Every now and again, someone pronounces PC gaming dead, but it might really be happening this time. MTV Multiplayer is reporting that the PC distribution of Assassin’s Creed will ship with some bloodthirsty DRM. In addition to the usual requirement that you be online to start the game, Ubisoft also wants you to maintain a [...]

A bug has been discovered in Assassin’s Creed 2 that can cripple your saved game (via 1up). There is an autosave after the end of chapter 11 that loads into an empty level with no NPCs or exits. With no interactive elements, it is impossible to advance the game from that autosave. If that happens to be your only saved game, then you’ll have to restart from the beginning. At present Ubisoft hasn’t commented on the bug, so the only workaround is to wait until the next autosave event before quitting.

Games are complex information systems, so show-stopping bugs are more common than anyone would like. However, Ubisoft has delivered a noteable number of corrupted saves, lost interactivity, and broken level design show-stoppers over the years. Some even go unacknowledged and must be fixed by the community.

Where’s the AAA polish?

We’ll be wrapping up our PAX coverage with preview impressions of the Assassin’s Creed 2 demo from Ubisoft. Creative director Patrice Desilets took on the role Ezio to kill his way through the streets of Venice so we could see some of the game’s upcoming features in action. Read on for some of the interesting new tweaks you’ll be able to expect from next month’s sequel.