Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

[Naked Shia]

I think the abstergo stuff won't be in all AC games though. I think it does work in this game, but I sure want to see some real modern day stuffs.

 

[KevanG]

I didn't mind the 'present' stuff up until 4 where it really broke the immersion. It's just tons of fun doing the pirate thing then you go do so walking around, then some haking then talking, then walking, THEN back to pirating.

 

[Jick]

But it's so few and far in between. It really didn't bother me.

 

[Marvolo]

I didn't mind the 'present' stuff up until 4 where it really broke the immersion. It's just tons of fun doing the pirate thing then you go do so walking around, then some haking then talking, then walking, THEN back to pirating.

Agreed.

Imo the fact the abstergo stuff was so few and far between in 4 made it even worse. Id forget about that whole storyline and then when something interesting happens in pirate times Im abruptly back in Abstergo performing those tedious tasks.

 

[Naked Shia]

So far, I've been liking the abstergo stuff, how you learn things about Desmond while hacking computers.

 

[Crockett]

I don't mind the modern day parts but if they aren't willing to make it more compelling then they should definitely use it sparely, it's kind of like the sci-fi aspect (especially to the artifacts etc.) to me, it isn't my favorite part of the series but I do like the occasional allusion to it.

 

[Naked Shia]

Their refusal to make room for some real modern day mission is stupid.

 

[Crockett]

Can't say I'd be looking forward to it but as long as they've got something really meaty to justify the intrusion for some modern day missions then I wouldn't mind. They should really strive for huge improvment in that department if they intend to keep it a huge part of the series because I'm not eager to be burdened to another protagonist if their arc will be treated as badly as Desmond's in AC III.

 

[Havok83]

Thoughts on Freedom Cry? Its $6 now on PSN. Im tempted but a small part of me also thinks it may end up as a Plus offering. Any replay value in it?

 

[Naked Shia]

I bought it, and I don't regret it. It's basically a best off of black flag. You have a mini open world to sail, some fun missions. IT's worth it imo.

 

[Iceman]

Really enjoying Black Flag so far.

 

[psylockolussus]

So Im new to Assassin's Creed and this is the first game Ive bought since its the oldest one availabe for ps4 - well from the stores that Ive visited. So far I'm enjoying all the new stuff like stealing, hunting and sailing.

Any suggestions for a new ac player like me? Especially with this game. I didnt mind the first present day setting, though the first person view is not my cup of tea. And how long is this? Ive played over an hour before I reached Havana. I am already planning to get Unity next, then Rogue and the latest three next year (if I dont get a fatigue playing these titles back to back).

The one thing Im disappointed though are the dlcs arent still free. I think this is the first ps4 game (that was originally in ps3) Ive bought that didnt have the dlcs on for free. So am I missing out with the dlcs? And do I really need to sign up to uplay?

 

[Silvermoth]

You don’t have to get the dlc but I found freedom cry expansion so much fun. If you really enjoyed the main game and want more, that’s a great thing to do.

As for what’s next, I would go straight to origins if I was you after you’ve played this one and had a bit of a break. It’s one of the best in the series I reckon

 

[psylockolussus]

I want to play them in order that they are released. I'm planning to get Rogue (the remastered ps4 version) next as that one was the last one to be released in ps3. I just hope I won't get tired after playing 3 games back to back so I could get into the newer games. Like so far I'm collecting stuff, buying every sword and doing side missions. But boy when I looked at the entire map, it's enormous. I think this might take me a month or more even if I don't go for 100% completion. Also, the jumping and the scenery, treasures reminded me of Uncharted 4 and I loved that game. So I'm enjoying this probably a lot more than binge playing Batman Arkham and Resident Evil (4 to 6) this year.

 

[Havok83]

So Im new to Assassin's Creed and this is the first game Ive bought since its the oldest one availabe for ps4 - well from the stores that Ive visited. So far I'm enjoying all the new stuff like stealing, hunting and sailing.

Any suggestions for a new ac player like me? Especially with this game. I didnt mind the first present day setting, though the first person view is not my cup of tea. And how long is this? Ive played over an hour before I reached Havana. I am already planning to get Unity next, then Rogue and the latest three next year (if I dont get a fatigue playing these titles back to back).

The one thing Im disappointed though are the dlcs arent still free. I think this is the first ps4 game (that was originally in ps3) Ive bought that didnt have the dlcs on for free. So am I missing out with the dlcs? And do I really need to sign up to uplay?

Its not. All the old AC games are on PS4 except the first game and the PSP one

You will get fatigue as AC games are very dense. I would suggest getting Rogue next if you must though as it has more in line with IV than Unity which goes in a different direction. You dont need to play the games together but I think 3, IV and Rogue fit nicely as a pseudo trilogy as these are the ones that focus on naval combat and have characters that tie them together

As far as DLC, IV came out cross-generational so it launched on PS3 and PS4. It wasn't a remaster but rather made for both systems. It sounds like you bought the base game and I dont beleive the US got a GOTY edition, just the special editions at launch which had the season passes. The game and all its content go on sale on PSN often whenever Ubisoft has their publisher sales. You may want to consider that for future titles as most of these games are no longer in print and digitally will be your best option to get the DLC for cheap

 

[Iceman]

I guess a bunch of stores might not stock the oldest games. Not much profit to be had there I'd imagine.

 

[Iceman]

Its not. All the old AC games are on PS4 except the first game and the PSP one

You will get fatigue AC games are very dense. I would suggest getting Rogue next if you must though as it has more in line with IV than Unity which goes in a different direction. You dont need to play the games together but I think 3, IV and Rogue fit nicely as a pseudo trilogy as these are the ones that focus on naval combat and have characters that tie them together

As far as DLC, IV came out cross-generational so it launched on PS3 and PS4. It was a remaster but rather made for both systems. It sounds like you bought the base game and I dont beleive the US got a GOTY edition, just the special editions at launch which had the season passes. The game and all its content go on sale on PSN often whenever Ubisoft has their publisher sales. You may want to consider that for future titles as most of these games are no longer in print and digitally will be your best option to get the DLC for cheap

I agree. A good reason to play other things in between rather than going straight from one to the next.

 

[Havok83]

Speak of the Devil. The Complete Edition of Black Flag is $15 on PSN with today's update

 

[psylockolussus]

I have yet to see Ac3 duology and the Ac2 trilogy in stores though I know they were released in ps4. I saw the ps3 versions of those including the first one. Kinda sucks that Ps4 doesn't have backwards compability as there are a lot of ps1/2/3 games that I want to check out. I also didn't see Freedom Cry in physical format.

Anyway Black Flag is taking my life like literally it's so time consuming but I'm living the experience. I'm getting Unity next as it's cheaper but mostly because I only saw it in 1 store which isnt near to my place so I'm getting that immediately. Also the Rogue version that I saw is remastered which might feature better graphics than Unity so I'm saving it after I'm done with Unity.

 

[psylockolussus]

I'm now I think 1 memory away from finishing Sequence 11, yet I still can't access those rope darts and I already got the animal stuff (which I hunted) for the update grrr... and poor Mary. A pirate legend.

Also is it fine to skip all the absertgo notes and hacking? And what do I get if I get completed those? I hate the first person perspective.

I feel like I'm so close to finishing this game, the main story to be specific. I'm skipping the legendary ships and the flying notes as I'm not trying to get 100% completion and those two are such a chore. I'm skipping the naval/assassin contracts as well because I just hate that side objectives notification won't just go away if there's an unfinished one and that's the one f***** thing you cannot remove from the HUD, like so annoying! Even when I'm doing main mission, the side missions objectives are still in the screen!

I just need to buy 1 more outfit, I already got the Mayan stones and would soon get the outfit, I might complete the art pieces. I only need to complete three underwater shark sections and I only to find 1 more letter which is probably located in an uncharted location. The hideout upgrades seem a bit excessive to me as they are really quite expensive like the dancers place and the garden oh Gosh! I already got all treasure chests, except for three and I don't have the maps as its only accessible from the fleet. The ship upgrades... I hate that you can't just buy metal, wood and cloth. Also I'm 1 purchase away from completing my hull armor, but my ship is still getting desychronized because apparently one fort fwho has only 4 targets always get help from those fricking ships. In my first try I was so damn close if only those ships which (weren't even easy) weren't there. I don't know if I can finish the four remaining forts. I also haven't seen those white whales and their skin cost like 25000r and ugh I need them for the whaler outfit.

I hope I can slow down once I get the rope darts and take my time as it's only been like 6 1/2 days since I bought the game lol. And this one ate my freaking time.

Also in my track record, there's one bar that isn't activated yet, it's in the same group as the viewpoints, naval bases, treasure chests, I wonder what it is.

 

[Havok83]

I have yet to see Ac3 duology and the Ac2 trilogy in stores though I know they were released in ps4. I saw the ps3 versions of those including the first one. Kinda sucks that Ps4 doesn't have backwards compability as there are a lot of ps1/2/3 games that I want to check out. I also didn't see Freedom Cry in physical format.

Anyway Black Flag is taking my life like literally it's so time consuming but I'm living the experience. I'm getting Unity next as it's cheaper but mostly because I only saw it in 1 store which isnt near to my place so I'm getting that immediately. Also the Rogue version that I saw is remastered which might feature better graphics than Unity so I'm saving it after I'm done with Unity.

because it doesnt exist. AC 3 Remastered is available digitally on PSN. The Ezio Collection came out in stores but old so your best bet to find it is digitally as the game is no longer in print. You may want to check Ebay or Gamestop for a used copy

 

[psylockolussus]

I meant Liberation and III.

 

[Havok83]

I meant Liberation and III.

I know what you meant. Someone can correct me if wrong but there is no physical copy of both PS4 games to find in stores as AC 3 is only remastered on PSN. I believe the same holds true for Liberation

 

[psylockolussus]

I don't know. I saw the Americans Collection for Ps3 a while ago and the price is so low. I might try buying the other games online, after I got the newer games in physical format if I don't get fatigue from these ac games.

 

[psylockolussus]

Wow. This game has been out for like 5 years now and I feel soooooo late because this game is just amazing and I only got to play it this year! Like I have never played a game before when I can sail a ship and hop to different islands and have the ability to fire cannons and destroy other ships. Then all the ship upgrades. Like I am mind blowned by the game features especially for an open world game. Like the ship missions is probably my second least favorite thing to do here, because it was challenging to move the ship and at the same time attacking the enemy and sometimes those waves and cyclones added more difficulty. I got frustrated but it felt like an experience especially when I eventually got to defeat forts even if my ship didn't have max upgrades.

This is one of the best games I've ever played. I think I liked this more than Uncharted 4 even though uncharted 4 has the better story. This is up there with GTA V and interesting that they were both released in 2013. Like Gta, I didn't care much about the story and usually I didn't pay attention to the cutscenes like in the earlier parts. Well I like the lead character and Mary but I just wasn't invested to the story. But the gameplay, the graphics, the open worldness and the numerous things to do outside the main story missions are just amazing. Like the main missions, I could have finished them in 5 days or 3 days, if I wanted to. I was surprised the other sequences only had 2 and 3 missions but, there were a lot more to do outside the main missions.

I spent hours, just finding chests/buried treasures, the glowing thingies, the letters and I really wanted to buy everything that can be bought from the stores. There are stuff for the character's main hideout to purchase as well which are quite expensive. I was like wow, I need to get more money and stuff to sell. It was just insane. I also used very outfit available and in videogames, I usually just use the main costume and ignore the rest but not in this game. A lot of the outfits of Edward are quite nice. I didn't even try to get those flying notes. I also stole a lot just to get more money especially in the earlier part of the game. The hunting part was kinda fun especially in the sea. Though I was kinda too late to figure them out. Like that infrared feature that can be used to locate animals. Like I pretty much bought animal parts for the health upgrade before I figured the infrared feature and I already bought whale materials before I discovered that you can hunt sea creatures in a small boat. The underwater sections were quite challenging and I was feeling a bit claustrophobic in those areas and the weapons can't really be used down there. I hated those sharks.

This game is just worth the price. There's just so much to do outside the main missions. I wasn't even trying for 100% completion, like there's no way I would replay most of the story missions. I can finish a game in a less than a week (dlcs included) and I can still do other daily chores. This one, I didn't have the dlcs and the non main story missions really ate my time. I looked at my progress and there was still more to explore, upgrade and buy and I was just like wow. The graphics are really good too, like I'm in awe everytime I noticed how detailed and realistic the graphics are.

If there's one thing I didn't like is the missions where you really need to tail/hide or if you are caught, you'll start from the last checkpoint. Those were quite annoying after several tries. Then you cannot upgrade your fighting skills and melee attacks and I was always running from a battle. And those animals that would just jump right out into my face, made me not want to visit those places again. Also the present day parts, well I liked the puzzles though quite simple for my taste and the story there was quite boring. And no matter how good the graphics are, I'll never get into a first person perspective game, I just hate hate it here and like Re7, I wish the present day parts of the game, weren't in fpp. It would have been more engaging to me if it was in 3rd person and if I could see the character I'm controlling. Also it doesn't make sense to me why the main game is in 3rd person but the absergo aren't. I wouldn't find the other sticky notes and absergo computers as I don't like the 1st person

I know this is one of the best reviewed game in the series even before I've played it, like this one set the bar so high for me and the newer games might not be close (and I don't expect them to) but I'm excited to play the rest, see the other locations/time periods especially the more modern looking cities as I'm not into jungle, tropical island, province areas that much. I've noticed that the graphics in this franchise gets better with very new game and that is just exciting to witness. Anyway, I love this game, it's a great "my first" game in a franchise to play and I think I'll definitely add Ac to the likes of Gta and Re, videogame franchises that I'll be checking out for years to come. I'm kinda sad that I'm done with the game,the last mission was quite anticlimactic. There's only four naval missions for me to finish and I'm skipping those as the only things that I need to buy are more ship armor upgrades and a guest house, and I don't need those anymore.

Story - 7
Gameplay - 9