Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Reviews

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is ranked in the 95th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10.0
Nov 4, 2013

There is no denying that this game is excellent. It will be even better on next generation platforms - AC IV simply outstrips the ability of current consoles. However, it is still a fantastic play and easily tops the list of best sandbox games you can get.

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Nov 5, 2013

"Assassin's Creed IV" is very different from the five games that preceded it, but proves that a little change can be a good thing.

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GameGrin
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Nov 6, 2013

Black Flag presents a game world that is wonderfully historic, yet incredibly fun. Being a pirate is one of those childhood fantasies I'd love to live and ACIV brings me one step closer. Probably as close as I'm going to get without the help of an actual animus.

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Nov 7, 2013

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a wonderfully harmonious game. It's enormous, packed with more things to see and do than ever before, but Ubisoft have managed to make every little thing mean something in tangible, impactful terms. Black Flag is a wonderful piratical romp that manages to revive the stealthy focus of earlier series instalments, whilst delivering an outstanding naval sandbox, an excellent setting and story, and lashings of swashbuckling action. Unmissable.

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8 / 10
Nov 9, 2013

The sign of a fantastic open world can be found in its ability to effortlessly suck you into even the most insignificant of activities, and Black Flag excels on that front. Wii U owners looking for an expansive, value-packed adventure should surely set their sails for the Caribbean. There's plenty of gold for the taking.

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87 / 100
Nov 10, 2013

It’s hard to wrap around all the elements Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag possesses. Despite a nonsensical story and flawed multiplayer, the sheer vastness of its connected content drowns out any discrepancy.

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8.5 / 10.0
Nov 17, 2013

The debut trailer for Assassin's Creed IV depicted a tipsy Blackbeard profiling the suave and stylish Edward Kenway. The famed pirate tells the stories of this elusive man and his hierarchy in the ranks of other pirates. He ends the trailer by saying, "If it's fortune and adventure you seek, then Captain Edward Kenway is your man," following Kenway's subtle dispatching of a guard before walking off with a woman, a smirk on his face. Edward was portrayed as a cool, collected man and Assassin's Creed IV an adventure heavily focused on pirate culture. As it turns out, that is not what it is.

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Unscored
Nov 18, 2013

It's the best Assassin's Creed yet! Which is 90% because Black Flag, a a third-person action adventure about pirates in the Caribbean, isn't really an Assassin's Creed game in the traditional sense, and 10% because the lead character is from Swansea.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 19, 2013

The game looks absolutely beautiful, is jam packed with things to do, and as ever, the combat is a joy to fiddle with. But for next year? Ubisoft, it's called Assassin's Creed: make me feel like one.

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8 / 10
Nov 22, 2013

Like its winsome protagonist, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is fixated on pursuing the riches of high-seas piracy and seems reluctant to be drawn into convoluted Templar plots. The most self-aware Assassin's Creed title to date, and one that makes the most of some aging mechanics.

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PC Gamer
Top Critic
90 / 100
Nov 25, 2013

A gorgeous, relentlessly entertaining open-world piracy simulator packed with interesting 18th century rogues.

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Unscored
Dec 1, 2013
► WTF Is... - Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag ? video thumbnail
Dec 2, 2013

Black Flag takes a sharp left turn from the series' traditional progression, but the ways in which it diverges are what make it one of the most purely entertaining games in the franchise.

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Dec 2, 2013

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is right up there with the best games in the series. Building a game entirely around the sea based features found in ACIII sounded gimmicky when it was announced earlier this year, but Ubisoft nailed it on all fronts

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Gamers Heroes
Captain Camper
Top Critic
9 / 10
Dec 4, 2013

There are many hidden elements and motives that unravel as the story progresses but it’s an experience worthy of your time. Best of all, you don’t need to have played the previous Assassin’s Creed titles as the story presents itself with enough depth to feature as a stand-alone story; although previous experience with the storyline will undoubtedly offer a little more substance.

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Dec 4, 2013

If pirating and plundering with some stealth on the side sounds mouthwatering to you, chances are you want to get into this, no matter what you thought of Assassin's Creed III. We're more than glad to see the franchise continuing in the right direction. Consider us surprised that pirates didn't turn out to be the most cliche experience in the universe.

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ThisGenGaming
ThisGenGaming
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Dec 6, 2013

Assassin's Creed IV breaks the streak of disappointing Assassin's Creed games for me personally.

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9 / 10.0
Dec 8, 2013

Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag is a damn good game that has little flaws attached to it, which is impressive for a launch title. Not all the visuals were completely next-gen, but Montreal really was thinking about how a next generation game should be and act when they were creating Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag. You can see it in so many elements of the game, but not all of the elements are quite there yet. If they can expand from this mold then the next Assassin's Creed should be a helluva title. 'If' being the word in that sentence.

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Dec 9, 2013

It feels odd and slightly insulting to be given the option to rate missions, as it implies that the designers still don't know what works or, worse, that they want to better pander to gamers.

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8 / 10
Dec 10, 2013

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Assassin's Creed IV may not feature additional content not found on other platforms, but the visual improvement alone makes the game a must-have. Both Sony platforms (PS3 & PS4) feature the only platform exclusive content, involving the heroine of the Vita game; Aveline. Although Black Flag is a beautiful game with an incredible wave and weather system, the PS4 version in particular is awe inspiring. Shortly after the game released on the PlayStation 4, Ubisoft was true to their word, updating the game to include native support for 1080p. The visuals are simply matched with clouds of smoke impairing your vision during heated ship battles as cannons fire, shallow waters are crystal clear and thunderstorms at sea are amazingly treacherous.

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