Whether or not you're a fan of Assassin's Creed, it doesn't matter. For another entertaining (but sadly underrated) sandbox in the same setting, try Pirates of the Caribbean (2003). Still, the game is better than the sum of its parts and highly enjoyable - in particular, its mix of naval and terrestrial exploration (journey to far away islands, visit jungles with jaguars and Mayan ruins.) is fantastic. Overall, you'd think stealth and combat would be more polished in a series about assassins. Combat is once again dominated by the stupidly overpowered counter attack and, speaking of overpowered, special mention goes to berserk darts, which allow to complete many missions with absurd ease. Enemy AI has its issues: for example, sentinels are remarkably unaffected by the disappearance of their comrades.
Insta-failure stealth missions are grating they would be less annoying if the stealth system was exceptionally well thought-out, but this isn't the case. Black Flag has a few dubious design choices. What would you rather do in a game about pirates - take control of your ship in the middle of a storm or speak to your boss in a corporate office? Every time the game shifts to a modern-day sequence (thankfully, not often) it's like getting commercials in the middle of a blockbuster. Sadly, the modern-day Abstergo plot, the series' tiresome framing device, refuses to go away and die. Whatever - don't play Assassin's Creed expecting reliable history lessons. History provided here is the usual "based on real events" baloney pirates are romanticized into brave rebels. Characters are vivid, voice acting solid, dialogues written with surprising flair. I mean, how can one not love a premise like that? It's an instant winner. A high-budget pirate sandbox action/adventure where you can sail around the sea from Kingston to Nassau, board enemy ships during naval battles, roam crocodile-infested swamps, run parkour-style on the roofs of Havana, dig for buried treasures in small atolls. The best entry in the series after Assassin's Creed 2, Black Flag proves a game can overcome several flaws as long as it manages to be fun.
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