Spore. Buy. Now

[Steppenwolf]

Dux and Thrik let me ask you a question:

Do you buy all the games that you aren't interested in the first place just to see if there is a chance that you would like it?

Don't know about you guys but i dont have the money or time for that. I have to base my purchase decissions on something. In this case its the to me unappealing gfx style, the boringness of the creature designer that i tried earlier this year (was only fun for 5 minutes) and the mediocre score of two magazines that i thrust more then the internet hype machine. The user score on metacritic is in the 75% area too btw.

[Thrik]

No, but I do try games that a lot of people and generally reliable reviewers are saying is good.

I'm not trying to dictate how you choose what to buy, etc. I was just contesting you coming in and quoting the scores of two German magazines as if it's concluding evidence that Spore isn't worth playing. There's no doubt the game was overhyped which has led to disappointment for those expecting the last game they'll ever need to buy (Lol?), but IMO it's worth more than a 7x% mark.

People writing games off based on review scores alone has always been a pet peeve of mine, though. I think it's impossible to condense paragraphs of analysis into two numbers.

[Hourences]

It is a love it or hate it game. I also wonder what casual players, and even girls (imagine that), think of the game. I dont think that metacritic and all those reviewers represent that group of players all too well, but it may be exactly that group to will turn this game into a success (aka the sims crowd). Then again, the rts like action may be a step too far for that group?

Maybe the game is trying to be too much? Be both a rts game and everything else, appeal both to girls and boys, young and old, etc?

[Sentura]

as i said before, i have a bet going that it's gonna be the next "the sims".

[Erratic]

Maybe the game is trying to be too much? Be both a rts game and everything else, appeal both to girls and boys, young and old, etc?

Civilization was rather famous for attracting a wide range of players and that shit makes me feel stupid when I play it. I can't see Spore turning off anyone, you're eased into the learning curve of the game, it's very approachable for what I've played so far.

[Taylor]

I thought I was infamous around this parts for not being too fond of the FPS genre . I'd pigeon hole myself as a arcade/console gamer and attracted mainly to skill-based titles I can pick up and play – I think it's my WoW antidote.

I certainly agree a film-like plot is not necessary, though I think titles like GTA4, MGS4, Uncharted, etc. owe a lot of their overall entertainment from this film-like presentation and narrative. However, I don't believe these triple-A titles are the majority, and the review itself refers to only generously advertised titles. And Spore's sandbox gameplay dictates it cannot include this level of linear narrative, anyway.

[Seldoon182]

who's will wright?

[-HP-]

SPORE - The DRM for the game utilizes securom which is essentially a virus that installs itself without warning when you install the game. There is no way to completely remove it without reformatting and it is constantly running in the background if not removed. Sucking up computer resources.

It also is overpriced. This is actually a RENTAL, not a bought game because it only lets you install 3 times. If you install over 3 times then you must call EA customer support and beg them to let you play the game you bought. Did I mention the call is not free? If you live outside the U.S. it will be a very expensive call.

DO NOT BUY THIS, and if you do buy it keep in mind that you are renting it. Not buying it. Whats really ironic about this is the DRM hasn't even stopped the pirates as it was pirated a few weeks ago. And the pirated version doesn't have Securom or install limits which makes it a better version. EA shouldn't treat its consumers like trash if they want my money.

[Hourences]

Yeah, posted about that a few replies back. No one seems to care...

[dux]

So is everyone going to download it?

[ReNo]

Nah, not me. I'm not gonna claim I've never pirated games but I don't like to. If I want something then I buy it. Spore I just don't really want - plenty of other games out that I'd rather pick up.

[Thrik]

Plenty of people care, Hourences. If you check out Spore's Amazon reviews it has over a thousand 1-star ratings from disgruntled fans, precisely because of the DRM.

As I said way earlier, I don't like the idea of DRM because it rarely punishes anyone but the legitimate consumers. However as I also said, the same system was used in BioShock and they removed the limit after less than a month; as such, BioShock's DRM ended up not being much of a big deal at all. I'm hanging on and waiting to see what happens in that respect, because at the moment the 3-install limit hasn't affected me.

Hopefully publishers will learn from the massive backfiring of Spore's DRM, because the huge amount of bad reviews on Amazon and other such sites is surely going to cost them a lot of sales. Sure, most of the reviews are basically malicious and intended to cost EA sales, but it's a very good case of consumer protest in a way that actually carries genuine power.

[ReNo]

EA's first response seems to be one of "our DRM ain't going anywhere", sadly, though a slight silver lining is that Red Alert 3 will allow an ultra generous FIVE installs instead of three

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/54638

[dux]

Looks like RA3 will be hot download material, too.

[Mazy]

Been goofing around with it a bit today, only at the 2nd stage atm. Its pretty good, but I cant imagine wanting to spend that much time with it, the graphics and general atmosphere of it gives me headache D: