By Alec Meer on November 2nd, 2011 at 11:26 am.
It is now par for the course for most big-name videogames to release a special edition designed to enrapture the more passionate/nerdly fans, ensure more pre-orders and make a few bonus groats on each copy sold. It is also now par for the course for many big-name videogames to include bonus DLC, skins and that sort of thing when pre-ordered at certain retailers – designed to ensure the promotional support of those hollow-eyed high-street rotters who so regularly place their hands around the neck of the games industry. For Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, both of these steps have been taken. And then some.
There are no less than seven different editions of Ubisoft’s latest man-stabber due, each with its own bonus content and tchotchkes, plus assorted pre-order DLC shenanigans on top of that. And that’s before you throw in whatever they end up doing with the download version(s) of the game. What fresh madness is this?
Let Wikipedia be your guide to trying to start to begin to figure it out, or click the above image for a legible version of whatever the hell’s going on here. Admittedly, a couple of these are territory-specific variations of each other, but even so. Good grief.
I’ll just stick to the standard edition, cheers. I can live with less for the sake of peace, less codes to type in and no spiky plastic junk in my house. I am very much looking forward to the game itself, though – Brotherhood was a splendid old time.
Here’s a recent AssCrev trailer for you too:
Ultimate editions not so ultimate then.
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I like how the Ultimate Bundle, bar the figures, actually is one of the crappest ones.
Looks like the Animus edition one is the one to get if you’re interested.
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If you value virtual objects above real ones that is.
Or if you’re a big fan of in-depth encyclopedias I suppose.
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@simonh or if u value game content over useless crap to clutter your desk
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I’d say the pirated version with ALL of the extras included and the DRM conveniently removed is the version to get. Those Ubisoft suits will never learn.
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…
I think I’ll play Tetris instead. You know where you are with Tetris.
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When it’s re-released the straight piece will be an exclusive Dr. Pepper promotional item.
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I think if there was a re-release of tetris, I’d go for the version that included the long straight piece. On second thoughts, I think I may value whatever version comes with the ability to use both the left and right keys more than that.
Decisions, decisions…
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Man, really? I don’t know if this was meant but… Which version of Tetris? There are at least ten thounsands of them, each with their little “originality”
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They (I think it’s EA) recently released a version of Tetris for Android phones, and it doesn’t have the original music but a crappy electro song that sounds vaguely Russian instead. What a shame!
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That makes my head hurt. How come the best editions don’t have everything? Doesn’t make much sense.
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To make the completists buy two copies of course. :)
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I wonder the price differences.
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@ShadyGuy – by my calculations you’d actually need to buy 3 copies to get everything.
What horrendous bullshit.
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Indeed you’d need:
Animus edition and the collectors edition (one of which must be from play.uk or Eb games Australia) to get the skin. As well as the ultimate bundle.
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Can anyone explain why people buy the merch-o-editions? I buy games for, y’know, the game
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Sometimes they have good extras like art books and music etc.
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Good point. Ok, so maybe i understand why but, a bit of concept-art and a (useually rubbish quality) figurine shouldn’t cost £100. I guess im questioning the ‘value’ of what is mostly, valueless ( being ethereal DLC ) tat.
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I agree. In general they aren’t worth getting. Usually its stuff you can buy later if you want anyway.
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But with all the in-game stuff you only get like 95-98% of the game depending on the version you buy (percentage might drop with the release of post-launch DLC).
I like to think about the old times every now and then. You know, where I completed a game and got an extra costume. Or multiplayer maps.
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Because in 10 years you’ll read about some nerd paying $1000 for some crummy figure and then you’ll proudly smile and say “My collection of collectors editions is worth $20,000!”. Unless of course you want to convert that into real money, then you’ll realize it’s worth far less, like house prices.
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‘Collecting’ really became fashionable in the early 70′s (very rough date). This is why pre-70′s stuff can be very valuable and post 70′s stuff not so much – because there are loads more copies of the things floating around if everyone is collecting them, and because things made purely for collecting don’t have the cache of genuine cultural items.
So you’d better get real joy out of the figurine if you get it, because it won’t appreciate in value. If you do get joy out of it, good for you.
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I like soundtracks, so I’m happy.
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I agree, it’s the only thing I really care about out of all those bonuses.
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The fact that there is no “Everything” edition is a cardinal Sin. I’ll just be sticking to my standard version as well. I refuse to support this utter nonsense.
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Agree. Ubi makes my head hurt sometimes. You seriously could not MAKE UP more creative ways to screw with their customers.
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@DigitalSignalX
Well you COULD make up new ways, but if that were the case you would probably be working at Ubisoft.
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“Ultimate!”
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
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:)
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Assasin’s Creed: Revelations – Inconceivable Edition
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Where’s the version without the game disc ? I’ve been waiting so long for it.
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That would be the “DIGITAL” ™ version… the one where you actually get nothing.
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Perfect ! It was exactly what I wanted – NOTHING :)
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What a giant fucking mess of a thing, probably going to grab the Animus Edition as it has all the day 1 DLC that we love so much… oh wait
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Well, at least you get the game disc with every version.
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Looks like that pirated edition is better than standard edition…
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Never is.
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@King Toko
In this case, it is. What he is referring to is that the pirated version will include all the bells and whistles UBI is refusing to sell you in a single package.
Talk about silly business strategy…wait..no…chances are there will be people purchasing them all.
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yup they forgot to add the “NO-BS SKIDROW” version of the game.
maybe we should legalize money gifts to big games companies, you pirate the game, get everything and then pay what you want.
It would be so cool, no one’s gonna do it ><
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Username?
Edit: By which I mean ban this person please, that is an unacceptable username.
Double edit: That works too, thanks!
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@Nemrod
So true, I have been wanting to do just that sometimes!
Pirate a game because of ‘rubbish disruptive anti piracy feature X’ and send the developer a check and a note saying ‘i pirated your game because of your crappy anti piracy features, but would still like to pay for it’ ;)
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I wonder what the digital versions will have? I stop buying physical PC games ages ago.
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/adds tchotkes to vocabulary, feels better about himself
EDIT: also: seriously? there are no biscuits left to take after this
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I like modern game marketing, it makes it very easy for me to decide between pre-ordering a game or waiting for it to show up in bargain bins.
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Pre-order everything. It’s the only way for consumers to wrestle back control of the market!
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Once upon a time the first thing you had to worry about when buying a game was how to free up 653k of base memory.
Those were simpler, happier times.
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Hehehe. 653k.
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Simpler? I still have nightmares about configuring a Ultima VII boot disk. (autoexec.bat config.sys autoexec.bat config.sys make it stop!)
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Yeah, those were the days. I was so happy when I found at that conventional memory was divided into blocks, so the order in which you loaded your TSRs was of vital importance. And of course freeing op memory that was being used by useless crap such as the monochrome video adapter (I=B000-B7FF). And searching the web for the smallest mouse driver.
I still have my autoexec.bat, config.sys and msdos.sys with which I could play every game WITH mouse support, sound drivers and cd-rom drivers. I ought to print it and frame it…
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Mouse, sound and CD?
Now thats high end!
I still remember the fun of having 8 MB’s of useless ‘extended’ memory, having to sacrifice mouse support to get above 540 kb base memory.
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Yay for superfluous game editions! Won’t be playing this anyway, since it’s Ubisoft. Any word on the DRM?
By the way, when I click the picture, it appears half OUTSIDE of my Chrome window with no means to scroll to see it completely. Also the RPS logo is drawn OVER it so I can’t make out the text. Might be just me and my icky setup, though.
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Firefox mate
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I have much the same problem with Firefox… the resolution on my laptop is just too small.
Edit: Well the picture renders correctly but I can’t see all of it and I can’t scroll it at all… it’s the same with most of these clicky-to-make-bigger things that RPS does. Oh the humanity!
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Right click -> Open Link In New Tab (link, not image).
Bypasses the silly lightbox stuff.
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I misread that as “spiky plastic in my junk”… I think sleep deprivation is getting to me.
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Oh Ubisoft taking the confused approach to combat pirating, I see, it’s all coming clear to me now.
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So… Ubisoft is trying to get us all to wait with buying this game until there is a goty edition with everything in some online bargain bin? Got it. Good plan.
Offcourse, the pirated version will have everything included(game content wise). Good job Ubi!
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This implies to almost every game these days – If you to experience a game to it’s fullest, you should wait until all DLCs are released and the price is reduced.
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That’s true yet very sad. Oh well, it only gives me more reason to stick with my ‘buy when its on sale’ policy. Although I broke that with RO2 and ARMA2.
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So lame and annoying they call it ‘ultimate’ edition and it doesn’t actually includes everything i guess they need to re-learn english.
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Actually its incomplete, digital delivery is not included, i know steam has yet another skin, a doctor, and nothing else…
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And TF2 items, very likely. Le sigh.
I like TF2 items, but I’m getting a little tired of the constant stream of other-game-tie-in ones.
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And no word in the trailer about PC edition coming out on 29th instead of 15th.
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It’s only November 2nd. Too early for such announcements from UBI….
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The game industry is getting more and more like the comic books industry precrash. Right now they have variant editions, required multiple purchases to get the whole story. There aren’t really speculators but this doesn’t seem like a sustainable practice.
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Stuff like this really makes me lose interest in playing the game at all until it goes on sale. I never really care if they want to charge people more money for an art book or a figurine or something, but all of these in game exclusives really turn me off the purchase.
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This is the most ridiculous thing.
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It is, isn’t it? Still makes you wonder about the people who’ll happily fork over heaps of money for the ‘real special limited edition’. Like, say, with TOR. I believe that silly limited digital editions was sold out.
What I suppose is that the majority of the gamers just want a great game and if they get enthusiastic/hyped they might get a special edition. They probably don’t care too much about the things we discuss around here.
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Completely idiotic. Or, rather, we should say completely Ubitic.
As long as I don’t see there two rows, one with “useless DRM” “No” and another with “proper LAN support” “Yes”, they can keep going to hell.
Fucking Ubi.
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This is what I was referring to the other day, releases offering exclusive content split among all the different platforms. This is not good for PC gaming or gaming in general.
Everything might eventually be included on a complete (or deluxe final GOTY whatever) edition, but my bet lies in UBI offering it as exclusive Uplay DLC.
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This franchise is an over milked bolt gun job anyway & no pc gamer would consider buying an ubisoft game.
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Sit back and watch as all the limited special editions get sold out.
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The differences between AC 1, 2, and Brotherhood are pretty substantial. I definitely wouldn’t say it’s been over-milked by a longshot.
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I’d spend a couple of quid extra, or buy from a specific retailer for the same price, for the extra single-player mission. Since they’re not offering that, stuff it: I’ll just grab the basic one as cheaply as possible. I’ve no interest in exclusive in-game items if they don’t change the way it plays, and as for art books, soundtracks etc: it’s Bum Creed. The art’s nice enough, but I can’t see actually flicking through the thing more than once.
I’ve discovered that I am willing to spend silly amounts of money on figures, of course, but only if they say ‘Privateer Press’ on the box. And are a hilarious arsehole to put together.
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So it takes a minimum of 3 versions to get everything.
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The sooner Ubisoft piss off and die the better. I will never ever buy one their games again… Ever…
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lolwut?!
I *love* AssCreed and would gladly shell out far too much money for an ultimate box containing everything. But this is just… MADNESS! (pause for sparta jokes)
I will try to restrain myself and not buy it at all now. Knowing me, I’ll fail, but I’ll try regardless.
Ubi *really* lost it this time. As if their DRM wasn’t enough.
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Seven separate editions each gloriously stuffed with unnecessary tat? Bill Gates – eat your heart out!
It’s almost enough to make me reconsider my Ubiboycott…
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So in the US we have two choices; basic edition or GameStop edition.
Sounds like an easy choice to me!
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Oh, Ubisoft. You do my wallet great favours by being so easy to dismiss.
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Nonsense like this makes me feel contrary and go for the cheapest option.
P.
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Same as with Assasins Creed 2 (and Brotherhood once I finish 2) I’ll wait until the inevitable GOTY edition is released with all the DLC included for about 1/3rd of the price of the standard edition at launch.
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So we’re all agreed then? This kind of thing is stupid. Okay so I don’t mind physical stuff you can get if you splash out a bit more cash. It that’s your thing. Fine. I don’t think the above mess helps at all and I really can’t imagine that the handful of hardcore collector’s like you see in the neogaf swag threads make up enough of the demographic for this ridiculous spread to be super extra profits.
One thing I absolutely can’t stand is version specific stuff or, lesser spotted in the UK, retailer specific extras. Personally, I don’t feel compelled enough to buy every PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii version from every Game, Gamestop and whoever else just for the benefit of seeing an alternative Batman costume but presumably some people do.
So we’ll all boycott buying any copies at all to stem this awful tide of profiteering right?
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Oh for…
I’m not even going to pretend to have a clue about what’s going on here.
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If Ubi follow pattern all the more interesting stuff will be available to buy with in-game-earned points via UPlay after awhile anyway. That flying machine replica is pretty awesome, though.
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Hi guys.
Now, the ULTIMATE edition does not contain everything.
The dictionary definitions of ultimate (and I mean from several dictionaries) state that ultimate is either the most “extreme” version, or the “final” version of something.
However. Not only does the ultimate edition not contain everything, but it is feasible that customers purchasing this edition will have to fork out for the DLC.
The Sale of Goods Act of 1979 states the following:
“Where there is a contract for the sale of goods by description, there is an implied [F9term] that the goods will correspond with the description.”
Arguably, no, ultimate does not correspond with the AC:R Ultimate Edition. Honestly, I’d be content to see Ubisoft taken to the cleaners over stuff like this. It’s extortionate, and, if the above sticks, not even legal.
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Ultimate has a casual meaning of best, or even just really good. It wouldn’t hold up in court.
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So was the AssBro single player good? I had no interest in the multiplayer so I avoided it.
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anyone else notice how the supposedly “ultimate” edition (which doesn’t contain all the things) is only available on consoles? hah
now i’ll go back to ignoring Ubi again. at least untill they make BG&E2
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Ubi makes my head hurt sometimes. You seriously could not MAKE UP more creative ways to screw with their customers.
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as far as I am concerned, the only ‘special’ edition of a game should be one with an art book or figurine, never changing the game itself.
I just made a new rule: If a game has an ‘edition’ involving in-game content, I ain’t playing or I ain’t paying.
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Which version includes proper mouse support (no thumbstick emulation bullshit)?
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I think I’ll just get the ‘GOTY’ edition in about 1 year time, including all DLC and patches for less than 10 quid from my online retailer of choice :)
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I bought the Starcraft 2 collectors edition for £60, but then it’s the only game I’ve ever felt compelled to shell out that much for. It helped that it had the best art book I’ve ever seen, and a custom USB with the original SC/BW installer on it. The art book was HUGE, really something to weigh a table down with. The new copy of SC has also been used (fiancee’s netbook), as well as the USB.
I classed those two things as ‘actual’ items in the box, as opposed to all the fluff (avatars, skins, fancy papers in the box). I actually like the fluff, but I know it’s ultimately meaningless. Those two items have some real world value though, as a thing that is actually worth money. Since the upgrade was only £20-25 I figured the USB was at least £5, the old game at least £5 (literal prices of these things at the time) and the book easily about £10 (similar books in Waterstones). The box is also fairly epic on a shelf, but that’s neither here nor there.
Additonally, the original SC collectors edition was one of the first pc games I ever owned, the collectors edition having been bought for basically the original price tag since they didn’t have the basic version. That one came with a shirt, completely unworn at the time, now fantastically retro and awesome.
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I get pissed off with the different versions of Windows (home, premium, ultimate, etc)… now it’s infecting games. The multiple pre-orders and retailer-based differences just make me not care at all. I’m not going to pre-order, and I’ll buy it when it gets discounted months later to whichever is the cheapest price.
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With all the DLC and patches! At a 75% discount! YAY!
My backlog is so full right now, I couldn’t even catch up if I tried.
So bring on the Goatee Edition!
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Well I’ll be holding fire until all the DLC is availible and the patching is done, which of course will give me enough time to start or finish the other three.
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All that choice and yet I dont care for any of it.
There hasnt been a decent collectors edition of anything since World in Conflict’s ‘genuine piece of the berlin wall’ or Alan Wake’s journal. (Although the usb stick that came with Starcraft was kinda nice).
I’ve had it up to here with soundtracks you never listen to, art books you never look at & molded plastic tat that ends up in a drawer. And dont even get me started on Making of DVDs. I spend all day looking at people sat in front of PC’s, I dont want to come home and watch it on dvd too.
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Wow. That’s … incredibly pointless and hilariously awkward. Stay classy, Ubisoft.
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I’m buying the Standard Edition, Ubisoft, and you’re going like it!
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Assassin’s Creed Revelations: Incomplete Edition I, II, III, IV, V, VI and VII.
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If it’s not already called “AssCrevice” by large parts of the internet, colour me disappoint.
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No, seriously, any final/significant word on the DRM?
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Of course the pirated version will most likely end up with every bit of the DLC while the paying customers have to pick and choose.
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I just have to say that THIS is the type of stuff that makes me want to PIRATE some games. Maybe I’m a jerk, but I won’t have to deal with this headache. ALL of this stuff will get compiled and put up as an UBER version on your illicit site of choice. I’ll play the crap out of the single player. When Steam has the game for dirt cheap I’ll pick it up then to fiddle around with the multiplayer.
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In twenty years, will anybody give a crap about Altair and Ezio’s bromance?
probably not. Not if the Templars have their way.
Standard edition for me (if they can make the DRM transparent, that is).
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This has Ubisoft written all over it. The same d-bags that keep releasing completely different games under the same name.
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