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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@Guillaume

Yeah, I'd agree with all that. There needs to be some kind of balance between the Assassins being better trained and capable of taking on a few people at once and the risk of engaging in open combat. in AC3, you can walk into a fort and murder everyone in there without a great risk of dying. Everyone having guns has mitigated this a LITTLE, in that while you're dueling with people, other folks WILL try and shoot you. But if 5 men shooting you at once doesn't kill you... why bother approaching ANYTHING carefully?

Batman does handle this better to an extent; if someone gets a couple shots off on you, you die. It still has the crowd management problems though.

I suppose the genie is out of the bottle to an extent; it would be a hard sell to have the next character be obviously more brittle than all of the other ones in the series. But even a dumb difficulty/enemy damage slider would address the tank factor. The AI is a whole other thing, and you're right, it's not good.

Posted by

Kal-El814

on: 03/04/13, 21:45

Cube191 said:

I played about 45 minutes of 3 and was bored to tears.

I'm glad I'm not alone.

Posted by

Deerock69

on: 03/04/13, 23:22

I'm a little angry because by the time I get a wii u and AC3, I prolly won't be done with it when AC4 comes out.... don't start popping them out every year Ubisoft geez. I LOVE the series

Posted by

Wellsy529

on: 03/05/13, 00:00

@Kal-El814
I don't see a large disparity between Batman and AC. AC's enemies are dumber, but not really by all that much. You can get killed in AC just as easily as Batman I think. Plus I think Batman has more tools and gadgets, plus is a lot more able and elusive. His move set is impressive. AC guys just counter and attack, no?

Posted by

carlosrox

on: 03/05/13, 01:41

@carlosrox

The Assassins are MUCH more durable than Batman on Batman's default difficulty levels. If someone picks up a gun and starts shooting at Batman, he dies REALLY fast. And in the Ezio games, you can carry an ass(OLO)load of heals on you. You need to try HARD to die in the Ezio trilogy. Death happens more often in AC1 and AC3, but not by much.

Batman absolutely has more in-combat options than the Assassins, but most of it is superfluous. You can incorporate gadgets and such into your combos if you want, but you can get through just about every encounter by just combo killing with a couple counters in there for good measure. Batman is only more elusive in that once you star a combo chain, he just starts Too Humaning, gliding and doing back handsprings that cover 20 yards a pop.

That said, I do think the AC games could stand to have a bit more of those "extra" combat options for people looking to be fancier. And having a difficulty level that removed the "PRESS B TO COUNTER RIGHT NOW PLEASE" indicators would help, too.

But that's a longwinded way of confirming that yes, I think the combat systems in both are similar. :p

Posted by

Kal-El814

on: 03/05/13, 02:26