Friday, January 31, 2014

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag

* EXPLORE AN OPEN WORLD FILLED WITH OPPORTUNITIES: Discover the most diverse Assassin's Creed world ever created. From Kingston to Nassau, explore 50 unique locations where you can live the life of a pirate.

* BECOME THE MOST FEARED PIRATE IN THE CARIBBEAN: Command your ship, the Jackdaw, and strike fear in all who see her. Plunder and pillage to upgrade the Jackdaw with ammunition and equipment needed to fight off enemy ships.

* MULTIPLAYER EXPERIENCE: Play with your friends in the ruthless and critically acclaimed multiplayer experience. Choose from an eclectic cast of characters from the Golden Age of Pirates and fight to the death in exotic locations.


* A BRASH REBEL ASSASSIN: Become Edward Kenway, a charismatic yet brutal pirate captain, trained by Assassins. Edward can effortlessly switch between the Hidden Blade of the Assassin's Order and all new weaponry including four flintock pistols and dual cutlass swords.

* EXPERIENCE THE GRITTY REALITY BEHIND THE PIRATE FANTASY: Stand amongst legendary names such as Blackbeard and Benjamin Hornigold, as you establish a lawless Republic in the Bahamas and relive the truly explosive events that defined the Golden Age of Pirates.



It is 1715. Pirates rule the Caribbean and have established a lawless pirate republic. Among these outlaws is a fearsome young captain named Edward Kenway. His exploits earn the respect of pirate legends like Blackbeard, but draw him into an ancient war that may destroy everything the pirates have built.



List Price: $ 59.99 PRICE: $ 35.49 Customer Reviews



94 of 101 people found the following review helpful BLACK FLAG REVIEW FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T LOVED THE AC SERIES, November 3, 2013 By - = FUN: THIS REVIEW IS FROM: ASSASSIN'S CREED IV BLACK FLAG - PLAYSTATION 3 (VIDEO GAME) So I won't lie, and I know that there are hundreds of thousands who would flog me for this revelation, but I have never loved the AC series. Now what I'm not saying is that I couldn't appreciate what was there, it was a technical triumph with a lot of hard work put into its historical mythos. The game had "unique" game play (there's nothing new under the sun but this series adds layers of polish), and truly captivating locals. I think this is why I spent hard earned money on multiple games in the series, on release none the less, only to call the game store within a week and ask the trade in value. Why was such an awesome series not grabbing me and not letting go till the finish line? I don't know, maybe I just suck at games, or possess the attention span of a tsetse fly. Either way I found myself, yet again buying, AC3 when it came out after being sucked in by the trailers and Conner's tree hopping, tomahawk throwing, animal hunting debut. Like clock work the game went back in a week.



This is the part where you get to call me an idiot, I bought Assassin's Creed Black Flag day 1, and here's the part where I get the last laugh; the game is AWESOME!



All joking aside, what ever the element it was that existed in the previous titles, at least for me, is all but gone. I got bored before, and now I find myself playing way to late into the night and happily struggling through my work day to do it again the next evening. The game has strong ties to Farcry 3 (another awesome title by Ubisoft) which may sound weird but it's true. See Farcry 3 was the pinnacle of FPS for me due to the open world, limitless possibilities for accomplishment, and the awesome hunting/crafting aspect. In Black Flag the hunting/crafting system exists, there are more options for accomplishing given tasks, and the freedom to explore and revel in the open world has been greatly enhanced over the games predecessor. This game will hand you a task, and 2 hours later you realize you have been ignoring your task and pirating the living daylights out of the game world instead. When you do get back to the missions you find yourself increasingly endeared to the main protagonist as well as his hearty band of miscreants.



I think this brings me to the part where I have to say "Buy the game". Which for me is a real surprise given my sordid past with this series. The pirating elements of this game are not just a gimmick, but the backbone of the experience with an Assassin's Creed tale woven in. Maybe that's what has bothered me so much in the past, that the game has been a total reversal of this concept, putting a sometimes overly convoluted story as the center piece with all the trimmings around it. This gives a forced experience that feels liner overall. While Black Flag invites you to board a pirate ship offering you the world as your oyster, while spinning a fabulous AC tale throughout. I have fallen in love with this game and Ubisoft finally planned it that way.



There are tons of great review out there better detailing all the in game activities that may be indulged upon. This was not the point of my diatribe (sorry long time fans of the series, I mean no ill will), nor the motivation for said piece. I really am just doing a slow clap for Ubisoft's lates work so all the other pensive purveyors out there can join in. If you want further details on the game you won't have to dig very deep as a plethora of information is being dumped on the web daily. I will say that slowdown exists in the larger cities, and it does suck! However, it is far from a game breaker, and I hope some patches may help in the near future. I also still hate the trailing a target missions, but even these feel more refined and streamlined. The stealth is better, and I love the guns as they are not overpowered and just feel awesome chained into a sword combo. The game is not perfect, oh goodness no, but it is light years in the right direction. Oh, and no more Desmond filled scenes of Shia Labeouf esque drama and angst (thank the maker).



In conclusion, if you weren't sure whether or not to set sail on this new adventure in the AC series, I say with confidence, pack your trunk and make for the high seas. Because this time you shan't find yourself walking the proverbial plank in less than a week. The winds of adventure and tales of intrigue are strong, with the world open before you for the taking. I hope you enjoy the game and I look forward to seeing your flag run high on the distant horizon. 0 HELP OTHER CUSTOMERS FIND THE MOST HELPFUL REVIEWS Was this review helpful to you? |



60 of 68 people found the following review helpful GREAT STORY AND SETUP WITH SOME BAD MISSTEPS, October 29, 2013 By (Ogden, UT USA) -

THIS REVIEW IS FROM: ASSASSIN'S CREED IV BLACK FLAG - PLAYSTATION 3 (VIDEO GAME) Assassins Creed has been a series near and dear to my heart, so I'm somewhat unsettled by the number of flaws that the latest installment has.



The story is the mainstay still. You start off as a down on his luck sailor who accidentally kills an Assassin after escaping from a sinking ship. What follows is a rather pleasant exploration of more of the Templar backstory. The best part is Edward though, who flies by the seat of his pants with a panache thats almost Bond like and a real treat to watch. No training, no prep, you're dropped in the ocean and have to swim immediately. In the modern day, you are a Abstergo employee, silent and with your eyes locked into FP view with a tablet screen never out of sight, it feels like you've woken up in Google Stepford Wives.



Graphics are off. I don't know if is my TV, but everything had too much color, like you were running through a Salvidor Dali painting rather than a Caribbean beach. While this worked great with the jungle environments, in the cities, it always felt like you were slightly stoned with how bright and vibrant everything looked. Similarly, the modern day setting has everything so clean and neat, without any realistic grit to it, that it creates a sense of detachment thats hard to ignore.



Audio continues to be near flawless. Voices match well to characters, the dialogue is set to the time period but still understandable, and even foreign languages all add to the sense of involvement. It'd be more interesting if they messed up a voice badly enoguh to be noticeable with Ubi's track record in that area.



Gameplay is basically all the same. While a handful of minor polishes has been added, theres almost all the core gameplay of AC3. The naval warfare has been greatly expanded, and you have a lot more options with targeting with ship to ship combat, and the boarding actions are well put together, and don't feel railroaded like they were with Connor. Another major improvement is the buildup of your stronghold and ship. It used to feel like you would put in five minutes of effort and have the remainder handed to you on a platter, albeit slowly. With ship upgrades and even cash, you're working every minute. Not hard, but you definitely will debate at points whether to up your guns or your ship armor, or should you get a mortar to attack the higher level fort. You'll also not roll over every sea battle either, and you'll want to pass by several fat prizes and jump on the man o' war way off in the distance because its the one that has the last 100 or so metal you've been scrounging around for, and every battle hurts, even if its just a little bit.



Multiplayer continues to get its slow steady polishing. Aside from general gameplay balance upgrades that are apparent, theres not a terrible amount of difference between this and AC3. The best improvement is that you can now do solo wolfpack, meaning there's the option of doing multiplayer without having to wait for friends or rely on strangers if you just want to make level 35 to get a specific upgrade. The only downside is the story for multiplayer has been cut down to the marrow, and its basically vestigial.



A whole bunch of nits abounded, which is what, graphical anomalies aside, kept this from being 5 stars. You're shotgunned in the face with collectibles immediately, which is annoying. You are also given the option to do Assassin missions immediately, despite not even knowing who the Assassins are at that point(this happens within 5 minutes of starting, so no real spoilers) I want a reason to collect the journal pag-i mean sea shanties, even if its just a token one. The Abstergo overlay is a tad offputting, as it feels like it gives away the game to easily. I really didn't want to know in the first 5 minutes of play that Havana has 7 secrets. Isn't that why they're... secret? I'd have liked to have an option to create a modern day character to not feel like a floating pair of eyeballs. The guards blend in to well with the populace, so its too easy to bump into them.



Overall, this is still a great game. Entertaining story, good main character thats easy to slide in behind, and tried and true gameplay. Just some graphical issues and really jarring nits keep this from another deserved 5 stars. 0 HELP OTHER CUSTOMERS FIND THE MOST HELPFUL REVIEWS Was this review helpful to you? |



29 of 31 people found the following review helpful NOT YOUR DADDY'S AC...BUT THAT IS GOOD, November 11, 2013 By - = FUN: THIS REVIEW IS FROM: ASSASSIN'S CREED IV BLACK FLAG - PLAYSTATION 3 (VIDEO GAME) Before I start I would like to say that I have followed this series from AC 1 through to Black Flag. I understand the need to feel like an assassin. I loved the Desmond arc, the crusades, the romp through Italy, and Constantinople. Let's face it some of us faithful are wounded by Connor and his deadpan, somber, detached and uninteresting assistance in the Revolution. This game heals those wounds by crafting a character who is likable, engaging, and does not take himself too seriously. He is a man who wants more out of life and sets off in the only profitable venture he sees available to him in the 1700's He becomes a pirate!



A lot of other reviewers have given out story points, so I don't want to hash the same points. The story is top notch and explores how one man starts out chasing fame and ends up realizing that principles and honor are worth any sacrifice. For now let's talk about other things



Graphics:



The game is beautiful even on current gen. the environment encourages and practically begs you to explore every inch of the world. You explore sunken ships with a diving bell, you can explore Mayan ruins, search for buried treasure, and can even hunt sharks and whales if you choose to. All of this sucks you in with barely a graphical hiccup. Ship battles look great. They even slow the camera down during a fight from time to time to show that big hit. That isn't to say that there is not problems. Some of the collisions are off in spots, ships suffer from the occasional pop in. Most of these glitches are minor and really don't ruin the experience.



So many things to do:



- Whailing

- Sunken Treasure ships (that's right you get to dive and search sunken ships) Watch out for sharks.

- Mayan Ruins

- Naval Contracts (like assassin contracts only at sea)

- Raiding Warehouses (really nice stealth missions that allow you to steal cargo)

- Build your own fleets (cool meta game that allows you to capture a ship in game and then port it to a tablet and earn in game currency) This one is helpful for upgrades.

- Assassination contracts ( old stand by but still fun

- Letters in a bottle ties into the plot and gives back story to an essential character.



- Sea Shanties that your crew sings while at sea. (think Almanac pages but actually worth it.)



- Hunting for pelts for crafting things like gun holsters that allow you to carry four games at once



Never before have I wanted to discover ever secret or item like I do in this game. The exploration actually adds to every aspect of the game.



Combat:



Not much has changed here but somehow Ubisoft has found a way to make it fresh and new. Sea battles are fun, boarding a disabled vessel is seamless and each one offers a different challenge. Capture forts and they become allies during a fight near them. They also expose more items in that area.



Weapons:



Everything from hidden Blades to swords, pistols and even a blow gun for shooting sleep darts and my personal favorite Berserk darts that turn you enemies against one another.



Economy:



Everything ties into this. you raid a ship and succeed in taking it over, you get the cargo which you can sell to expand your ships arsenal. Going into port to often because you haul to much. sell it and expand your cargo. want a bigger crew to take even bigger ships..... I think you get it.



Lastly, let me mention that this story is awesome.you really feel for Edward as he grows from money hungry self centered pirate into something greater than himself. Maybe it is the fact that this guy actually has a personality this time, but I can't help but smile and laugh at his misfortune and sometimes his dump luck. If you want to explore the modern day, abstergo is a wealth of information on what happened after Desmond's demise and a few supporting characters make a rather interesting choices in this one. ( Shaun's choice for a career is interesting)



Thanks for reading this rant. In short Buy this game. 0 HELP OTHER CUSTOMERS FIND THE MOST HELPFUL REVIEWS Was this review helpful to you? |



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