{"id":39852,"date":"2013-12-04T19:27:29","date_gmt":"2013-12-04T19:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=39852"},"modified":"2013-12-06T09:52:39","modified_gmt":"2013-12-06T09:52:39","slug":"assassins-creed-v-black-flag-pc-game-review-performance-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/assassins-creed-v-black-flag-pc-game-review-performance-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag PC game & performance review"},"content":{"rendered":"

ABT received a preview copy of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag <\/em>as part of Nvidia’s 3-game Holiday Bundle which also includes<\/em> Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist<\/em> and Batman: Arkham Origins<\/em>. This editor spent a good part of ten days playing the main story from start to finish, and here are our impressions of it, including a full performance and IQ evaluation using three Nvidia and three AMD cards.\"another-advernture\"<\/a>\u00a0 In a first for ABT, two editors will give their comments on the single player and Mario Vasquez, ABT’s Mobile Editor will cover the multiplayer.<\/p>\n

Once we started playing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag<\/em>, we were drawn immediately into the game and played longer sessions than normal.\u00a0 The very best part of Black Flag<\/em> centers on playing as a pirate in a manner that hasn’t really been possible in any video game since Sid Meier’s Pirates! <\/em><\/p>\n

Mario commented:\u00a0 Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag<\/em> is is the sixth title in a storied franchise containing epic adventures and stories that are often marred with unfocused narrative and disjointed experiences. Assassin’s Creed IV is an addition to the pirate genre we first fell in love with during Sid Meir’s Pirates! <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag<\/em> is an ambitious title that treats the player to a open huge and sprawling 18th century Pirate World. Within a relatively short amount of time, you are set loose to command your own ship and crew on the Caribbean.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many fans and even reviewers are somewhat divided on the rest of the game.\u00a0 Without playing the earlier games in the series, Black Flag<\/em> is a difficult story to follow without understanding at least a little of the Assassin’s Creed back story of the Templar versus the Assassins, which also involves a “First Civilization”.\"toay\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag<\/em> presents two concurrent timelines involving the player.\u00a0 One timeline is set in the present involving an unnamed researcher who is experiencing in real time the life and memories of an early 18th Century pirate captain as he becomes an assassin.<\/p>\n

The story is experienced by accessing and living a sequence of memories.\u00a0 It is very easy to miss the connection to what is happening in the early 18th Century with what is happening in the “now”, and some players may dismiss the modern story completely and race through it to get back into the pirate action.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag <\/em>allows the player to become Edward Kenway, a pirate captain eventually trained by the Assassins.\u00a0 In the story, he is the ancestor of Desmond from the\u00a0 previous installment, Assassin Creed III<\/em>.\u00a0 This editor was previously no fan of the Assassin’s Creed series. \u00a0 Starting to play some earlier games held little appeal because of their long and boring tutorials, the convoluted ancestral memories coupled with the Assassin versus Templar backstory, plus the clunky combat, irritating checkpoint save system, and repetitive sneaking.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Mario commented: Black Flag ditches the dull Templar and Assassin story line as you play a neutral Pirate looking for power. While the two factions are evident throughout the game, you are a unique character who wants the power only a Pirate’s life can add – and it is exhilarating.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this game, Edward does not start out as an assassin and he can effortlessly switch between the Hidden Blade of the Assassin\u2019s Order and all new weaponry including four flintlock pistols and dual cutlass swords. In other words, he kicks ass and it is a lot of fun to take on a well-armed mob, although they are much smaller than in the previous games of the series.\u00a0 Combat is slightly refined over the earlier games, but it still involves the basics of striking, blocking, countering and throws, and combinations.\"evedrop\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The enemy AI is still weak and it is easy to exploit.\u00a0 Of course, the emphasis is on stealth, and it is mandatory in some missions not to be discovered, and optional in others to use non-lethal methods.\u00a0 Here the player is afforded “stalking zones” where he can hide in a hay cart or in the bushes, and whistle to attract and dispatch unsuspecting solitary guards, or use a blowgun to deliver sleeping or bizerk darts from a distance to get past the enemy guards.<\/p>\n

Mario expanded on this to say, you can be fighting an enemy NPC with three others standing by just waiting for their turn to die, it gets a little too easy at times. Especially when all you have to do is wait for the indicator to show when to counter their attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, the emphasis is on stealth, and it is mandatory in some missions not to be discovered, and optional in others to use non-lethal methods.\u00a0 Most of the fat was trimmed from past AC titles in Black Flag, yet the developers kept the stalking missions in. The pace of the game is ruined when you must walk behind yet another corrupt politician or target to hear their often forgettable dialogue before you can strike.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"escape-and-hide\"<\/a>Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag<\/em> is a lot of fun, and it gets one’s heart pounding when the edge of the entire mini-map lights up in red.\u00a0 It will show nearby enemies closing in on your assassin’s position and you must fight your way out of a desperate situation, or run for your life with the goal of “becoming Anonymous”.<\/p>\n

You can even pay prostitutes to distract the enemies as you walk right past them instead of sneaking or fighting which can work well for tailing or eavesdropping missions.\u00a0 You can also hire pirates as bodyguards that will fight for you in the town missions.<\/p>\n

Unlike with previous Assassin’s Creed games, button-mashing works well until the player discovers more depth by using the combinations. And this time, the tutorial is not only mercifully short compared to Assassin’s Creed III<\/em> – but interesting, immediately exciting, and fun to play. \"sailing-day\"<\/a>Who doesn’t want to start<\/em> a game by piloting a ship with a full compliment of cannons in the middle of a large battle?<\/p>\n

The Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag <\/em>world is big. From Kingston to Nassau, there are more than 75 unique locations where you can loot underwater shipwrecks, assassinate Templars in 18th Century Caribbean locations, fish, harpoon great sharks and whales in an exciting mini-game, as well as hunt for now rare animals in the tropical jungles while searching for an ultimate treasure.\u00a0 Hunting is quite important as the player can craft larger or extra ammo and weapons pouches, and even extend his health by using the animal hides.<\/p>\n

Mario agreed adding, this is where Black Flag shines the most. We had the most fun getting away from the main story and exploring the large and lush world of the Caribbean.<\/span><\/p>\n

The player gets to live the life of a pirate alongside legendary names such as Blackbeard, Calico Jack Rackham, and Benjamin Hornigold.\u00a0 The player gets to witness historical events such as the King’s Pardon to the Pirates, as well as witnessing Blackbeard manically light fuses under his hat to terrify his enemies.\u00a0 The character of each pirate captain becomes very clear from the story and it is interesting to see the possible motivation of the historical Steade Bonnet, wealthy landowner and merchant turned pirate and ally of Blackbeard, and ultimately hanged for piracy despite his pleas for clemency to the Governor.\"Pirates!\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There is an excellent mix of historical characters and events that are interwoven into the storyline.\u00a0 As the married Captain Edward, the player gets to meet and interact with the two infamous women pirates of the day, Mary Read and Anne Bonny, “fierce hellcats” who established their own reputation along with that of Captain Calico Jack.<\/p>\n

As Edward, the player may work to establish and build a Pirate Republic on New Providence while exploring the mostly historical events that defined what was called, the Golden Age of Piracy.\u00a0 The problem is that few of these events are properly developed and liberty is taken with historical events to make them fit the story.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of surprise moments and plot twists that need to be experienced without spoilers although this gamer saw most of them coming from a nautical mile away.\u00a0 \"redemption-1\"<\/a>Finally, there is the subject of responsibility and redemption which is not handled particularly well although there are poignant moments that bring strong emotion.<\/p>\n

The story generally progresses nicely, but not all of the writing has the same quality and it lags in places, and ultimately it feels too long.\u00a0 Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag<\/em> has a very long single player game which can easily stretch to forty or more hours if the player explores, engages in naval battles to upgrade the Jackdaw, and completes the side quests.<\/p>\n

The game is repetitive.\u00a0 After a time, all of the jungles, naval battles, cities and towns begin to look alike, and the missions tend to repeat the same formula of escort, pursuit, find, follow, eavesdrop, infiltrate, assassinate, fight, and run.\u00a0 These are occasionally broken up with missions of exploration, plunder, and rescue.\u00a0 Each memory mission has optional objectives which add to the memory synchronization.\"platformer\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For variety, there are puzzles and mini-games, and towards the end, the game turns into a platformer which requires the player to execute precise moves and jumps.\u00a0 Mercifully, there are few QTEs (quick time events).<\/p>\n

Blackbeard (a.k.a.<\/em> Edward Teach) plays a major role in Edward’s story as does Captain Benjamin Hornigold. Charles Vane plays a role as a historically cruel pirate who disregarded their code, as well as Woodes Rogers, a privateer famous for suppressing the pirates of the Caribbean.\u00a0 These all fit well into the story and bring the early 18th Century to life as well as continuing the backstory of the Assassins versus the Templars right into the modern day.<\/p>\n

The Jackdaw<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Edward, you command your pirate ship, the Jackdaw. You can upgrade the Jackdaw with ammunition and equipment needed to fight off enemy ships. The ship\u2019s improvements are critical to your progression through the game. You can ultimately attack and board massive legendary galleons, plunder treasure, recruit sailors and manage your crew.\u00a0 You get to harpoon whales and even great white sharks which make for exciting sidequest adventures.<\/p>\n

\"diving-bell\"<\/a>Early in the game, you will purchase a diving bell which opens up exploring shipwrecks for sunken treasure.\u00a0 Pirating on the sea is by far, the most fun part of the game and it takes some time to get the strategy right to eventually take on an entire enemy fleet successfully.<\/p>\n

Ever-changing weather and water effects are excellent and the overall feeling of sailing for high adventure is well-captured by the game.\u00a0 Another couple of high points are that the music and the voice acting are excellent.\u00a0 If you get tired of the same shanties that your crew is singing, next time you are in town, hunt down new ones for them to sing!<\/p>\n

Although sailing, fighting, boarding and taking ships is a lot of fun, the game does not make any pretense of being an accurate simulation.\u00a0 \"waterspout\"<\/a>The Jackdaw acts almost independently of the wind and can stop and even turn on a dime on its slowest speed.\u00a0 There appear to be 3 more speeds, the fastest of which moves the ship into a beautiful third person view, but steering becomes more difficult.\u00a0 You also have to deal with rogue waves by directing your ship to head on directly into them, and waterspouts which are best avoided.<\/p>\n

Naval Battles<\/strong><\/p>\n

The battles are a lot of fun.\u00a0\u00a0 In the beginning, the stock Jackdaw can barely take on Level 4 gunboats, whereas by the end of the game, a fully-upgraded Jackdaw has no problems with ManO’War ships and even legendary ships.\u00a0 As you successfully board and sink ships, the Jackdaw’s “wanted” level increases and soon you will have to deal with red sail-equipped Hunter ships if you don’t bribe officials or use other options to reduce your level.\"jackdaw-upgrades\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The basic naval battle strategy is to move behind your target ship and blast away at the rigging with the forward cannons which “stun” the enemy crew and slow it down as the mast collapses onto the deck.\u00a0 Then you move the Jackdaw alongside the enemy ship and let them have it with main battery of cannons.\u00a0 You even have options to use mortars from a distance to soften up the defenses and there are combinations available to the captain during the battle for extra damage.<\/p>\n

\"Sink-enemy\"<\/a>At the point that a major explosion occurs on the enemy ship, you can move the Jackdaw alongside and soften them up with 5 shots from the deck guns – smaller ships require you to kill 5 crew members before they automatically surrender, and then you have a choice to repair the Jackdaw, lower your wanted level, or send the ship to your fleet, before returning to battling other ships.<\/p>\n

Larger ships have more difficult requirements which may require you to kill the officers, or eliminate snipers in the rigging – all the while you are losing your crewmen in the battle on the deck until the objects are achieved or until you are desynchronized and have to start over.<\/p>\n

The Modern Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a researcher exploring the memories of Captain Edward Kenway, ostensibly for a movie, you are presented with a parallel adventure.\u00a0 Instead of fighting, you get to hack computers and there is intrigue as the Assassin versus Templar story is continued in the modern day.\u00a0 \"modern---youknow\"<\/a>These modern sequences are far less exciting although they work to continue the story and tie it up somewhat regarding the earlier games in the series.<\/p>\n

If the player is unfamiliar with the earlier games, they will miss the modern connection with the early 18th Century, and the references to the First Civilization will probably be meaningless.\u00a0 It might be a good idea to read a wiki of the Assassin’s Creed series to familiarize oneself with the backstory before playing Black Flag.<\/p>\n

Multiplayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a brand new set of pirate characters that feature additional exotic and colorful locations. You may craft your own game experience with the new Game Lab feature by choosing abilities, rules and bonuses to play and share with on-line friends.\u00a0 Unfortunately, multiplayer is confined to the land and there are no naval battles.\u00a0 Mario, ABT’s Mobile Editor, wasn’t impressed with it as multiplayer appeared to be tacked on.\u00a0 The single player pirate adventure is alone worth the price of admission.<\/p>\n

The following comments are by Mario:<\/p>\n

Multiplayer:<\/h2>\n
\n

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag’s<\/em> mutiplayer consists of many game modes centered around stealth and cat\/mouse tactics. The multiplayer in Black Flag isn’t a big overhaul from past iterations of the series, instead there are a few updates to the system and graphics. Players can choose between cooperative or competitive game modes or even create their own in Black Flag’s “Game Labs.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Game Labs is the most promising section of Black Flag’s multiplayer and it will be interesting to see what the community can come up with.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n