So I finally picked up a copy of Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow for the XBOX. The price dropped down to $30 and I figured it was time to give it a whirl. Everything I had read about the game hyped up the multiplayer as "Innovative", "Daring" and "Lots of fun". Evidently these people hadn't played the game with anyone other than there close friends. The people on XBOX live? Yeah...they are quite the dispointing bunch. Not to bag on Pandora Tomorrow, but this game just happens to be a perfect example of how bad online gaming can be with a console.
So Microsoft really pushed the online gaming for there fledgling XBOX console a year after it was introduced. I have to admit, I was really excited. I was even lucky enough to participate in the Beta, which was extremely fun. The most time I have spent on the service is with Mechassault, which in fairness doesn't have nearly as many glitches as other games.
To the point I guess. The sheer amount of glitches that are found after a game is introduced is absolutely astonishing. And what is more astonishing is home quickly "glitching" becomes prevelent. Not only does playing games online with a console mean a lot of downtime, setting up games, waiting for players etc....but now you are not getting to enjoy the game once it actually gets started.
You would think that a company as big as Ubisoft would actually do a little play testing on there facilities. Or perhaps come up with a method for patching online console games. There is a hard drive in the Xbox after all, and we have the ability to download new maps, so why not downloads that fix glitches? Microsoft managed to implement patchs for Mechassault, although they didn't spend enough of there resources actually fixing some of the bigger ones.
There are a few reasons for this really. I'll try to explore a few. First off, seasonal releases. Clearly Splinter Cell has joined the ranks of Madden, and now Mortal Kombat, as a game that will have a new release once a year. Although this is great because we get more of a great game, this is also bad because the developers stop supporting past editions of the franchies. This means those of us that have yet to buy the new edition, or don't want to, have to put up with all the glitches that came out of the retail box, and have no hope of ever being rid of them. Hopefully the new editions have fixes in place that means they wont be containing previous glitches, and all the pain in the arse online players can spend there time looking for new glitches. Secondly I believe that developers feel that any system available for gettings these patches out to gamers is not effective enough to warrant the effort. If every single XBOX owner had XBOX Live, then you better believe they would be patching all the time, but alas that is not the case.
So what are we as gamers to do? Continue to suffer through one bad Xbox Live experience after another? Just stop playing the games with the glitches? Revolt against "the man" and file multi million dollar lawsuits against said companies?
Well....I think only one of those answers is correct, although we don't want to pick it, and most of the time we end up doing it anyways. Quit playing the games.
Usually this just comes out of one too many bad experiences resulting in us removing the game from the Xbox and thinking to ourselves "maybe tomorrow it wont be so bad". After awhile you stop yourself from putting in the game knowing that it is just going to be a big hassle, and the fun factor will quickly drop to about %5. Next thing you know that game is only being picked out of your collection when you need some ammo to trade in to EBgames for the next hot new game. It really is a sad cycle to see games that are so hyped, and honestly innovative become the objects of our scorn and dissatisfaction. I can't even tell you how excited I was about Pandora Tomorrow when I first read an article about the multiplayer. I should have just bought it the day it came out for $50 before anyone discovered the widespread glitches. This would have let me experience the game as it was intended to be experienced. But...then I would also be out an extra $20 and the game, as of now, would be nothing more than another entry on my Collection tab.
Perhaps the developers know all of this. Perhaps someone at Ubisoft knew that the game would only last a few months in the hands of the public before these glitches became widespread. Maybe this is the reason we are seeing such a quick release of the next Splinter Cell game. A game that will most likely be released for $50 and AGAIN only last a few months before the multiplayer is tainted with the stench of glitches.
Will I put down $50 for the new game? Probably not. Will I buy the game when it drops to $30, and then complain when the game is infested with glitchers and super players? Yeah most likely. I am a tight wad after all.
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