Dear Future Gamer

I don't devote as much time to games as I would like and I tend not to frequent games chat forums regularly. I have to rely on magazines, both paper and electronic, for information, so I might not always hear about bugs in a game. I suspect that there are many casual gamers in the same position.

News Nibbles in FG35 has a short comment about bugs in Driver. Given the pre-release hype and high scoring reviews of this game, shouldn't something like this be given more prominence? The ability of the code to work without bugs is as important as the playability of the game itself. If the bugs don't detract from the reviewer's enjoyment, they may still detract from the purchaser's enjoyment. As such, any bugs that are found should be reported in the review. Future Gamer are not alone in this failing - most mags that carry games reviews are also silent on the issue of bugs in game code, especially if they become apparent after the original review.

Given the size and complexity of today's software, some bugs will always be present, but if developers and publishers continue to get away with releasing buggy software then they will do it all the more. The end user will be nothing more than a beta tester. Bugged code has almost become the norm on the PC, from the OS to applications to games, but patches for PC software can be downloaded and the code fixed. Console software can't be updated in the same way because the disc or cart must be replaced. Having paid £40 for a game (or £29 at Virgin, etc), I expect the thing to work and not be bug-ridden.

Phil T

FG: Buggy software is a pain. When we review a game we’re very mindful of any gameplay-destroying bugs and we report them. Driver has got a couple of bugs but they’re not disastrous because you can save your game frequently and they therefore don’t go a long way towards ruining your enjoyment. Contrary to popular opinion, publishers don’t actually want to release buggy code, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. Rest assured, if we ever get a game to review and its bugs are so bad it ruins your enjoyment, we’ll let you know.