2. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)

At a few points in Assassin’s Creed III, you got to command a ship. That was fun, but not a huge part of the overall game. Black Flag took that gameplay and expanded it into a huge pirate simulator, resulting in one of the best games in the series. Black Flag improved some of AC III’s shortcomings too, like allowing you to freely board and leave your ship without a loading screen.

Black Flag’s modern-day story took a back seat to the main historical action and drama, which was set in the Caribbean sea. This was the right choice. After six games following around modern-day assassins and friends, that side of the story was feeling dull and overly complex. Black Flag instead focused on Edward Kenway, the grandfather of Assassin’s Creed III’s main character. He was a pirate and you get to meet famous pirates like Blackbeard and go explore the sea as you see fit. There are even sea shanties and buried treasure. It was fantastic and felt like the perfect evolution of the franchise.