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Spore creatures join anti-DRM protest
Not content with authoring scathing reviews on Amazon, several gamers outraged by EA's approach to DRM in Will Wright's everything sim, Spore, have decided to evolve their line of protest. GameCulture has dug up several amusing, user-created creatures from the game's galaxy, all of them brandishing rather unsubtle traits -- despite lacking traditional faces, it's clear that they frown upon the game's three-install limit.Regardless of your thoughts on the whole matter, we're pleased to see the promise of user-generated content fulfilled in such an interesting, self-referential way.[Via GamePolitics]
BigDownload has 'Ten Reasons to Avoid Spore'
Ten reasons to read "Ten Reasons to Avoid Spore", a recent feature on BigDownload: Because you want to read an even-handed look at the game's flaws before deciding whether or not it's worth a purchase. Because it's presented in visually pleasing Gallery-o-vision. Because you're Will Wright, and you enjoy criticizing your latest game's criticisms. Because it was written by gaming industry newcomer, Perez Hilton. Because BigDownload is totally wrong and you can't wait to inform them of this in their comments. Because you've already installed and removed the game three times, so you've got nothing better to do. Because we were joking about it being written by Perez Hilton. Because it has pictures. Big, beautiful pictures. Because we asked you very nicely to read it, and it's our birthday. Because you appreciate literature that criticizes a game you believe was crafted by Beelzebub. Gallery: 10 Reasons to Avoid Spore
Metareview: Spore Creatures
With all the current hype surrounding Spore, even ardent DS fanboys such as ourselves have to strain to recall Spore Creatures. It looks like a totally different game to its PC counterpart, and we quite enjoyed it when we went hands-on at GDC '08. So which is it: the sleek, refined alpha member of its species, or a sloppy afterthought of a game, heading for history's rubbish bin? We copied and pasted some other people's thoughts to find out! IGN (78%) gave the game one of its better reviews, praising its sense of fun and creativity: "Spore Creatures isn't intended as a replacement for the core PC Spore experience -- it's meant to compliment that design with a unique experience that lifts many of the core elements. And for the most part it succeeds in that task: this is a fun, involved, albeit more linear DS experience with a few quirks that get in the way, but even with those quirks it's great to experience a game on the more limited handheld with a similar sense of creativity that PC gamers will have in Spore." Eurogamer (5/10) isn't so keen, arguing the game is crippled by its linear nature: "What it doesn't offer is any sort of Free Play option where you can do your own thing. You can indulge your creative desires or you can play the game. You can't really do both at the same time in any satisfying way, which suggests that "linear action adventure" simply wasn't the right direction to take the Spore concept for its handheld outing." GameSpot's (65%) Kevin VanOrd just couldn't emotionally bond with his creations: "It's still a cute adventure across multiple planets, and it features a pared-down version of the creature creation tool that helped make the PC release such a success. It has some annoying quirks, and it won't inspire an emotional connection between you and your digital doppelganger, but Spore Creatures is still a pleasant diversion and an appealing, if ordinary, companion to its bigger brother." %Gallery-15944% This post is a part of our Metareview category, but we also like reviewing things ourselves, and making sure our voice is heard. We're conceited and self-absorbed like that.
Amazon's Spore reviews vanish in 'glitch', return soon after
We're not sure if Amazon is secretly displeased with its recent transformation from major online retailer to caustic protester staging ground. Gamers dissatisfied with Spore's "draconian" digital rights management attacked the game's reputation en masse earlier this week, dragging its user rating down and posting scathing reviews targeted at the three-installation limit imposed by the included SecuROM software. The slate was suspiciously wiped clean today, only to be restored moments before the publishing of this article.Glitch, or conspiracy? As much as we'd like to point to the latter, Amazon tells us it was nothing more than a "site glitch." Says Amazon: "Amazon did not knowingly or consciously choose to remove the reviews. The team is working on resolving this issue now and restoring all the reviews on the site. "Per our policy, Amazon doesn't censor or edit customer reviews and we'd only remove a review if it fell outside our guidelines." Regardless, we hope Spore publisher EA has heard the angry cries of legitimate game owners entangled in an anti-piracy net. [Thanks to everyone who panicked and sent this in!]
We hope Christian anti-Spore website is a joke
But, we have a sneaking suspicion that the blog, which aims to let "Electronic Arts know that their biggest attack on Christian values to date will not be tolerated," is horrifyingly real. What's the attack? Well, as near as we can figure it's because Spore's structure would seem to insinuate that evolution is real. There's another thing that does that, what's it called? Oh, yeah ... science.The bad news is that Will Wright is lambasted as an "evil man," in part because of his membership in "the only church in america [sic] that ordains homosexuals on a regular basis." The bonus is that it's a really great resource for pictures of Spore creatures with giant penises, which we simply can't get enough of.
What are Will Wright's Top Five Games?
Maybe it's the High Fidelity fan in us, but we love top five lists. They're easy to read, don't tax our brains with too much complexity and most importantly, don't require too much of our precious, precious time. And if you are going to take those moments out of your day, shouldn't it be on a worthwhile list? Say ... on the Top Five Favorite Games of World's Smartest Game Designer Will Wright? Behold!5. The Civilization series4. Grand Theft Auto series3. Battlefield series2. Advance Wars on the DS1. The Flight Simulator seriesSo, are you surprised? Will Wright is, apparently, a total nerd. You know what just got left off at number six? Tri-Dimensional Chess. True story.[Thanks, Pugnate]
Play around with Spore's prototypes
By now, many of you have lost yourselves or your loved ones to Spore. If you wish to seek out the origins of this vicious time sink, Maxis has posted almost a dozen prototype applications used to test particular aspects of the game while it was in development. The simulators of the simulator game, which are free to download (via Maxis or Big Download), don't exactly offer breathtaking gameplay, but they do provide a very interesting behind-the-scenes look at this years-long project.
Metareview - Spore (PC)
The review embargo lifted on Spore today, and the critics wasted no time weighing in on Will Wright's oft-delayed opus. The general consensus seems to be that an amazing level of quality is there, but depth may not be, which is really the last complaint we ever expected anyone to level at Spore. Go figure. PC Gamer UK (91/100): "Spore falls a little short of its promise at every stage, but bear in mind that its concept is as close as we've come to a game incarnation of the Lord our God." IGN (88/100): "In fact, Spore is essentially five distinct games woven together. And here, Maxis demonstrates a weakness, as a number of these games come off as lightweight or limited. However, Spore is a prime example of something that is much more than the sum of its many parts. Gamespot (80/100): "Taken on their own, its pieces are nothing special. As parts of a singular ambitious vision, they work far better. Throw in the best customization tools seen in years and an enthusiastic community brimming with creativity, and you have a legitimately great game that will deliver hours of quality entertainment. " %Gallery-15870%
Spore Origins out for iPod, iPhone version due this week
Spore Origins has wriggled its way out to the iTunes store for the iPod. The game is a slimmed-down version of the early microbial stages in the upcoming PC game -- in the main game, you'll be able to take your little microbes up through the evolutionary ladder all the way up to space travel, but in the iPod game, you just guide a little cellular organism around in the primordial muck, eating what's smaller than you and running away from what's bigger.We haven't played the iPod version, but the iPhone version, which we got a hands-on with at E3 earlier this year, is due out later this week, according to the game's creator, Will Wright. Both games pale in comparison to the creativity and polish that the full Spore game will offer -- running a creature around in the muck isn't nearly as fun as guiding it through the history of time itself, and unfortunately, as we were told at E3, online play and character transfer never made it into the final version, so the portable games have no relation to the full game at all.So what you're left with is a little arcade game, which probably isn't actually worth the $5 it costs. There are, after all, better games out there for less.
PAX 2008 hands-on: Spore, have we seen enough already?
The last stop on our Electronic Arts booth tour at PAX was dedicated to Spore. That's right, it's more Spore news. It's not a real day on Joystiq unless you get some minor Spore news, or a definitive hands-on experience. With the game actually coming out (can it be?!) in five days, maybe you'll start to see these die down a bit. Unless, of course, there's a secret Hot Coffee level that we find during our explorations. But is the game coming out a bit too late, or just in time? It feels like it's starting to wear out its welcome just a bit. Like that house guest that just won't leave, is Spore in danger of becoming a bore? German gamer mags have already given the game fairly disappointing scores, and in all honesty, we were ready to leave our demo early, even though we went hands-on with the whole thing. Find out why after the break.%Gallery-15870%
Joystiq eyes-on: How to Build a Better Being, with Will Wright
We're starting to get a little sick from Spore fever, since we gamers have been hearing about it for what seems like eons. But once the title launches September 7 in North America (and September 5 in Europe and Asia), we'll have to ride the wave of hype again when the rest of the world hears about the title. Set your TiVos for one of the first (of potentially many) Spore tie-ins; the National Geographic Channel will air its HD special, How to Build a Better Being on Tuesday, September 9 at 10:00 PM. The production is also included in the $80 Spore Galactic Edition.The show offers a primer in DNA and genetics beyond what we remember from high school, connecting science with Spore. It's less a look at the game directly and more of a handshake (sometimes literally) between Will Wright and genetic scientists.How to Build a Better Being centers on the Creature Creator and the genetic basis for the game's evolution and multitude of parts. After watching a screener, we wish it also covered science behind other parts of the game. However, the hour-long show works as a companion to that fundamental Spore angle.
Will Wright calls E3 a walking corpse
The latest bandwagon that people seem to be hopping onto is the "Let's bash E3" express. We've had our own prognosticator proclaiming that the video game expo is past its prime, and now Will Wright is joining in by delivering a couple of swift kicks to the ribs. Then he backed over it a few times with his car before driving to his giant Scrooge McDuck pool of money and diving in.In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, he calls the ailing conference "the walking dead" and says that the recently slenderized version of E3 from last month was "such an abrupt end to what was E3..." At least he could have bought it flowers or something while he was busy pronouncing it to be a living corpse. The nerve of some people.We're just about to get some shuteye before launching into the crazy realm of PAX 2008, and we'll see if E3 does indeed look like a zombie in comparison. Maybe all it needs is a little makeup.[Thanks, Jonah]
Will Wright doesn't blush at 'Sporn'
Speaking with the Associated Press, Spore creator and bona fide master game designer, Will Wright, seemed surprisingly ... okay with the various "Spore-nographic" organs creatures people have made using the Spore Creature Creator. "Some of it's really good for what they were shooting for. It's amazingly explicit, especially when those creations are animated," Wright said.On the topic of giving creative power (and lots of it) to players, Wright explained, "When you give players creative control, you have to expect they're going to do the unexpected," but he was quick to add, "We just have to make sure those people aren't messing up the experience for others." To this end, Wright told the AP that there will be a system in place whereby players can "ban" content from ever appearing in their own Spore universe. Elsewhere, we fully expect there to be entire universes populated solely by undulating naughty bits.
EA looking 'way outside the game space' with Spore
It seems Spore has a shot at the big screen. No, not that 60" LCD monitor that cost you nearly all your limbs, but that one you view in the dark with a bunch of popcorn-munching strangers. According to Reuters, EA is looking to connect upcoming everything-sim Spore with television and film, hoping that the right deal will add momentum to the game's marketing machine and boost sales. "With Spore, we're looking way outside the game space, such as TV, movies, etc.," said the game's revered designer, Will Wright. "We're basically planting the seeds to spread Spore out to a much wider group of people than would ever play a computer game." The aggressive, multi-medium marketing is thought to be prompted by EA's last round of disappointing financial results, with the publisher chasing down audiences in a bid to regain its top publisher throne. With Will Wright's latest, sights are being set even beyond the huge popularity attained by The Sims."Longer term, I think the brand of Spore potentially has a wider net to cast than The Sims did," notes Wright. We also reckon Spore is the easier one to adapt into an entertaining film, what with all the kooky aliens and spaceships.
'Militant atheists' up in arms over Spore's sim-religion
You'd think that a life simulation that begins with single-cell organisms and follows their evolution into space-faring races might get some folks from the "intelligent design" camp riled. It turns out that what Spore creator Will Wright refers to as "militant atheists" seem to be the most bent out of shape by the inclusion of a religion mechanic in his latest opus. "I didn't expect to hit hot buttons on the atheist side as much; I expected it on the religious side," Wright said in an interview with Eurogamer. "What we had was a good, sizable group of players that we might call 'militant atheists,' and the rest of the players seemed very tolerant, including all of the religious players."If anything, we'd expect Spore to be an equal-opportunity offender. After all, it implies that the biological material giving rise to its in-game life came from another world, but also has players acting in a "God" role to influence its evolution. "We didn't want to go too far down that path," Wright explained, adding, "We leave the whole creation of the universe question open." Open ... to debate, it seems.
Will Wright not opposed to Spore MMO
For all the fun and interesting games we get to talk about here at Massively, we do have to own up to some jealousy when it comes to the subject of Spore. The biggest reason being the title's ubiquitous appeal to anyone with a remote interest in games which allow creative customization and creation of, well, just about everything. So we're happy to hear that Will Wright -- while not currently pursuing the it -- is open and responsive to the idea of doing a Spore MMO when the technology and timing is right. Or in other words: When Mr. Wright is feeling interested in the concept.It's pretty minimal news, we know, but it does make the mind wonder what kind of MMO Spore could become. Whatever it may someday be, it certainly doesn't sound like something that's hitting shelves -- or previews, for that matter -- anytime soon.
Comic-Con 08: Will Wright keynote
Will Wright gave the opening keynote today at the nerd-packed Comic-Con 2008, an event so chock full of fellow geeks we're hard-pressed to find a free patch of San Diego Convention Center floor to stand on. For the first half hour or so Will rattled off profound observations and inspirational quips at approximately the speed of light, leaving the second half of the presentation to an extensive demo of the civilization and space stages of Spore. The touted reveal of the MashON Spore Comic Book Creator wasn't much more than a few minutes' discussion of the tool that will live at http://mashon.com/spore/, enabling players to take the creatures and other assets they make in the game and import them into an interactive comic book creation engine. A booklet passed out to attendees while waiting for the keynote tells us you'll be able to drag and drop screenshots taken in Spore right into the tool, add audio and video clips and other assets, create and lay out the entire story environment and share it with friends via email or Flash embed code. Users can rate and save other players' stories on the Mashon.com site and play them back as digital flip books as well as print them out. Wright talked about how the Comic Book Creator fits within the overall ethos of the game, which is about putting players more in the role of George Lucas than Luke Skywalker, allowing them to actually create the worlds themselves beyond just playing in them.%Gallery-28501%
E308: SimCity Creator all boxed up in a neat little pack-age
Considering the worldwide domination of all things Sim, it's no surprise that E3 will play host to precisely eight jillion updates about The Sims, Sim City, SimAnimals, SimSim the Simmy Simulator of Simness and other classic titles. What's that right there? Why, it's the box art for the upcoming SimCity Creator, which is a pretty decent looking addition to the legendary city-building series.A press release has also recently arrived, but it doesn't reveal much more than what we already knew. Build cities, draw roads with the Wiimote, destroy them with big, scary monsters. Nothing new, but sounds like fun on a bun.%Gallery-27626%[Via press release[
Will Wright's exemplar user-created Spore creatures
Click for higher resolution Fancy seeing a selection of the 1.589+ million Spore creatures created so far? This batch of crazy critters was hand picked by Will Wright himself as an example of how crazy, imaginative and realistic Spore's creatures can be, if the players are creative enough. Click the image above to begin the tour, which includes the following: Scarily realistic (or so Mr. Wright says) humans A set of walking teeth Living vehicles A Chocobo, from the Final Fantasy universe The Weighted Companion Cube, back from the dead with a slight weight problem Robots %Gallery-27654%
Wright: 'Spore fans 38% god'
If you need proof that numbers can be twisted to represent absolutely anything, then Will Wright has you covered. His basic argument goes like this: In the span of 18 days, Spore Creature Creator users were able to top 1,589,000 species in about 18 days, a feat that took God 7 days to accomplish. So, by his math, users of Spore at operating at 38 percent of God's capacity, or .38G. A closer look at his math is right after the break.The blaspheme-o-rama continued as Wright said he suspected that by Spore's official launch users will be at 1,589,000 species a week or 1G. Which left us wondering ... just how long would it have taken God to make Spore?