Unsurprisingly, the very first review to go live ahead of the October 30th embargo was a glowing collection of praise for the game. Italy's Official Xbox Magazine has reportedly handed out a perfect 10 out of 10 for Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed III.
The game is easily one of the most anticipated titles of the year, so it's not surprising that there would be a high amount of encomium. However, some sites have already taken a cautious eye of the review, such as In Entertainment, who believes that Italy's Xbox Magazine may have overlooked some bugs in the game in order to achieve the perfect 10 out of 10 score.
Gaming Everything keeps it general, and only refers to the magazine's unrequited extolling of the game, using the following quote to sum up what Italy's OXM felt about the game...
“An absolute masterpiece to which the experience remains indispensable for any fan of video games and beyond, with a depth of gameplay and longevity unparalleled in the action scene, a game that will remain in the annals for a long time.”
Given the fallout over other big name games that have received “glowing” review scores but encountered massive fan backlash, it's become a bit of a game where popping the jar top could net you a high-end, noteworthy experience or a surprise ending that will leave you talking about the game for ages (but not in a good way).
Given that Assassin's Creed III is one of the few games where the actual TV ads consist of 1:1 gameplay footage instead of being filled to the brim with cutscenes or QTEs like some games, I could easily see how Italy's Xbox Magazine scored the game a 10 out of 10. When a TV ad is confident enough to show full-on gameplay, you know that the developers did an amazing job on the game. That's not to mention that previous Assassin's Creed games have been top notch in both presentation and gameplay, so it's not too far fetched that we're looking at a true 10 out of 10 game.
Nevertheless, don't let the big mags and websites sway your opinion just yet; rent the game, talk to friends or ask around if you're skeptical. We all know how trustworthy video game reviewers are.
