New Screens Show Off The Present Day World - Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - PlayStation 4 - www.GameInformer.com

New Screens Show Off The Present Day World - Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - PlayStation 4 - www.GameInformer.com

AC4 Is looking pretty cool, right about now. Those screen shots are definitely signs that they are taking the fans seriously and exploring new areas and fresher gameplay scenarios, than in the past few iterations. Well, I will admit to greatly enjoying all of Ezio's journey's and Connors campaign. 

Why I Am Excited About Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

Will you be setting sail this fall or has the Creed worn thin with this one.

 

Assassin's Creed 4 is the sixth game in the main series, if you only include its console releases. As such one would be forgiven for feeling fatigue setting in, especially since the series has shifted to a yearly release schedule. Though I hear the dissension and I can completely understand it, but I must disagree with those who are down on this particular release in the series. Why, you may ask, do I care about a franchise that seemingly has lost its way in more ways than one? Well, the sea you see, Is the reason.

Set sail with the Jackdaw 

I do still have my doubts, after all. When AC4 was first announced earlier this year, I was just as pessimistic as some of the detractors I have seen and heard from. I told myself that I had no intention of even listening to any AC4 news. But, here we are, only a few months later, and I can now say--after listening to a lot of the news that has been revealed-- that I am hopeful this entry in the series will live up to the potential espoused by the solid, personal favorite of mine, Assassin's Creed 2. Assassin's Creed 2 is, in my opinion, exemplary of the franchises capabilities; from its rich, expansive Italy, to its much improved variety over AC1, AC2 combines the open-ended structure of AC1 with an expansive narrative and a variety of gameplay. With AC2 in mind, what can we gauge from what little we know about AC4? The Jackdaw, which looks to be a symbol of freedom, liberation and a much welcomed return to Assassin's Creed 1 levels of open-ended gameplay. Running off of the ground-work, laid down in last years AC3, the open sea Caribbean expanse of AC4, looks to catalyze a, somewhat lost, sense of adventure. The heavily praised naval missions of Assassin's Creed 3 are proof that life on the Jackdaw will rouse the most cranky of fans, as the open sea is rife with mystery and adventure.

The Old Man on the Mountain

On the Assassin's Creed franchise

Sequels can't live with 'em and can't live without 'em! Am I right? It's a tricky situation when it comes to sequels in any creative medium, not to mention the sometimes over inflated, top heavy vehicle that is the video game industry. We see it time and time again; the new hot plot and design hits the streets and--by some publishers voracity--either fails, not always in disaster or succeeds, not always with grace. Yet if it does some how succeed the new love child of someone or some persons, is castrated and pigeonholed into an familiar, rusted ball and chain existence.

Assassin's Creed, a gaming franchise, though creative and expansive; technically impressive and vast, is not immune to the iron grip of industry wide ego inflation. Money! It makes the world go around, right? Well, looking at a franchise that some might argue has lost its initial intrigue and creative enticement, one might be inclined to agree that the ever present restrictive boxes of video game management has produced clones, void of any heart and soul; The equivalent to selling ones down-and-out (or more accurately: grossly ambitious to a fault) soul to the devil, in exchange for more of something addictive. But who can say for sure, without inside consultation with Ubisoft's creative teams and big-wigs, whether or not the AC franchise and its creative teams still have the drive to produce necessary narratives, soaked in the sweat of their devotion or whether the cascade of sequels are nothing more than the over-stimulation of an out of balance publishing strategy, more reminiscent of an over inflated bubble ready to burst than a carefully handled and researched plan of action. I supposed what I'm getting at is that due to the unreal expectations accompanying new I.P.'s, and their sequels to a larger extent, there is no room for proper stable growth of creative properties. Now! Now! Now! We must have more, more, more! The I.P. cannot be shaped through its own natural molding and shedding of new ideas. No. Instead the new creation must get artificially bigger, in order to bring in more money because it was disproportionate in is target audience, and its sales expectations to begin with.