Great Game; Text Philippines Aid

One of my favorite titles from the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo and Tokyo Game Show was Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, and now it’s finally here! This iteration is the first to leverage the power of the next generation consoles – Xbox One and PlayStation 4. My favorite feature is that you can utilize Remote Play on the PS4 to stream it to your PlayStation Vita over WiFi.

While Assassin’s Creed III dropped you in the middle of the American Revolution, this version has you setting sail in the West Indies in the late 17th and early 18th century. You’re in the boots of Edward Kenway, a seasoned Brit fighter who falls from privateering for the Royal Navy into piracy as the war between the major empires comes to an end. Set at the dawn of the 18th century, the game features some of the most infamous pirates in history, including Blackbeard and Charles Vane, and takes players on a journey throughout the West Indies during a turbulent and violent period of time known as the Golden Age of Pirates.

This pirate-themed adventure is incredibly fun and gratifying, probably the most expansive setting in the history of this franchise. The storyline and side missions are filled with tense sea battles where strategic positioning and explosive cannon fire come together in exhilarating contests of naval supremacy. These battles often lead directly into more traditional Assassin’s Creed swordfighting and don’t waste any time with throwing you into the life of a pirate. While discovering new islands, looking for buried treasure and pillaging ships, you’ll find yourself between two warring secret societies: the Assassins and Templars. This adds lots of dramatic fun to your game-play.

Available now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii U, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag retails for $59.99. For a limited time, when you purchase the disk or digital version of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag for PlayStation 3, you can download a PlayStation 4 digital copy from the PlayStation Store for a discounted price. The Xbox One and Windows PC release was earlier this week. Visit assassinscreed.com or facebook.com/assassinscreed for more information.

* Typhoon Haiyan Support

To support the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, now through Nov. 30, Hawaiian Telcom is offering free phone calls to the Philippines to speak with your family and friends there. If you don’t have long distance through Hawaiian Telcom, you can dial 808-643-0929 to have your call routed.

Additionally, Verizon Wireless announced it will waive charges on all long-distance calls and text/multimedia messages to the Philippines for its post-paid customers now through Dec. 7. Post-paid customers are those who receive a monthly bill from Verizon Wireless.

Also of note, Verizon Wireless activated its text-to-donate program, which allows you to make a $10 donation to any of the following organizations:

Text RELIEF to 25383 to give to Catholic Relief Services

Text AID to 80077 to give to HOPE Worldwide

Text AID to 50555 to give to Operation USA

Text DONATE to 20222 to give to Save the Children

Text RELIEF to 864233 to give to UNICEF

Text AID to 27722 to give to World Food Program USA

Text HOPE to 777444 to give to WORLD VISION

Text-messaging fees will be waived and 100 percent of each donation goes directly to the nonprofit organization. Verizon Wireless post-paid customers will see their donations on their next regular monthly bill. For customers using the company’s prepaid services, donations will be deducted from their prepaid balances.