Spore...Why all the negativity?

[P8baller07]

I've been reading lots of bad things about spore, and in my opinion the game is great. Tons of fun and a really really good concept.

Its crazy to think I started from this tiny organism playing a pac-man style game. To this hugely complex civilization thats now in space taking over other races.

Yes some of the stanges go by a little quicker than I'd like... But honestly I'd rather really enjoy the content for awhile then move on to new content, rather than get bored with the same tedious stuff.

I've spent probably around an average of 2hours in each stage and space seems like its going to take forever!

[Warboy]

It's getting bad things because of how limited it has became, Look at all the things you have to put on your creature to get good stats.
The game is good in theory. It's entertaining for just a little bit, I made 3-4 races all the way to space age then got bored.

[[XC] gomeler]

It's a very interesting game but it gets a bit tedious in the Space stage. The DRM employed doesn't help at all either..

[Mickey Padge]

It has about as much depth as a puddle. Plus the creator of the game said it was aimed at Sims fans, to see if they could understand an RTS style game....

Will Wright quote:

"We were very focused, if anything, on making a game for more casual players. Spore has more depth than, let's say, The Sims did. But we looked at the Metacritic scores for Sims 2, which was around 90, and something like Half-Life, which was 97, and we decided--quite a while back--that we would rather have the Metacritic and sales of Sims 2 than the Metacritic and sales of Half-Life....."

".....Part of this, in some sense was: can we teach a Sims player to play an RTS?... I think the complexity we ended up with was toward that group."

The creature evolution stage is pointless, as four legs are no faster than two, long or short etc.... Just tack on the fastest feet to run faster.....

If you look at Spore previews back in 2005, the creature development was down to the physical attributes of the creature you created, not "DNA" pickups you find lying about, or from killing other creatures. The creature stage used to have a much more developed skeletal structure to modify and evolve...

Originally a promising game and concept, but it was totally sacrificed to the commercial gods...

Such a shame.......

[P8baller07]

It has about as much depth as a puddle. Plus the creator of the game said it was aimed at Sims fans, to see if they could understand an RTS style game....

Will Wright quote:

"We were very focused, if anything, on making a game for more casual players. Spore has more depth than, let's say, The Sims did. But we looked at the Metacritic scores for Sims 2, which was around 90, and something like Half-Life, which was 97, and we decided--quite a while back--that we would rather have the Metacritic and sales of Sims 2 than the Metacritic and sales of Half-Life....."

".....Part of this, in some sense was: can we teach a Sims player to play an RTS?... I think the complexity we ended up with was toward that group."

The creature evolution stage is pointless, as four legs are no faster than two, long or short etc.... Just tack on the fastest feet to run faster.....

If you look at Spore previews back in 2005, the creature development was down to the physical attributes of the creature you created, not "DNA" pickups you find lying about, or from killing other creatures. The creature stage used to have a much more developed skeletal structure to modify and evolve...

Originally a promising game and concept, but it was totally sacrificed to the commercial gods...

Such a shame.......

I think when people go into a game expecting that much - you're always going to set yourself up for disappointment.

I wasn't into the hype this game created before hand. Everyone made a huge deal over the creature creator when it was released - I didn't even bother with it.

I got the game expecting nothing out of the ordinary and i'm pleased. :shrug:

[YukonTrooper]

I'm not sure where you get the "hugely complex civilization" idea from, but to each their own. If you enjoy it, you enjoy it.

[CyberDruid]

Exactly...if it's fun for you then consider yourself added to the consumer base :D

Do you play Sims2 as well? :p:

Between dumbing down the game and the (IMO) unacceptable DRM I will pass.

[RunawayPrisoner]

I think people need to spend a bit more time customizing. What I can create from this game is really interesting... and if you disregard the stats, there might be some cool things that you can create.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=85180&stc=1&d=1221436527

Plus stats are useless up to Hard mode.

But if stats are really necessary... you should think about what you want to have, and what you don't want to have. Like for example, I have an extreme carnivore and an extreme socialist here:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=85181&stc=1&d=1221436556

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=85182&stc=1&d=1221436556

The extreme carnivore was able to beat an "epic" creature in Creature stage. I had a group of 4 monsters (3 partners and 1 I can control) to kill the "epic." It was good fun!

[P8baller07]

Never was interested in SIMs... I just don't think its fair to scrutinize this game so much because the length of the legs dont effect how fast you run. :lol2:

[RunawayPrisoner]

Oh but it does. Trust me, it does. Controlling a gigantic monster at speed 5 feels much faster (and more epic) than controlling a small monster at speed 5. Though the bigger monster gets hit more often.

[bhavv]

The game was too overhyped.

While I liked the creature creator for a bit, it isnt really what I wanted the most, I was looking for an in depth strategic game, god sim, and space game.

Yet each of the first four stages are far too simple and easy, and the space stage is ridiculously repetitive with attacks on your colonies every few minutes ruining the fun.

I was disapointed by the gameplay, it was fun for two days, then I thought 'Is that it?'.

[Warboy]

RunawayPrisoner, why do those look like digimon?

[RunawayPrisoner]

RunawayPrisoner, why do those look like digimon?

Because... I'd rather have a digimon spinoff as a random encounter on planets rather than some weird crab creature... which is actually infesting the game. I still fail to see why EA loves the idea of having a creature with 8 legs and 4 arms in this game, since there are a lot of them by default.

[Warboy]

Because... I'd rather have a digimon spinoff as a random encounter on planets rather than some weird crab creature... which is actually infesting the game. I still fail to see why EA loves the idea of having a creature with 8 legs and 4 arms in this game, since there are a lot of them by default.

Well, The bad thing is, I know what Digimon that is, It looks like Greymon with a twist of MetalGreymon.


You should aim for WarGreymon :P

[Decami]

I think when people go into a game expecting that much - you're always going to set yourself up for disappointment.

I wasn't into the hype this game created before hand. Everyone made a huge deal over the creature creator when it was released - I didn't even bother with it.

I got the game expecting nothing out of the ordinary and i'm pleased. :shrug:

how could you be: the poster you quoted is dead on with what happened. I just am blown away by the fact this game is so expansive with so little to do. The game plays like everyone is 8 years old, stages are too short, horrible graphical errors. Creators are super fun and that is really all i do with the game now is just create things.

[jas420221]

Overhyped...

...a bastard child to Real MMORPGs like WoW/AoC, which suck in and of themselves. Im an adult, I dont have time to waste my life in fantasy land like that. That entire genre is just......a waste of life to me. And sadly, a way of life for a lot of others.

ANd one HUGE reason... http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=201032

[melanko]

I've gotten to the space stage with one creature so far. It's definitely a great game. You really have to look at the game at a sum of all it's parts than each stage individually. All of the sections before you reach the space stage is like a tutorial for your eventual romp around the galaxy.

But now that I am on the final stage of the game I do find myself getting bored. It's quite tedious and having to race back to your home world to fight off pirates every 10 minutes is also a complete nuisance. I learned that if you just fully load all of your cities with turrets they can fend for themselves. I haven't reached any further, but the game is pretty good on its own. In reality, the worst part of the game, as everyone else has already said is the DRM that EA enforced with Spore basically making it a rental, rather than actually owning the game.

[M31]

This is the first I've heard of the game, going by what I've read I've not missed much IMHO.

[bhavv]

I've gotten to the space stage with one creature so far. It's definitely a great game.

I also felt this way for the first two days and three games I played. After that you'll be fed up.

Once you have done it all a few times, it gets tedious and you realise how empty and lacking the game is.

I bought Civilization IV on the day of release and I can still play it today and get immensly blown away and just as fascinated as I was when I played my first game of Civ II. I can do the same with Sim City, Black and White, Populous the Beginning, Freelancer, and Imperium Galactica II.

Spore was hyped up to be all of those games combined. It lacks playability and gameplay greatly in comparison to them.

Since I'm not really bothered much about the creator, I just make anything and play, the game deoesnt work for me. It is a good game, probably worth a decent 7/10, but it isnt a great game, it not anywhere near an 8 or a 9, and it was hyped to be.

The only game that ever lived up to the hype for me was Oblivion. From now on, I longer listen to hype since both Spore and AoC have disapointed me.

I would have more fun playing Sonic the Hedgehog then I would from playing another game of Spore.

[Mortal]

This is the first I've heard of the game, going by what I've read I've not missed much IMHO.

That's virtually how I was going into it. I'd merely heard the name and not much else besides, so I went into it with no hyped expectations and I must say I'm glad I wasn't waiting for that game expecting it to be great or entertaining, 'cause it sure wasn't for me. I really can't see the genius that the game is suppose to represent from what I have by now read on the Internet from fans of the game, but I guess it's a case of different strokes for different folks.

[JaYp146]

My beef with the game is that it feels too much like the tried/true Maxis cookie-cutter design ... very cartoony and cute-sy.

I mean, I suppose Spore HAS to be dumbed down, as evolution's a complicated process, but still ...

[SquidgyB]

Overhyped...

...a bastard child to Real MMORPGs like WoW/AoC, which suck in and of themselves. Im an adult, I dont have time to waste my life in fantasy land like that. That entire genre is just......a waste of life to me. And sadly, a way of life for a lot of others.

ANd one HUGE reason... http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=201032

That seems a bit harsh both to the game, and gamers in general...

Spore isn't an MMO, and was never meant to be. It uses other people's content in game and that's it. No PVP, no chat, no MMO characteristics whatsoever.

For the second point, to imply that people are wasting their lives playing fantasy MMOs is pretty ridiculous... It's as valid a passtime as any other, be it reading, watching films, real life roleplaying, or playing games in general.

What kind of games do you play? I can't think of a single game that isn't based on fantasy in one way or another, even if it's based on real life events, by their very nature games are fantasy.

[RunawayPrisoner]

Well, The bad thing is, I know what Digimon that is, It looks like Greymon with a twist of MetalGreymon.


You should aim for WarGreymon :P

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee60/cuongvietpham/WAR.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee60/cuongvietpham/WAR2.jpg

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee60/cuongvietpham/WAR1.jpg

Done. Anything else? :p

[tuksonrider]

I find Spore to be a very addicting and fun game. I serisouly haven't logged in such marathon sessions since Starcraft, TF2, and Bioshock.

The "mini-games" are simplistic, but they are fun. Even the space stage is fun once you upgrade the stats on your ship, come into money, and make alliances. The attacks lessen a great deal.

The creature creator is also a great plus. It's fun creating a monster or ship and then see it battle it out on screen.

The drm has been hyped up. It has no bearing on the content or gameplay so I don't see what the big deal is. The spore is just as fun with or without it.

[CowGuy]

I found the game to be fun, but it was way over hyped. I could only play it for an hour or two at a time before I started getting bored. I think this game was meant to appeal to casual gamers more the the hardcore more nerdy extreme DNA advanced evolution. I would of preferred it that way, but we all know EA would never do that and it would not sell nearly as well.

[karl_eller]

I think a lot of the problem is that people are taking Spore too seriously. They're expecting the Civilisation stage to be like Civ4, and the space stage to be a cross between Homeworld and Civ in space. Instead, a lot of people forget that this is a game by Maxis, aimed at casual gamers, the kind of people who buy The Sims. It's something to be played for a bit of fun and to unwind, not something that's supposed to be really challenging.

And I never understood where Spore is supposed to be like WoW and other MMORPG's. The only thing remotely online about it is that it automatically downloads other user content (which you don't have to do), aside from that, there isn't any Multiplayer or Online, or even much RPG, for that matter (unless you count finding body parts to be RPG).

Eller

[Mickey Padge]

People were not expecting it to be a short lived, shallow kids game ;)

Even now there are rumours of a $19.99 expansion called "the Spore Cute & Creepy Parts Pack" :rolleyes:

[karl_eller]

People were not expecting it to be a short lived, shallow kids game ;)

Even now there are rumours of a $19.99 expansion called "the Spore Cute & Creepy Parts Pack" :rolleyes:
Heaven forbid that Maxis release a shallow kids game! I mean it's not like game stores don't have entire shelves devoted to The Sims :p:

Eller

[B.E.E.F.]

1. I was looking forward to the original concept. Before EA got their grubby fingers in it, and diluted it.

2. I'm not renting a game for $50. If I bought it, and I want to reinstall it on my PC as many times as I please. For any reason I feel like.

3. Screw SecuROM. This is too much. It embeds itself into your system.

4. These limitations are not even listed on the package. False advertising.


This is unacceptable.


Unless EA fixes this game, and their bad business practices, I will be buying my games used. They don't see a dime off used game sales.

[Mickey Padge]

Heaven forbid that Maxis release a shallow kids game! I mean it's not like game stores don't have entire shelves devoted to The Sims :p:

Eller

Yeah, but before all that there was Sim City, that was not really a kids game :)

[philbrown23]

well im almost done downloading it I'll post up when it's done ;)

[P8baller07]

I dl'd aswell.

I got pretty far in space, but uninstalled today...I found Grox and had a pretty big empire built, but after finding Grox and getting back to my home star system - I never went back to attack.

[THX1138]

I have played it some but I can't login to get the online content, i'm a little more than pissed since I payed $53 for this game.
I don't condone pirating but EA was going on and on about the online content.............

[mep916]

Wish I had the time to invest in that game; looks like a lot of fun.

[mellojoe]

I'm worried that the DRM means I can't even buy your old copy used. Isn't that what it means?

I was hoping to pick this up when it fell to $20 or less. For $50 (or $70 for the galactic edition :rolleyes:), it seemed way to "kiddie" for me. But, I think it would be fun to have on those days when I want to goof off for an hour, but not have to think too much. I don't want to have to study landscape or quests or be worried about my dude dying or missing a secret because I'm not paying attention. So, for that blow-off-some-steam hour, it seem as if Spore would be a fun waste of time. But not for $50, but maybe for $20.

[DataCables]

i found spore to be a fun game. sure there is a little kids element to it with the graphics but it is a very cool concept and space was very cool. also could anyone here recommend any good space games?

[YukonTrooper]

i found spore to be a fun game. sure there is a little kids element to it with the graphics but it is a very cool concept and space was very cool. also could anyone here recommend any good space games?
What genre? If you like FPS games, and aren't against playing older titles, I suggest System Shock 2. It's set on a ship in space, but I'm thinking you're aiming more towards "open space" games, such as Homeworld and the like.

[DataCables]

ya open space like eve. but eve got alittle boring with all the mining and stuff.

[YukonTrooper]

Homeworld and Homeworld 2; although, they are RTS rather than turn-based. :)

Doesn't Sid Meir have a civ space game?

[DataCables]

ya but the game only runs on linux i think. but that homeworld game looks pretty nice.

[B.E.E.F.]

Mass Effect. Space RPG/FPS.

[YukonTrooper]

Mass Effect is a top notch game, but he's looking for "open space" games, which is pretty much limited to the RTS, turn-based, and simulation genres.

[mep916]

ya open space like eve. but eve got alittle boring with all the mining and stuff.

Yeah, that's what I was gonna recommend. Great graphics, but I found the missions tedious at times. Plus I hate paying for subscriptions that I never use. :p:

[SquidgyB]

Doesn't Sid Meier have a civ space game?

Alpha Centauri. Cracking game.

There's also the Master of Orion series.

[DonInKansas]

Space Quest Series :rotf:

You'll need DosBox though...:)