ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG Review
By Dhruv Chopra
The fourth installment of the Assassins Creed series is finally here and it Is just as good as it was hyped to be, actually even better. It delivers in almost every aspect. The gameplay mechanics have been greatly improved from the previous rather uneven Assassins Creed 3.
Ship Battles are the trademark of Black Flag. The ships were always easy to control, even in the wake of battle. Not once does completely obliterating an enemy ship ever get old or feel boring. You will always find yourself looking for ships to lay waste to and loot when you're not hunting animals, harpooning gigantic whales and sharks, looking for new islands to explore and caves to raid, sailing through the coast just for the heck of it, admiring the tropical beauty, keeping yourself engrossed in oh so many side missions, and of course, following the main storyline. In short, the game has a lot to offer other than just the thrilling ship battles.
Ship Battles are the trademark of Black Flag. The ships were always easy to control, even in the wake of battle. Not once does completely obliterating an enemy ship ever get old or feel boring. You will always find yourself looking for ships to lay waste to and loot when you're not hunting animals, harpooning gigantic whales and sharks, looking for new islands to explore and caves to raid, sailing through the coast just for the heck of it, admiring the tropical beauty, keeping yourself engrossed in oh so many side missions, and of course, following the main storyline. In short, the game has a lot to offer other than just the thrilling ship battles.
As the game kicks off, you're instantly tossed into an intense and exhilarating ship battle amidst a raging storm with several ships to sink to the bottom of the Caribbean, unlike its predecessor, which puts you through an intolerable initial ten hours of incessant travelling, banal hunting, and uninteresting missions. In Black Flag, you're put into the Boots of Captain Edward Kenway, grandfather of haythem kenway, who unlike his assassin relatives, is a greedy smug who's only in it for the riches, which is a change of pace i really loved. There are loads of other memorable characters in the story, one of whom i particularly came to love was Edward Thatch aka Blackbeard. Ubisoft's take on the most infamous pirates and the golden age of piracy is presented in an appreciable light tone. which helps create for one hell of an experience, one you’ll never forget.
Black Flag is definitely the best looking game of 2013, with an emphasis placed on smart lighting on tropical locales and gorgeous water effects on the open seas. It works beautifully on the current gen systems so if you own a ps3 or an Xbox 360, you don't have to worry about missing out on any of the fun ‘cause you don't own a next gen console. While the fun remains, playing black flag on the next gen systems just adds to visual delight, with minimal loading times and draw distances which seem to go on for miles. Watching whales soar out of the sea and plunge right back in with all their majesty as you sail past is a pleasure I can't describe in words (while shooting a harpoon right through one’s head is one I can). Added to all that, the mind blowing sound effects are just the icing on top of the best cake Ubisoft has put forth.
Black Flag is definitely the best looking game of 2013, with an emphasis placed on smart lighting on tropical locales and gorgeous water effects on the open seas. It works beautifully on the current gen systems so if you own a ps3 or an Xbox 360, you don't have to worry about missing out on any of the fun ‘cause you don't own a next gen console. While the fun remains, playing black flag on the next gen systems just adds to visual delight, with minimal loading times and draw distances which seem to go on for miles. Watching whales soar out of the sea and plunge right back in with all their majesty as you sail past is a pleasure I can't describe in words (while shooting a harpoon right through one’s head is one I can). Added to all that, the mind blowing sound effects are just the icing on top of the best cake Ubisoft has put forth.
There is just so much to do out of the main storyline, so much put into the 1700’s Caribbean for us to discover. Head out, search through every nook and cranny, explore through the activity filled world to your heart’s content. And if that’s not enough, step out of the animus for a bit indulging yourself into a bunch of mostly optional missions as you walk through the abstergo office hacking computers and eavesdropping on some interesting conversations holding clues to future assassin’s creed projects. Missions within the abstergo office are in first person and are great fun as you go on to uncover secrets abstergo has been hiding. As the story moves on, you’ll find yourself embroiled in a bit of a corporate espionage. With so much on your plate, you’ll always find something or the other to do.
The Multiplayer of Black Flag is the same cat and mouse deathmatch which was first introduced in AC Brotherhood, along with improved assassination techniques and more ways to put down your opponent than ever before. It’s a nice change of pace from the general online multiplayer experience of every other game out there.
The gameplay is better than ever. With the unique vertical city like traversal from AC2 and the energetic whirl movements from AC3, Black Flag is the best of both worlds. Even the combat system has been refined, it’s much easier to use Edward’s guns during an ongoing fight than ever before, and that too, with style. if only they’d added a bit where Edward blows the smoke out of the top of his flintlock’s hot barrel after blowing some nefarious pirate’s head off. Nevertheless, everything looks, sounds and feels great.
As for the flaws, i personally couldn't find any, maybe the story could have been a little stronger but it didn't at any point feel disappointing or underwhelming. AC IV: BF is worth every penny and a must play for every AC fan or any fan of the genre.
"Caution's nothing without charisma! If a man plays the fool, then it's only fools he'll persuade. But appear to be the devil... and all men will submit."
―Edward Thatch to Edward Kenway, 1718
The Multiplayer of Black Flag is the same cat and mouse deathmatch which was first introduced in AC Brotherhood, along with improved assassination techniques and more ways to put down your opponent than ever before. It’s a nice change of pace from the general online multiplayer experience of every other game out there.
The gameplay is better than ever. With the unique vertical city like traversal from AC2 and the energetic whirl movements from AC3, Black Flag is the best of both worlds. Even the combat system has been refined, it’s much easier to use Edward’s guns during an ongoing fight than ever before, and that too, with style. if only they’d added a bit where Edward blows the smoke out of the top of his flintlock’s hot barrel after blowing some nefarious pirate’s head off. Nevertheless, everything looks, sounds and feels great.
As for the flaws, i personally couldn't find any, maybe the story could have been a little stronger but it didn't at any point feel disappointing or underwhelming. AC IV: BF is worth every penny and a must play for every AC fan or any fan of the genre.
"Caution's nothing without charisma! If a man plays the fool, then it's only fools he'll persuade. But appear to be the devil... and all men will submit."
―Edward Thatch to Edward Kenway, 1718