A solid but ultimately uninspired instalment in the series, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag is comprised of ideas that are starting to wear thin. Anything but a major overhaul will do for the next game, especially given the fact that next-gen is almost upon us, and another title in the same mould...

People sure do enjoying slamming the Assassin's Creed series for being Ubisoft's yearly cash cow, but those who do so are overlooking a bold, innovative new feature that's been added to this most recent entry: players now have the option to assign ratings, on a five-star scale, to the game's story...

To be completely honest, this game is a disappointment to me. I am a fan of the series and have beat every game up to this one. I am really having a hard time keeping interest in this one. I do not care about Edward. He is not an assassin, at least not to the point that I have gotten in the game.

Here is a brutally honest review by a big fan of the franchise. This game is a wreck. It doesn't feel like any of the other classic Assassin's creed games. You spend most of your time out on the ocean using the only successful mechanic from the third game, the naval warfare.

Why they sent me a foreign NTSC version instead of the PAL version is beyond me. now I have to mess around sending it back. nowhere does it say this is the NTSC version, nor is the image covered in French as the one they sent is. Only gave one star because this function doesn't allow #0 stars.

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

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.