Ubisoft released the fourth installment of the Assassin's Creed series just a year after the third game. Is it a good idea to release it so soon? Maybe they just want to get rid off the bad memory coming from the third game as soon as possible...and they did it with pure class. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is without a doubt, the best Assassin's Creed game ever.
The Story (10/10)
+ The story take a new perspective by making the lead character a bad guy that doesn't necessarily follow the Creed or the Templar. It's fresh and very interesting.
+ Great script.
+ Edward Kenway is a very likeable lead character. I root for the him so much because he have such a great character development. I love him as the ruthless, greedy pirate, i love him as the noble assassin.
+ Other characters support the story well
+ The pacing is good, the story take their time and the build to the climax is simply great.
+ The present day story put you as the employee of Abstergo which convert (disguised) themselves as a video game developer, that is so interesting.
The Gameplay (9.5/10)
+ The control is slightly tweaked, it feels heavier but much more controllable than previous games, especially during free run.
+ The naval gameplay is superb. Maneuvering the ship is easy and the combat feel really intense. Pirating other ships proved to be very addicting in this game.
+ Upgrading both Kenway and his ship is a necessity, unlike in Assassin's Creed III
+ Upgrading through hunting a la FarCry 3
+ Tons of side mission and activities, enough to keep you busy after the main mission end.
+ Tons of worthy collectibles like the music sheet, treasure chest, and the alternate costume.
+ The present day mission which all told through first person perspective of the new subject of Abstergo is pretty fun, especially to understand more about what happened between ACIII and ACIV.
- Combat still feel a bit chaotic, especially when there are many enemies around you. Kenway will attack frantically to every direction and sometimes the game failed to registered the counter attack (against standard enemy grunt).
The Graphics (9/10)
+ Except for Havana, most of the time the game have steady framerate.
+ Huge open world with beautiful, detailed environment.
+ Great looking sea with awesome physics and weather effects.
+ Detailed characters model with pretty smooth animation.
- There are still so many npc with odd behavior, especially enemy soldier in yellow state. They will wandering aimlessly like an idiot, sometimes they will jump into a ledge, climb up, jump again and climb again forever. I also see npc sink into the ground like 5 times throughout my gameplay.
The Sound (9.5/10)
+ Amazing pirates themes, i really,really love the scores in this game, it's without no doubt one of the greatest scores in video game history.
+ Pirates songs by the crew of Kenway's Jackdaw is a very,very interesting idea and it's a good refreshment from the bombastic and epic scores.
+ Sound effect is loud and clear.
Verdict (9.6/10)
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a complete game. Great story, amazing gameplay, beautiful graphics, and enjoyable music. This game is one of the best game on 2013, highly recommended.