8 years to develop, 8 hours to beat, What do you think of SPORE?

[Madman_Andre]

I haven't bought it yet, so I can't say.

However, considering that the Creature Creator costs $10 U.S., and that is fundamentally a demo of Spore, I have low regards for the game as a whole.

On another note, I have long since gotten over games living up to the "hype," because games never do live up to the hype.

 

[memejoey]

Overhyped, but I didn't get caught up in the hype because I rarely do - And i'm enjoying it, its a great game if a bit simplistic.

Whoops, i'll have to retract this comment...

I got to the Tribal stage, and found out it turns into an RTS from there and onward. I don't like RTS games. Yeah big disappointment for me there.

But thats not so much the games fault as it is my fault for not looking into it better to find out what exactly the game was about.

 

[John Stalvern]

Imagine what the duke nukem forever game will be like!

Big Rigs elevated to second worst game on the planet?

 

[shatnershaman]

Imagine what the duke nukem forever game will be like!

Big Rigs elevated to second worst game on the planet?

I think 1,2 goes to E.T and Pac-man (Atari 2600)

 

[Asparagus Brown]

My reaction to this game was: "Impressive."

I agree that it's not necessarily the most in-depth when it comes to gameplay, since it's mostly comprised of existing genres that have been done far better in games dedicated to those styles of play. But, despite that, I think the way it animates all the creatures, despite some truly crazy designs, and the way it integrates all the user content (most impressive in the space stage) is great, and I think that's the side of Spore where it innovates most and will influence other games.

So, really, while it's not as refined as other games, it makes up for a lot of its repetitive gameplay aspects through other means.

 

[Ralackk]

I just completed the creature stage, Its not what the 30min video demo from a few years made it out to be.

I was kind of expecting somewhat more of an Eco system to the game. Herds of Herbivores roaming about with the odd pack of carnivores taking a few down. When what we got in fact was a creature gang war over nests, So a little disappointed over that.

Still need to play the rest of the game but I'll start on that tomorrow. However I genuinely enjoy the editors so if nothing else I'll more then get my moneys worth messing about in all of those for a good while.

 

[meatloaf231]

People expected some type of Civilization 4/Sims/everything hybrid, and it just isn't.

Overhyped game disappoints, millions shocked.

Seriously. A game with hype = lots of "This game was disappointing!" threads.

 

[Fineldar]

A game that's been really hyped for a long time without really releasing any gameplay features is bad? Scandalous! And it's by EA? Who could tell?


You would think people would get used to this after awhile, but the gam eindustry would crumple or actually try to work.

Now, alot of you keep quoting TF2 as taking forever and being awesome. Now, did Valve actually WORK for 10 years on it, or did it just take ten years for them to get off their asses and make it?

Both. You can see movies and screen shots of TF2 that have Blue Shift graphics and such. I doubt it was a complete Duke Nukkem situation, but I'm guessing they scrapped it and put it on hold when some new technology came out, and spent time making the new Source and HL2.

 

[Shadowtek]

and speaking of evolution style gameplay (loosely speaking) any one remember "El Fish"?

 

[meatloaf231]

Actually I just realized something. People expected spore to be a game. Will wright doesn't make games, he makes simulators. That's what this is. It's a simple simulation of the evolutionary process.

Albeit a very fun version of the evolutionary process.

 

[Ralackk]

Actually I just realized something. People expected spore to be a game. Will wright doesn't make games, he makes simulators. That's what this is. It's a simple simulation of the evolutionary process.

Albeit a very fun version of the evolutionary process.

Would of been nice of him to 'simulate' a better Eco system in the creature phase then.

 

[Imitation Saccharin]

I feed on your mild disappointment like some kind of sadness vampire.

You refused to notice the cuts in content, the vagueness, the constant text-only alterations from the play demo? Now you've got a 1/2 finished game! Give unto me your exasperation with a games industry that has so wronged you. Embrace my offerings, drink of the blood of cynicism, and know more life as parasite then as man.
Join me in the twilight stillness, and together we will feast on the fanboys and the hopeful, without mercy or dobut, for we will be the vindicated.

My children, the next feast approaches. Prepare to gorge yourselves. Fallout 3...awaits.

 

[goodman528]

Thank you guys for saving me £30 and 8 hours of my life.

 

[Spleenbag]

I wish he would have spent 8 years just making a new Sim City

Hell yeah! I remember playing SimCity 3000 when I was a wee one and blowing all sorts of crazy office buildings and shit up. Aliens and dinosaurs and robots all coming through and blowing shit up, it was a great part of my childhood. A new one would be great.

As for SPORE: I thought it would be great a year ago. For me it fell off the radar a few months ago and now it looks like I won't be buying it. Fallout 3 (sorry, Post-Nuclear Oblivion) for the win; I played it at PAX and it's fun.

 

[PhoenixFlame]

While there is certainly some level of blame to be laid at the feet of developers for this kind of thing, I have honestly made such purchases before, and I came to a realization that I was buying certain games because they were hyped and because they were popular, not because they were necessarily games that fit into my playstyle. I'm getting this feeling from the people in this thread who are disappointed with Spore and I have to ask:

-What kind of gamer are you?
If you're the type of gamer that considers "beating" a game getting to the last stage of success, then if Spore has a sandbox, achievement-style design then it is no surprise it is disappointing.

-Why did you get interested in Spore?
Was it the hype? Was it the popularity? Is it a type of game you typically purchase? I'm pretty picky about my purchases these days. I love console RPGs, play at least one MMO at a time, and am a sucker for FPS games. That's basically it. Rarely do I ever purchase a game based purely on a company, a developer, or buzz.

-How many hours a week do you play?
Exhausting a game is directly correlated to the amount of time you spend on it, with MMOs being a somewhat sketchy exception. If you play hardcore, content is exhausted a lot quicker.

I'm not trying to tell the people who are disappointed that they are wrong to feel that way. It's perfectly fine. What I'm curious about is if this points to a greater issue with people's gaming purchasing habits and whether or not we all need to take a hard look at why we are purchasing a game and if it "fits" for us. Games like Spore and Little Big Planet are hugely popularized and hyped right now, but I'm not purchasing them because they aren't my kind of game.

 

[Ixus Illwrath]

If development time = suck, then Chinese Democracy is going to be the worst album of all time.

The minigames in spore can be pretty fun (underwater stage, early land stage) but they did get a little tedious in the latter half of the game. It's like you spend hours upon hours developing survival skills for your creature only to have all our choices rendered nil once you enter tribal phase. In the end, 90% of the game is just the space stage as well (my favorite part easily) But the only thing that matters after all that hard work and evolution are 2-3 perks you've earned. Everything else is just aesthetic at that point.

The worst aspect of the game in my mind, however, is that you can flip flop at a whim betweem what type of creature you are, it only comes down to points. That means that even thought you're evolving, each time you go to the editor you can completely erase your creature and start anew, getting all your DNA points refunded. I had to alter my creature between an aggressive meat eater and a passive herbivore every 5 minutes in the land phase to maintain the middle ground I was shooting for.

It also seemed strange that the second you're done with the land phase, nothing... NOTHING you developed your creature to be matters at all anymore. Attack ability, social skills, all of it is immediately rendered useless and the only thing that matters at that point is what tools you're carrying. I personally would've liked a mental/physical slider at that point.

Once you reach the space phase, the game actually gets deep. Really deep. I think it's definitely the strong point of the game, but once again, the only thing that differs at all between any civilization is a few minor perks.

If there was one thing I could change with the entire game it would have to be the point distribution. If you choose a mouth that gives your creature +3 singing, and then also buy an item that gives him an additional +1 singing, you're total singing will still be 3. points don't stack, they just take the highest number and use that. Oddly, it's completely different for vehicles, where points do actually stack.

Edit: Just wanted to also point out that the first stage isn't at all original, there have been countless 'big fish eats little fish' games made. There's one for the PS3 that's pretty great and involves rotating the sixaxis to move, and a ton of flash games that are the same concept. Have to say there's nothing innovative at all in the game until you get past there.

 

[GCM]

If development time = suck, then Chinese Democracy is going to be the worst album of all time.

Yeah, think Valve. Development time here doesn't equal suck.
From what I've heard it's been getting pretty decent reviews.

Also, I just noticed that it's out in Australia first! 3 days before North America's September 7th (so I don't have it)! Crikey. Yahtzee, you prince of princes! What will you do next?

 

[stormcaller]

I agree spore had some good ideas but seemed sort of stretched out. not even depth or reason for playing through each stage i.e you complete one stage and lose it all the next also the space stage annoys me mainly because I tried to set up a huge galactic alliance (and that failed horribly)

ex:I'll be in the middle of colonising a planet when I get 3 whinge-mails all at the same time telling me to go somewhere and do something because theyre too lazy to do it themselves. I'm supposed to be an spacefaring race going around colonising planets and trading items not a errand boy... Also wtf is a Grox??