One of the more decisively cinematic video game franchises, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series has always benefitted from a strong musical presence, which until this latest incarnation has been directed by composer Jesper Kyd.

Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag shifts the focus from the lavish palaces, piazzas, and frescoes of Italy to the blue waters of the Caribbean, and brings a new composer, Brian Tyler (Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World), into the fold.

Tyler's film experience shines bright on the myriad orchestral cues, bringing to mind Hanz Zimmer's work on the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but it's the inclusion of a handful of the 35 sea shanties that appear in the game, performed with admirable amounts of piss and vinegar by Nils Brown, Sean Dagher, Michiel Schrey, and Clayton Kennedy, that ultimately seals the deal.