God, this game just keeps unveiling more and more to do at a steady, but perfectly paced clip. Still, being at sea and attacking ships and forts, collecting resources, improving your ship and building your fleet is where it's at. I spent hours doing that last night and had such a hard time putting it down.
There was this one scenario where I was attacking a fort, while working on filling my third wanted meter. I was being blasted from the beach fort, all while a hunter, a couple of small schooners and a frigate joined in and ganged up on me. It was so intense maneuvering around and taking them all out while still being bombarded by mortar fire from the beach. Music pounding, waves rocking, fog forming, cannons blasting... good stuff.
Moving on. Incapacitated ships flaming everywhere and waiting for me to board, I decide to turn my attention to finishing off the fort, so I can go ashore and seize it as well. But then lo and behold, in the distance I see some massive sails closing in. I use my trusty spyglass that reveals it to be a high level 'Man o' War' that was loaded with precious booty. Feeling lucky, I decide to take it on. Only to be obliterated by pounding from mortar at the fort and the firepower of that massive ship.
Time to upgrade before taking that bastard on again, I guess. But still, such scenarios are so good. Especially when fog, storms, massive rouge waves and water spouts randomly pop up. There is nothing else like this game and it is waltzing right into being my GOTY above all others. It's that fucking fun and atmospheric. But most importantly, it is that fresh of an experience. Funny that it is in an annual Assassin's Creed game as well. Go figure.