Poll: Assassin's Creed 2 on PC gets a 9, reviewer tells readers not to buy it.

[Onyx Oblivion]

http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/assassins-creed-ii/review/assassins-creed-ii/a-20100304165650968088/g-200908201068558056

There you go...the first two lines.

"It's brilliant. Don't buy it."

Followed by a mini-rant against the DRM, and then a fair review of the game.

Oh...and you have to hold down three keys to sprint.

So, should DRM factor into reviews? Because he decided to not take it into account on the final score, besides just telling you not to buy it at the beginning and mentioning it again in the "things you'll hate" section.

 

[Pimppeter2]

Seeing as Ac2 should get at most a 7, this guys not what I would call a reliable source.

Seriously now, the DRM factor should be taken into reviews as a heavy negative, but the reviewer shouldn't let his stance on the issue be all that is taken into effect.

If the DRM is so annoying that its game-breaking (Like the AC2 DRM is) but just because the reviewer despises DRM just because of its concept rather than how it is applied than that isn't very reasonable.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Seeing as Ac2 should get at most a 7, this guys not what I would call a reliable source.

Now, Pimp, you know I love you man, but you also are aware that you are in the minority on the "AC2 sucks" thing...Of course, now they are going to come out of the woodwork since I typed this.

 

[wooty]

That seems a bit shit, you need constant connection to play it? I'm starting to see the light on why PC gamers are starting to feel shafted on the new releases and this DRM fiasco

 

[reg42]

Yes, as it will effect the experience you have with the game. That's why I like Gamesradar; I disagree with their verdicts every now and again, but they usually tell it how it is.

 

[Zacharine]

I actually tried AC2 at my friends house (PC version of course)...

And I do not agree with the review. The control schemes are more crippling than presented. Sure, the game looks nice but that means nothing when you have to drag your mouse from left to right over the mouse pad twice to execute a 180 turn. On chaces/races, this can be crippling.

All in all, standard problems for a game that was ported from a console: controls do not respond well to the keyboard+ mouse. I wonder, why is it that the developers who port the games have a fear of the keyboard buttons; we have like 40 different buttons right next to our hands, yet we must use button combinations for simplest of things when we are using only like 10 of those buttons.

And yes, DRM should factor into the review, at least when we are talking of DRM that might reduce your gaming experience. Like it or not, the potential of having a screen of 'connection to server lost. Quittiting to OS' in the middle of a intense chace is a gameplay factor.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Yes, as it will effect the experience you have with the game. That's why I like Gamesradar; I disagree with their verdicts every now and again, but they usually tell it how it is.

I just really like their podcast and lists. I like them for giving New Super Mario Bros Wii review the "7/10" it deserved, though.

 

[Zacharine]

That seems a bit shit, you need constant connection to play it? I'm starting to see the light on why PC gamers are starting to feel shafted on the new releases and this DRM fiasco

DRM which has already been cracked: Silent Hunter 5 didn't survive even a single day before fully functional and stable cracks were spreading on the internet.

Yeah, first we got poor concole ports, now we are returning to the StarForce-level of legitimate-user unfriendliness.

Anyone, got any lube you could sell me? I'm feeling a bit sore and I'm anticipating future applications of similar DRM-technology....

 

[Meggiepants]

I'm glad he mentioned the DRM in his review, at the very least. But the score itself reflects the gameplay in my opinion, so... I don't know. This is actually kind of a hard question for me to answer.

On the one hand, your gameplay could be affected quite a lot by this DRM, if say you have an internet connection like many of the people I know in this area, and particularly during this time of year, when the storms start brewing in the sky. Our internet connection can get knocked out fairly easily this time of year.

On the other hand, should you insult the game developers because their distributor sucks ass? That's a difficult position to be in.

 

[fix-the-spade]

So, should DRM factor into reviews? Because he decided to not take it into account on the final score, besides just telling you not to buy it at the beginning and mentioning it again in the "things you'll hate" section.

It's a review of the product, however you cut it, the DRM is an integral, almost defining part of Assasin's Creed 2. It would be disingeuous not to tell people about it, so absolutely.

Personally, I think it should factor into the score, if a great game is a complete pain in the ass to even switch on, it's not a great game.

 

[achilleas.k]

Oh...and you have to hold down three keys to sprint.

That's exactly how the first AC played on the PC. You had to hold right click (high profile), forward to move and the legs button (mouse thumb). The controls were strange to say the least, but I think they worked great. I love how Ubi handles movement in games. When the first Splinter Cell came out is was astonishing. The character animations were great and the mouse wheel controlled the speed of the character, which wasn't only original but it worked flawlessly.

Now, back to the topic at hand. The DRM for AC2 is a bad idea. It would be much better with an offline mode that required authentication, say, once a week. This would have the same effect Ubi wanted to have in terms of anti-piracy but it wouldn't be as annoying. We all know that pirates are never affected by DRM anyway. As for personal experience with the system, I haven't played it yet but my girlfriend already bought it (after finishing it on a mate's PS3 - she's addicted to that game) and doesn't seem to mind it at all, even when the servers went down a couple of days ago. She also has a somewhat flaky connection at home and it can handle the constant verification pretty well.

I believe reviewers should review the game alone. That said though, the experience a game provides is part of it all. If a game has bugs that annoy the crap out of you, you'd mention it in a review, even though they aren't part of the game. Bugs even reduce the score in reviews, even when they're not game-breakers. So I'm going to say that DRM should NOT factor into reviews, but the reviewers suggestion to not buy it wasn't wrong, since he ignored it in the score calculation. He gave the game a fair review and simply mentioned a part of the experience that is unpleasant but is irrelevant to the game.

...when you have to drag your mouse from left to right over the mouse pad twice to execute a 180 turn. On chaces/races, this can be crippling.

All in all, standard problems for a game that was ported from a console: controls do not respond well to the keyboard+ mouse. I wonder, why is it that the developers who port the games have a fear of the keyboard buttons; we have like 40 different buttons right next to our hands, yet we must use button combinations for simplest of things when we are using only like 10 of those buttons.

Ever heard of mouse sensitivity? The AC2 controls are identical to the first AC and I think it works great. The people I know who have played it using both controllers and keyboard+mouse found the latter much easier too.

 

[Zacharine]

Ever heard of mouse sensitivity?

Yes, believe it or not. Perhaps I'm just too used to the high-precision, high-sensitivity controls of my own PC where 5cm slide is enough to move the cursor from the leftmost side to the rightmost side of the screen. My friend has almost the same level of sensitivity, yet AC2 seems to be the only game where I have to lift the mouse off the pad to execute any larger turn.

The AC2 controls are identical to the first AC and I think it works great.

Well I didn't play AC1 and the control scheme is extremely unintuitive. Sure, it might work once you get used to it, but the point I was making was that there was no reason to make it like that.

Incidentally, I also play AC2 on a console (360) when it first came out and while I prefer keyboard+mouse over console controllers any day, at least on the controller AC2 felt like there was some rhyme and reason with the controls.

Sure, keyboard is easier than the controller, I agree on that, but I feel it could have been so much better and smoother; it's better than with a controller, but not half as good as a multiplicity of PC games out there. It fails to achieve the standard set by other PC games.

 

[richasr]

Yes because even though it's nothing to do with the actual game in terms of gameplay or story, it still has an effect on the overall experience. I'm actually glad I buy console versions almost exclusively now so I don't have to put up with that shit.

 

[GiantRedButton]

In my local video game retailer there is an offical AC 2 edition that contains a controller.
*wink wink nudge nudge. Say no more*

 

[achilleas.k]

Ever heard of mouse sensitivity?

Yes, believe it or not. Perhaps I'm just too used to the high-precision, high-sensitivity controls of my own PC where 5cm slide is enough to move the cursor from the leftmost side to the rightmost side of the screen. My friend has almost the same level of sensitivity, yet AC2 seems to be the only game where I have to lift the mouse off the pad to execute any larger turn.

The AC2 controls are identical to the first AC and I think it works great.

Well I didn't play AC1 and the control scheme is extremely unintuitive. Sure, it might work once you get used to it, but the point I was making was that there was no reason to make it like that.

Incidentally, I also play AC2 on a console (360) when it first came out and while I prefer keyboard+mouse over console controllers any day, at least on the controller AC2 felt like there was some rhyme and reason with the controls.

Sure, keyboard is easier than the controller, I agree on that, but I feel it could have been so much better and smoother; it's better than with a controller, but not half as good as a multiplicity of PC games out there. It fails to achieve the standard set by other PC games.

Naturally such things boil down to taste and what one can get used to. Agreed, the controller version has a certain mapping that makes sense (top button = head, bottom button = feet, etc). My question earlier ("ever heard of sensitivity ... ") was a bit rude, but I just figured it was an empty complaint since sensitivity and key mappings can be adjusted.

It's true that, in games like AC, you can change the individual keys around but the combinations are still combinations, but the fact that each individual key can be remapped and sensitivity can be controlled from both the mouse settings and the in game settings should be enough to satisfy just about anyone. Hell the first thing I do whenever I start up a game is go to the keyboard configuration menu. Actually, that's the second thing I do; first thing is to invert mouse Y axis .

Anyway, we're off topic, but I'm not disagreeing with you. It's weird; some people find that it works great, others don't.

 

[Irridium]

Hey, I see your post over there!

...sorry, I'm just entertained by things like that.

Anyway, as for if DRM should impact review scores. I like clicking the little bubble. No.

However you can use the review to warn people about it and tell the devs/publisher how stupid and pointless it is.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Seeing as Ac2 should get at most a -7, this guys not what I would call a reliable source.

Fixed your little comment a tiny little bit.

OT: I think it's good that he at the very least mentions it. If it should affect the score is up to debate, but it should be mentioned

 

[havass]

ehhhh. whatever he says i'm still getting it. i don't have an xbox or a ps3 so THE PC's MY ONLY SALVAGE.

 

[Zacharine]

snip

And perhaps I'm just too set in my ways to fully appreciated anything too different if it doesn't immediately endear itself to me. Sure, some people may love the AC2 control schemes for keyboard+mouse and for them, great.

I simply feel that there was no reason at all to go for so different controls on the PC version, when the majority of games use a somewhat standardized controls. And because this....feature... seems to plaque almost exclusively games that were ported to PCs from consoles... well, you get my drift.

Disregarding controls and DRM, I still think AC2 is a nice sandboxy swashbuckling-adventure game. It's just that the controls make it somewhat frustrating to play and the control customizability feels awfully limited for a PC game (at least to my experiences).

 

[Lucane]

I'd say No, if the game runs fine (when the DRM isn't effecting gameplay do to how it's been implamented in this case not letting you play at all if the servers down to verify constantly.) and isn't buggy or etc. it shouldn't be judged on it's security (even if the security considers you a possible threat) becuase in a perfect world the game is still a 9 in his review standard though he of course makes a note of the DRM on the side which I think is proper.

Otherwise MMOs would be marked down for not letting you play if you lose connection/servers down or having Gold/Gil/Money farmers charging to much RL cash for in-game money.

Or for the FPS crowd: being marked down for terrible bugs/glitches that break the balance or are clear cheating/hacking of the MP (that could be fixed of course in time.) though making a Note of that to inform buyers of it's present status would be pleasent.