Yesterday I posted a report that IGN had critically slammed the PS3 version of Assassin's Creed, claiming the framerate issues were so bad, they affected the gameplay and that the former Sony exclusive fared poorly in comparison to the Xbox 360. Lo and behold, I wake up this morning to find the Internet set ablaze with reports that IGN has actually modified the review.
I'm not sure why IGN felt the need to do this -- pressure from Sony and/or Ubisoft, a need to impress PS3 fans and keep them reading, or maybe they just didn't want Destructoid on the case. Either way, this kind of activity makes sites like us, who don't have the luxury of IGN's cash and traffic, who have worked hard for our credibility, look bad. It's not professional behavior, and not behavior I condone. Even if I make a mistake on Destructoid, I keep it here, as my Elder Scrolls/MMO snafu proves.
I've already had a few people accuse Destructoid of making it up, though for what reason escapes me. If that's the case, then I'd also say that this Digg page and this IGN forum thread, which talks about IGN's framerate complaints, have to be suffering the same group hallucination as my colleagues and I. We're not the only ones who saw it.
IGN itself has forgotten to wipe all trace of the complaints. In the review, the article now says that "None of [the framerate issue] deters from the gameplay though, so it is forgivable," while the final verdict states that "The word is beautiful except for the pop-in and troublesome framerate issues. The animations are top-notch, but tough to enjoy with slowdown." I guess it's not so unintrusive and forgivable, eh?
I don't personally care that IGN changed its review. Whatever it needs to do to keep running. Next time though, give me a heads up before I source your work, okay? Considering I've worked for IGN before, I'm very disappointed that it's jeopordized my professional credibility and the esteem of this site, to say the least.
[Update: IGN has explained this as an act of error as opposed to sneakiness. More after the jump]
Well, this story just gets more and more confusing. The review has been rolled back to now include the text that was there in the final publication last night. IGN contacted Destructoid directly to say that the issue was a copy/paste error that had gone overlooked. For whatever reason, the finished publication had been gone into and swapped paragraphs or somesuch, at least by IGN's reckoning. Confusion abounds afresh.
Crossed wires? Innocent screw ups? Who knows? What I do know, however, is that the people who kept accusing me of making quotes up and keep their traps shut now -- I told you it was bloody there.
Through it all though ... I still don't know if I should buy Assassin's Creed.
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That is a disgrace of the highest order. You might not care that the review has changed, but I do. Where's their independence and journalistic integrity which should be founded on unbiased, fair, objective evaluation??
IGN = FAIL.
what??!!? modified?! the hell? omg i agree with axle. total utter fail! i use to hold ign pretty high(i know, don't look), but this is ridiculous... first they start to fail and then they try to justify that but they're only digging the hole deeper. shame... did i say fail? fail!
I can't wait to see how they try to wriggle their way out of this one.
i must say it is refreshing that i dont have to click 7 links to see what i want on this site
that and im always ahead of ign readers and gamestop employees with half the grotesque nerdy appearance
IGN sucks.
Halt Criminal Scum tag is lol
Sorry Jim, that sucks that you and Destructoid almost took it in the butt. It's a good thing you have natural matlockery skills.
i must say its nice to have the "aussie" review on there as well. even its ridiculous, its good to get a "different" opinion on the same site
What pissed me off is how the article you posted really made it a big deal.
I'm sick of the sony bashing that ign, this place, and others keep throwing out. making all these small diffences like this big life or death thing for either sony or microsoft.
microsoft's machine owuld be fantastic, if there wasnt a 40% failure rate. And if the price and hds were better. That is what keeps me from buying it. it has issues. So does sony.
But the game play, blue ray, and exclusives on both systems justify buying each, well almost, if only microsoft would fix their flawed console design.
Both can live and breath. Both can be great for each audience. some games are better on 360, some are better on ps3. So what, the differences are usually really small in the first place. its not like oblivion on ps3 makes oblivion on the 360 bad. just slightly better. but if you were to post some oh no, 360 watch out, oblivion is better on the ps3. this would be just as stupid as the header of the oh no, sony watch out, the 360 ass creed is better.
It is your fault, you blame these stupid trolls for the flame, but i blame editors like you who post oh no the sky is falling for sony and help sensationalize small differences in game builds..
all i see is microsoft favoritism's. constantly, on every friggen site out there. and its retarded at best. both systems are great, some better in some areas, and worse in others, but neither replaces the other. cept, when it comes to reliability..
STOP THE FRACKING SONY BASHING!
Well, I do care in a fashion that IGN modified the review, but I don't care about IGN's running half as much as I care about Dtoid's own credibility. I'm just personally glad I never got that full-time job there if this is how it's run. I may not be the most principled man on earth, but I enjoy creative freedom and if edits of that caliber have to be made, not just a rude word or something, then we let you know.
I think I'm happy staying freelance.
hexfix: But the other day you said you liked my work. Are you, like IGN, modifying your stance to fit the situation? :-(
No i do like most of your posts. But not ones like this. Not one's that are, oh no the sky is falling for ps3. i'm so fracking sick of it. constant attacks on the consoles. the only real deserve attack on a console in my eyes is a 40% failure rate. seriously, but it seem like everyone ignores that now. there should be a total recall on 360, and a total re building on it.
IGN practicing dubious journalism ? It must be Tuesday.
hexfix only compliments your work if it's praising the PS3 or Sony brand. That's why I explained to you, don't feed the trolls.
Hexfix if every gaming site has something bad to say about the PS3, it's for a reason. The PS3 gets it's glory moments, but they are so very few and far between. Everyone knows MS makes bad consoles but has the stand out library, and everyone knows what the PS3 is capabible of, but when it doesn't live up to or even exceed it's expectations that's when people start to not care.
And please, no one brought up Microsoft in this conversation till you went on another rant trying to defend Sony. Don't keep that up, because if you don't take a second to step back and look at the situation from all angles, ignorant crap might spew from your mouth.
i wonder if Destructoid will change their review....
I heard Aaron Linde is going to re-rate Halo 3 as a 10/10.
it's uncalled for, the ps3 is great now, with great games, a good price point and all. and still, constant ps3 bashing.
stupidity at best. the 360 is a broken product. doesnt work right, and breaks.
both consoles have great games.
cept for the moeny, ps3 is better, 50 bucks more and you get wifi and blueray..
I prefer destructoids reviews. i do. jericho was slammed by gamstop and ign, destructoid gave it the correct review.. and i trust this to be the case on all games. that is why i come here. But i am sick to death of the sky is falling for ps3.. sick of it. it's not. it has a big install base, it will keep growing, this holidy season will be great for ps3. because the wii wont meet demand, and the ps3 is cheaper now.
but no one talks about that. ps3 wont win in sales, but they will gain a lot of ground, and it is a serious gaming platform with great games, and blue ray..so please tell the truth about the system and stop casting doom spells on the consoles.
Have we not forgotten that IGN is owned by Rubert Murdoch. The same douche that owns the highly credible Fox News Network. Its all starting to make since.
Technically, they have rebuilt it at this point, it's just those users with an older system don't have the new cooler running components.
As far as the game running less smooth on the PS3? I believe it. I read that comment yesterday that they put up. I think it's probably 100% true. If they played them side by side they probably did notice this.
The thing is... it's not unexpected really. To me, it seems pretty unanimous that 3rd party developers are spending the quality time on developing for the 360 and the PS3 is getting the left over slop. I honestly don't expect that to improve until after this holiday season, providing that the PS3 sells well (and I expect that it will).
Regardless, Uncharted: Drake seems like it's a much better game than Ass Creed at this point. The review wasn't too nice about the repetitive gameplay either. I wonder what Rev. A would give it. 3? (it better be lower than Zelda:TP!)
Who complained, Ubisoft or Sony?
It's possible that the graphical complaints sounded too severe to justify only a .5 difference between PS3 and 360 graphics score (8 and 8.5, respectively), so the editor toned down the language.
Regardless, they should at least acknowledge that a change was made and explain why. I know it's not the New York Times, but still.
Oh and btw, i will be advertising this site on my site very soon, once it becomes a full blog, and i get 800 hits a month. so its something decent.. could turn new people onto you guys, and i hope it does.
but all i am asking, is please stop the sony negativity.
Oh for God's sake, some of you, grow up. I never bashed the PS3 in my report on Assassin's Creed's review, did I? I've never bashed the PS3 as a system. I've only ever pointed at Sony's bad PR, and I've made a fair few positive PS3 stories before. Not my fault if there aren't a huge deal to go around.
So please, your comments are like, last-May-old.
Its not bashing. If the work doesn't stand up by comparison, then that's worth mentioning. Comparison is natural to happen when you have the same thing on a different set of specs/hardware. Its like saying you need a fast processor to run SimCity 4. That's not bashing slow processors, its informing the reader, who wants good information from a review regarding quality of the experience.
Its journalistically responsible. If, God Forbid, I ever relied on the opinion of IGN to sway my decisions on purchases or a game's worth of playing, I'd want them to tell me that the game is in someway lacking on one console vs. another.
And why make an article/ "Big deal" out of it? Because its a gameblog, and the state of quality in gaming is kind of a big deal.
And really, its a statement on the software, not the hardware. I've seen Gran Turismo on PS3, and its fucking gorgeous. If Ubisoft botched the framerate, that's Ubisoft.
"Assassin's Creed sucks on the PlayStation 3: At least that's what they say"
Uhhhh.... Could'nt you of worded that a little better? That title alone is what got everyone's undies in a bunch.
Seriously...
Henceforth, all screenshots must be taken of all high-profile reviews. We won't be fooled again.
Good job Jim, great article. This pisses me off because if there are people out there that don't think shit like "payola" goes on in our industry you are blind. Is it bullshit that IGN did this? Yeah totally. Is it surpising? No fucking way.
This is why we visit Destructoid.
Stop crying. All 3 consoles suck in their own special way.
From Dtoids street Cred -> Sony bashing-> MS 40% failure rate->Jim's street cred. What's next? Are you going to whine because he doesn't wear his monocle on his left eye?
Jade Raymond offered the IGN Assassins Creed reviewer one night with her in a hotel room... involving sexual activities of course. You cant blame the man for taking the offer!
If i remember correctly there was words said that Assassins Creed was gonna be a bit shitty anyway, who dives off a 50ft house and lands in a cart of hay to survive, sickening. Gonna get a ton of Finnish kids doing it then suing the game industry for there blind stupidity.
And, Topher settles the score.
/thread
Hexfix: I could have used different words. I didn't. Would it really have made you feel happy or love your PS3 even more?
Hells_666: Ironic you should tell me to make my own reviews. I'm writing a review for the site right now. So theres! :-)
Gaming journalism is a fucking shambles. While disappointing, this is not much of a surprise. If the ps3 framerate is a significant issue, it should be addressed so buyers know exactly what they're getting for their money. That's kind of the bloody point for reviews. Although I'm still waiting for rev ant to rescind his twilight princess review in favour of a score of 8.8.
->hexfix: You suck hard. I don't give a shit about you defending the ps3, but your constant saying you're leaving the site then coming back the next day, and saying you're giving up flaming then posting shit like this. Give the attention whoring a rest, for the love of all relevant deities.
Topher spits hot fire and the truth
Hilary is on the Rag.
( CUNT! )
IGN is a bunch of Fucktards.
( They have been removed from my Bookmarks )
&
Jim Sterling is STILL a good guy.
(You sir showed us the Carnival games that IGN Plays)
DTOID is going to be just fine.
( Everyone knows it is IGN's Review, that is FAIL! )
Personal insults from 3 year olds...
nice... i'm not insulting anyone really.
Good job Jim. I read your original report, and stand by your journalistic integrity. It sucks when the gaming (or as hells_666 so eloquently put it gamming) journalism industry shows as much credibility as mainstream media.
also, brad drac, you'll be waiting a while.
Agreed, Tubatic. Topher wins. Each console does suck in it's special way.
I don't believe there's really any PS3 bashing going on. Even if there is, that's not the topic at hand. The post was about IGN modifying their reviews after the fact.
Stop bringing console religion wars into every discussion... please?
"nice... i'm not insulting anyone really."
Yet you're filling this page up with useless bullshit that nobody wants to read. Where's an ignore feature when you need it?
can we just ban hexfix93 already?
Here's an idea for you, at the risk of a ban... why don't you actually, you know, play the game yourself on a ps3 and post your own review on it, instead of scavenging through other sites' work in the first place??? Do some good ol' fashioned investigative reporting? :-P
I love reading this site, but really, publicly calling out another writer for making you look bad, cuz you swiped his/her results to begin with, seems just as much as unprofessional.
yeah, ban me cause i have a different opinion.. great..
this is my favorite gaming site on the net right now. it's all most perfect in my eyes. i just complain some times. so what..
i have to say, all these console arguments are as a broken as your ps3's library and crushed dreams, you're 12th RROD 360 and you're illusion of such a thing as a correct review. directed to all of you in this thread. yes, i'm hating the haters, hence hating myself. see what you made me do there? goddamnit...
i like ign, i like gs, i like 1up. they have different approaches, but they deliver what i want from them, and thats their opinion.
Meh, I don't think we should ban hexfix at all -- the whole point of having a community is that sometimes people will complain. We're not exactly ivory tower of here, and if Hex and Jim want to engage in a verbal pissing match, I think we should get some popcorn.
As someone who has been a regular IGN reader for a very long time, I find this news troubling. Perhaps everyone on the Internets is correct about IGN's general wretchedness. I've always wondered why they get bashed so damn often, and now I'm beginning to see why.
Also, console wars and fanboys are both stupid and pointless. Peoples is peoples, after all. Let said peoples be happy with their console of choice, I say.
gnajj: As soon as Ubisoft sends ME review code, you'll bet your ass I'll do a review.
Also, people like hexfix need to stick around. I may find his contant heckling aggravating, but that's the nature of my job and I enjoy tackling the critics as much as they tackle me.
mmmmm... popcorn. *drools
Stop saying the sky is falling, hexfix. It's annoying. Be glad there are journalists out there such as Jim Sterling who still have the balls AND the integrity to report information such as this, because we all benefit from honesty such as this.
I want to like the PS3. I really do. I just can't when shit like this occurs to such high-profile release. Here's hoping Drake's is a quality product.
I commend you, Jim. Keep up the good work.
@Hex, You know who we should be really mad at?
Ubisoft dude. Another multiplatform game which is unfinished on the PS3. This is getting lame. Put the time in and learn the hardware. You do it once and you're set for all the following games. I'd have rather had Assassin's Creed PS3 in Spring '08 then get the second's from the 360 version.
Shit. IGN just posted it's review of Uncharted as I typed my comment. They gave it a 9.1. Good news for the PS3, indeed.
Uncharted and R&C officially make me want a PS3.
Wow, what utter bullshit, this is why you take screen caps of garbage like this.
Do any other reviews slam it for framerate issues?
Jim Sterling,
Joystiq does this as well. And I was under the impression that, as a journalist, if you go back and modify your work post publish, you are required by journalist code to put an EDIT somewhere in said work.
Looks like I'll be canceling my IGN insider.
So either IGN was completely and utterly wrong the first time around and tried to fix their mistake on the sly without admitting they screwed up, or they were trying to being honest with the first review and bowed to pressure from "The Man" to change it (it does contain some rather damning language, after all).
Either way, NOT cool. Thanks for reminding me why IGN isn't trustworthy.
I swear, this is not the first time IGN has altered a review. If I remember correctly, they did the exact same thing with their PS3 skate. review.
hexfix, we did report that the PS3 version of Oblivion looked better.
You shouldn't be upset with Dtoid or any other sites for their "Sony bashing". You should really be directing your anger towards the xbots that are running their mouths and the devs that are making these poor ports. The problem isn't with the reporting as much as it is with Sony's console. In the same way, I wouldn't expect xbots to complain that we are biased towards Sony just because an article goes up that the 360 red rings a lot (although people do complain about this). It's impossible to please everyone. The RRoD is the problem of MS, not the site reporting on it.
Like you said, both consoles have their faults and everyone has their preferences. It sounds like you prefer the PS3. You have some great games coming up like Uncharted and Haze. Enjoy them.
sounds like some people are bitter that they own a ps3 :P
IGN is a subsidiary of NewsCorp.
If anyone is questioning whether or not a company that keeps the same family as Fox News, is being honest or not, should reevaluate their stance.
unfortunately, dishonesty is good buisness. We see it everywhere. I think at this point its safe to say the issue is more of an issue than sony, and now IGN wants you to think it is.
Whenever there is a journalistic edit, I do believe a citation should be somewhere. Which makes me agry that IGN tried to sweep what they originally said under the rug. As you said Jim, I could care less about the actual integrity of IGN, or any console bashing that was purported, or people at least think was; what matters is that such a change can bring in the question of validity of a site like this that reports on gaming, that cites other such sites (redundant? :p ).
Whatever, I just think people missed the point of what Jim was trying to say, trying to start flamewars about what console was better and that Jim is being biased or something and for him to do his own review. He is just trying to protect this site and doesn't want it to be devalued or degraded by the unprofessional attitudes of other companies. As D-Toid members I think we all can appreciate that.
After reading all of these damn comments, I have come to understand that Hexfix, Sterling and many others here are misunderstanding each other. You're having a damn communication problem with text. How this happens is an enigma beyond me. PS3 was not bashed by Sterling in this post, keep Hexfix here and above all, SHUT THE FUCK UP AND JUST PLAY GAMES!
Hexfix, we both like to call on bullshit when we find it, but when it comes to text on posts like this, just mention it once and move on. Otherwise, you're wasting your effort.
What's the problem anyway? Clearly IGN did not get their Lair-style "Review Guide" before posting their review. Framerate trouble? That's a feature, not a bug!
Here is what Hill wrote on the 360 GB on IGN in regards to this article being posted.
_____________________________________________________________________
Hil-IGN wrote:
WTF?
Uh, no. Our copy editor effed up. Edited the 360 review then cut and pasted it onto the PS3 article. This is my theory anyway. I am fixing it now.
___________________________________________________________________
So it seems it will be changed again I guess.
You know, when I saw this on destructoid last night, but not the "other" blogs.... I figured something like this would happen... Condidering Gamespot said practically the opposite (and after their atrocious Ratchet and Clank review, its hard to call them sony fanboys). So I think its possible IGN was absolutely wrong... I am sure we will find out later today.
It was totally unprofessional to retract the review. But it would be even more unprofessional to give blatantly false info in a review.
But I don't blame you Jim... sorry you got rick rolled man.
Wait, I thought hexfix93 left destructoid for 'greener' pastures?
IGN should be ashamed of themselves though, their reviews are meant to be unbiased and honest. Retracting a particularly ill received opinion just because it causes a fanboy shitstorm seriously damages their credibility. I've just spent a good 3-4 hours with Assassin's Creed on PS3 and have to say I've found the framerate and texture pop-in somewhat problematic (very occasionally), I've yet to compare the 360 version so I can't comment on the difference (or lack thereof) between the two. If there's anything to say about the game, 7.5/10 is probably a fair score, I get the impression all the hype and hysteria surrounding the game is misplaced.
If I wanted journalistic integrity I would read CVG or PSM. Dtoid doesn't need integrity when we have a blogger with a FUCKING MONOCLE! That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I read dtoid. "Credibility".... that's cute.
Maybe you all should slam the author of the review and not an ENTIRE WEBSITE... No matter who represents it
and maybe the author went back and had some revisions because unlike destructoid which is independent(?), IGN may have a lot more at stake... perhaps ubisoft/sony funding? the first version made ubisoft look lazy and made sony look inferior. Another fiasco like lair was and the PS3 is holding on by a thread (or snake)...
and I doubt d'toid had anything to do with the changing of the article, c'mon now.... it was all over the boards and Im sure someone from sony or ubisoft saw the review...
@ shamrock
thanx for the 2nd update.
Heh, I always giggle when a large site modifies a review like that. I wish I could retract things I say that easily.
At least this time the score only changed slightly (7.7, at least for the moment) and didn't go from a 7.5 to a 9 or 10. Still pretty lame though, not sticking to their guns like that, and a shame that it happens with disturbing regularity.
No problem.
Forgot to provide the link for Hill's response. You'll need a IGN insider subscription to read it though.
http://boards.ign.com/xbox_360_general_board/b8266/153987066/p1/?28
No problem.
Forgot to provide the link for Hill's response. You'll need a IGN insider subscription to read it though.
http://boards.ign.com/xbox_360_general_board/b8266/153987066/p1/?28
Holding money over someone's head is a great way to get a better review... but an awful way to get the truth.