Assassin's Creed Black Flag vs Skull and Bones: Which Is the BETTER Pirate Game?
Transcript
00:00 During the second golden age of piracy and on these waters you will stake your claim
00:06 Welcome to Mojo plays and in this installment of versus we're pitting Ubisoft's best pirate games against each other
00:14 Assassin's Creed 4 and skull and bones I can pilot her myself no mind
00:19 You don't mean to abscond with my ship. Do you?
00:23 Before we continue be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos
00:29 *Ding*
00:31 Round one historical accuracy. I did a decent trick at the helm sometime ago two years before the mast as a privateer
00:39 Dash my buttons your life seems a grand one if I may say so full of adventure
00:46 I'm marvelous. It can be tricky to talk about Assassin's Creed and historical accuracy
00:52 But generally a high level of historical accuracy is always seen in the franchise
00:57 When Ubisoft gets things wrong more often than not this is on purpose to ensure that they can tell the story
01:03 They want to tell against an authentic backdrop
01:06 learning about history is one of the key appeals of the series after all and
01:10 Black flag is no different as Kenway tours the Caribbean in the company of history's most notorious pirates
01:17 You Mary read and Anne Bonny
01:19 Are to go from hence to the place from whence you came and from thence to the place of execution
01:25 Where you shall be severally hanged by the neck he meets and Bonnie Mary read blackbeard Charles vane Ben Hornigold
01:32 Bartholomew Roberts and more all active during the golden age of piracy some liberties with the truth are taken
01:40 For instance Reed did famously dress as a man along with Bonnie
01:44 But never claimed to be Captain Kidd's long-lost son, but overall it's very close
01:50 He was here
01:54 Oh
01:56 Skull and bones on the other hand is really only considering the vibes of the history it represents
02:05 This is a game that isn't even brave enough to be set in a real year and takes place vaguely in the late 17th century
02:12 What's a pirate's life without a little peril and mischief it and while France and the Netherlands are of course real places
02:21 The indigenous communities in the East Indies are not the unguana the clan of the pharaoh and Rempah
02:28 None of these societies are real cultures
02:31 Considering it wouldn't be that tricky to do the research into how Europe pillaged the East Indies for all they were worth and similar levels
02:38 Of research have been hallmarks of Assassin's Creed the entire time. It's existed
02:43 This decision is baffling some fans were also dismayed to learn that beyond the tutorial the British
02:50 Don't appear despite the British East India Company already having established settlements by the mid 17th century
02:57 Considering skull and bones doesn't seem to care about being historically accurate at all
03:03 Despite being in a very real and fascinating historical setting. This is an easy victory for black flag
03:10 winner Assassin's Creed 4
03:12 It's not the first time can wait I won't be the last take no
03:19 quarter
03:21 Round two customization
03:24 Here for a restyle mocha. I can tell from a glance. You're not a normal pirate come
03:31 Florentine D'Alesso will turn your life around with fashion to fit your rising fame
03:36 One of the main things that makes skull and bones worthwhile is the extensive
03:41 Customization you can customize your pirate captain and to an even greater extent your ship
03:47 There are basic options like the color schemes of the sails and ship body as well as your pirate emblem
03:53 But you can also add myriad decorations
03:56 figureheads pets and even add unique fireworks the downside to this is that there are
04:02 Microtransactions locking the best cosmetics away behind Ubisoft's latest premium currency in this case gold
04:10 You'll still unlock plenty of vibrant customization options through missions and with the regular silver currency
04:17 But Ubisoft wouldn't be Ubisoft without charging you additional money on top of the eye-watering
04:23 $70 price tag my hands can make anything you need for your ship
04:28 Captain II
04:29 Black flag is a very different type of game with a fixed full written and fully voiced
04:34 Protagonist who has his own journey to go on a journey you the player have no real way to influence
04:41 That makes for a much better game and a more compelling story in this case
04:45 But it does limit what you can customize you can't rename Edwards ship the jackdaw for example
04:52 And the sail and color options are limited. I've made my choice
04:56 I'm calling her the jackdaw
05:00 He does have a lot of outfits to craft and unlock too, but nothing on the level of skull and bones
05:06 Finally you can't really edit Edward or the jackdaw's loadouts
05:10 They have the weapons they'll always have and you'll slowly upgrade to having more of those weapons or better versions, but they're still
05:18 Fundamentally the same there's no room for different combat strategies or techniques
05:24 Since customization is one of the few things skull and bones gets right we're going to give it a victory here
05:30 Decking out your frigate is a lot of fun
05:33 winner skull and bones
05:35 Come back when you have more coin to spare
05:38 round three swashbuckling
05:40 Assassin's Creed will always be a third-person action series and the addition of naval combat with Assassin's Creed 3 only
05:54 Supplemented that but even in the most navy heavy game in the series
05:58 You'll still spend just as much time on land as you do it see
06:03 Edward has viewpoints to synchronize targets to assassinate animals to hunt and treasure maps to follow all backed up by very fun
06:11 sword play
06:12 platforming and robust stealth mechanics
06:14 This completes the pirate fantasy since you're not just tied to a ship you're exploring these untouched
06:21 tropical islands and experiencing both their beauty and
06:25 Hostility as gentlemen of fortune we enjoy plenty and satisfaction
06:30 Pleasure and ease liberty and power what man with a sensible mind would choose the former life
06:37 The pedigree of Assassin's Creed made skull and bones is lack of meaningful third-person gameplay all the more disappointing
06:44 This is a game that has spent a decade in development
06:48 Building on one of Ubisoft's most popular and critically acclaimed titles ever and it removed a key element
06:55 Both of the series that made it and the pirate genre there is no way to sword fight
07:00 Anybody a lot of the cosmetics for your character don't even have weapons even if they're purely decorative
07:07 It does have treasure hunting
07:09 But the maps give away the outposts they're buried at a pop-up will always tell you if you're in the right place
07:15 And the ground will start glowing to indicate the treasure before you get to do any real puzzling
07:21 You can't board enemy ships outside of a cutscene most of the land masses
07:26 You're not able to explore at all and you can't battle fellow pirates with swords and pistols
07:32 There isn't even a run button. Hey better watch your mouth in there
07:36 This is an extremely easy win for black flag
07:43 Since skull and bones appears to have simply removed huge portions of what made that game so iconic and replace them
07:51 with nothing
07:52 winner Assassin's Creed 4
07:54 Round 4 naval combat
08:01 It was Ubisoft Singapore that developed the naval combat for Assassin's Creed 3
08:15 The first game to feature it as a key element the system was then perfected in black flag and robe and the idea to
08:22 Translate it into an open-world multiplayer experience was born as such the naval combat is something that really shines in
08:31 Skull and bones it has to because that's basically all there is to do
08:39 Ships are faster and more mobile in skull and bones you have more options for how to equip and upgrade your ship and
08:47 Sinking enemy fleets is always satisfying. It's just a better more streamlined version of the combat
08:53 We came to know and love in Assassin's Creed the bosses are much more tedious than in black flag though
08:59 They're easier by a mile, but if you're playing solo, they've got so much health that the fights get long and boring
09:08 *Screams*
09:10 When black flag released its naval combat was mind-blowing and
09:18 Arguably the best real-time naval combat we've ever had in a video game
09:22 It's still a blast to go back and play today and naval combat continues to reappear in Assassin's Creed as recently as Odyssey
09:31 Sailing exploration and combat were a key focus as you ventured across the Greek archipelago
09:36 sinking the Spartan and Athenian navies
09:39 The faster naval combat in Odyssey feels nearer to skull and bones than black flag does though
09:45 Whether you want it to be faster or slower and more accurate is up to you
09:50 And maybe you'll prefer the less arcadey feel of those older games
09:53 "Shout I!"
09:56 "Those who oppose, whimper nay!"
10:01 Ultimately skull and bones does iterate and improve the naval combat from Assassin's Creed
10:06 So we're giving it another point for just slightly edging out its predecessor
10:11 winner skull and bones
10:13 Round five story.
10:22 I could really use a new captain now
10:24 Heard you swapped that leaky tub of yours. Talk of your deeds grows louder
10:31 Perhaps this category is a little unfair since skull and bones doesn't actually have a story to speak of
10:37 But that's the main problem
10:39 Because from a game this long in development that promises to be a worthy successor to the narrative heavy Assassin's Creed series
10:47 This is phenomenally disappointing
10:50 We already knew ahead of release that the campaign had been almost entirely removed
10:55 With only a very loose narrative revolving around becoming
10:58 Skrlox most trusted underling and then leaving to help the Rempah free the East Indies from Dutch control
11:04 This is basically it with repetitive missions and boring cutscenes all building it up to a small number of
11:11 Underwhelming boss battles. It is
11:14 Undoubtedly a huge disappointment. The helm plotline adds another layer, but it's still no match for a true campaign
11:22 Hey, don't look at me. You're the best pirate to win Skrlox over. Me?
11:28 I uh, I had my shot in the past
11:31 Black Flag meanwhile has one of the best stories in Assassin's Creed
11:36 Edward has an entire character arc and journey to go on as he learns to abandon his pursuit of wealth and glory in favor of
11:44 The Assassin Brotherhood joining them and raiding the Caribbean of the Templars oppressing it
11:49 There's not a man or woman that I love left standing beside me
11:52 There is time to make amends Captain Kenway
11:56 Along the way he also gets caught up in the hunt for the observatory and the crystal skull which can be used to spy on
12:02 Anybody in the world using only a drop of their blood this massive power can't fall into Templar hands
12:10 And it's down to Edward to stop them
12:12 The story is a motive well-written and memorable with all those infamous pirates coming to life in a way
12:18 We've rarely seen have you found the peace you seek? I'm not aiming so high as that
12:24 What's peace but a confusion between two wars? Oh?
12:28 You're a stoic then
12:31 It's no contest here Black Flag
12:34 Actually has a story and a good one while skull and bones despite being touted as a quadruple a release stripped itself bare
12:43 winner Assassin's Creed 4
12:46 I like that
12:48 Fair enough
12:52 somewhat unsurprisingly
12:53 Black Flag has sailed to victory leaving skull and bones to flounder and sink to the bottom of the great blue sea
13:11 Let us know in the comments what you think of skull and bones and whether there's any saving this ill-fated game
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