Justin and I decided to do something a little different with our Assassin’s Creed IV review. Instead of one of us rambling on, we decided to both write a short review about our impressions of Assassin’s Creed IV. We hope you enjoy this double review.

Justin’s Review

I’m not the biggest fan of perennial franchises, but the Assassin’s Creed series has usually been the exception for me.  While Assassin’s Creed III had a unique new setting, wilderness parkour, and naval battles; it felt like a beta version when compared to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.  Assassin’s Creed IV leap frogs ACIII in almost every aspect and is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played in recent years.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is set in the ‘golden age of pirates’ (around 1715).  Players take control of Edward Kenway, the grandfather of Connor from Assassin’s Creed III.  Edward is a little different than most previous assassins.  He’s a bit more apathetic to the cause of the Assassins and chooses to play any side that will lead to more profit.

One of the key elements in the game is the open world sailing.  If you didn’t like the sailing in Assassin’s Creed III, don’t worry.  Everything about the sailing has been improved and then some.  Players now have the ability to board ships as well as use a diving bell to search for sunken treasure.  While the gameplay in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is uniquely its own, there are several key elements from another famous Ubisoft game, Far Cry 3.  For those that have played Far Cry 3, you’ll be in for a treat.  Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag has an open world very similar to Far Cry 3’s.  Far Cry 3 introduced hunting/crafting which allowed players to fashion their own weapon holsters and more.  Assassin’s Creed IV follows that formula, which really enhances the hunting that was added in ACIII.  The forts in ACIV are also very similar to the enemy camps in Far Cry 3.  Once captured, the forts can serve as outposts to open up more trade routes for your fleet around the Caribbean and beyond.  There is a lot of depth to the gameplay in ACIV and it grows even bigger the more you play.

The visuals in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag are also top-notch.  Everything from the waves on the ocean to the lush jungle islands shine on the Wii U.  The water is pristine and inviting and each island has something new and interesting to discover.  The underwater locations are also fun to explore even with the over abundance of sharks.

I’ve never been a big fan of the multiplayer in Assassin’s Creed games and ACIV didn’t do much to change that.  There are a couple fun modes, but the levels felt cramped in comparison to the open world of the game’s single player.  The lack of naval battles was also disappointing.  It’s still enjoyable to play online with friends, but the single player is the real draw in ACIV.

I think I’ve played Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag more than any other game this year, and it’s only been out for 2 weeks.  Every time I pick up the game I discover something new.  Even if you haven’t played a single Assassin’s Creed game before, you still owe it to yourself to pick up Assassin’s Creed IV.  You won’t be disappointed.

ACIV gets a 9.7/10

James’ Review

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is the sixth console installment in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. This time players are introduced to an unnamed character that’s hired by Abstego’s Entertainment to sift through the memories of an eighteenth-century pirate, Edward Kenway, who is the grandfather of Connor Kenway, which gamers were introduced to in Assassin’s Creed III.

Unlike Assassin’s Creed III, Black Flag quickly moves into the role of the Assassin.  After a quick introduction to a naval battle, Kenway finds himself lying on a beach, face-to-face with an Assassin. After a quick race up the side of a mountain, Kenway slays the Assassin, steals his Assassin’s identity and heads to Havana Cuba to continue the quest of the deceased Assassin.  In Havana, the player is introduced to the main groundwork of the story, through a sequence of flashbacks, cut scenes and out of Animus interactions.

After Havana, the player is introduced to what really makes Assassin’s Creed IV a pirate game, the Pirating. After a sequence of events, the player comes into possession of a boat and crew. This is where the game turns into an open world experience, full of fishing, looting, treasure hunting and all around pirating.

Black Flag, to use the term my grandmother used  to say, is very easy on the eyes.  The environment is very colorful and full of life. The water, which should be a focus of the game, looks as blue and vibrant as the Caribbean in my dreams. Black Flag on the Wii U is also one of the smoothest Assassin’s Creed games I have enjoyed. Like the ocean around it, everything flows nicely in the game; no lag, no frame-rate drops.

Black Flag uses the GamePad in a simple but efficient way. Not surprising, the GamePad offers a fully interactive map. Which like all GamePad maps, it’s very nice not having to stop the game to pull up a map. The GamePad also offers the ability for a clean  TV screen by allowing the ability to move the HUD to the GamePad. Moving the button guide, the health bar,  and syncing to the GamePad helps give the game that smooth clean feel. Way-points and some interaction hints do still appear on the screen, which is fine because it’s the best place for them.

Black Flag isn’t the perfect game. The swimming animation for Edward is absolutely horrible. One would think that a game with a huge focus on water would have a smooth swimming mechanic. It doesn’t, Edward looks like he is drowning face down in the water. This really isn’t a big deal seeing this is my only real game mechanic issue.

That problem that has faced every Assassin’s Creed game still exists, it’s still difficult to truly control the Assassin. To make the Assassin run and perform his parkour moves, the player holds down a button, in this case the right trigger button, and the Assassin is supposed to move smoothly around the city. Even though I said this was a smoother Assassin’s Creed experience, I still found myself climbing up, over and off things without my knowledge that I wanted to climb up, over and jump off things. This mechanic is not a knock against Black Flag; it has haunted every Assassin’s Creed games. But, one would have thought it would get better by the sixth game.

I am about to say something and you can put  in stone. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was the most enjoyable Assassin’s Creed experience since the original. Yes, Black Flag has its problems, but what game doesn’t? The addition of the Pirate theme is a nice refreshing experience while keeping the original Assassin’s Creed feel. In fact, the story of Edward Kenway is one of my favorite Assassin’s Creed stories.

Assassin’s Creed IV gets a 9.5/10