Random: Assassin's Creed Origins Catching Strays as Ubisoft Review Bombing Gets Underway

So, MS breaks things and Ubi pays the price? Does not seem fair…

I enjoyed what I played of it. Just wish the nights got darker in it.

@NorrinRadd More that Ubi haven't bothered to fix the issue despite the issue being months old.

This is definitely an issue, but I don't see how this is related to PlayStation.

This isn’t even Ubisoft’s fault. Sad to see a dev being targeted like this, they might have their faults but the level of vitriol being directed at them feels very much agenda-driven.

This is amazing PlayStation news chaps!

@romando Thank you for mentioning what I was gonna say. This site is really leaning into PC gamer problems and make it seem like it is relevant to Playstation gamers. I guess they need to pump out the articles and get the engagement.

@breakneck I guess so. I have a gaming PC but I go here to check on PS news specifically because I have a PS5 too. Wouldn't make much sense to write about PS Plus monthly games on PC Gamer for example...

This may not be super directly Ubisoft's fault, but they deserve the hate, so I approve.

Path of exile 2 is also getting fudged by 24H2. Microsoft needs to get a new update out fast because this update is completely screwing way too many games. I’ve paused updates permanently until there’s a Microsoft side fix.

What about the other pc games that have in most liklihood been bricked too. Oh wait I see that this is a "UBISOFT" game so it's another bait and click article. Glad I use a ps5 as my choice of video game entertainment.

@nessisonett The “agenda” of people wanting to play games they paid for? Sure a Windows update broke it, but why didn’t it break other games? Probably because Ubisoft’s launcher, anti-piracy, or anti-cheat measures were mucking around at a low level in the OS that they shouldn’t have been doing in the first place.

Microsoft officially acknowledged the issue and paused the automatic update for any PC which had the affected games installed, but they did not say that they are going to make a change to fix it, they essentially implied it’s up to Ubisoft to patch their games, which lends more credence to the guess that this is due to bad practice by Ubisoft in the first place. It’s likely there was a kernel access security hole that MS patched which Ubisoft was exploiting for one of the aforementioned reasons, hence it’s Ubisoft’s responsibility to fix, not Microsoft’s.

@Sweet Ubisoft phased out PunkBuster after Black Flag. So kernel-based anti-cheat is unlikely especially with the multiplayer element being removed by the time Origins came out. They’ve also already fixed the Avatar game because it still has active maintenance devs, whereas this is an older game and development has ceased. Honestly, you writing a whole thing to say that it’s all Ubi’s fault and such sort of just reinforces my point that they’ve been getting an unfair extra level of hate that other devs avoid.

@breakneck there was a tedious link to ps5 in the article lol

Said something like one of the best assassins creeds on PS5

And that was it lol

It's not really review bombing if the game is actually broken. I don't want to buy a game that doesn't work, whoever broke it

But it is a good example of how keeping software running isn't actually free. It's why game preservation is an uphill battle

This is also a PlayStation topic!

Because Sony is bringing more and more of its PlayStation Studios games to PC. Now most often via support studios like Nixxes, in future probably more and more directly from the development studios themselves. Longtime PC care with compatibility checks for new updates (OS, graphics drivers) WILL take resources away from the longtime PS care. To put it (too) simply:

„PC update instead of PS5 Pro update“

@NorrinRadd Windows generally is absolutely horrid right now. The UI is ugly, the security features are laughable, the AI and constant advertising is off-putting, and the officially installed apps take ages to download and launch.

This wasn’t Ubisoft’s fault at the start, but it on them to fix it now is.

Ubisoft is willingly selling a game to people that they know is broken. This isn’t good for the customers who have a right to play what they have paid for and I’m saddened that people don’t get that.

Ubisoft is big enough to put resources into this to fix it. The customers can’t review bomb Windows to solve this problem, they have to target the one who can actually fix it.

This seems like a legitimate reason to review bomb in my opinion. I don’t think this is about hating Ubi, I think it’s more about gamers warning others not to buy a faulty product and trying to force a fix on a game they have invested time and money into.

We get this at work, when there is a Microsoft update to software our IT department have to hold the release back and go through lots of testing before releasing the update, do to cross over with over internal systems.

Even then when something has got missed we have had certain software and severs hang up due to Microsoft updates.

Also IT are sweeping the company replacing all surface pros with top end Dell laptops as I type this due to lack of Microsoft hardware support, not a good look for Microsoft, but I always get the feeling what do they care, they have trillions and far to powerful.

Thanks to PCs backward compatibility is not a thing to worry about anymore /s

@breakneck Being almost forced to switch to Windows 11 was what did it for me : I went for Linux Mint. Easy to install, works out of the box, very configurable and secure and you can do almost anything you'd do on Windows with open-source free programs.

Sadly, I have to keep a Windows install somewhere for my job =, as my employers forces us to use Microsoft products, but damn Windows 11 is a mess. If it was just the UI, I'd be ok, I've used Windows since Windows95, so I know what a bad UI is! But the AI, lack of security, constant prying and the ads were too much. It's not an OS anymore, it's a data gathering program first.

I’ve tried to play several of the newer ACs on PS5 but it seems like it won’t let me play unless I register for an Ubi account in game. That’s really the only problem I have with their games. I’m not making accounts for other companies to play a PS5 game I’ve already bought.

Whoa...and I thought, only Chuck Norris could "brick" a digital game ... who knew?

@Max_the_German it's not though..this an article about Windows updates breaking ubisoft games on the pc..does a ps5 use Windows?

If you release a game on PC, part of that contract is knowing that it will be broken at some point, you have the option to fix it and maintain good will for future purchases, or to stop support (and sales).

As much as I would love to dogpile on Microsoft, the fact of the matter is that there are so many variables, so many hardware and software combinations that even if they wanted to, they couldn't maintain 100% compatibility with everything, nor should they try, that way lies stagnation.

This Ubisoft hate campaign is getting boring. Their games are comfort food. Never groundbreaking but generally fun to play and run smoothly after a few updates and most of all, entertaining. I am looking forward to the new AC, I enjoyed Outlaws when I got it for £30 and played it over Christmas. Valhalla was a good game though perhaps a bit big but if nothing it’s good value for money. Origins was amazing and whilst odyssey wasn’t my bag it was still a decent game with loads of content. The games are GOOD games

Ubisoft just seem to be the cool thing to hate upon at the moment.

Perhaps platforms just need to completely remove user reviews altogether?

Critics exist for a reason.

@Northern_munkey And you don’t think that this can also happen to Sony? „Oh, a Windows update, and all games with PSN integration don’t boot anymore.“

I think they did catch a break....it's just over now^^

@romando it's related to this website and its need for traffic

@Max_the_German they are talking specifically about ubisofts PC games not the ps5..

@Northern_munkey Yes, and a developer can only work on one thing at a time. Those guys currently working on the PC issues can’t work on bringing the PS4 code to PS5 or update the PS5 games to PS5 Pro. I don’t say that the people working on OS compatibility are those working on APIs. But in the long term, developers have to be shifted, developing for more platforms makes development more complex, with the risk of losing focus.

THAT‘s why I think these are relevant news for gaming in general and PlayStation in particular.

The fact of the matter is the decision to fix this will come from the higher ups.
If you must hate/pile on maybe direct it at Yves Guillemot rather than Ubisoft. I'm sure most of the devs are doing their very best to produce fun games for us to enjoy all whilst working for that insufferable tool.
I suppose it's easier (lazier) to just follow the herd and pile misery on the undeserving though.

@Boucho11 You are correct.

instead of being irrational and review bombing for reasons that have nothing to do with the actual game content itself, simply seek "other" means of playing the game. you already purchased it, so downloading a "clone" copy (on a different build that might work) is technically not considered piracy. but of course, these individuals are likely not even interested in the game and were just looking for another excuse to be toxic online...

@Max_the_German well I don't. It's a PC issue and not a ps5.

Boo hoo.. poor PC players.. the ‘master race’ loses again

It's not the first or last time MS have released an updated to brick a game hell they have been causing performance issues on Ryzen and a 2H42 actually increased performance or some update did

@DennisReynolds or maybe Microsoft should fix it since they broke it 🤔

I’m just happy that other people love AC:Origins too! I tell everyone it was my absolute favorite PS4 game!

@Drago201 How is MS going to fix a Ubi game?

@DennisReynolds there update broke it they should have a way to fix it

@NorrinRadd They've left multiple games unfixed, how is that excusable? I get MS is responsible, Windows is garbage, but their choice to only patch the newer games they can make money off of just shows where their priorities are. Which is why they're in the position they're in in the first place.

@Drago201 That's a bit ridiculous. MS does not have access, nor should they, to Ubisoft game code. They can't change someone else's game. It's their fault, they should be catching flak left and right, but Ubisoft updated many games to fix the issue. They left old games be because they can't make much money off them anymore so why fix those games? That's the point and that's what people are mad about. The Windows update was over a month ago, at this point it's on Ubisoft.

@Porco No one should have to find an old clone of a game they purchased. That might be the most anti-consumer opinion about this I've heard. Yes massah I'll eat your crap with a smile. Do you send the IRS thank you letters?

@RadioHedgeFund Critics praised Dragon Age, they didn't even acknowledge Harry Potter, and bad mouth games like Stellar Blade because they can't handle good looking characters. Critics are just other humans and just as biased and flawed as everyone else, and many are also corrupted (consciously or not) by access journalism practices.

@Max_the_German So far the only game done mostly by a PS studio was tlou which was mainly because they're.. particular about their games, and that was a disaster of a launch. PC titles are not going to take much away from PS studios because they've made it pretty clear they want to leave PC ports to people that excel at them like Jetpack Interactive and Nixxes. Tlou was an outlier. It wasted their time and effort on the port instead of Intergalactic or whatever else, and it was bad. I doubt they make that mistake again.

@Vega37 I thought that both Helldivers 2 and Concord were completely made by studios responsible for the PS5 version, but I may be wrong here. At least that could be a trend within PS Studios for day one PC releases, and with Fairgame$ (ehh!) it could be the same.

It could be worse folks, they could be pushing another article about games that aren't even out on PS5. Indiana Jones springs to mind...

Some of you are beyond ridiculous .... Ubisoft has been in the news a lot for bad things/ bad luck. This IS A VIDEO GAME WEBSITE, the header lead is QUITE LITERALLY "RANDOM".... I.. just what????.... HUH??? WHAT is wrong with you all, whining about NERD news on a nerd game site...

To top it off its an optional read

Does anyone even care about user reviews?

I can with certainty say I have never in 40 years of gaming made a decision to buy a game based on a user review.

Im even less likely to do so now with inflated or deflated scores being the norm. Just feels to me like a lot of people wasting their time to make a little number go down.

And this is why I hesitate to build a PC, I just don’t have the patience to deal with Windows, just one update can break dozens of games and you have got to wait until the developer fixes it or Microsoft does 💀

Seems like a complicated issue. Without knowing all the technical specifics, Microsoft seems to have broke these games but Ubisoft should still be ensuring their games still work that they sold to people. Technology is getting too complicated these days lol

@MikeOrator it clearly states the review bombing is taking place on steam..which makes it nothing to do with PlayStation.. this is a Windows problem.

@Altaria_97 when I had my gaming rig running I always had problems with ubisofts games. My first gpu was an Asus 660 ti or something like that and I got assassins Creed 3 free and it was a right nightmare to get working. My next gpu was an msi gtx970 (which is still in the rig) and I got farcry 4 with it and it was an absolute pig to get working and it was mostly issues with the ubisoft app not liking windows or windows not liking the launcher..there was some kind of promotion later down the line where I got a few games that I could choose one from and I picked for honor and I could never get that to run. I already had a ps4 by this time and I pretty much gave up on PC gaming because it was just doing my head in. My wife inherited my now ancient pc as her work station and it still runs really well..well good enough for her art programs anyway. I know people don't have the kind of issues I had but I only had these problems with ubisofts games. I'll stick with my ps5.

@Northern_munkey Absolutely fair point. PC gaming can be a pain to get to work after updates, and while I never had issues with Ubisoft titles, they seem to be a big culprit to others drowning on the rig and updates.

I tried to get my friend I hadn’t seen in a while to play Sonic Adventure 2 on my PC the other week. Despite playing it fine LEGIT 5 DAYS BEFORE, it just kept crashing on startup no matter what. My PC works like 98% of the time… but those rare cases are a head banger and I get why others stick to console. I feel very grateful to have both!

@MikeOrator the same way that you feel the need to comment on my post and reply..