Monday, February 10, 2014

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

                    Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Developer(s)Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Director(s)Ashraf Ismail
Jean Guesdon
Producer(s)Sylvain Trottier
Writer(s)Darby McDevitt
Composer(s)Brian Tyler
Olivier Derivière (Freedom Cry)
SeriesAssassin's Creed
EngineAnvilNext
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4
Wii U
Xbox 360
Xbox One
Release date(s)PlayStation 3 & Xbox 360
  • WW October 29, 2013
Wii U
NA October 29, 2013
AU November 21, 2013
EU November 22, 2013
JP November 28, 2013
PlayStation 4
NA November 15, 2013
AU November 29, 2013
EU November 22, 2013
Microsoft Windows
NA November 19, 2013
AU November 21, 2013
EU November 22, 2013
Xbox One
  • WW November 22, 2013
Genre(s)Action-adventure, stealth
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
DistributionOptical disc, download

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a 2013 historical action-adventure open world video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released worldwide for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 29, 2013; for the Wii U on October 29, 2013 in North America, on November 21, 2013 in Australia, on November 22, 2013 in Europe, and on November 28, 2013 in Japan; for the PlayStation 4 on November 15, 2013 in North America, on November 22, 2013 in Europe, and on November 29, 2013 in Australia; for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2013 in North America, on November 21, 2013 in Australia, and on November 22, 2013 in Europe; and for the Xbox One on November 22, 2013.
It is the sixth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, a sequel to 2012's Assassin's Creed III's modern story and a prequel to its historical storyline. The story is set in the early 18th century Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy, and follows notorious pirate Edward Kenway, grandfather of Assassin's Creed III protagonist Ratonhnhaké:ton, who stumbles upon the conflict waged by the Assassins and Templars. Unlike previous games, gameplay elements focus more on ship-based exploration in the open world map, while also retaining the series' third-person land-based exploration, melee combat, and stealth system. Multiplayer also returns, albeit with only land-based modes and settings.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag received positive reviews, with critics praising the open world gameplay, side-quests, graphics and naval combat. The story received a mixed response, while criticism fell on aspects of the story missions which were considered repetitive. The game received several awards and nominations, including winning the Spike VGX 2013 award for Best Action Adventure Game.

Gameplay

The game features three main cities; Havana, Kingston, and Nassau, Bahamas, which reside under Spanish, British and pirate influence, respectively.The game also features 50 other "unique" locations to explore, with a 60/40 balance between land and naval exploration.Assassin's Creed IV has a more open world feel, with missions similar to those found in Assassin's Creed, as well as fewer restrictions for the player. The world opens up sooner in the game, as opposed to Assassin's Creed III, which had very scripted missions and did not give players freedom to explore until the game was well into its first act.The player will encounter jungles, forts, ruins and small villages and the world is being built to allow players much more freedom, such as allowing players to engage, board, and capture passing ships and swimming to nearby beaches in a seamless fashion.In addition, the hunting system has been retained from Assassin's Creed III, allowing the player to hunt on land, and fish in the water.
A new aspect in the game is the ship that the player captains, the Jackdaw. The Jackdaw is upgradeable throughout the game, and is easily accessible to the player when needed.In addition, a new underwater component has been added.The player has access to a spyglass, allowing the examination of distant ships, along with their cargo and strength. It can also help determine if an island still has animals to hunt, treasures to find or high points to reach for synchronization.An updated form of the recruit system introduced in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has returned,allowing Edward to recruit crew members. While Kenway's crew will remain loyal to him, and can be promoted to captain acquired ships, they cannot assist in combat or perform long-range assassinations, as in previous games. Ubisoft removed this aspect of the brotherhood system, believing it allowed players to bypass tense and challenging scenarios too easily.
In the present day, at the offices of Abstergo Entertainment — a subsidiary of Abstergo Industries — in Montreal, Quebec, players engage in modern day pirating through the exploring of Abstergo's offices, eavesdropping and hacking, all without combat. As well, various "hacking" games, similar to previous cluster and glyph puzzles, are present, that uncover secrets about Abstergo.
Multiplayer also returns, with new settings and game modes, though it is only land-based.

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