Assassin's Creed 2 Review and test of DRM

PS3/Xbox 360 games are insanely expensive where I live. AC2 is 130 uSD. The PC version is not out yet but the normal price for new (PC) games is about 50 uSD.

 

Regardless of price, making a purchase sends the message out that you are in support of the new internet based DRM. Even if a game is 50% cheaper, why should that change our beliefs about something being wrong. In other cases I would have purchased the game to support the Devs and then simply patched it but in this case I really feel that the only choice I have is not to buy period.

 

Well the best thing we could hope for is that sales will be so bad that ubisoft will release a DRM-free version of AC2, but that would be wishfull thinking.

The only reason why I won't buy it right now is because my laptop won't be able to play it, but I will buy it eventually thats for sure, when a product is bad, but is also cheap, it makes it less bad IMO. I would in no circumstance pay like 40-50€ for a game with limited options due to DRM.

 

by your purchase of this game, whether on sale or not, you are actually supporting this kind of drm.
so unless you want all your games to have this kind of drm, i suggest you boycott it.

 

Exactly, imagine all games started being released with this kind of DRM. Surely our freedom to play a game anywhere we chose to after paying for it with our hard earned cash (in some cases from a completely dead end job lol), whether online or offline is more important than saving a few bucks.

I think we should be looking at the bigger picture here and not just at how cheap we can get something. Even if this game was £5, I would have to avoid buying it simply because of the message that buying it sends UBI and anyone else involved in making it.

If they remove the DRM, I will buy it, if they don't, then there are plenty of other games both old and new that I am enjoying.

I was really looking forward to playing this one but I am not going to sacrifice our freedom.

 

I understand your point. Furthermore, eventhough it may seem that the game is cheaper, its just because DRM is new. If its becomes a custom, prices will be just as high as before since we will be used to the DRM system.
I will join your boycot, not only because of the DRM issue, but also because the controls seem to be quite difficult to handle unless you conect an xbox controller (I read this at gamersnet.nl which wrote a review about AC2 in Dutch).

 

Don´t be silly with your comparisons. So are you saying now that without IP then people would pay the companies instead of stealing... pardon, pirating.

Let´s be serious.

 

Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo made flaws on purpose in their drawings so no one could simply build anything by looking at their notes. Just thought i'd mention it ^^

 

I believe Batman Arkham Asylum can be added to the list.

I love the game, but I can't save unless I'm connected to GFWL.

 

you can create an offline profile, which will allow you to save unconnected.

 

Oh ok, thanks.

 

I have already sent an email to many contact addresses listed on this site. I suggest anyone else who feels strongly enough against the new 24/7 Internet DRM to do the same.

The site lists many worldwide UBISoft contact addresses.

 

I grabbed the game yesterday even though i am against this type of DRM ....

Splinter Cell is coming as well and i know its going to have the same thing, so if i said no to Assassins Creed 2 then i would have to say no to Splinter Cell and thats not going to happen ....

Maybe one day in the future they will patch out the need for a constant connection but for now i always have a connection so im not going to let it spoil my fun....

Alot of people have been very vocal about this DRM but i also know that alot of these same people are angry because they cant pirate the game and they want to play it, but ill just leave it at that ....

 

This game has already been cracked wide open (24 hours after release) and confirmed working offline without an internet connection or a legit copy so I don't know what you mean by that comment. The method is very widespread too. The fact is, anyone can play it on or offline but that is besides the point and is not why so many are vocal about the protection.

I can have a constant internet connection if I wanted to. It is about us having the freedom to decide this for ourselves, not have a game dictate it for us.

Why would they patch out the game in the future to remove the DRM if people still purchased it regardless?

If we just say ''I will buy it because I don't want to miss out on the fun'' then they really have no reason not to implement this type of DRM in all further releases. This also sends out the message to other publishers to do the same.

The only people who will be restricted by this DRM are legit customers, not pirates.

 

The game is not cracked and is not working offline ... Thats what i mean by that...

As for future patching and disabling the need for a constant connection ?.. Once the game hits what ever sales they are looking for like Bioshock they removed the need to activate the game to play it ....

 

I don't play single player games when I have an internet connection lol...What is surprising is that it hasn't been cracked yet though. I wonder how much longer it will be? Not that I'm promoting it I'm just saying things usually cracked sooner or later...just a matter of time I figure.

 

I think Quadzilla means his copy is not cracked, mine is not either, there is a crack out already, but I don't use it.

 

Yep i got mine through Steam and im enjoying it ...

Would i prefer it to not need an internet connection especially for a single player game ? Of course but its not happening now and again im not going to say i wont buy it because of this....

Ubisoft is trying to protect themselves and while i think its ridiculous theres not thing i can do about it other then not buy it ... Not happening here because i like the games Ubisoft makes and possibly in the future they will take away the need for a constant connection but till then oh well ...

 

well, there is something you could have done about it... not buy it, but you already said that's not an option because apparently this is a must play game for you. So, that's that. But, as much as I'd like to play this and Silent Hunter 5, I simply can't, as I REFUSE to buy the game, and piracy is not an option, as that's what got us into this whole disaster...

cheap fools that steal games, dang you!

 

100% working one? Hmmm didn't know that.

 

They better not do this to SC: Conviction

 

I thought it had been cracked but apparently, only the Tutorials are playable or something. Either way, eventually it will be cracked regardless, so only the legit customers will lose out in the end. I have plenty of other great games on Steam and D2D for me not to worry about buying this one with it's ridiculous new DRM.

As for that game hitting enough sales, that might take a long time. I have noticed many who pre ordered the game on Amazon are returning it for a full refund after discovering the new DRM. The game is already being sold for almost half price though so maybe that will increase sales.

 

Or so they would like you to think.

No protection scheme has worked to date and they know that this will also be thwarted.

My belief is that they overplay piracy in an effort to justify higher prices with increasingly lower quality games.

 

I completely understand but i think im just getting to old to want to fight the corporate machine so ill just buy what ever looks interesting and deal with some of the stupid ideas these companies think up ...

I dont see this type of DRM being successful in the long run myself and since its to date the only game i have ever bought in my MANY years of PC gaming thats requiring this outside of an MMO then ill just live with it ....

 

They are doing this to Splinter Cell and since i love the series ALOT thats what pushed me into buying this game.... At first when i heard about this DRM i said no way am i buying into this but since i know Ubi makes Splinter Cell ill have little choice in the end.... Not buying the game is not one of them ....

 

Hopefully by the time Splinter Cell Conviction is out, they will be done with this crap. I have played each Splinter Cell game probably twice through. I love those games, but just cannot submit to this DRM. I'll wait until it's patched to eliminate the DRM.

 

It comes out April 13th so i doubt they will dump the whole DRM thing that fast... I wish they would but i wont be holding my breath.... Eventually i think they will regardless if Assassins Creed 2 flops sales wise because of the public outcry or maybe its wishful thinking ?... Assassins Creed 2 though is #5 in weekly top sales followed by Silent Hunter at #8 so i dont think they are selling as badly as some are hoping they would...


http://store.steampowered.com/feeds/weeklytopsellers.xml

 

The problem is that I really want these games to come to the PC. I have the ability to tinker with mods, play at higher settings, play on the go with a laptop, these reasons are killer enough by themselves against the console versions.

But the problem is that we PC gamers can't seem to win. If we pirate the game, they stop making games for us. If we don't buy the game, they stop making games for us. For them to keep making the games, we have to bend over and take this DRM.

The used games market on consoles is just as harmful as piracy on the PC and now the industry is starting to tackle that as well. The PSP also suffers from high piracy rates. Something radically different needs to be done, because the current measures are not working and only causing more grief.

 

Not to mention, fine tune your performance. If you get a crap console port *cough Bayonetta for PS3 cough*, you have to wait for a patch.
And it seems this won't be limited to this games, Ubisoft will try to implement it on all their games for the foreseeable future (POP: Forgotten Sands, Ghost Recon sequel). And what's worse, is that if the other publishers see that this kind of drm is not significantly stopping sales, they may try to implement it as well.

 

Not that anyone really cares but this is another example of others starting to use the same type of DRM that AC2 uses. Apparently Command & Conquer 4 is also requiring a constant internet connection to play. So those who are against this type of DRM but still decide to purchase should expect to see this type of DRM more and more in the future. If you want to play a few games in a Hotel that has no internet or game in an area that doesn't have reliable connections forget it.

By making a purchase, you are saying it is ok to lose this basic freedom to play your games exactly how you want to whether online or offline.

 

So EA is jumping on this bandwagon too? Well, I guess I'm going to be padding my wallet a little better in the future then. There's no game, to me, worth selling out to the ridiculous and pathetic DRM measures being incorporated. I have enough backlog of games to last me a long time. I guess I need to go back and finish the at least few dozen games I never completed and start downloading a lot more mods.

For predominantly online only games I guess I'm ok with it. But Assassin's Creed 2 and Silent Hunter IV are mainly single player games (does AC2 even have multiplayer?), and even C&C games can have a fun single player campaign and skirmish modes.

If they offer free worldwide internet connection, I'm ok with it.

 

Heh if I have to be online to play... Screw anything from Ubisoft then. Not buying IS A CHOICE and IMO the RIGHT choice.

Square Enix is releasing Final Fantasy XIV this year. If Ubisoft wants to play this game, then pay Square Enix your $15/month for a real online game. At least that is my plan, can't wait for this game. Much better than AC2 ever will be I'm betting.

I personally prefer MMORPG just because of the persistent progression in the game and I like joining guilds

And if that isn't enough, Guild Wars 2 is shaping up pretty good it seems. Loving the trailers for those.

Not buying is always a choice, no game is worth having to deal with that kind b.s from Ubisoft, no matter how good it is. It's just a game. There are plenty more.

 

Haha yeah that would be the ideal thing ....


Oh i should have mentioned i got my Steam version for $35.00 and that was another reason i jumped on board ... I know i would not have payed full whack for it but eh for $35.00 ill live with it....

I know the day Splinter Cell is available ill be paying whatever it takes ...

 

I guess at least the makers of AC2 were honest about the reasons for having to be online, clearly EA aren't, take a look at what (apparently was said)...

Source

 

LOL at trying to pass off a crap drm as a "feature"

 

to be honest i hope Skidrow and the other cracking houses crack it and blow it right open

for once i cant complain why people get pirate copies

 

i know. this makes securom look like cupcakes.

 

just an update

People reporting the master server crashed again, thousands of people againcant play the game

 

They are just shooting themselves in the foot with these kinds of DRM implementations.

Seriously now, first they are severely limiting the amount of copies they can sell because not everyone can get a stable 24/7 connection to the Internet.
That, and the entire premise that you have to be online to play a non - online game to begin with will simply put off a lot of people (well, it already did).

 

At first i was pretty shocked at the new drm ubi has implemented and that was propagated by the general negative consensus. But after purchasing the game and playing it for over 15 hours so far i have absolutely no problems with this system.
1. Internet is becoming increasingly common, faster, more stable and far more accessible. for the 6 years i have had steam, ive only been on offline mode a handful of times and even then on for a few days to a week at worst. As tech is improve so does security measure its all.
2. "ive paid for it i own it right?" i always thought we were paying for entertainment, just cause u pay for a ride at the theme park u dont own it. similarly, we dont own the game and if we do want that privilege im sure the games wud cost alot more. ubi have every right to tweak the experience of the "ride" they are providing to the customer.

I agree i would be alot more sour if my AC2 experience was marred by poor connection, internet instability what have u. But im not the only one buying this game. My experience will only be shared by a handful of other. if its the case that a majority have a problem, im sure they will fix it. if not, then the consumer lives with it.
When ken kutaragi justified the launch price of the ps3 he stated "i will work harder so that i can afford the ps3" (something like that). Same thing here, ubi makes product and sets the conditions. whether consumers buy or not.

Now im sure u guy all know this, but the really worry is if this sort of DRM becomes common. Now this is a whole different topic and has very little to do with the experience AC2 provides. It simply means it will inconvenience a bunch more people right? but if the company makes its money anyway and pirates continue on stealing the blame game goes round and round. There is no right answer, drm vs no drm. each has its merits and disadvantages.

All im saying is that AC2 is a solid game (minus ty texture pop in) the internet requirement is simply another addition to security, no reason to cry over it. Yes ubi servers are dying, so? they fixed it right? and every time it goes wrong they will fix it wont they? cut ppl some slack here guys. I mean will ur life be soo much worse if AC2 wasnt able to connect to a server? Is it wrong to expect ppl to have internet? (i agree its cos it wants internet all the time, when the tech isnt there to back it up, but the occasional re-verification shunt be too bad)

I think we are being slightly selfish to think we shud get what we think we deserve, in 10 years time internet is going to be as common as air. And a Drm like this will seem like nothing. slight irritance now for a secure software future. and for those wanting it to be crack and think this drm is rubbish, skidrow or whatever, crack this game, do it because the only thing it will do is promote industry growth even if its away from pc gaming which i think we hold dear.

 

You're missing the point. The whole point is that the paying customer is required to do or have something that shouldn't even be considered for something that has nothing to do with the game. It is similar to every single car having an electronic tether that if they break the connection for whatever reason, the car shuts down. Ok, a little dramatic, but in other words, everyone's guilty until proven innocent, and in this case there's no proving anything. You're just guilty.

And no internet will not be as free as air. Internet is still relatively expensive for what you get. It's spotty and inconsistent. That's ok if you have to reload a web page 60 seconds later, but if you keep getting bumped from your game, forget it. There's tons of scenarios where this DRM is impractical, but I think we're all smart enough to know what they are and that it affects a "majority" of PC gamers.

What would you say if consoles were subjected to this same DRM? All of a sudden it's a big deal. Xbox 360 pirated games proliferate the internet, but you don't see Xbox 360 requiring internet to play.

 

Aussies must be upset over this DRM method, considering they have limited bandwidth, having to pay by download, it's not unlimited with capped speeds.

 

Exactly, that's just one example as I was stating, there's many. We're fortunate in most places in the USA that your internet isn't horribly capped. Many places are, but usually high enough that a casual user wouldn't reach that cap.

I can't think of a worse DRM really, other than having someone come to your house, confirm the authenticity of your DVD or digital download and watch you play EVERY TIME you play.

 

but isnt that the same with all security systems? i live in a house that has locked doors, alarms etc. which suggest to the world that u are all potential thieves that i cant trust my house with open doors. I get ur point, i reckon i was being a bit dramatic as well. But this trust issue between gamers and publishers needs to be sorted

 

Even the house analogy is incompatible since these thieves (pirates) aren't deterred in the least by locks. The thieves have master keys and your alarm code.

So you have to ask, if the pirates have never been deterred in the least by any protection scheme, why are they collectively punishing paying consumers in a manner that may induce consumers to piracy?

 

well if you use the house analogy its similar to you, the customer buying a house with a pre-installed security system that would require you to call them by cell every time you wanted to enter or exit your house and you had no option to disable it.

 

want a solution?

Get ubisoft to copy Ea's example and remove the DRM if u buy on steam

COME ON UBI

oh btw, make SH5 available on steam in the UK!

 

Problem with this is that some pirated releases are Steam downloaded games. I wonder if that will have an impact?

 

yeah. like what you said in another thread, there is no solution atm.

 

Soon gaming (at least PC gaming) may be restricted into playing at internet cafes with Ubisoft/EA/Activision,etc. employees.