@Gelugon_baat: Haha wow, you're still on Gamespot trolling around? I was going to say if you aren't interested in this game, then WTF are you wasting your time here for? But then I noticed it's YOU... haha! It's alright, I get it now :)

@leway21: Two things...

1) You say you can't play the game offline? Wait... so why buy into a Beta that obviously requires online access to download and participate in the Beta test phase? How did you play the Beta offline?

2) If you aren't happy then I'm sure you could still get a refund anyway, even if you did actually participate in the Beta phase (depends on how many hours of gameplay you already put in?) if not, then just tell Braben & Co that if they don't refund you in full, then you'll be contacting your credit card company for a chargeback refund and getting your money back that way. I'm sure they would rather refund you amicably and be done with it rather than have the credit card company on their backs? Ultimately, the credit card company should refund you no problem as you say you bought it recently (3 weeks).

Good luck! BTW, although I agree with you and I'd definitely like the option of an offline mode too, I don't mind if it's not in as yet. I've already been waiting too many years for Elite IV, I'm not waiting any more. Loving the Beta/Gamma game so far but they really do need to get the planetary landings in sooner rather than later or things might start to look a bit worrying... Overall I'm pretty happy with it so far though. If I were you I'd get connected to a proper ISP just to play it :)

I'd love to see the Wild West done in a gritty Spaghetti Western style set during the American Civil War period most of all. But I'm surprised we still haven't had one set in ancient Rome. Surely it's the most obvious and missing? Think gladiatorial combat in the Colosseum... epic chariot races in Circus Maximus... political intrigue in the senate... other than that, feudal Japan in the Sengoku period would be ok too, spanks! ;)

I liked many, many things about AC4 Black Flag... but one thing that totally ruined the atmosphere for me was the arcadish sailing and sea combat on speed... I mean c'mon... the sea was so full of speedboat ships you could walk on them (when you aren't crashing into them)... I missed the slower-paced semi-realistic sailing model Akella had in Sea Dogs and Age of Pirates where wind speed is taken into account and so on. If we could have this and an open world in the style of Red Dead Redemption or possibly some deeper grittier RPG then hey take my money now, devs.

Gamespot messed the release date up, looks like it's October 2014 now. Anyone else waiting for this one?

Yes mate, it has some nice touches for sure. As an AC game I like it... good storyline, epic cinematography and intrigue. As a pirate game though... well, there are better eh? I think old PotC and Age of Pirates 2 with the build mods were better at that; the huge amount of different ships to sail, Galleons, frigates, sloops, Brigs, Xebecs... and a fleet under your control. I like AC4 but the worst thing in it for me is the naval combat... way too arcadish... it's an immersion killer. Ship speed is way too fast... and far too many ships crashing into you all the time... I mean c'mon, it's a bit of a joke let's face it! It's still a fun little game, but I think I would've enjoyed it much more if it had been at least a semi-believable simulation of navigation and sailing on the high seas. I mean, water, food and provisions aren't taken into account at all... but your crew still sings regardless on command haha :) Pirates! Gold on the Amiga was more realistic in some ways :) I mean, it's supposed to be a game for adults... is it not? With an 18 certificate? So... why is the interface and gameplay apparently designed for 3 year olds and/or dumb people? I think Ubisoft must be aiming this at very young kids, the 18 certification is clearly a joke? At least, I hope so, or Ubisoft must truly think we are all idiots without a clue... I think the children on 'Are you smarter than a 10 year old' quiz show would find the level of dumbing-down in this game quite embarrassing haha.

Just thought I'd add something... there's a surprisingly *big* improvement after installing just a few mods from the Egosoft forum: X Rebirth - Scripts and Modding

Mods installed I'm using at the moment:

better_highway_alphas

BetterCockpit - 16.9

no_siren

NoMoreGrandmasInSpace

RS_NoLanes

RS_Stars

upclose_detailed_monitor

Egosoft also say they're going to add some extra camera views in a patch (why they were missing in the first place is bizarre), so I think I'll stick with it. The potential for greatness is there. Just... not yet :)

Our thanks and much respect to the modding gods for rescuing the Silent Hunter 5 of space sims from the oblivion bucket! Well done guys, we salute you.

Not too sure what to make of this... someone found some Xbox 360 references in the game code... apparently it's a failed console game "rebirthed" for PC: http://i.imgur.com/8H5fsDy.png

From what I've seen of this game so far, aside from the ridiculous mini-games like looting crates on starports, the main problem for me is there's no way to look around the cockpit, just a fixed forward view. So that means NO Occulus Rift or Track-IR support. There isn't even an external camera, not for you, your targeted ship, missiles or anything. The silly green "highway" tubes floating around in space don't exactly help immersion... I could go on but I won't.

Very disappointed. Easily the worst game in the X series for me by far.

Thoughts?

Thanks for the reply! Actually I take back what I said, I always liked you and respected your opinions. For whatever reasons, the fact is that your PC gaming coverage has been dropping off in recent years so we are forced to go elsewhere for that, publisher caused or otherwise. It's the old chicken and the egg... is there less PC news on Gamespot than there used to be because the games publishers have been more console focused... is it the fault of the general gaming public for buying into the consoles... or perhaps, is it the fault of marketers and PR firms, who will happily lie, make up fake statistics and tell us that a particular console is more popular regardless of the truth, but now... :) I thought your PC review of StarCraft II:Wings of Liberty was perfect and great! Not too many PC-only video reviews anymore though, is there? I mean, where was your video review of Rome II? You see my point I hope. Take care! :)

Well, I've learned it's better not to expect too much from this game. Then when/if it finally arrives in March next year it'll be a nice surprise. Better that, than be massively disappointed. I'm trying to do this, but.. heh.. it's excruciatingly difficult... I lost count of the years I've been waiting for this. We can only but hope... :)