Last year's offering didn't quite match up to the existing PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, but it was a solid effort on a technically ambitious game and one of the few multi-platform success stories of the launch period.

There's also the Wii U version to address too. There is a real sense that the game is held back by the constraints of last-gen console hardware, with the potential for both Sony and Microsoft's new consoles to finally deliver a smooth experience where the action isn't compromised by a lack of system resources. But it's safe to say that choosing between PS3 and 360 is something of a Hobson's choice. To recap, the 360 and PS3 versions of the game offered up essentialy an identical visual presentation, with matching art and a native 720p framebuffer, with the Xbox 360 version closer to reaching the desired 30fps update, in turn delivering smoother gameplay with better controller response. But just how big of a leap are we actually witnessing? And is the difference worth paying a premium for over the current generation editions of the game? Finally, with all six versions of Assassin's Creed 4 on the table, we can put these issues to the test with the definitive look at Ubisoft's epic open-world swashbuckler. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag may not promote itself as a 'built from the ground up' next generation experience, but Ubisoft's in-house AnvilNext engine is designed to scale up and take advantage of the latest graphics technology, and plenty of visual upgrades and performance improvements are promised for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners.

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