Despite sharing its name with a series where free-running and throat slitting are everyday occurrences, Assassin's Creed: Pirates is less about one-on-one combat and more about warfare on the open seas. I recently got a chance to go hands-on with a preview build of the game and play the first couple of missions to get a feel for it. In short, it's like no other Assassin's Creed game before it, for better or worse.
The game starts at a breakneck pace as the main protagonist, Alonzo Batilla, goes from prisoner to sea captain in the matter of about 45 seconds. Although he is in control of his own ship, he remains subordinate to his pirate master who teaches him the ropes, literally.
Combat takes place between ships using various projectiles (mainly cannonballs, of
