thing (for me) are the shanties that your crew sings whenever you sail the high seas.

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I'd really like Ubisoft to release the shanties as a MP3 compilation or something. They're a lot of fun to listen to, and they really add to the overall atmosphere.

And I'm not shitting on Fire Emblem. You know how highly I think of that game. It's just that AC IV is an incredible achievement, and even moreso when you consider it's the 6th iteration of the franchise on a major platform.

I've completed about a third of the game proper now; having done a little of everything along the way (main story, side missions, collectibles, etc). I've just unlock fleet management. Like in previous AC titles you could send out assassins you've recruited on uninvolved missions. Here in Black Flag you manage ships rather than assassins. Kicker is...here you control which ships are in your fleet. Once you gain access to fleet management you're given an additional option to add that ship to your fleet instead of just healing the Jackdaw or reducing your naval wanted level.

It's a slight yet awesome retooling of what was previously little more than busywork.

Anyone got a 360 copy of AC3 they could hook me up with on the cheap?

25 hours deep, 56% complete.

I've finished the bulk of the side missions and fetch quests.

Black Flag is beginning to creep into my favorites list of games for this generation of consoles.

I just unlocked the diving bell last night, although I didn't take the time to try it out. I think I can admit that this is my favorite game in the series. I love the freedom of the open world. I think the characters (main and story) are the best in the series, sans Ezio. And the expanded sailing aspect is a series highpoint.

It's not perfect, there're still a few small things that could be improved upon, but I feel this is a GotY candidate.

But it'll probably be blown away by either The Last of Us or BioShock Infinite.

Magician said:

I just unlocked the diving bell last night, although I didn't take the time to try it out. I think I can admit that this is my favorite game in the series. I love the freedom of the open world. I think the characters (main and story) are the best in the series, sans Ezio. And the expanded sailing aspect is a series highpoint.

It's not perfect, there're still a few small things that could be improved upon, but I feel this is a GotY candidate.

But it'll probably be blown away by either The Last of Us or BioShock Infinite.

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AC IV is vastly better than Bioshock: Infinite. The quality gap is as vast as the ocean is wide.

Now, The Last of Us is definitely a threat to AC IV's GOTY prospects. That game is an accomplishment because of its frenzied combat, overall presentation and the subversive approach to both dystopian storytelling and to parent-child relationships. It turns some corners that the genre needed to turn to stay fresh.

So far, my top four of the year are, in no particular order:

AC IV
The Last of Us
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

Beyond that, I need to review everything I've played. I admit to liking DmC a whole hell of a lot at the time, but dont' know if it qualifies as GOTY material. Ditto for Mirror of Fate, which isn't a perfect game but makes up for it in sheer engagement factor.

Would I need too have played the other games too enjoy this installment ...I really like the pirate premise
But scared I'd be lost on the story

evil son said:

Would I need too have played the other games too enjoy this installment ...I really like the pirate premise
But scared I'd be lost on the story

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Recommended but not necessary. The bulk of the AC4 story revolves around Edward Kenway, with side missions and collectibles that drop additional info about the series story proper. Those bits of info will go over your head, having not played the previous entries, but it'll be a minor loss. AC4 is first and foremost...a pirate action game.

Magician said:

Recommended but not necessary. The bulk of the AC4 story revolves around Edward Kenway, with side missions and collectibles that drop additional info about the series story proper. Those bits of info will go over your head, having not played the previous entries, but it'll be a minor loss. AC4 is first and foremost...a pirate action game.

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Thank you for the info ..looks like I'll be adding another title to buy next week when my ps4 arrives.