2014/6/29: Playstation 4: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

[Vexer1]

The controls certainly do sound a like a pain-in-the-ass, I don't particularly like context sensitive button schemes, it makes things way more complicated then necessary.

[Oltobaz1]

Ultimately, these big AAA mainstream franchises cater to their own niche, however large it could be, and that's pretty much it. I don't like GTA and Call of Duty, yet haven't tried each and every one of those, and couldn't be bothered to. I subjectively, if passionately, think they all suck. Still, I really like Assassin's Creed games, ever since the first one, despite its few faults. I've watched the series evolve up until the latest installment, one of the best ones so far, or so I feel. While some games in the franchise must have felt superior to others, I've enjoyed them all, and am looking forward to the next one coming up in a few months. 

[ptdebate1]

[QUOTE=Oltobaz]Ultimately, these big AAA mainstream franchises cater to their own niche, however large it could be, and that's pretty much it. I don't like GTA and Call of Duty, yet haven't tried each and every one of those, and couldn't be bothered to. I subjectively, if passionately, think they all suck. Still, I really like Assassin's Creed games, ever since the first one, despite its few faults. I've watched the series evolve up until the latest installment, one of the best ones so far, or so I feel. While some games in the franchise must have felt superior to others, I've enjoyed them all, and am looking forward to the next one coming up in a few months. [/QUOTE]

Assassin's Creed is a great series. ACIV is definitely the best of them. 

As for the controls:

What the AC games present is a control scheme designed to facilitate specific actions that pertain to your player character and his objectives: namely, free running and stabbing things. And those two things the series has always nailed.

Graphics:

With the patch, this game renders at native 1080p30, whereas the PS3 struggles to maintain 720p30. It offers greatly enhanced post-processing, texture resolution, and draw distance. 

Anyone who's played both the PS3 and PS4 versions knows the impact sub-30 framerate drops can have upon playability.

[ActRaiser1]

Yeah, I didn't make it too far into the Xbox One version of this game.  I got pretty burnt out playing through almost all the others.

Assassin's Creed: Flawed but original
Assassin's Creed 2: Perfected the formula, great game
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood: Best game in the series
Assassin's Creed: Revolution: Okay, this is getting old
Assassin's Creed 3: I don't know why we're in America and I don't care.  I'm bored
Assassin's Creed 4: Eh, might be great, but I'm too sidetracked playing other stuff to care

I do hope the newest game set in Paris brings back the magic that was in Brotherhood.  Although, they need to delay the game a year at least to make people think back fondly on the series instead of annual releases.

Critic, I'd highly recommend checking Assassin's Creed 2 or Brotherhood and to read a simple Wiki to catch you up on the story.  Anything story related in a game that's the 6th in a series, of course, won't make any sense at all.  These aren't Mario games.  

[Vexer1]

Oltobaz-I feel the same way about Bioshock, I think the games were all mediocre and failed to live up to the massive hype they generated.

Just curious, what games from GTA and COD have you played?  Because even though I love those series, there are games from both franchises that don't do much for me(with GTA it's the first two games before III and Chinatown Wars to a lesser extent, with COD it's all the games before the first Modern Warfare, as well as World At War and the first Black Ops), so who knows? You may very well be surprised and find games from both series that you do like.

[Tron1]

I agree w/ the Critic. Actually I can't agree w/ the Critic as I haven't played this game. I played the first ass. C & it suckeled. I felt like a kid at a park with a parent who wouldn't let go of my hand.

[nesfan1]

[QUOTE=Tron]I played the first ass. C & it suckeled. I felt like a kid at a park with a parent who wouldn't let go of my hand. [/QUOTE]That is the perfect analogy. I rented it a couple of years ago and got that feeling right away. As soon as I started playing that godawful tutorial, I thought "Ooooohhhh... This is gonna suck." And I was right.

[Gilly1]

Sorry critic, but unlike Ms Pacman and Sonic 2, it is essential (and perhaps a flaw of the series) that you played earlier games or at least read up on the series to have the back story.
You would have a greater appreciation for the modern day sequences, what they are about, who exactly are the assassins and why they have been battling the Templars forever, and still are.

At least take 7 minutes to watch this;

http://youtu.be/h-_qGQRl_5w

[pacguy191]

[QUOTE=Gilly]Sorry critic, but unlike Ms Pacman and Sonic 2, it is essential (and perhaps a flaw of the series) that you played earlier games or at least read up on the series to have the back story.[/QUOTE]
Is that really a good thing though? Relying too heavily on what you've played in the past means more homework I have to do just do get what's going on.

Any series that requires you to have played the older ones isn't worth it, I think.

[VideoGameCritic]

Gilly,
If the backstory was so critical the developers could have included an intro cut-scene explaining what happened in previous games.  Instead it begins with a ship battle, and the modern scenes don't appear until you get a ways into the game.

Also, even if it had the best story ever, I'm not sure it would have improved my experience with the game too much.
VGC