Assassin's Creed II was the perfect sequel. It bettered the troubled original in every way and delivered a game that was as much about exploration and the wonderful sense of discovery as it was its titular killing.

Stealth kills, air assassinations, a lot of headfirst diving into water or carts of hay. Those are all instantly recognizable facets of Ubisoft's compelling assassin-themed franchise. Addictive combat and a lot of exciting free-running across rooftops, is but a mere taste of what players get.

Never has the life of a pirate been so vividly depicted in a video game; a huge world full of adventure and hidden riches awaits; Kenway is a great character; the narrative keeps you going; incredibly convincing weather effects; mesmerizing naval battles; swordfights and hand-to-hand combat is still...

Occasionally weird camera during combat; behavior Kenway the deadly assassin cannot crouch for some reason

As near as I can tell, general fan reaction to the Assassin's Creed series hit its zenith with Assassin's Creed II: Brotherhood and seemed to level out with Revelations, before taking a rather precipitous dive with the release of Assassin's Creed III – a game that all but the hardcore fans found...

When Ubisoft announced that Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag would surround pirate warfare, I had mixed feelings. I have completed every AC title to date and can never get enough of the sword fighting element of the games.

Assassin's Creed III was such a massive game, so full of things to do, that despite the obvious quality of many of the constituent parts, you could argue that it lacked direction. Not so with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag .

Edward Kenway's a great improvement on Connor; The Jackdaw is fantastic and it's great fun exploring the world; There are dozens of side missions and they're mostly fab

Stealth mechanics and free-running need an overhaul; Combat is still rather simplistic; Animations could do with a spring-clean

Best graphics ever....loved the sailing...

Assassin's Creed is a rather polarizing series. With elements of historical context and modern day sci-fi wizardry, the juxtaposition can be a bit much for some. When you combine that with elements of freerunning and perhaps a bit too much intrigue for one person to handle, and you have one rather...

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is a smart, sprawling sequel that wisely places an emphasis on freedom and fun while trimming most of the fat that bogged down Assassin's Creed III's ambitious but uneven adventure.

Epic scope; Great side quests; Lighter tone; Beautiful moments

Disappointing main story

Edward Kenway isn't particularly noble, at least as far as Assassins go. He doesn't have Ezio's thirst for justice, Connor's earnestness, or Altair's selfless devotion to a cause. In fact, for much of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag , he isn't really an Assassin at all; he's just a pirate who puts on...

+ Engrossing storyline that capably straddles historical pirate fiction and sci-fi strangeness; + Rich open world with tons of fun side activities

? If

A vast world, dozens of diversions, and characters that you can genuinely warm to. The sea-faring is spectacular, even on Xbox 360, and those familiar problems are much more forgiveable, when you're really enjoying the ride.