PAX 2008 hands-on: Spore, have we seen enough already?

by Kevin Kelly { Sep 2nd 2008 at 11:30PM }

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: Spore

The EA folks didn't show us anything that we hadn't seen before, and they took us through all of the different game stages, right up to the point where you launch into space. Carl Sagan and EA told us space was vast, and they sure weren't kidding. It's huge. Massive. Giganimous. According to the developer we spoke to, "You'll spend far more time in space than you will in the rest of the game." We believe it.

Now, the bad news, and this might just be a byproduct of playing it at a kiosk in the middle of a massive gaming convention... but we started to get bored. Once our creatures developed military vehicles and we could pound the crap out of our friendly neighbors (you're singing at me? TAKE THIS!), it picked up a bit. However, I was thinking "Gee, I sure hope I get more excited when this comes out."

When we ventured out into the giant playground of space, our interest factor (we need a HUD for that thing) started to waver. You know it's not a good sign during a demo when you start wondering about things like "Hmm, what am I going to have for lunch?" and "Did I leave the iron on?" or "Can I play Mirror's Edge one more time?" Have we had enough Spore? A PAX attendee behind us leaned over and remarked to her friend "So... is this it? It looks like The Sims in Space." Not bad, random attendee.

So, what was boring about it? Exactly the things that are supposed to be fresh and exciting. Creating creatures is fun, but developing them and helping them along to each new level was slow and plodding. Remember when everyone bought a Tamagotchi because it was the coolest thing in the world and OMG you just had to have one? Then when you played with it for about two days, you lost interest. Millions of Tamagotchi's died due to boredom. Spore is like a Tamagotchi times a thousand.

Even the EA rep was skipping us from the cell level to the creature level to the tribal level and so on. Yes, I know that's because it takes eons (literally) to get your creatures to those levels, but the gameplay element of actually making it that far just wasn't doing it for me. At least it wasn't doing it for me in a loud convention filled with teeming masses of people who wanted to see what you were doing, and in some cases hadn't bathed in awhile.

It's impossible to translate a kiosk experience to playing at home, but it's easy enough to know what's fun at a kiosk and what isn't. I'm not saying Spore wasn't fun, because it was... from time to time. But you can't ignore your brain when it starts prodding you to move on, and I ended up leaving a lot earlier than I thought I would. I'm still planning on picking this one up, but I hope I don't have to tase myself every five minutes to keep my excitement level running high.

Tags: Electronic-Arts, PAX, PAX-08, PAX-2008, PAX2008, Spore, Will-Wright

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Matt @ Sep 2nd 2008 11:42PM

this is a bummer... I was looking forward to Spore... I can't seem to find a game that entertains me anymore :(

Shignami @ Sep 2nd 2008 11:48PM

It always seemed to me to be one of those games you played with some noise-canceling headphones for four and a half hours at a time, because when games like the sims or animal crossing have your undivided attention, only then does their tedium become enchanting.

BananaBoat @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:48AM

Like Civilization Revolution. Start playing at 10pm on a Tuesday, stop playing at 7am on a Wednesday.

Taco_Hell @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:11AM

You stopped? I'm still playing a game I started a week ago.....I need help.

BananaBoat @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:23AM

I'd probably never stop playing if it weren't for the random "Country you didn't know existed just won a culture victory!" pop-ups after 5 hours of playing. Even as a non-working college student, I don't have enough time to waste 5 hours at once. I've definitely lost track of the days before. Had to stop playing altogether after I missed a class. Will go back to it on spring break probably.

If anyone remembers, I totally trashed the Civ Rev demo. I was wrong. Full game is the shit. I now drink from the Sid Meier Kool-aid. If I had to switch one thing though, I'd allow for the mass grouping of troops, instead of just 3 at a time. No big deal though.

Taco_Hell @ Sep 3rd 2008 3:09AM

Actually, you can do mass troop grouping in Civ 4, which I have, played, passed it on to my friends like a cheap whore, then came back crawling to it for more.

BananaBoat @ Sep 3rd 2008 3:30AM

I thought about getting Civ 4, but then I saw all the expansions, and I realized that I'd probably never leave my house again. I've played the demo, and I'd have to say that I prefer Civ Rev to Civ 4, if only because the graphics are easier on the eyes, and the combat is a little more involved (Civ Rev shows you individual soldiers battling. Civ 4 doesn't. I wouldn't be surprised if both were just based on a random outcome generator though).

My love for Civ Rev makes me more excited for what Spore could be, but equally as worried for what it might not be. It seems like spore will have a less involved version of Civ Rev's gameplay, mixed with a less involved version of sins of a solar empire, mixed with the sims etc etc. I want EVERYTHING fleshed out, and I know I'm probably not going to get that. I'd place money on a more realistic version of Spore being the next big thing out of will wright. An "Everything simulator" with the added benefit of having human-esque creatures that we can identify with, and will thus care about (potentially).

Meh, I guess I'd probably settle for the spore version of the death star. "You are a member of the rebel alliance, and a traitor!" "Fire the deathstar at Cockmonster Planet 7!" "NOOOOOO!!!!!" BLAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

"I feel a great disturbance in the force...as if millions of cocks suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced..."

Marluxia.Kyoshu @ Sep 3rd 2008 7:10AM

@BananaBoat
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAH

I didn't think Star Wars and giant penismen could make for good storytelling... oh you proved me wrong Mster Banana , you proved me wrong.

...
"I feel a great disturbance in the force...as if millions of cocks suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced..."
Classic...

Namarrgon @ Sep 2nd 2008 11:56PM

Well, I'm enjoying it - though I'm only partway through the Creature stage so far.

Yes, it's available over here already. For once, Australians jump in early :-)

mrfong @ Sep 2nd 2008 11:59PM

Well, I've been waiting for this game forever, so I'm definitely picking it up regardless of what the reviews say, but I really don't want it to be a giant let down :(

Ridgecity @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:00AM

The first original game in 5 years and people are put it down without even being released.

No wonder EA is paying the NFL the next 20 years of exclusive rights and releasing the 11th Expansion for the Sims 2...

Ridgecity @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:07AM

First Microsoft and Sony that exclusive titles are not important anymore and now Joystiq says Spore isn't a fun game because it's too slow...

Sad times for gaming... Guess The Bronze Age of gaming is finally coming to an end.

Tiptup300 @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:13AM

Gaming will not have a bronze, silver, golden, platinum, or etc. age. It's just gaming.

There are years where you remember having a blast. It's not an age, it's a point in YOUR life where you were having fun. This doesn't translate to everyone. Some people will have orgasms over spore; some people will find it totally boring. All that matters is that people like their own sets of games and they play them.

Ihavepants @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:16AM

What was the other original game 5 years ago?

Ridgecity @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:26AM

Of course ages means revolutions.

The Golden Age is the Atari and Pc gaming beginning.
The Silver Age was the Nes and Genesis and Virtual Reality.
The Bronze Age is MMOs and the Wii.

That's when the biggest jumps are done not how many are sold but how revelant to culture they are.

The game I'm talking about is World Of Warcraft, and thousands of people are still playing it today.

Solid Chief @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:36AM

I'm curious as to why you mention Atari etc as golden age though. Are you implying that gaming has progressively gotten worse and less prosperous until we finally have the Wii?

Else, I think you might have it the wrong way around.

Solid Chief @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:38AM

I do note your explanation underneath it now. But I'm still confused and think its the wrong way >_>

Yourself @ Sep 3rd 2008 3:10AM

Wait, since when do "ages mean revolution"? The term "Golden Age" is typically used to refer to an ideal state that cannot be re-attained, a height of past glory; whereas Silver Age usually denotes a more advanced, but often overwrought period.

The "Bronze Age" refers exclusively to a historical period in which bronze is the most sophisticated and widely used metal in a civilization.

I think the terms hardly apply to a medium which is really still in it's first incarnation - while video gaming today is certainly much different from what it was in 1979, its cultural presence is still comparable, as is its general interpretation by creators and audiences. You'd have a better time classifying personal entertainment as a whole.

I'm still laughing at the idea of MMOs made of bronze, though.

zuburi @ Sep 3rd 2008 3:17AM

"Some people will have orgasms over spore..."

The correct nomenclature is "sporgasm."

Ridgecity @ Sep 3rd 2008 3:38AM

lol, golden age, silver age, bronze age are not mean to imply the best down to the worst. These are term commonly used by historians to differentiate between time periods. Gold is the beginning always. and they are not to be taken literal (as in the use of metals but as importance) but are used this way.

without Atari & pcs (motherboards used on arcades at first)existing, Nintendo making video games would have never happened. we would be still playing pinballs as video games are now...

@Yourself:"The Bronze Age" you are referring to is part of human history and came after the stone age. Not the same definition of what are common terms now and not what I'm talking here. everything has a golden age.

Revolution = cycle = period = age. You will study this in college.

And the game will do great, even if these kids want fast shoot everything games. Hopefully this won't kill the strategy genre like in we killed RPGs on pc.

Shenorock @ Sep 3rd 2008 9:41AM

You are mistaken buddy. That is not how gold/silver/bronze ages are used at all. I have a feeling "Yourself" has been to college =)

Yourself @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:41AM

Well, of course Bronze, Silver, and Golden Age are all terms originally rooted in history. My point, which brief usage of the functionality of the internet will serve to support, is that Silver and Golden Age have been taken over the years to have general meanings - Bronze has not. There is no "common usage" or other definition, any more so than there is for Iron Age.

"Revolution = cycle = period = age" is severely misconstruing terms. Many ages, in fact, are characterized by their very lack of revolution. I'm curious what college taught you this, as the one I'm at seems to steer clear of such murky generalizations.

Furthermore, you seem to use Silver and Bronze simply to denote 'revolutions that came after the first' without actually distinguishing meanings for the labels. By this logic, each time there is a significant change in gaming, a new age, with the next lowest metal, has been reached?

Sean @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:04AM

As much as I'm sorry that you guys are getting tired of playing a game at kiosks that hasn't been released yet, the rest of us only have your descriptions and youtube videos.

I'm not worried; I'm not bored yet.

I plodded around in the Civ games with Archers just waiting to get machine guns. One... more... turn...

want... Spore... now....

Frostfell @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:24AM

I know I've seen enough.

Gehodra @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:25AM

I got bored of this game about a year ago.

It took too long to come out, and I lost interest.

That and they mutilated the really cool cell stage they used to have.

Psaakyrn @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:49AM

Does that mean we'll get to see ZP's Spore review early too?

Psaakyrn @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:50AM

Also, reply system broke, comment meant for Namarrgon.

BananaBoat @ Sep 3rd 2008 12:52AM

I'm so afraid that at some point, it's just going to be the sims with goofy cartoon monsters. I've heard people say that the RTS gameplay is pretty deep when you get to it, but considering that you get to that stage and then...what? There is no endgame that I know of. If that world versus world mechanic isn't stellar, the entire thing sort of goes to hell. I'm not the type of gamer that will replay over and over so I can see how giving my dick monster an extra testicle will change the dynamics of his existence over thousands of years.

Maybe I'm expecting too much, but I want that final intergalactic war segment to be deep in the...I don't know..I load my guys up in a spaceship, and then pillage other planets. I guess what I want, is a Saiyan simulator.

Taco_Hell @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:14AM

From what I've seen, the space stage seems a lot like Galactic Civilizations except in real-time and you can screw around with the planets even more. I honestly can see myself burning up helpless planets for hours.

Paulmichael @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:24AM

Not to mention, if I remember this correctly, your planet is in a persistent universe, and you have to plan a defense strategy before you nod off for the night...I'd find it pretty fun to come home or wake up and check to see what events occurred while I was away. It sounds scarily addicting at that stage.

Jeff @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:02AM

i'd say hold on to your reviews until you get a chance to sit down and actually play it. At a convention there's just too much stuff going on for anyone to do a full-on review. Wait till after release to make up your mind. okithxbye.

Ryuukuro @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:39AM

despite the fact that no one will read this...

I think Spore will really shine once the expansion packs come out. But they'll only do that if Maxis really listens to the fans who play the game. Yes, Spore is (slightly) over hyped and I blame myself among others who got their hopes up way too high. That said, I haven't even played it yet so I still have hope!

Judging by what I've seen from the Sporepedia, Maxis made a mistake in their marketing. You do not see cute and cuddly so much as weird or realistic in the creature designs. The audience will be hardcore simulation fans, not necessarily hardcore gamers and almost definitely not people who love The Sims. The EPs will have to deepen the gameplay or--I hope--they'll have to find completely new gameplay from the Spore resources. They may even have to go the route of making traditional games using Spore resources. Gabe on Penny Arcade said that Spore looked more like a game creator than a game. That may be the secret to Spore's future but who knows? Most people still have yet to play it, damnit. DAMNIT DAMNIT DAMNIT.

BigD145 @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:37AM

The only expansions I can see are aquatic and aerial species sets. Aquatic should have been in from the beginning as a sort of "easy" mode. Face it, living on land is freaking hard. You still have to have water on a near daily basis and there's that gravity problem.

FSK405K @ Sep 3rd 2008 4:09AM

Ya, fish have it so much easier since they don't have to deal with gravity.

Psaakyrn @ Sep 3rd 2008 7:08AM

I'd also forsee a civilization expansion pack, one that has expanded types of creature groupings, and creature unions (so that it's not just one creature type in a civilization).

Right now from what I can tell, the civilization aspect seems rather fixed.
Where's the insect colonies? The water cities? The herd mentality (so you don't have to go carnivore to be successful)? The farmsteads (in the same vein as herbivore)? The religious overtones? The democratic/social/dictatorial/communist/monarchial/etc governments?

Granted I haven't played the game, so I can't say for certain these aren't in, but I'd like to see more than just male/female types of procreation. After all, there's "a universe of possibilities, and [we're] just fixated on local flavour".

zergbur @ Sep 3rd 2008 1:48AM

lol we see bout that in an hour when the download is complete :3 not the ea store one =)

edgore @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:07AM

This makes me sad, but I suppose I should not be that surprised...after all, I used to call "The Sims" "The most boring game I have ever played...that I can't stop playing". Still, I was hoping for more....

JoeTheBlow @ Sep 3rd 2008 5:32AM

It should have had 6 months of hype, tops, then release.
Not two or three years of hype, we're all a little tired of it by now.

A release last year would have been great, but theres too damn many top level releases over the next few months for me to devote too much time to this thing.

elko @ Sep 3rd 2008 5:35AM

I am still super excited about Spore and can't wait to play it. It's too bad I'll be away for 3 weeks when it releases and won't be able to grab it right away :(

jhrf89 @ Sep 3rd 2008 6:19AM

*Puts sceptical monocle on*

I think that the root of fun in this games comes from playing it for a longer period of time than you were allowed.

Having an attachment to the characters you spend hours with will surely help. The environment that you were subjected to didn't come across like the most immersive either!

I think this is not much a personal experience to be had standing up...

Setheran @ Sep 3rd 2008 6:35AM

It doesn't surprise me that the game is dull when you're skipped through the stages and don't get chance to get properly involved in it. I'm guessing the main part of what makes the gameplay rewarding will be the management aspects and personalising and growing attached to your race, which I wouldn't get if I knew I had to walk away from my creations at the end of the demo.

Even then I'd expect the game to be about as exciting and intense as Animal Crossing or RollerCoaster Tycoon, though. I just hope it's as addictive too.

DrXym @ Sep 3rd 2008 7:03AM

I played the creature creator and was bowled over by how easy and versatile the system was. I think Spore is destined to be a very slick game and possibly a very popular mainstream title.

HOWEVER (and this is a big HOWEVER) It is obvious that EA intend the game to be a "core" experience and expect people to buy expansions. That means you will play the game for a bit and then discover it is an incomplete experience or has been hobbled. It will be deliberately limited and repetitive in places with the express intention of encouraging people to buy some stupid expansion pack. I fully expect we'll see packs with fur, wings, new slots for monsters, swimming, new dance moves, habitats etc.

To hell with that idea.

Psaakyrn @ Sep 3rd 2008 7:11AM

Also, out of topic, but I think your cache server's broken. I can refresh 10 times and finally get my comment to show up, only to refresh again and have it dissappear... I won't be surprized this is one of the causes of double-posting.

LaughingTarget @ Sep 3rd 2008 7:34AM

The problem you're facing is you keep starting over from nothing using pre-set creatures and buildings. It's just like rerolling an MMO character. Starting over is never as exciting as the first time and you guys have done it a few times already. My guess is that was the problem with those German mags. Too many times through the finished product that the review was tarnished by the experience.

I'm not worried, all I've had were a few, grainy videos and Creature Creator.

Cyrius @ Sep 3rd 2008 7:47AM

Most games are hyped nowadays, especially EA games. It's how a multimillion dollar corporation makes money. Blizzard has that retarded midget that played mini-me advertising WoW, and EA has Snoop Dogg advertising some shitty boxing game.

Naysaying is contagious like a disease, don't get people saying how crappy this is before it even comes out. I am looking forward to this game, and I couldn't give two shits about review scores.

I like a lot of indie and low-budget games as well, because they have a lot of creativity and interesting concepts that a company wouldn't leave their moneymaking formula for. Review scores are based simply on how much money was given to the reviewer. Is Halo 3 fun? Yes Is it the best game ever? Hardly. It was a polished iteration of the same formula we have seen over and over again, and while the game is fun to play, it brings nothing new to the table. I'd rather stick to Europa Universalis.

Every good thing has to have its naysayers. Odds are you were bored because you WANTED to be bored. Evolution didn't happen overnight, why should it in a video game? You don't hear people whine about 'the path to each level is slow and plodding.' in WoW, and MILLIONS of people play that sorry, watered down excuse of an mmorpg. Here's hoping SWGEMU is released some day.

Naysay all you want. I am interested in this game because it seems to be different, yet at the same time is a highly budgeted game. This is a combination that isn't seen very often, and I am eagerly anticipating the results.

mj @ Sep 3rd 2008 8:00AM

Where there's smoke there's fire. Wil Wright's 'games' have always been simulation-based, not fun based. Sim happened to have an entertaining byproduct. That basically became a digital doll set.

I'm sure this has been playtested thousands of hours .. by EA. So I'm not confident.

Sid Meier is TWICE the MAN that Wil Wright will ever be!

Mike @ Sep 3rd 2008 10:33AM

It's interesting to me that this post (and apparently that German review) has embodied the sentiment I've felt about Spore for at least a year now. I think it was partially a mistake to release the Creature Creator in respect to their review scores/release reception for Spore, since it handed everyone months with which to become bored with one of the most hyped aspects of the final product. I realize there were plenty of alternate motives ($) for releasing it early, but after spending an hour or two with it, I found myself firmly in "not-buy" territory with regards to Will Wright and his latest cash machine.