Didn't like AC3, will I like AC4?

[kendog1331]

So AC3 was my first in the series.  I enjoyed the combat (while being pretty easy and simplistic), the free running (albeit it is at times clumsy), and the open world aspect.  But there were some things that really bugged me. 

My biggest issue was the seemingly trivial nature of the side missions.  In other open world games, they seemed very important and useful for unlocking new abilities or upgrading existing armor, weapons, powers, ect.  (Red dead, Batman AC, Infamous).  In these other games, the upgrades are not necessary, but without them, I would have found the game very difficult.  However in AC3, I breezed through the main story not needing to buy a single new weapon or upgrade my ship.  I kept waiting for a moment in the game to be met with challenge, and feel the need to do a few side quests to power up my character to proceed, however there was not a single time where felt like any of the upgrades would have made it any easier. 

As a result I think I did only one homestead mission and no other side quests my entire play through.  Is this the same case in AC4?  Or is there an actual challenge and need to upgrade your character?

 

[burritoman]

It's pretty much like Madden and Call of Doody at this point.

It's a yearly release, some new features, and they make it look a little nicer. I would say, you will probably not like 4, because it is very similar to 3. Not a lot changes on these games in a year's time.

 

[Spokker]

AC4 is half AC and half Sid Meier's Pirates. If you like pirates, you'll like this game as long as you don't hate AC.

But no, the game is not challenging at all. It's more of a role playing experience, and not about skill.

That being said, I'm not sure if the upgrades are essential yet. I'm early in the game but I can plainly see that each ship that you can attack has a level, from level 4 schooners (takes like two shots to kill) all the way to level 27 galleons (which I can take on early but not if there are four of them gangbanging me). I even saw a Man o' War sailing around and I'm staying away from that er for now.

 

[kendog1331]

AC4 is half AC and half Sid Meier's Pirates. If you like pirates, you'll like this game as long as you don't hate AC.

But no, the game is not challenging at all. It's more of a role playing experience, and not about skill.

That being said, I'm not sure if the upgrades are essential yet. I'm early in the game but I can plainly see that each ship that you can attack has a level, from level 4 schooners (takes like two shots to kill) all the way to level 27 galleons (which I can take on early but not if there are four of them gangbanging me). I even saw a Man o' War sailing around and I'm staying away from that er for now.

Alright. Yeah I figured the important upgrades would be for the ship. Combat is easy enough on its own. Are there as many cutscenes as in AC3?

 

[Spokker]

Alright. Yeah I figured the important upgrades would be for the ship. Combat is easy enough on its own. Are there as many cutscenes as in AC3?

Yes, there are lots of cutscenes but I found them to be more interesting than AC3.

Keep in mind that I didn't dislike AC3 and was actually into the setting, but I'm finding AC4 to be more fun and less super serious business like AC3 was. I was kind of done with Assassin's Creed after 3 because it was okay but kind of dull, but those asshole developers got me with the sailing and ship gameplay in AC4.

Thinking about it more, the biggest difference between AC3 and AC4 is that it gets good much earlier. You don't have to play as your dad and then a kid for the first third of the game. Hell, back in the day we had to watch Ezio being born for Christ's sake.

In this one, you're the dude straight away and no 5 hour prologue nonsense.

 

[Jodou]

ACIV is far better than AC3 and more challenging on the open seas for sure.  If you try taking on the biggest ships straight away, you will get murdered.  I'm sure it's possible to take one down right away but would require an insane amount of skill or luck, and take a while.  The pacing is quite excellent too, quickly tossing out new things to do and changing locales fairly often so you don't feel stuck in just one town for a while.  The Abstergo aspect is also actually interesting this time around, so I'm not groaning each time it pulls me out of the animus.

 

[kendog1331]

OK thanks for the replies everyone.  I think I will pick it up.  I less serious tone I think would help the series immensely... and pirates are cool so there's that

 

[zanakinz]

Check out my video it's a little bit of how the ship mechanics look.. its the first mission:

[media]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KVQn4i7dRY

[/media]

 

[Ryuukishi]

AC4 is a lot more fun than AC3. I would still recommend the Ezio trilogy over AC4 though.

 

[Daring]

play the 1st assassin creed but never finished it. also play 2 and brother hood too, but got repetitive and boring.  thought 3 was going to be diff b/c due to the colonial setting but that was just as slow pace as the other games.  however, AC 4 seems to be more refreshing and get you into the action and story immediately.  i would recommend you try 4 before crossing it off your play list.  

 

[ihadFG]

I have zero interest in 3 and I didn't care much for 1 or 2, but 4 looks fun. Seems like the pirate stuff makes this one different, and even AC fans seem to dislike 3, so I think you might like 4 if you give it a shot.

 

[FriedPi]

I've never cared much for the previous ACs, but this one is a lot more fun. They added some elements from Far Cry 3 and Sid Meier's Pirates, and toned down the animus crap. Controls are better, but still a bit clunky. The open world is big and beautiful with amazing graphics, missions are a mixed bag, with still too many grindy-type follow and fetch quests. I've always thought the stories were a convoluted mess, and this ones no different, but it really shines when it lets you just be a pirate.

 

[Rodimus]

Tough call op. Most everyone agrees it is a better game than AC3. But at it's core it still is an AC game with a shit ton of little things to do. I thought I was burnt out with the series but the pirating and open world sailing breathed new life in it for me. Combat is still fairly simple but the best combat is in the naval battles which aren't so easy unless you build up your ship.

 

[Trakan]

AC4 is better than 3 in terms of story and characters so far.  It is still plagued by the new engine and sailing, though.  Do yourself a favor and go play AC2.  It's the pinnacle of the series.

 

[Xerous]

It would would help if we knew what you were looking for in the game story, gameplay, etc.

 

[gnatmonkee]

AC4 is better than 3 in terms of story and characters so far. It is still plagued by the new engine and sailing, though. Do yourself a favor and go play AC2. It's the pinnacle of the series.

AC2 is definitely a highlight. I might be swayed to say AC:Brotherhood is the better game though. They refined a lot of the mechanics, and I still love calling in my assassins from haybales, rooftops, and the sky to insta-kill my targets.

Didn't get very far in AC3; honestly I was bored with the first few hours.

Playing AC4 now on the PS4. I like this one a lot. I think for the first time, the hardware is able to keep up with the ambition of the open world. No more 20 frames per second when you're free running, and it just feels a lot smoother, even if the image quality is what you expect from a ported launch title and not really what I'd call next-gen. The ship combat is pretty fantastic though. Upgrades to Edward Kenway are pretty useless, but ship upgrades are crucial to success.