Have I mentioned that I really like Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed IV? This is somewhat surprising, even to me, based on my reaction to the previous games. I have started, and never finished, AC1 and AC2. I found the first game way too slow, especially in travel. The second game was more interesting but still felt off in the pacing. The third game I did actually finish, and I found the story far more enjoyable. The characters were more interesting too, and I felt like the blurred lines between good guys and bad guys was well developed.

This is by way of background for the following: If my enjoyment of Assassin's Creed games were charted on a graph, then Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag would be where the graph starts going exponential. I think they're really perfect their formula with this one, trimming out all the the slow bits (see: travel by horse) and tightening the flow of  combat and free running. Ubisoft has also created a cast of characters that feel more real to me, and done an interesting twist on the morality of the plot. The main character Kenway is an anti-hero that seems to serve no creed but his own, and yet for me is a more playable character than any of his predecessors with more well-intentioned backgrounds. 

Also, captaining a pirate ship is pretty bad-ass.

If you think I'm wrong in my assessment of AC4, or any of the Assassin's Creed games, great! It should be noted that Allison feels much more positively about the previous Assassin's Creed games than I do. Feel free to tell me off in the comments, and then suggest other games for us to review. 

Thanks,

Philip