Well isn’t this just dandy? Just a couple of weeks after the game is released with a mess of glitches and bugs packed right in, Ubisoft has announced the Thanksgiving patch for Assassin’s Creed 3 which, by the looks of it, will remedy almost every misgiving I had with the game engine wise.
As I outlined in my Assassin’s Creed 3 review, this new game in the series is riddled with almost-game-breaking glitches from things that prevent you from accomplishing optional objectives for full synchronization to a final chase that’s so ridiculously bug-ridden that it’s nigh impossible to complete on the first few tries. The fact that this patch is being handed out half a month after the game has launched means that Ubisoft was more than aware of the problems AC3 players would face, but chose to ship the game anyways.
Just take a look at the laundry list of fixes coming in with the Thanskgiving patch. Almost every mission is getting changed to some degree, and that’s before getting to the stability changes that the Anvil Next engine is getting.
If this is how much the game needed fixing after the day one patch, I can only imagine the state it was sent to discs in. How it ever passed certification is beyond me. Since I’ve given up trying not to editorialize, I feel massively ripped off by Assassin’s Creed 3 in a way that I haven’t been by a video game in a long time. I payed full price for a game Ubisoft knew was broken, without any idea that it would be receiving a patch that would fix most of my grievances. While my problems with the mission design and the story still stand, I think the game would have fared better if I didn’t have to fight a legion of bugs.
What do you guys think about this? Am I right to be this indignant? Who’s still holding on to their copy of Assassin’s Creed 3?
Source – Ubisoft forums
As useful as this giant Beta test they called a release has been for finding bugs, this is just embarrassing. Not necessarily unacceptable because at least Ubisoft is patching it, but just embarrassing. Companies need to be smarter with release dates, especially when their new game has a totally new engine. Releasing such a buggy game just ruins their reputation.
Though I’m glad I’ll waited for AC3 to get dressed before playing it.
Well, I’m feeling further justified in my decision – pre-ordered, but held off on opening it after reading your review and others…ended up returning it yesterday. Selfishly glad to hear they’ve gotten things patched up, looking forward to picking it up again once the price drops a good bit. Completely sucks for those who did otherwise – way to screw over your core audience, Ubisoft.
This is a slap in the face to the most loyal customers (launch purchasers) and Ubisoft should honestly be ashamed of themselves. if the press doesn’t lambaste them for this, I will be furious.
The ship now, patch later discussion is always a tricky one for me. My professional opinion inside the industry is that at this time it is necessary but my personal one is that it stinks. Every point raised by everyone here is justified and Ubisoft do need to be held accountable but with deadlines and patching restrictions it can be difficult to lay the blame at any one point in particular. I wish I could go into more detail about it but I don’t want to be a bore.
Overall at least they are doing something about the problems, I might have a look at picking it up sometime after Christmas if the reception is good enough.
I think you’re totally justified in your complaints about that game. When I buy TurboTax 2013, I don’t want to have a broken product. When I buy a computer, I shouldn’t have to open it up and discover that the battery won’t be here for a few weeks.
I spent over $50 to get Fallout: New Vegas and all its DLC so that I could crank hours into an expansion of one of my favorite games of all time. Lo and behold, that game is so broken it should have never come out. Fuck Obsidian.
Didn’t something similar happen with Assassin’s Creed the first time? I remember people complaining that, like, the final boss guy was missing from a bunch of peoples’ games or something so they ended up stuck in a room where they couldn’t do anything. I’d think that if these kinds of problems keep repeating themselves then a company would lose customers, but who am I kidding? This is the videogame business, and no big franchise is in danger of losing money no matter how they treat their fans. They could have patched the game so that it gave a middle finger and said, “Stop complaining, whiny bitches” on every load screen and people would still buy the next game.
It’s a terrible thing that this is what games have come to. You wouldn’t buy a car and expect the windows, exhaust and axels to arrive/be properly assembled post purchase. Shouldn’t there be a standards committee set up to prevent this shit?
As Anthony said, they’d better receive a LOT of negative press for this to give Ubisoft the kick up the backside they and so many other companies so desperately need. It won’t happen though. Because one negative word and BOOM: No early preview/review for those guys who publicly shame them.
If enough of the press were to make a fuss about this then perhaps it would work (they’re probably too shit scared to be seen as the only one speaking out against this). Here’s hoping that someone from a publication as high profile as IGN, 1Up or Kotaku has the stones to start this ball rolling.
… So it’s free, right? 😀
It’s a shame, but this is the way she goes sometimes. I’m glad I didn’t purchase it but feel bad for those who had to play (or heaven forbid review) something that is essentially unfinished.
Bad taste in my mouth for sure.