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.
Contest:
7:52 AM on 11.14.2007
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IGN = FAIL.
that and im always ahead of ign readers and gamestop employees with half the grotesque nerdy appearance
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'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!
I think I'm happy staying freelance.
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.
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.
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!)
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.
but all i am asking, is please stop the sony negativity.
So please, your comments are like, last-May-old.
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.
Uhhhh.... Could'nt you of worded that a little better? That title alone is what got everyone's undies in a bunch.
Seriously...
This is why we visit Destructoid.
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.
/thread
Hells_666: Ironic you should tell me to make my own reviews. I'm writing a review for the site right now. So theres! :-)
->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.
( 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! )
nice... i'm not insulting anyone really.
also, brad drac, you'll be waiting a while.
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?
Yet you're filling this page up with useless bullshit that nobody wants to read. Where's an ignore feature when you need it?
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.
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 like ign, i like gs, i like 1up. they have different approaches, but they deliver what i want from them, and thats their opinion.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Uncharted and R&C officially make me want a PS3.
Do any other reviews slam it for framerate issues?