I thought about this long and hard before making this thread. Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few days, you've probably heard about the travesty that was and continues to be the launch of Warcraft III: Reforged. Since there are already two other main threads that have been chronicling this saga, I'll link to those for the unitiated rather than outlining the myriad ways that Reforged has disappointed and angered longtime WC3 fans:
Now hopefully everyone reading this is caught up on exactly why Warcraft III: Reforged is so much more than a botched remastering of a beloved game. What really pushes this into "worst ever" territory for me is that it ruined the original game as well, completely without warning and in ways that might not ever be reversed or fixed. We're talking about one of the most revered RTS's of all time that still had a passionate, active fan-base 15+ years after its initial release suddenly being neutered and butchered in a rushed, half-hearted attempt to force compatibility with the new Reforged client.
People have drawn comparisons to the shitty Silent Hill HD remastering effort from years ago. Yes, that was a terrible remaster that insulted the original games that it attempted to modernize, but at least it didn't ruin those original games. That's what makes this the worst anti-consumer thing I've ever seen from a games publisher in all my years closely following the industry and this medium. To do something this vile, for $30 no less, and to pull the trigger on everything that has happened knowing full-well what would happen is just... I'm speechless. Blizzard/Activision have drawn a lot of ire for various controversies in recent years, but this one is on another level. People are seething with rage over this, and for once I don't think the reaction has been hyperbolic or unjustified in the least. This cannot stand.
It's now the worst user-scored game in Metacritic history, and that score is 100% justified.
Anyway, do you think this is the most anti-consumer act ever committed by a large game publisher? If not, what was?
- Warcraft 3 Reforged "downgraded" (from Blizzcon 2018 show)
- Warcraft 3 Reforged Reviews (63 on metacritic)
Now hopefully everyone reading this is caught up on exactly why Warcraft III: Reforged is so much more than a botched remastering of a beloved game. What really pushes this into "worst ever" territory for me is that it ruined the original game as well, completely without warning and in ways that might not ever be reversed or fixed. We're talking about one of the most revered RTS's of all time that still had a passionate, active fan-base 15+ years after its initial release suddenly being neutered and butchered in a rushed, half-hearted attempt to force compatibility with the new Reforged client.
People have drawn comparisons to the shitty Silent Hill HD remastering effort from years ago. Yes, that was a terrible remaster that insulted the original games that it attempted to modernize, but at least it didn't ruin those original games. That's what makes this the worst anti-consumer thing I've ever seen from a games publisher in all my years closely following the industry and this medium. To do something this vile, for $30 no less, and to pull the trigger on everything that has happened knowing full-well what would happen is just... I'm speechless. Blizzard/Activision have drawn a lot of ire for various controversies in recent years, but this one is on another level. People are seething with rage over this, and for once I don't think the reaction has been hyperbolic or unjustified in the least. This cannot stand.
It's now the worst user-scored game in Metacritic history, and that score is 100% justified.
Anyway, do you think this is the most anti-consumer act ever committed by a large game publisher? If not, what was?
