there is an issue I had with the occasional weird jumps in time. At one point you are betrayed by an ally and marooned on an island, though you eventually manage to escape. The game flashes forward...and the whole problem with the traitorous friend is solved off-screen, while you and your allies laugh it off. That felt incredibly jarring, could there not have been a mission where Edward had to sneak onboard the ship and take down the traitor? That would have been interesting and fun, involving lots of stealth but on a ship, dispatching key crew members before subduing the friend? No? ughh. Also the sharks get pretty obnoxious in the diving bell sidequests, I swear there are instances where it's impossible not to get attacked by them.
Other then that and one or two other instances that could have been fleshed out a bit, the game was a fine addition. I've not played AC 3, but from what I've heard about it, AC 4 should have been called Assassin's Creed IV: Sorry About Ass Creed III.
For my part, having Jack taken down while drunk off-screen was perfectly fine; it suited a plainly incompetent pirate, who's Not Worth Killing anyway imo (really, it's just a waste of time). And the sharks are killer, but that's what the seaweed and careful maneuvering are for (the 'boost' function from beams also helps).
As for ACIII, it's not bad per-se, but the 'tech demo' feel and a few rushed aspects obviously brought it down for some
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Possibly the best AC game by far
I'm going to admit, I was actually prepared to hate this game. After being incredibly excited about Assassin's Creed 3, I was bitterly disappointed to discover the sequel would not star Conner Kenway but his grandfather. Worse, I was resistant to the idea of a sequel based around the Golden Age of Piracy. I felt this was a blatant cash grab using a time period which was far less interesting than numerous others which had been forwarded by fans from the French Revolution to Tokugawa Japan. As a result, I only put it on my Christmas list to fill it out and got it early due to my illness.
What's my opinion? I have never been more pleased to be so wrong about my misgivings. I think Black Flag may be my favorite of the series. Not only does it successfully continue the story after the original metaplot of the games was resolved but it does so in style. The character of Edward Kenway is perhaps my favorite one in the entire Assassin's Creed franchise, surpassing Connor and even Ezio.
So what is so enjoyable about Black Flag? At heart, I believe it's the fact the game isn't afraid to take a fresh look at some long-standing assumptions about the franchise and turn them on their head. The Assassins, Templars, conspiracies, and importance of the Pieces of Eden all get put under a microscope with a protagonist who can barely bring himself to care about any. The protagonist, Edward Kenway manages to bring a roguish charm to the series without forgetting piracy is an activity built on murder and robbery. The darker side of the character comes out in discussions regarding everything from slavery (he's against it but it's not his problem until it impacts him personally) to motivation (profit, plain and simple). The sailing missions are fun, the supporting cast is incredible, and the vistas are beautiful.
In conclusion, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is an absolutely fabulous game. One I heartily recommend to not only long-time fans of the series but newcomers as well. Shiver me timbers and swash me buckles, it's a good buy.
10/10