Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag the game to own

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Neftaly Josue Perez in Entertainment

Courtesy of Gamestop

By Josue Perez and Hovhannes Maghakyan

Crimson Chronicle Reporters

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the next chapter to Ubisoft Entertainment’s award winning series Assassin’s Creed, was released Oct. 29. However, this chapter is very different from previous games in the series. In the past the player has played on the side of the Assassins, but due to events in the previous game, Assassin’s Creed 3, the player is now playing as an Abstergo Agent, or better known as a Templar.

To recap what has happened over the course of the series, a secret war has been waging over centuries between the freedom-driven Assassins and the power-seeking Templars. Since the beginning of the series the main character, Desmond Miles, has been a present-day runaway assassin. Desmond was put into a machine called the Animus to relive the memories of his ancestors Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and Ratonhnhakéton or Connor Kenway, using his DNA. In each of his ancestors’ memories the player has learned a little more about this secret war and their role in it. But Desmond’s time has ended and a Templar has taken over his position and is reliving Desmond’s memories.
In AC IV there have been many new changes ranging from the new main character to his surroundings and from the combat system to the weather system. A new transition system has been implemented into the game that has never been used before. A player can smoothly transition from a rugged jungle terrain to a beautiful cove to your ship without a load screen in between each other.

Environments in the game have also had a huge change to them. Jungle, sea, and city have all been improved and an underwater environment has also been added allowing you to go down and plunder for treasure. Many new animals have been also added to the land, air, and water.

Those who have ever played Assassin’s Creed 3 and sailed out into the Atlantic Ocean you know how the weather system and navigation is on the high seas, but ACIV pushes this feature to new levels. You are now able to take your ship out whenever you want either for a nice cruise to La Havana with a sea shanty from your crew or for a bit of privateering. The weather system has become even more intense than before. Before, a rogue wind or wave would throw you off course a little, but now it is better to stay away from storms. Maelstroms, waterspouts, and harsh rains have created an all new obstacle that could severely damage you, your crew, and your ship.
The story mode is not the only one to receive an overhaul, multiplayer has also been revamped. New characters, abilities, weapons, maps, and game modes have been added along with a new feature, GameLab. GameLab gives the player the power to create their own game type by letting them create their own settings and rules to already existing game modes. Players will be able to decided what maps they play on, what abilities sets can be used, how long game sessions are, and many more things.

Like many modern games, AC IV has an app tied to it that allows you to hook up your game to your Apple or Android device and access all your stats and items from your tablet or phone. So now, instead of constantly pausing the game to view certain items, you can look at your tablet or phone and fluidly play your game. The items it lets you look at are treasure maps, a progression tracker for your game, an Animus database, and Kenway’s fleet.
A recent change done to the game is the exclusion of the Uplay Passport that allowed players access to Uplay, a service that held exclusive information and content for their games. However, the exclusivity of Uplay brought about many complaints from players over the need to buy the passport when the game is already so pricey. In a smart move, Ubisoft decided to release the passport for free and players who wish to use Uplay can either download one from the Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. AC IV will be the last game to have Uplay as Ubisoft will be discontinuing it with future games.

The new game runs for around $65 and about $60 when used, depending on where you buy it. Exclusive content also varies between which store the game is bought at. Stores such as GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart, or Amazon have different exclusive content that the game comes with. PlayStation users also have a treat in-store for them because they receive 60 minutes more of gameplay.
Assassin’s Creed has been an amazing series filled with mystery, excitement, betrayal, action, and suspense. AC IV does not seem like it will fall short of its predecessors. Ubisoft has created another award winning game that any true AC fan will be proud to own.