Comments on: Editorial: Going back to the Well

By: Andrew 'Mel' Melcon

Andrew 'Mel' Melcon — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 13:27:34 +0000

I dabbled in AC2… at least I think it was 2, and found myself mighty underwhelmed. Not sure why, but I did like the gameplay. I think the story or the progression of the game just put me off. Anyway, I LURVE pirates and sailing in games/movies/books/paintings/anything and so this game caught my eye. When I looked into some reviews, I felt encouraged to try this.

Poggle, I look forward to your review next week. It may well determine if I get the game.

By: Timothy 'Che the Fey' Streasick

Timothy 'Che the Fey' Streasick — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 12:58:55 +0000

Yeah, I just wrapped up AC IV last night and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Certainly it didn’t bring out my bile and frothing like III did, which was an incredibly pleasant surprise. I think it helped that most of the missions weren’t broken monstrosities.

But to play Devil’s advocate, I actually think IV is a pretty good game to enjoy on its own, if only because (and this has been pointed out in other reviews) it could almost be a standalone game outside the series. Whereas II is still tethered to the circle-jerk meta story from ACI, I feel like the developers made an effort to compromise their wishes to offer a metastory/create a mythology with the fan’s criticism that…well…their attempts were utterly awful and needed to be gotten rid of.

Plus, Black Flag has the multiplayer (as opposed to II being SP only), which I’ve always been partial to myself. But II is still the high point of the series as a player of them all, so I can’t really discourage someone from loving them some Ezio and Florentine Architecture.

By: Ethan 'Ethos' Pipher

Ethan 'Ethos' Pipher — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 00:38:11 +0000

Story wise I agree, and the fact that cutscenes can’t be skipped is the biggest detriment, because otherwise the story truly isn’t important for a game like Assassin’s Creed II because its strength lies in gameplay and the mood set by ambiance, history, and architecture. It’s a world in which it is actually exciting to do most of the sidequests. The cutscenes that cross-over games are the worst ones, so it doesn’t matter about following the modern-day story. The history stuff is self-contained. Just play Assassin’s Creed II. It’s a great standalone title.

By: Lusipurr

Lusipurr — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 17:09:46 +0000

I like sailing, so I will play Wind Waker HD.

By: SiliconNooB

SiliconNooB — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 15:51:26 +0000

The series is already overlong and far too interconected. I’d have a hard time recommending any entry to anyone.

By: James 'Gyme' Pagel

James 'Gyme' Pagel — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 01:01:14 +0000

If you are into pirates and sailing, 4 is the way to go. The modern day backstory is fucking terrible, and even more convoluted than Kingdom Hearts, if you can believe that.

By: Ethan 'Ethos' Pipher

Ethan 'Ethos' Pipher — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 00:38:45 +0000

Or just only play Assassin's Creed II. I have yet to play IV, but I feel like II is everybody's best bet.

By: DiceAdmiral

DiceAdmiral — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 00:32:58 +0000

If I’ve never played an AC game is ACIV a decent first game to play? Can I enjoy the game without the 5 game backstory? You don’t need to recommend a different game, because if I need to start earlier I probably just won’t.

By: Ethan 'Ethos' Pipher

Ethan 'Ethos' Pipher — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 19:03:14 +0000

I’d like ACIV as DLC for AVIII. From what I can tell, it’s a distinctly better game, but it’s just a year later and really just seems to be a better vision for what ACIII tried to be.