@@pouyabaharifar6778watch firearms expert reacts from game spot. Johnathan Ferguson works at the Royal Armouries in the UK and he is just great. He has done a bunch of videos reacting to various video games and their guns.
Agreed! These videos for video games, tv shows, and movie accuracy are always better when the expert understands that, but also can recognize when something is changed too much.
I always loved how Blackbeard was portrayed in this. At the beginning of the game, he's just a regular pirate, but as time goes on he grows out his beard, adds the lit matches to his hair and starts talking in a deeper, more threatening tone of voice. They show Blackbeard's gift for PR and branding, rather than just portraying the mythological figure created around him.
In reality, he was the magistrate of New Providence. It's kinda sad, I think, that he held a high position of public trust in Nassau, never actually killed anyone, but when the age of piracy was drawing to a close, he was hounded out of Nassau due to the British turning companions like James Hornigold into pirate hunters. Then he took the king's pardon, but couldn't face life working for the Hanoverian king George I (he named his ship the Queen Anne's Revenge for a reason), so returned to piracy and took his final refuge with a tiny sloop on a forgotten spit of land at Ocracoke - a far cry from the time when he used a fleet of ships to blockade Charleston Harbor.
SO THOSE MATCHES IN HIS HAIR Sources have speculated that they were not in fact “fuses” or “matches” But more likely a sort of incense which produced a smoke around himself, giving him the appearance and intimidation of a devil. There were also some who became captured by Blackbeard to be intimidated, and he would get right up close to them, and the smell from the incense actually gave them panic attacks and hallucinations. The government back in those days believed he was using some kind of drug, possibly a carcinogen which he used to his benefit.
@@FoggyFogzmeistersimilar vibe of there a real red light district that was mysteriously burnt down and destroyed. No one knows what started the fire. In Demon Slayer they used that district name
I really like how this expert isnt... snobby. The things that are different or inaccurate for the sake of fun... shes doesnt turn her nose up at. She just says "Yeah theres no record of Anne being a maid, but it works."
@@mdogg094 and also any historian worth their salt would also know that we can't expect to know every detail about the lives of people back then, other than royalty & landed gentry. So who's to say Anne Bonny didn't serve some drinks in her time scouting for pirate crews to join
Oh yes that would be amazing!!! I need to see Egyptologists react to AC Origins. The most beautiful and realistic Egypt video game I’ve ever played. It’s so amazing. 😁😁😎😎👏👏💯💯❤️❤️❤️🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬
Please do more historian videos this was awesome! It would be fun if she came back to explain libertalia from uncharted 4 as well as Henry Avery and Thomas tew.
Editor of vid here. Fun fact: this video was going to include Uncharted 4 stuff but we had so much stuff around AC Black Flag, and with Mirage coming out, we decided to keep it to just AC. But we’d love to do another one!
This was fantastic. Rebecca was brilliant! Really enjoyed this, and my love for my fav AC game just increased even more knowing how historically accurate several aspects of the game were. Well done everyone
This game single handedly got me into pirate history and now my book shelf loof much like the one behind her. I have and have read many of those books.
@@justjoe5373 any semblance historical accuracy in AC ended with Unity, maybe an argument can be made for Syndicate. Origins and later is straight up fighting Gods and mythical creatures.
This is why I love history. All these little things really tie a video game together, can teach you about what actually happened and show it to you in such a fun recreation, and you never know what you might learn. That Anne Bonny detail coming to light only 2 years ago, centuries later, is so interesting to learn about.
I think it's kind of funny how these games consult with experts during development and after release other experts review the implementation of their colleague's advice.
They don't consult for everything. Or at least certain things the historians say are fine due to taking the gameplay into the account. This lady (who is an amazing historian btw) is simply talking about the history, excluding the relevance of gameplay :)
@@Beery1962 That's what developers today should be doing instead of listening to Sweet Baby Inc. A bunch of horrible games are being made because of it.
@@Beery1962 It's been announced and they are in the beginning stages. It's going to take a while to come out and there's always a chance it might get canceled but a remake was considered. They clearly saw that people wanted another AC Black Flag game and not Skull and Bones so I'm guessing after Skull and Bones AC4 remake will come out but who knows really...
The best experts react for me. Black Flag is one the best experiences of my life and it was amazing to revisit and learn the actual history of pirates. I just wish the shanties were given a bit more time. Black Flag made me a huge fan of them I almost know a hundred by heart. Thanks for this ❤
I love some of the shanties. They are done so well. Props needs to be given to the singers and those who oversaw the creation of them. The song at the end too... That song made the ending as powerful and memorable as it is. It's also the best rendition of The Parting Glass. I love that they are real shanties. Heck, the soundtrack in general is great.
@@Void-Realm I always break down in that final scene. When he sees in his mind's eye his old companions, and then when he goes down to the dock and finds out who has come on the ship. It's all so unbearably sad.
@@poopyfartboi Honestly, with how they've been making these last few games? Not really. If they leave the old style of gameplay and everything else, and just improve the graphics, I'd love to see that remake. But that's too much to ask from them, they're probably gonna throw in the new gameplay, level gates and lock most of the content behind "micro"transactions and paid DLCs. I guess the plunder from ships is gonna be lowered so you either grind for hours or pay for the resource pack
I could spend hours listening to Dr. Simon talk about pirates! She is definitely a great teacher! I'll look for some of her books! Hope we get more videos from her!
Oh my gosh! I have taken Dr. Simon's The Golden Age of Piracy class! One of the best University classes I have ever had. So insightful. Amazing discussions. I learned so much about pirates and all the inaccuracies pop culture tends to give them. Absolutely love this video and her expertise
I love pirate history. She is such a good host, and I loved every second of this video. I wish there were more pirate games so we could just have more of these videos
The knowledge of this women is so impressive. Not only can she talk about everything in this video, she sometimes gives deep insight to the what's, why's and when's of things. Hearing an expert who knows what they're talking about talk with passion will almost never fail to excite me!
I really enjoyed her commentary! I have always been intrigued by pirate culture since a child. I wish we had more pirate games so we could get more of her breakdown
As much as AC has changed in reception amongst fans in recent years, they tend to be *really good* when it comes to historical detail, especially with cities and landmarks. I would love to see a whole Historian Reacts to Assassin’s Creed series. Maybe Unity next? I’d love to hear someone’s take on Mirabeau being an Assassin
The thing about Unity is that they made the leader of the rebellion, Robespierre, a Templar, which makes absolutely no sense in the context of history. Everything about his vision relates much more to the Assassin's order than the Templar's. To quote : "His goal was to create a one and indivisible France, establish equality before the law, abolish prerogatives, and defend the principles of direct democracy." Other than that, I agree that the game has many great historical aspects.
@@charles-antoinemartel-roy Totally agreed, and I think it speaks to a degree of thematic reticence in their storytelling. Robespierre is “the bad guy” of the Revolution in most of Western canon, but the truth is obviously more complicated than that. The dude was circumspect and cautious so such a degree that he was openly mocked for it by his coidealists for *years*. His faction- after the drafting of the Constitution of 1793- were literally called “The Indulgents”. He went coocoo bananas at the end for sure, but he was absolutely not some ruthless power-grabbing sociopath. But he was “the bad guy” of the story, so Ubisoft had to make him a Templar.
@@Vashtanerada477there is perhaps something to be said about his cuckoo for cocoa puffs ideals regarding religion and the calendar lining up for story purposes with the templars!
@@charles-antoinemartel-royThe Templars don’t always use the same methods and they don’t always perfectly align with the side they support, remember in AC3 they’re working towards the colonies winning the war.
I definitely didn't know about the level of accuracy in even the smallest details of the game. Now I appreciate the hard work that went into creating this masterpiece of a game even more. It's only been a few months since I first played it, but it's already one of my all-time favorite games. Would love to see more videos like this for other AC games.😁👍
Great commentary! This is one of my favourite games, so it is nice to know it is well researched and fairly close to reality in some parts. Definitely the AC game in my book.
Of course the game had historical accuracy. Colin Woodward , the author of the book The Republic of Pirates, was the historical consultant for AC: Black Flag
I was never good at sitting in class and lecture, but Rebecca does such a great job in how she explains, teaches, and speaks that I could sit through a class and listen to her all day. Great speaker, knows the topics well, and easy to listen to. Love it!
I cant believe I watched the whole 25min video, but then again AC historical immersion and atmosphere is why I played it so much, just puts you into different time.. Would love more historians for other AC games
This is amazing ! Didn't expect to finish such a commentary video, AC black flag was my first ac game and I was surprised by numerous facts, thanks to this amazing pirate expert lady !
This was so refreshing and entertaining to watch. All the comments from Dr Rebecca were spot on, be it about the historical fact or the understanding that we're talking about a modern video game. I had no idea the game was this accurate in so many details.
Nice that she touches on the "Pyrates" bit, and how they didn't really have standardized spelling at the time. IIRC Ubisoft went as far as to include in "misspellings" in the subtitles as well!
i remember watching a history show about pirates just before i started to play this game for the first time (many years after it came out admittedly), and was astounded by how accurate it was all in all. it was really fun to see just how much actual history they wove into the narrative. what they changed were generally minor details (some of which could have even been true for how little we actually KNOW about what happened back then), and even the game itself admits they take liberties with it, both in their opening blurb about it being a work of fiction, and even in its in game narrative about how the company in the future is changing details of the history to make it more entertaining for audiences. all in all, i agree that it is one of the best pirate games out there, that also just happens to be an assassins creed game too.
Love your take on AC: Black Flag!!! I played this game upon release and enjoyed every second of it!!! I always wondered how accurate Assassins Creed games were and this just adds a whole other layer to enjoy and make me love this game even more!!
I'd always gotten the impression that Black Flag had a pretty solid foundation in historical accuracy, but I never knew the degree of research and detail that Ubisoft had actually gone to! All these years later, and I'm falling in love with this game all over again!
One of the things I loved about this game and every AC game up to this point, is the codex. There's so much historical accuracy put into this series I learned alot from it.
When I played Black Flag about ten years ago I was impressed by how it incorporated details that I already knew to be true, as well as how anything I encountered in the game and then researched further turned out to be accurate. I enjoyed Dr Simon's analysis and comments too -- what a fascinating area of history in which to become an expert! Sorely tempted to go and look out some of her books now.
I've played again many games that I've played before when I was younger, and this is the one that I'm not going to download. This was devastating, strangely touched my heart a little too much. The gameplay was dull at times yet the plot was insanely alluring, and I simply can't go back to it in any time soon. Thank you for reminding me of how beautiful it was!
I loved Pirates as a kid and loved reading and researching about them. Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag is still one of my top 5 games ever, and my favorite AC game. I was shocked and impressed by all the info they fit in and how accurate it was.
This is great! She seems very knowledgeable. I also like how she acknowledges that the developers have to change certain things from history in order to make the game more engaging.
I came here, scared that one of my favourite games would get absolutely torn to shreds as she pointed out inaccuracies, but I have been pleasantly surprised, and I have reason to love the game even more.
Awesome video, very interesting and insightful. I hope there will be a part 2. There is so much to talk about like the Jackdaw's design accuracy, the diving bell, the mortars on ships, or the design of other places like Nassau etc.
I love this game. I've never seen this video before. This video was awesome. This lady is awesome. Thank you, Dr Rebecca Simon for this video and for making me enjoy one of my favorite games even more.
Note on the “taking a ship” section: they had killed the captain as they wanted to take the whole ship, not steal its goods. and Edward and Adé were already good at sailing so they could sail it well. They also didn’t take a galleon but a brig as it was a hurricane and it would be easier to outrun (or out-manoeuvre it) instead especially with the small group they had.
the thing i always loved about AC was the history. starting with the history of the nizari in AC 1, and everywhere else it went, you actually learned real things, and not by reading in a menu, but just through playing. The games shouldn't be taken literally, but they do give you a very good impression of the time period.
Here's a few extra fun facts: 1. Apparently pirates had a practical reason for wearing an eyepatch (other than covering a missing eye): It was to keep one eye adjusted to the dark so that, when they go below deck they can swap to the dark-adjusted eye to see perfectly. 2. Ubisoft wanted to avoid pop culture pirate stereotypes (like having a parrot on the shoulder, peg legs and hooks for hands). They even avoided giving pirate Assassins the hookblade because of this.
The eye patch thing is a myth and very unsubstantiated in the records. It's more likely they used when at land to cover up eye injuries, which could be more or less common depending on the crew.
Very thorough subject knowledge, but also some of the strongest understanding of why a game might make changes that I've seen in a video of this type. Excellent stuff :)
Idk if Ms./Mrs. Simon has surface or background knowledge in video games but she is very concise and intelligent in articulating her points without seeming entitled or condescending to the product associated with historical sources.
It's nice when society gives scholars a little respect for what they know and the mountain of work that they've done. Thanks Gamespot. Also I misread the title as "Pirate Reacts To Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag." haha :D I was like, "why is she not in jail?" LOL
Really enjoyed Rebecca's commentary. This was very informative! A nice change from some of the other experts who just come on and mock the game they are suppose to be reacting to. Well done!
8:20 - this scene was where a handful of captured pirates manage to escape from their bonds and, rather than a galleon, they make their way to a brig and steal it to escape; hence, killing the captain
Another thing to note is that Edward is already a good Captain who can sail the ship. This was described as a Hurricane with large waves, waterspouts (water tornadoes), and almost no visibility. It is impressive that Edward was able to sail through that knowing that the fleet was completely sunk.
About the clothing, I think the only thing that it actually would be a problem because of heat is the armor because Duncan’s coat was essentially very light and thin but when you get the armor in the game, Edward gets a bit more thick of look
She possibly said it to make it simpler for viewers, but Blackbeard didn't wear "sparklers". It was "slow match", a slow burning cord "fuse" that was used to ignite the gunpowder and fire the cannons.
I like how she understood some things are done for the game being a better experience for the gamer an she didn’t let that effect your opinion, a lot of times historians take any little change as if it’s personal
They used to. These days not so much. It's sad how little actual history AC games have since Origins. These days there's a lot more myth than actual history in AC.
@@Beery1962 Thats kinda to be expected though based off the Setting. Odyssey was set in the Age of Mythology, when even the Historical Record includes Fantasy things. Valhalla is Vikings and Norse Mythology.
@@justinlast2lastharder749 That's not really an excuse. AC used to be purely history-driven with some sci-fi elements. Lately it's devolving inti a supernatural farce.
I really like that she got the part about Anne Bonny's common history being false and the grave being found. I've seen so many articles, documentaries etc go along with the fictional version that comes from some random made up book as well as some other random theories. I hoped that it soon becomes obvious to all that the story told is b.s. and that the grave is mentioned more. I strongly suggest people watch the video she's referencing. It's long but well researched, thought out and put together.
The choice to make Edward Welsh was also based on their historical research. Many of the most successful pirates were Welsh. Bartholomew Roberts is widely regarded as the most successful pirate of the Golden age of piracy.
Love the combination of True facts and history and game understanding and it also somewhat digs into what uncharted 4 did with Henry avery so we get an understanding of both.
I love how she values accuracy, but also understands that certain things need to change for a game to work and be fun.
Exactly, hardly seen this
@@pouyabaharifar6778watch firearms expert reacts from game spot. Johnathan Ferguson works at the Royal Armouries in the UK and he is just great. He has done a bunch of videos reacting to various video games and their guns.
Agreed! These videos for video games, tv shows, and movie accuracy are always better when the expert understands that, but also can recognize when something is changed too much.
Definitely, there is just too many historians puts down games because of that.
Was just about tobsay that. Sometimes you see experts just ripping a game apart for inaccuracies,forgetting its supposed to be a game.
Ubisoft really did their homework for this game, hats off to them.
They used to hire actual historians
As long as that hat is a tricorn
They always do.
@@YOUNGJBRThey still do
Ubisoft? I think you meant Abstergo Entertainment
I always loved how Blackbeard was portrayed in this. At the beginning of the game, he's just a regular pirate, but as time goes on he grows out his beard, adds the lit matches to his hair and starts talking in a deeper, more threatening tone of voice.
They show Blackbeard's gift for PR and branding, rather than just portraying the mythological figure created around him.
In reality, he was the magistrate of New Providence. It's kinda sad, I think, that he held a high position of public trust in Nassau, never actually killed anyone, but when the age of piracy was drawing to a close, he was hounded out of Nassau due to the British turning companions like James Hornigold into pirate hunters. Then he took the king's pardon, but couldn't face life working for the Hanoverian king George I (he named his ship the Queen Anne's Revenge for a reason), so returned to piracy and took his final refuge with a tiny sloop on a forgotten spit of land at Ocracoke - a far cry from the time when he used a fleet of ships to blockade Charleston Harbor.
Wait Blackbeard is in this game?
@@Lummox874 Yes. He's even in the trailer.
SO THOSE MATCHES IN HIS HAIR
Sources have speculated that they were not in fact “fuses” or “matches”
But more likely a sort of incense which produced a smoke around himself, giving him the appearance and intimidation of a devil.
There were also some who became captured by Blackbeard to be intimidated, and he would get right up close to them, and the smell from the incense actually gave them panic attacks and hallucinations. The government back in those days believed he was using some kind of drug, possibly a carcinogen which he used to his benefit.
@@Lummox874If I recall correctly, he was more commonly referred to in the game by his real name, Edward Teach, rather than as Blackbeard.
The red flag she mentioned that means "no quarter" is used by pirate hunters in the game. Privateers hired to destroy pirate ships.
That's cool! I'll have to look for that detail next time I play.
I came here to comment exactly this lol!
But Edward was a pirate. There’s a difference.
@@trevorwalsh9443 Yes. Pirate hunters can be sent out to hunt down the Jackdaw if you get a little too plunder happy. You are a pirate after all.
They have red sails. I don’t know about red flags
God I love the fact that the jackdaw was based on the reports that a single ship survived the storm that took the treasure fleet, such detail!
Yeah, what an incredible detail! Well done to Ubisoft. Such a clever twist on history.
@@FoggyFogzmeistersimilar vibe of there a real red light district that was mysteriously burnt down and destroyed. No one knows what started the fire. In Demon Slayer they used that district name
I really like how this expert isnt... snobby. The things that are different or inaccurate for the sake of fun... shes doesnt turn her nose up at. She just says "Yeah theres no record of Anne being a maid, but it works."
I’m thinking if your area of expertise is pirates you’re pretty used to people getting stuff wrong for the sake of fun
@@mdogg094 and also any historian worth their salt would also know that we can't expect to know every detail about the lives of people back then, other than royalty & landed gentry. So who's to say Anne Bonny didn't serve some drinks in her time scouting for pirate crews to join
Compared to the guy who is doing the god of war 2018 ones for IGN, she is a goddess! I love how she understands
If you could do a whole series of historians react to assassin's creed games that would be great, this is so good!
There are some around and they're great
Egyptologist reacts to AC Origins
French Historian reacts to AC Union
Mobster reacts to AC Syndicate
An Irishman reacts to AC Rogue.
@@MrWebby93Those last two are wrong...
Victorian London expert reacts to Syndicate
American Historian reacts to AC3/Rogue
@@theportugueselegend I was being facetious
Oh yes that would be amazing!!! I need to see Egyptologists react to AC Origins. The most beautiful and realistic Egypt video game I’ve ever played. It’s so amazing. 😁😁😎😎👏👏💯💯❤️❤️❤️🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬
Please do more historian videos this was awesome! It would be fun if she came back to explain libertalia from uncharted 4 as well as Henry Avery and Thomas tew.
Editor of vid here. Fun fact: this video was going to include Uncharted 4 stuff but we had so much stuff around AC Black Flag, and with Mirage coming out, we decided to keep it to just AC. But we’d love to do another one!
@@tomcaswell1529I second that. An analysis of Uncharted 4 would be awesome!
Yes for sure. That would be awesome
The Libertalia one is quite easy : it never existed (source : wrote a thesis on piracy)
She does cover Libertalia at 12:00, agreeing it didn’t exist. Amazing how much pirate lore originates from Captain Johnson.
This was fantastic. Rebecca was brilliant! Really enjoyed this, and my love for my fav AC game just increased even more knowing how historically accurate several aspects of the game were. Well done everyone
Yes. What a phenomal game AC:BF was! An insanely big and fun game. Just the sailing was a whole game of its own. Epic
I love how she doesn't just berate the game for doing game things and understands.
This game single handedly got me into pirate history and now my book shelf loof much like the one behind her. I have and have read many of those books.
Can you rec some of your favourite books i wanna get more into pirates now that i have some mroe time
I love listening to this lady. I love pirate history 👍👍
Yarhhh
15:13 compliments his killer, iconic to the very end.
The historical settings/characters continue to be the coolest thing about Assassin's Creed.
Until zealots in Valhalla show up with 15th century armor
@@justjoe5373 any semblance historical accuracy in AC ended with Unity, maybe an argument can be made for Syndicate. Origins and later is straight up fighting Gods and mythical creatures.
@@AntonSuprun Syndicate was pretty historically accurate, no?
@@gazelle_diamond9768It started the tradition of AC villains not being real historical characters. Starrick isn’t real
@@AntonSuprun Origins differentiates pretty clearly when it's being mythical and when it's being historical.
This is why I love history. All these little things really tie a video game together, can teach you about what actually happened and show it to you in such a fun recreation, and you never know what you might learn. That Anne Bonny detail coming to light only 2 years ago, centuries later, is so interesting to learn about.
You know nothing!!!!!!!!!!
I think it's kind of funny how these games consult with experts during development and after release other experts review the implementation of their colleague's advice.
They don't consult for everything. Or at least certain things the historians say are fine due to taking the gameplay into the account. This lady (who is an amazing historian btw) is simply talking about the history, excluding the relevance of gameplay :)
@@christianmcbreartybut she also talks about how some things have been changed for gameplay purposes
Right up until Origins era reboot anyway 😄
Often, sadly, games developers ignore their experts' advice.
@@Beery1962 That's what developers today should be doing instead of listening to Sweet Baby Inc. A bunch of horrible games are being made because of it.
Hoping that Black Flag remaster comes out soon. I just need an excuse to do another playthrough of this masterpiece of a game.
I really hope they do a remaster! The game could certainly benefit from it. I'd love to do a few replays with updated graphics.
@@Beery1962 It's been announced and they are in the beginning stages. It's going to take a while to come out and there's always a chance it might get canceled but a remake was considered. They clearly saw that people wanted another AC Black Flag game and not Skull and Bones so I'm guessing after Skull and Bones AC4 remake will come out but who knows really...
... another 5 play-throughs.
they recently announced that the remaster has been in the works for awhile now and is close to being done
I was hoping they remaster the Ezio Trilogy instead. Black Flag's graphics still holdup, albeit they have started to age.
ACIV legitimately taught me about the Taino tribe. No idea they even existed until I played this, learned in college years later.
You must be an American
@@LeComtedeSaintDomingue There are people outside of the US that don't know Taino exists.
A lot of US people do know of the Taino. its taught.
@@LeComtedeSaintDomingue Can you name every american native tribe? No? Wow, your country's education system must be terrible
The best experts react for me.
Black Flag is one the best experiences of my life and it was amazing to revisit and learn the actual history of pirates.
I just wish the shanties were given a bit more time. Black Flag made me a huge fan of them I almost know a hundred by heart.
Thanks for this ❤
You excited for the remake/remaster?
I love some of the shanties. They are done so well. Props needs to be given to the singers and those who oversaw the creation of them.
The song at the end too... That song made the ending as powerful and memorable as it is. It's also the best rendition of The Parting Glass.
I love that they are real shanties.
Heck, the soundtrack in general is great.
100% agree! I've been humming "Leave Her Johnny, Leave Her" for the last ten minutes!
@@Void-Realm I always break down in that final scene. When he sees in his mind's eye his old companions, and then when he goes down to the dock and finds out who has come on the ship. It's all so unbearably sad.
@@poopyfartboi Honestly, with how they've been making these last few games? Not really. If they leave the old style of gameplay and everything else, and just improve the graphics, I'd love to see that remake. But that's too much to ask from them, they're probably gonna throw in the new gameplay, level gates and lock most of the content behind "micro"transactions and paid DLCs. I guess the plunder from ships is gonna be lowered so you either grind for hours or pay for the resource pack
She gave a talk for my masters program a few months ago. She is very knowledgeable and a fantastic writer!
I could spend hours listening to Dr. Simon talk about pirates! She is definitely a great teacher! I'll look for some of her books! Hope we get more videos from her!
Oh my gosh! I have taken Dr. Simon's The Golden Age of Piracy class! One of the best University classes I have ever had. So insightful. Amazing discussions. I learned so much about pirates and all the inaccuracies pop culture tends to give them. Absolutely love this video and her expertise
I love pirate history. She is such a good host, and I loved every second of this video. I wish there were more pirate games so we could just have more of these videos
I really like her demeanor. It makes my brain accept the information she tells me
The knowledge of this women is so impressive. Not only can she talk about everything in this video, she sometimes gives deep insight to the what's, why's and when's of things. Hearing an expert who knows what they're talking about talk with passion will almost never fail to excite me!
I really enjoyed her commentary! I have always been intrigued by pirate culture since a child. I wish we had more pirate games so we could get more of her breakdown
As much as AC has changed in reception amongst fans in recent years, they tend to be *really good* when it comes to historical detail, especially with cities and landmarks. I would love to see a whole Historian Reacts to Assassin’s Creed series. Maybe Unity next? I’d love to hear someone’s take on Mirabeau being an Assassin
And then they shat on history with Odyssee and Valhalla
The thing about Unity is that they made the leader of the rebellion, Robespierre, a Templar, which makes absolutely no sense in the context of history. Everything about his vision relates much more to the Assassin's order than the Templar's. To quote : "His goal was to create a one and indivisible France, establish equality before the law, abolish prerogatives, and defend the principles of direct democracy." Other than that, I agree that the game has many great historical aspects.
@@charles-antoinemartel-roy Totally agreed, and I think it speaks to a degree of thematic reticence in their storytelling. Robespierre is “the bad guy” of the Revolution in most of Western canon, but the truth is obviously more complicated than that. The dude was circumspect and cautious so such a degree that he was openly mocked for it by his coidealists for *years*. His faction- after the drafting of the Constitution of 1793- were literally called “The Indulgents”. He went coocoo bananas at the end for sure, but he was absolutely not some ruthless power-grabbing sociopath. But he was “the bad guy” of the story, so Ubisoft had to make him a Templar.
@@Vashtanerada477there is perhaps something to be said about his cuckoo for cocoa puffs ideals regarding religion and the calendar lining up for story purposes with the templars!
@@charles-antoinemartel-royThe Templars don’t always use the same methods and they don’t always perfectly align with the side they support, remember in AC3 they’re working towards the colonies winning the war.
I definitely didn't know about the level of accuracy in even the smallest details of the game. Now I appreciate the hard work that went into creating this masterpiece of a game even more. It's only been a few months since I first played it, but it's already one of my all-time favorite games. Would love to see more videos like this for other AC games.😁👍
A lot of their games they focus on getting the time period right
Oh man, I played this game late too. it really snuck up on me, storywise. Definitely enjoyed being immersed in pirate culture.
Finally, the pirate expert I've been waiting for. Amazing job, the other "pirate expert" videos on youtube don't hold a candle to dr. Simon.
She said she didn't know of any pirate who successfully attacked a spanish galleon, but Henry Avery did. He pulled off the biggest heist on history.
Piet Hein, although not a pirate but a privateer, robbed the Spanish treasure fleet in 1628.
Props to him, how did he do it?
The Ganj-i-Sawai was neither Spanish nor a galleon
That was a Mughal treasure ship not a Spanish ship
@@DarkDutch007Still a pirate though but with legal documents, just like the yonko in one piece.
Great commentary! This is one of my favourite games, so it is nice to know it is well researched and fairly close to reality in some parts. Definitely the AC game in my book.
Of course the game had historical accuracy. Colin Woodward , the author of the book The Republic of Pirates, was the historical consultant for AC: Black Flag
I was never good at sitting in class and lecture, but Rebecca does such a great job in how she explains, teaches, and speaks that I could sit through a class and listen to her all day. Great speaker, knows the topics well, and easy to listen to. Love it!
And this is why Black Flag will always be my favorite AC game, currently replaying it on the switch and it's so good.
I cant believe I watched the whole 25min video, but then again AC historical immersion and atmosphere is why I played it so much, just puts you into different time.. Would love more historians for other AC games
Man, i didn't even realize i watched half an hour of a video until it ended. 10/10
This is amazing ! Didn't expect to finish such a commentary video, AC black flag was my first ac game and I was surprised by numerous facts, thanks to this amazing pirate expert lady !
This was educating. I'd love to see her take on Uncharted 4
Because of Libertalia
This was so refreshing and entertaining to watch. All the comments from Dr Rebecca were spot on, be it about the historical fact or the understanding that we're talking about a modern video game. I had no idea the game was this accurate in so many details.
Nice that she touches on the "Pyrates" bit, and how they didn't really have standardized spelling at the time. IIRC Ubisoft went as far as to include in "misspellings" in the subtitles as well!
I love how she's soo smart and understands that you need a balance between historical accuracy and gameplay experience
i remember watching a history show about pirates just before i started to play this game for the first time (many years after it came out admittedly), and was astounded by how accurate it was all in all. it was really fun to see just how much actual history they wove into the narrative. what they changed were generally minor details (some of which could have even been true for how little we actually KNOW about what happened back then), and even the game itself admits they take liberties with it, both in their opening blurb about it being a work of fiction, and even in its in game narrative about how the company in the future is changing details of the history to make it more entertaining for audiences. all in all, i agree that it is one of the best pirate games out there, that also just happens to be an assassins creed game too.
I think the most historically accurate outfit in black flag is the shark hunter outfit which is basically his starting outfit
What a lady. So nice listening to an expert like her
Love your take on AC: Black Flag!!! I played this game upon release and enjoyed every second of it!!! I always wondered how accurate Assassins Creed games were and this just adds a whole other layer to enjoy and make me love this game even more!!
Now this is what i called an EXPERT REACT, the content which she provide is SUPER GOOD
Up next, Neanderthal reacts to Far Cry Primal.
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@@VoidLantaddHOOOO
@@AayYoWhatUp kʷid tewoy dusmen-?
Unggungo bungo
i'm sorry, do you think a pirate expert is a pirate?
This is why Black Flag is so beloved. The attention to detail, the story, the ship battles all of these elements came together beautifully.
I love the fact that she understands a game needing a certain level of flare for the player. Dr. Rebecca knows what's up.
I'd always gotten the impression that Black Flag had a pretty solid foundation in historical accuracy, but I never knew the degree of research and detail that Ubisoft had actually gone to! All these years later, and I'm falling in love with this game all over again!
I actually knew about the escaped ship and was nerding out over this when I played black flag. So good to see others learning about it too.
Still to this day one of the best pirate games ever made. If not THE best.
One of the things I loved about this game and every AC game up to this point, is the codex. There's so much historical accuracy put into this series I learned alot from it.
Love the background and the fact that so many details made it in to the game.
When I played Black Flag about ten years ago I was impressed by how it incorporated details that I already knew to be true, as well as how anything I encountered in the game and then researched further turned out to be accurate. I enjoyed Dr Simon's analysis and comments too -- what a fascinating area of history in which to become an expert! Sorely tempted to go and look out some of her books now.
I've played again many games that I've played before when I was younger, and this is the one that I'm not going to download. This was devastating, strangely touched my heart a little too much. The gameplay was dull at times yet the plot was insanely alluring, and I simply can't go back to it in any time soon. Thank you for reminding me of how beautiful it was!
I loved Pirates as a kid and loved reading and researching about them. Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag is still one of my top 5 games ever, and my favorite AC game. I was shocked and impressed by all the info they fit in and how accurate it was.
This is great! She seems very knowledgeable. I also like how she acknowledges that the developers have to change certain things from history in order to make the game more engaging.
Such a good analysis to point out how much was done right and not dwell on the creative liberties too much. Fantastic work befitting a fantastic game
I came here, scared that one of my favourite games would get absolutely torn to shreds as she pointed out inaccuracies, but I have been pleasantly surprised, and I have reason to love the game even more.
Black Flag really got me interested in pirates. The honor they had was really admirable.
Great vid I love learning history and she did a great job presenting the facts and respecting the game’s creativity.
It has been said over and over. I really appreciate that Dr Simon appreciates it is a video game and they needed to make some caveats.
Awesome video, very interesting and insightful.
I hope there will be a part 2. There is so much to talk about like the Jackdaw's design accuracy, the diving bell, the mortars on ships, or the design of other places like Nassau etc.
This was an excellent video! I'm pleased to hear they were very accurate for the most part. Would definitely love more videos like this.
Black Flag is the best AC for me!
Yet to see if it's my favourite. Playing it now.
@@LadyOfTheEdits So? Is it?
@@markokecman1177 it was really amazing!!
@@LadyOfTheEdits you didn't answer the question >:(
@@darklex5150 oh lol. Yes it's my favorite XD.
Now playing Oddessy :D
I love this game. I've never seen this video before. This video was awesome. This lady is awesome. Thank you, Dr Rebecca Simon for this video and for making me enjoy one of my favorite games even more.
I appreciate that Rebecca can discern that historical accuracy can be shifted in favor of making a game more fun to play/ good looking.
Note on the “taking a ship” section:
they had killed the captain as they wanted to take the whole ship, not steal its goods. and Edward and Adé were already good at sailing so they could sail it well. They also didn’t take a galleon but a brig as it was a hurricane and it would be easier to outrun (or out-manoeuvre it) instead especially with the small group they had.
the thing i always loved about AC was the history. starting with the history of the nizari in AC 1, and everywhere else it went, you actually learned real things, and not by reading in a menu, but just through playing. The games shouldn't be taken literally, but they do give you a very good impression of the time period.
This was one of (maybe the) most interresting video if this kind i have watched. Thank you!
This was an amazing game and I love that just now I'm being told about all the history and things that were accurate. One of the best expert videos
Here's a few extra fun facts:
1. Apparently pirates had a practical reason for wearing an eyepatch (other than covering a missing eye): It was to keep one eye adjusted to the dark so that, when they go below deck they can swap to the dark-adjusted eye to see perfectly.
2. Ubisoft wanted to avoid pop culture pirate stereotypes (like having a parrot on the shoulder, peg legs and hooks for hands). They even avoided giving pirate Assassins the hookblade because of this.
The eye patch thing is a myth and very unsubstantiated in the records. It's more likely they used when at land to cover up eye injuries, which could be more or less common depending on the crew.
"Ezio, where is your hookblade?"
Ezio: My hookblade?
This was great, though I wish we could've heard what she'd say about the diving element of the game with the dive bell.
absolutely the best expert on any of these expert videos, well informed on both the game and the history. I'd love to see more of her insights
Of all things, I would never have assumed that the reload speed for the flintlock was actually accurate 😂
I enjoyed this immensely. Love of the pirate era. Well Done Gamespot, very well done. Thanks.
My favorite Assassins Creed! Excellent video!
Hope to see more like this!
Very thorough subject knowledge, but also some of the strongest understanding of why a game might make changes that I've seen in a video of this type. Excellent stuff :)
Idk if Ms./Mrs. Simon has surface or background knowledge in video games but she is very concise and intelligent in articulating her points without seeming entitled or condescending to the product associated with historical sources.
Crazy how AC IV has better face animations and animations in general than Mirage 💀 it doesn't even use pre rendered cutscenes
Yeahhhh, I kind of noticed that too. Is this some kind of new mod? It looks really good!
@@AuspexAOi think it's just motion capture
14:57 this was cinema and history married together beautifully.
It's nice when society gives scholars a little respect for what they know and the mountain of work that they've done. Thanks Gamespot.
Also I misread the title as "Pirate Reacts To Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag." haha :D
I was like, "why is she not in jail?" LOL
Really enjoyed Rebecca's commentary. This was very informative! A nice change from some of the other experts who just come on and mock the game they are suppose to be reacting to. Well done!
8:20 - this scene was where a handful of captured pirates manage to escape from their bonds and, rather than a galleon, they make their way to a brig and steal it to escape; hence, killing the captain
Another thing to note is that Edward is already a good Captain who can sail the ship. This was described as a Hurricane with large waves, waterspouts (water tornadoes), and almost no visibility. It is impressive that Edward was able to sail through that knowing that the fleet was completely sunk.
This video made me want to replay this beauty of a game and also check on Rebecca's books! Really enjoyed the video, well done!
The amount of real life lore in this game is amazing
About the clothing, I think the only thing that it actually would be a problem because of heat is the armor because Duncan’s coat was essentially very light and thin but when you get the armor in the game, Edward gets a bit more thick of look
22:30 Also, those are "modern" American nooses. Old British ones would just be a loop on the side. The whole noose is basically a slipknot.
She possibly said it to make it simpler for viewers, but Blackbeard didn't wear "sparklers". It was "slow match", a slow burning cord "fuse" that was used to ignite the gunpowder and fire the cannons.
I keep this game installed on my computer to this day simply to listen to the Sea shanties while sailing around.
Thank you, Dr. Simon! Your insight and respect for gameplay is very welcoming and appreciated!
I like how she understood some things are done for the game being a better experience for the gamer an she didn’t let that effect your opinion, a lot of times historians take any little change as if it’s personal
Ubisofts historical accuracy team always goes hard in every game, bringing history and fantasy together as an entertaining experience.
They used to. These days not so much. It's sad how little actual history AC games have since Origins. These days there's a lot more myth than actual history in AC.
@@Beery1962 Thats kinda to be expected though based off the Setting. Odyssey was set in the Age of Mythology, when even the Historical Record includes Fantasy things. Valhalla is Vikings and Norse Mythology.
@@justinlast2lastharder749 That's not really an excuse. AC used to be purely history-driven with some sci-fi elements. Lately it's devolving inti a supernatural farce.
I really like that she got the part about Anne Bonny's common history being false and the grave being found. I've seen so many articles, documentaries etc go along with the fictional version that comes from some random made up book as well as some other random theories.
I hoped that it soon becomes obvious to all that the story told is b.s. and that the grave is mentioned more.
I strongly suggest people watch the video she's referencing. It's long but well researched, thought out and put together.
This was so entertaining, it needs to be a series. Her knowledge of that era is so impressive:D
The choice to make Edward Welsh was also based on their historical research.
Many of the most successful pirates were Welsh. Bartholomew Roberts is widely regarded as the most successful pirate of the Golden age of piracy.
I see black flag content, i upvote
Love the combination of True facts and history and game understanding and it also somewhat digs into what uncharted 4 did with Henry avery so we get an understanding of both.
Stede Bonnet also had a quartermaster (later demoted to one-eighthsmaster) who is integral to his success as a pirate.
interesting and informative. there is so much to show and learn about this era.
At 11:50 she discusses libertalia and Henry Averry, which was a big focus of Uncharted 4!
Having a nice day, boom black flag video and now I'm getting nostalgic and sad day