He’s a married man, but far from happy with his lot in life. We pick up the story of Edward Kenway in his home in Wales. But this time we take on the role of Edward Kenway, a pirate with a fearsome reputation who desires only to improve his own lot in life.He’s motivated by money and glory, not by a creed or desire to help the world. The Assassin’s Creed franchise usually sinks you into the boots of an Assassin or soon to be Assassin with a strict moral code, a do-gooder intent on fighting the good fight and helping old ladies across a busy road, regardless of whether they wanted help or actually needed to cross the road. The new lead character of Black Flag is the virtual embodiment of Ubisoft’s firm step backwards away from the action. It’s an opportunity they seem to have grasped with a fervor, and in the process have managed to craft what I’m going to boldly declare the best game in the franchise to date, and the greatest pirate game we have ever had.

With Assassin’s Creed III failing to impress many critics and gamers alike, and with Desmond now firmly out of the way, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was Ubisoft’s chance to take a step back and examine what they’ve done right and what they’ve done wrong. Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PC, Wii U and PS4

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