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Ubisoft announces Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag for Wii U (and other platforms)
News reported by 
(Editor-in-chief)
March 04, 2013, 12:53
 
Apparently you take the role of Henry Rollins and... ok, that joke is already lame. Say what you want about Ubisoft after the Rayman fiasco, but they seem to be one of the few major supporters of the Wii U at the moment.

Check out the Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag debut trailer. And then read the press release, if you want to.


SAN FRANCISCO — March 4, 2013 — Today, Ubisoft announced Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag, the next installment in the company’s best-selling franchise. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag introduces an all new hero and setting, and will feature the most diverse and seamless Assassin’s Creed world ever created.

In development for nearly two years, the game is being spearheaded by one of the veteran Assassin’s Creed teams in Ubisoft Montreal with support from Ubisoft studios in Annecy, Bucharest, Kiev, Quebec, Singapore and Sofia. Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag will be released on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®4 from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Nintendo’s Wii U™ system, Windows PC and other next generation consoles. The game will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Nintendo’s Wii U™ system on October 29, 2013.

“With the new hero and new setting we are creating the boldest and most unique Assassin’s Creed game yet, while still respecting the pillars of the franchise that have made it such a fan favorite,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is based on a true, harsh and exciting part of a legendary era and will thrill longtime fans and newcomers alike.”

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag tells the story of Edward Kenway, a young British man with a thirst for danger and adventure, who falls from privateering for the Royal Navy into piracy as the war between the major Empires comes to an end. Edward is a fierce pirate and seasoned fighter who soon finds himself embroiled in the ancient war between Assassins and Templars. Set at the dawn of the 18th Century, the game features some of the most infamous pirates in history, such as Blackbeard and Charles Vane, and takes players on a journey throughout the West Indies during a turbulent and violent period of time later to become known as the Golden Age of Pirates.

Gameplay in Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is based upon the franchise’s proven tenets. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag features a vast open world with more than 50 navigable locations. Combat combines the weaponry of the Assassin’s Order with armaments of the era, and rewards both daring and stealth. And the series’ acclaimed multiplayer experience is more varied and ruthless than ever in Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag.

Customers who purchase Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag on PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 can download 60 minutes of additional gameplay via the PlayStation Network after the game’s launch.

Customers who pre-order Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag at GameStop® will receive a Limited Edition collectible poster (while supplies last) featuring artwork created by legendary, award-winning artist Todd McFarlane.

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag can be pre-ordered at Uplay shop by visiting: http://shop.ubi.com/AC4BF

For more information on Assassin’s Creed, please visit: assassinscreed.com and facebook.com/assassinscreed.


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03/04/13, 12:53   Edited:  03/04/13, 12:54
 
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Sounds decent!

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 12:59
Cannot wait. After reading Forsaken I cannot wait to find out more about Haythams' past. I already know a little bit about Edward so knowing the rest of the story on him will be amazing.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 13:25
It's weird. The AC games always look good, they have a ton of resources poured into them and I appreciate Ubisoft's early Wii U support but I watch the videos and I feel nothing.

No excitement or sense of connection with the game. They leave me totally cold.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 14:56
I thought the series was supposed to end with III? Then again when the franchise sells as much as it does, why stop it? It just makes me want to buy them less because then it feels they just keep extending the story and never satisfy the player in that regard...

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 14:58
Kill the boyfriend, get his girl straight away. How healthy.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 16:19
@Simbabbad

You know, I felt the same way initially then I realized that the entire series is about protagonists who solve their problems almost exclusively through murder. So... yeah.

Regarding the game proper, though? I LOVED the naval part of AC3. So murder/dating aside, I'm pretty excited about getting more of the best parts of the gameplay in 3.

I haven't finished AC3 yet, so this may be a silly thing to say, but I wonder how much of a compelling story they can take, with this taking part a little before that game. Hmm.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 16:39
@Kal-El814

It's still unhealthy for a game targeted at young adults. Say, "Contra" isn't the same thing as murdering the guy of a couple wandering in public, and then taking the dead man's girl as if it was a prize you could openly murder for. And this in a public advertisement, no less.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 16:52   Edited:  03/04/13, 16:54
@Simbabbad

Oh yeah, I don't disagree.

Here's way more than you ever cared to know about how I think about these things and is only peripherally related to your post or the topic at hand. Feel free to ignore or mock, whatever feels good.

Ever since MGS2, where I popped a guy in the leg only to have him start favoring it while begging for his life, I always take the least violent path in games when it's given to me, even though I don't have a problem playing violent games (by and large, of course).

With something like Uncharted though, I get a weird vibe. Drake isn't an a killer, allegedly. But he shoots unaware people in the head, or snaps the neck of someone who didn't know he was coming, and then jokes about it. By the time you finish the game, your kill count is in the hundreds. The villain is sold as evil because he has no regard for life, but we've not only seen, but MADE Drake do worse than what the bad guy has done. So those games, and ones like it, have characters that come off to me like they're mentally ill.

When it comes to Assassin's Creed, you're an... assassin. So it's expected that you're going to kill your targets. And while you CAN find a bunch of soldiers and murder them all without any kind of character development related consequences, the topic of killing your main targets is treated with SOME gravity, at least. And you get penalized in-game for attempting to kill non-violent NPCs.

Anyway... I have no idea if I have a point, let alone what it would be if I did. But there you go. I guess I'm inclined to think that the AC games tend to handle some aspects of their material with a little more thought than other blockbuster games, but I'm not married to the notion.

EDIT - I should also say that I assume that the "taking" of the girl is in line with the social stealth aspect of the games, not that she's some kind of prize. But I think your point stands, regardless.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 17:12   Edited:  03/04/13, 17:13
I own a copy of AC 3. I have a really hard time getting the appeal of this series. I'm trying to see if its an 'acquired taste' kind of thing.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 17:17
@Kal-El814

I never played "Uncharted", but I guess it's like in "Resident Evil 4" where it's pretty obvious popcorn video game entertainment nonsense.

In that advertisement, however (NOT the game, out of game context), you have someone dressed as street scum who murders a man holding hand with a woman in the street, and then holds the woman against her will as if he owns her now (since he killed her previous owner, you see).

Have we come to a point where we don't see how unhealthy it is, and more specifically, what kind of people they're trying to appeal to with that sort of ad? It's simply in line with stuff like "Prototype" or GTA that glamorizes delinquent attitude and behaviour.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 18:08
I kind of find it hard to believe that we're seeing this trailer before seeing any more spinoffs of AC3. Will you be able to go to Boston or anywhere from AC3, or is this going to be it's own thing now?

Basically, is this what Revelations/Brotherhood was to AC2, or is it the start of it's own series? I would be inclined to think the former, since the game isn't called AC4?

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 18:23
No way this releases for Xbox 360 and PS3, it won't come out like a month before the new consoles come out. It will be delayed and then come out on the new consoles. They just want to hype, then be a sure sell for people picking up the new systems this year. Only way I am wrong is if this is only a spin-off and their big title is the full features AC4 which wouldn't be ready in time and thus the quick cash out.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 18:55
@gwarf

The 360 and PS3 audience won't magically disappear. I predict that just like for the 3DS, the Wii U will be doing fine compared to the next other two when they release.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 19:05
@Infinitywave

They're not that great mechanically, so you're not missing that much. The parkour stuff is fun initially but ultimately less satisfying than the platforming in a Prince of Persia title, and the combat is broken. I wish they had taken the 1 or 2 year break the franchise needs to fix very basic problems.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 19:07
@VofEscaflowne There is no way that this series is ending anytime soon. They release a new one pretty much every year!

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 19:55
I played about 45 minutes of 3 and was bored to tears.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 20:27
@Cube191
The game was notorious for starting super slow. You don't even play as the main character until a few hours in, IIRC. I didn't really mind it though. It was basically my first AC game and I was sold on it early, so they had me.

4 sounds cool, but not as cool as 3.

So they just confirmed Xbox720 for this year as well didn't they? Isn't that a leak? Release for PS4 "and other next gen systems"...

Wonder how Wii U and this game will be selling by then...

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 20:53
@Simbabbad

Uncharted is definitely a popcorn series. By and large though, you're shooting normal humans and not folks that have been plaga'd.

And again, I don't disagree with your assessment. It's definitely weird absent additional context. I'm giving the series some benefit of the doubt based on what we've seen in-game before, which is probably not warranted in a trailer.

@PogueSquadron

It's its own thing. No idea how spoiler sensitive you are, and this is all over the articles about the game, but... you're playing as Haytham's father. No idea if they're setting this up as some kind of "Kenway trilogy" a la Ezio, but Connor is out, I believe.

@Guillaume

Broken is harsh; I don't think the combat is meaningfully different than in the Arkham games. Counter, chain kill, slightly different reaction for enemies that are counter-proof. There's absolutely room for improvement. The Assassins are too durable for their own good. The game is in need of difficulty settings or SOMETHING to give it more of a challenge. If a British firing line manages to form and fire on me, I should be dead, not just down some health.

@VofEscaflowne

There's a big, in-game event that the modern day crew was trying to prevent in 1-3 that I assume (haven't beaten 3 yet) wraps in 3. But the animus concept could be done to set stories anywhere in the past, really.

And I'm pretty sure AC3 is the fastest and best selling one to date. This may be another case where there's a disconnect between how "the internet" feels about a game compared to the more casual fan.

Somewhat related to your point, though... I've read a lot of people ask for a series hiatus. I can't think of an example where a franchise that came out on a predictable schedule stopped, then restarted. I wonder if there's a model for something like that. Can anyone think of an one? Obviously there are plenty of franchises that have spanned generations successfully, and stuff like Metroid has skipped entire gens and continued to exist.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 21:00
I have no interest in this franchise, but this sounds fun just for the Wind Wakery of it all.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 21:11
@Kal-El814

True, the combat system isn't broken, it's really the enemy AI or lack thereof. I haven't played AC3 but in AC2 you could have two archers on a roof, and the second archer would watch you stab his buddy and then you could run to him and stab him as well, without him even raising his weapon. Combine that with enemies that wait for their turn when they've got you surrounded in melee combat, and it's just a joke. The Batman games have similar combat and stealth mechanics but they also make sure you need to use them well.

Posted by 
 on: 03/04/13, 21:35
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