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Spore (Mac/PC DVD)
| Overall Customer Rating: |  | | | | Graphics: | (Not Yet Rated) | | Sound: | (Not Yet Rated) | | GamePlay: | (Not Yet Rated) | | Addiction Level: | (Not Yet Rated) |
30 Customer Reviews
RRP: £39.99
Amazon Price: £26.98
You Save: £13.01 (33%)
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
Platform: Windows Vista
Publisher: Electronic Arts
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Editorial: From the creator of The Sims comes the most ambitious video game ever made: here you don't just control a single family or city but control an entire species from a single cell organism to a galactic conqueror. As impossibly complex as that might sound, the most impressive thing about Spore is just how accessible and fun it all is. The game is split into six evolutionary phases, starting with almost action-style gameplay at the microscopic level. From there you move to the creature phase on dry land, before going on to the tribal phase and the beginnings of society and technology. From there it's onto the city phase, which plays a bit like SimCity, and from there to the Civilisation phase which plays something like, you guessed it, Civilization. The final phase takes part in outer space where by hook or by crock your species must reign triumphant.Each phase has its own editing tools associated with it for things like vehicles and buildings. By far the most fun though is the creature tool, which allows you to create your own fully animated lifeform from scratch using a huge range of limbs, facial features and colourings. What's also interesting is that the other planets in the galaxy aren't all pre-populated by the game. Instead, by connecting online you can upload your races, and download those from other people, to fill the galaxy with civilizations from other players around the world. Any one of the six phases would normally be enough for any one game on its own, but this looks like it's going to turn out to be the world's first everything simulator.
HARRISON DENT |
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"Rather Buggy" - 11 September 2008
It took quite a few attempts to install this game and on my older PC I still haven't managed it. It worked fine on my son's XP but didn't install a shortcut on my other son's Vista laptop.
Considering the number of years it has taken for this game to be released the software seems very buggy with numerous crashes and messages saying "Spore has stopped working" This is frustrating for the kids as they love the game itself.
I'm sure others will comment on the EA download manager and DRM install limit. Overall the game's a brilliant idea but they just haven't got the execution of it right.
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"Fun, but not what i was expecting...." - 11 September 2008
If you liked playing around with the Building Editor in Sim City then you'll like Spore. The main attraction of the Game are the Editors - Buildings, Cars, Boats, Spaceships, Creatures, your imagination is pretty much the limit.
However, i've found the Gameplay to be quite shallow. The various Stages - Cell, Creature, Tribal etc, are quite easily and quickly completed, and are not very in-depth. The real fun of the Game comes from meeting new creatures and other content that other people have created and Uploaded to the central servers, and then downloaded to you at Game play time.
However, that brings me to the biggest problem so far.... Online play and DRM.
The Game works best when connected Online so you can access all the great content other people have created. I've been trying for over 24 hours now to connect to EA's servers to play but they seem to have Server problems. I've received no response from EA customer support or an answer in the forums.
And to cap it all the DRM that comes with the Game, SecuRom, only allows you 3 Installs and then you have to Phone EA and Beg to be allowed to Install the Game a forth, fifth or six time. If you are like me and regularly remove and reinstall games when you get bored with them then you're going to have massive headaches with this in the future.
If i was rating the game only i'd give it a 3/5, but because of the DRM it gets a 1/5.
Summary : Bad Customer support, Overly Intrusive DRM, Shallow Game play. Great Editors.
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"Dumbed down and boring" - 11 September 2008
This game is totally not what was expected, like many other EA products it is a simple dumbed down version of something that could have been good. Theres DRM as well, one of the worst kind, sony securom, and for those who think that it isnt worth a mention it IS, because it is part of the PRODUCT which is what is for sale. But even if that was removed the core problem with this game still remains... its no damn fun!!
Dont waste your money on this second rate game, buy something else.
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"Caveat emptor" - 11 September 2008
DONT'T BUY THIS GAME.
This installs a Rootkit from Sony called Securom which hides itself on your system and is virtually impossible to remove.
Rootkit's gather all sorts of personal information from your PC and uploads it to the internet.
Not too long ago Sony released a Rootkit that got them in all sorts of trouble. They were sued for breaking privacy laws the world over. They lost and had to hand over a large fine.
If your not sure what a Rootkit is, then google it.
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"Fun....for 5 minutes" - 10 September 2008
Spore starts off promisingly, and the first 2 stages (cell and creature) are fun, but are over very quickly. Spore doesnt really have any depth to it. Its also gets very confusing at times and yet i found it to be quite patronising to the user (im not sure if this is me just being thick though). The creature creation tool also loses its novelty quickly and having to design buildings and vehicles becomes a chore.
You have to admire the makers for the ambition of this game but it just somehow lacks that something that made the Sims fun to play.
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"A tragedy" - 10 September 2008
It is hard to believe that this was produced by the same people who brought us SimCity. The problem with Spore is not just that its a rubbish game (tedious, repetitive, boring, shallow, and undeveloped are a few words that come to mind); its that it is representative of the disdain with which companies like Electronic Arts hold their customers.
If you're thinking of buying this, consider that:
1. You can only activate this product 3 times. If you want to do so more than that, you need to call EA - and EXPLAIN why you need that extra activation. So however much you pay for this, you'll never own it in the way you owned games in the past, with the liberty to install as and when and however many times you like.
2. A large amount of the features associated with Spore have been removed, including an ENTIRE level (the underwater level). This is NOT the game featured on the famous demo that did the rounds on various internet video sites. This is a pale imitation of that. Furthermore, witness the fleet of Sims 2 'expansions' that have poured into the market in the wake of that game. The same will probably happen here - meaning that if you want to enjoy the experience as is shown in the various videos doing the rounds on the internet, be prepared to fork out a few more fat wads of cash.
3. What is left is essentially five cutesy mini-games stuck together. There is no sense of progression (what you do in one level has little effect on the next) or depth (most of the customisation is only for aesthetic appeal). The final level, Space, is massive, but has atrocious gameplay.
Avoid buying this. Send these massive publishers a message. Maybe next time they'll sell us a complete game.
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"SecuROM is malware" - 10 September 2008
If it looks like malware, breaks things like malware and resists removal like malware... its malware.
The SecuROM activation DRM shambles EA have deployed with several titles recently have destroyed their image with the paying, law abiding public.
BE ADVISED, buying and installing this product on your system will deploy rootkit software on your system and will limit the amount of times you can activate this software to 3, potentially preventing you from using the software you have PAID MONEY for and requires the calling of a charged EA support number.
If you need further reading, look over at the Amazon.com site and read the comments there.
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"DRM is not acceptable" - 10 September 2008
I was really excited about this product - evangelising it to all and sundry and waiting for its release for years. With its inclusion of SecuROM, I will not buy it, haven't played it and never will.
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"Poor game, even without the DRM" - 10 September 2008
Wasn't looking forward to having to put up with the DRM but bought it anyway. Never again though EA. This game has been gutted. Played it for a day and just binned it. Can't even return it because of the farcical activation limit. Cleary the developers are hoping to make a killing with an endless stream of expansion packs, to try and make this game what it should be on release
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"Enjoyable but simple - and the DRM ruins the product" - 10 September 2008
Many of these reviews focus on the DRM being an issue, and it is. After purchasing the product, I can play it fine at home, but the DRM stops me from even being able to run it on my work machine. Given the ridiculous restrictions the DRM imposes (only 3 installs before it stops working, phoning home every 10 days, installing hidden drivers on your PC without asking permission, the list goes on) it's a wonder that they've managed to sell any copies at all.
The game itself is fairly enjoyable, with the first four stages being very basic experiences which have little impact on the final space stage. Graphically it's not great, but the various creature and vehicle editors are great fun to use and simple to work with.
If I had realised just how atrocious the DRM would be on this product, I'd not have bought it. Caveat emptor.
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