New games this week: Spore edition
by Justin McElroy 
{ Sep 8th 2008 at 8:20AM }
But even if you don't feel compelled to reenact the entirety of a civilization, there are other, less taxing diversions ... like, say, TNA Impact! or ... two different hockey games.
See why it was an easy choice?
Gallery: Spore
Xbox 360:
- NHL 2K9
- TNA Impact!
- NHL 2009
- Zoids Assault
- NHL 2K9
- TNA Impact!
- NHL 2009
- NHL 2K9
- Cabela's Legendary Adventures
- The Price is Right
- Hell's Kitchen
- NHL 2K9
- Yakuza 2
- Cabela's Legendary Adventures
- Dragon Ball Z Trilogy
- TNA Impact!
- Dance Dance Revolution: X Bundle
- Cabela's Legendary Adventures
- Spore Creatures
- Lock's Quest
- Mazes of Fate
- Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir
- Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise
- Hell's Kitchen
- The Price is Right
- Bratz Ponyz 2
- Rain Drops
- Spore
- Spore: Galactic Edition
- CSI: Super Pack
- Flatout: Head On
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jonbo298 @ Sep 8th 2008 8:26AM
Wait...when was The Price is Right announced?!
FOXHOUND @ Sep 8th 2008 8:35AM
If it's really coming out this week... I've got two questions:
1) Can I be that jackass that always bids a single dollar higher than the highest bid or a dollar by itself?
2) Can I unlock BOB BARKER & ROD RODDY as the hosts? (I'd prefer it, actually)
Teabag @ Sep 8th 2008 8:33AM
I have Spore.
It's like a 2 day old cake. Good but not great.
DonkeyBarf @ Sep 8th 2008 8:49AM
Agreed. Its pretty shallow and light with nice icing all over it it. A sponge cake if you will.
Levi @ Sep 8th 2008 9:03AM
What I don't understand is how does a game come out on a Sunday? I didn't see it available for DL, Gamestop & EB release their games on like Wednesdays, and Best Buy on tuesdays. So where'd ya get it out of curiosity?
Jack of No Trades 85 @ Sep 8th 2008 9:16AM
@Levi
Well btjunkie.org has had it up for a least 5 days for torrent download.
Levi @ Sep 8th 2008 10:13AM
Hey! Another Levi!
rv @ Sep 8th 2008 10:31AM
There are shitload of people torrenting it too. Like 35000 or something, which is about 2 million dollars worth of sales.
Dirty @ Sep 8th 2008 10:55AM
I got it at best buy on sunday. Didnt get too much hands on with it but so far its fun. Kind of simplistic, but on the other hand evolving your creature is a lot of fun. I haven't made it to civilization yet.
Einhanderkiller @ Sep 8th 2008 11:13AM
The first four stages of the game are sort of like a tutorial for the sandbox part of the game.
Dale @ Sep 8th 2008 11:23AM
My local Best Buy had it too - regular, special and DS versions.
Lurker28 @ Sep 8th 2008 4:34PM
35 hours in and still loving it.
BananaBoat @ Sep 9th 2008 12:36AM
I don't know about you guys, but all of my prediction about spore came true. There is a less involved mini-game version of other games (like Civ 4 for instance). I refuse to get into a flame war over this, since I didn't even buy the game (played it on a friends computer, I don't care if he gets Securom on his computer) but I think one reviewer summed it up best when he said "Spore tries to be all things to all people, a strategy that never seems to work out like it's supposed to"
My complaints:
Terrible graphics
Bad soundtrack
Very limited variety in everything - (one melee attack and one long range attack? Give me a break)
Very generic RTS element - (You can make a boat, a plane, or a vehicle. There is no specializing weapons or specialized vehicles, since everything can hit everything else. So there is no Anti-Air, no Ground to Ground, etc. If it moves, you can hit it with whatever unit you've got)
Once you get interested in a stage, it's over. Only 3 or 4 other civilizations to combat at any time.
No multiplayer - I don't need to explain this one
I could go on forever, but in the end, it's just not the game I was hoping for. It's almost as if halfway through, EA decided that the game was going to be for kids, and dumbed everything down to such a low point that it's no longer interesting (atleast to me). It may have a score of 86 on metacritic, but I think the 67 user score is alot more telling.
FOXHOUND @ Sep 8th 2008 8:33AM
Not a bad week. I'm definitely picking up NHL09... and I'll end up renting TNA Impact and YAKUZA 2.
SPORE's nice, but I won't bother until after I finish SUPER MARIO RPG I downloaded on VC last week. :\
takamaru @ Sep 8th 2008 8:47AM
Word.
Rob Bourne @ Sep 8th 2008 8:46AM
*Edition
Hashbrown Hunter @ Sep 8th 2008 9:29AM
WTF! How often do users get to correct Joystiq headlines?!
+1 for you, and more if I could.
Dahk @ Sep 8th 2008 12:24PM
Heh, the URL still needs to be editoined.
Curtis Brunet @ Sep 8th 2008 8:48AM
It WAS an easy choice, wasn't it. The EA series of hockey games are just the most celebrated sports series by critics and fans alike, so it must be easy to overlook.
Does Spore have an average score of 87 wherein NHL 09 has an average score of 90? Really? Wow... Spore must be so much better then.
FOXHOUND @ Sep 8th 2008 9:00AM
If you view the rating like that, then apparently HALO3 is also better than SPORE. :p
Apples and oranges, man.
Anam @ Sep 8th 2008 9:14AM
Yeah, but Hockey comes out every year. Spore, as you know, doesn't.
Hashbrown Hunter @ Sep 8th 2008 9:30AM
...it's a difference of 3 points, NHL games come out annually, and Will Wright doing anything is kind of a big deal.
Hashbrown Hunter @ Sep 8th 2008 9:31AM
@ Anam
I would be eating your own words by next year when EA will have release 3 separate expansion packs for CLOTHES!!!
Niroth @ Sep 8th 2008 10:56AM
...but Halo 3 IS better than Spore.
Vcize @ Sep 8th 2008 10:27AM
Plus there are only like 3 people that care about hockey.
Uh oh...
Evan @ Sep 8th 2008 10:47AM
It's been obvious from the start that Joystiq does not like sports games. There's a "real gamers don't play sports games" attitude here.
Dale @ Sep 8th 2008 11:24AM
Vcize, there are way more people than that in Canada.
Anam @ Sep 8th 2008 11:31AM
@Hashbrown Hunter
Next year, if Joystiq chooses to headline a Spore expansion over NHL 10(?), then I will agree that Curtis Brunet has a point.
And sports games have sucked ever since they dropped fun for realism. NBA Jam for the win.
Lars @ Sep 8th 2008 2:46PM
"...but Halo 3 IS better than Spore."
ROFL, good one! Yeah, Halo 3 does prove that reviewers can be bought. Good point.
Superstar90 @ Sep 8th 2008 8:52AM
Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise is a very good game. It looks childish, but it's pretty deep and has WAY better controls than the 360 game. BUY IT. They even included the "Romance" cut-scenes, and the house where your pinatas are "romancing" shakes when they go inside.
Best DS game in a long while :P
baby sea tuna @ Sep 8th 2008 8:56AM
I want this so badly, but after how much time I spent on VP:TiP over the weekend, I can't allow myself to pick it up. Those games appeal to my obsessive-compulsive nature like Pokemon never could.
Sinister Rouge @ Sep 8th 2008 8:59AM
I've had Spore since Friday (Galactic Edition). It's the best series of character creation tools ever made. The problem is that it's all wrapped up in a distinctly average game. That said, I have had a lot of fun with it and would recommend it to anyone looking for something different.
By 'different', I of course mean 'like an alien Sims'.
Wubbytoes @ Sep 8th 2008 9:29AM
Viva Pinata DS is out this week? Awesome, I'll have to pick that up.
Mimglow @ Sep 8th 2008 9:44AM
Joystiq really, Really, REALLY needs a sports game editor. It's all fine and good for the current crop of writers to dislike sports games, but a large sector of your audience loves them.
You taking resumes? :)
Duke @ Sep 8th 2008 10:55AM
I think you will find that a large amount of us don't want to read long write ups on new rosters and minimal tweaks to the same games released year after year. Sorry, but its not interesting.
Dirty @ Sep 8th 2008 10:59AM
I gotta go with Duke on this one.. I like sports games, but really there isnt much to talk about there. Its even worse with EA eating up exclusive licenses.
FOXHOUND @ Sep 8th 2008 2:28PM
I'd also gladly like to put my resume in the 'bin' for consideration if JOYSTIQ ever decides to have a direct, sports-only writer & contributor. Especially if an ESPN:THE OCHO game is ever released, LoL. ;D
Anyway, to keep articles from being simply about the sarcastically mentioned "roster updates and patches", it would be nice to see articles reviewing rivalry titles like NHL 09 vs 2K9, TNA vs WWE and so forth.
Duke @ Sep 8th 2008 3:20PM
"Anyway, to keep articles from being simply about the sarcastically mentioned "roster updates and patches", it would be nice to see articles reviewing rivalry titles like NHL 09 vs 2K9, TNA vs WWE and so forth."
I'm sorry you don't like my tone. That wasn't sarcasm - it was a simple statement. I stick with my point. There is not a lot of interesting things to talk about with these games.
FOXHOUND @ Sep 8th 2008 3:46PM
Duke ---
My apologies for misconstruing the tone as sarcasm, however your point is truly opinionated.
I can easily prove, know of, have met plenty of gamers(including myself)that could sermon for hours about not just sports games in general but gameplay content and rather impressive strategies within. I'd go so far on a limb to say that sports games probably draw close to the majority of sales versus nearly any other genre these days (assuming FPS or MMOs probably are the winners there).
In addition, with the multitude of sports games available not just in this domestic region, but worldwide - that's more than enough content for a weekly contribution at the very least.
Blazur @ Sep 8th 2008 9:46AM
I'm really enjoying Spore. It's one of the most unique games I've ever played, and has so much variety to it.
riggs @ Sep 8th 2008 10:40AM
i thought it was kind of tedious until i reached the space exploration stage, now its addicting as hell
Blazur @ Sep 8th 2008 11:16AM
Yeah, I can see sections of it being tedious. Cell stage was cute and enjoyable for its short duration. Creature seemed the most tedious, especially if you're going the socialization route (no talent whatsoever). At least with attacking there's some active button pressing, making it somewhat active.
Civilization stage can actually be quite difficult if you're not vigilant. It's almost like playing a game of risk.
I've played only a few hours into space stage but you're right, it is highly addictive and there's so much depth and possibilities with it.
Kevin @ Sep 8th 2008 9:58AM
I started playing spore yesterday at 11am. At 7pm, I noticed that I hadn't eaten in 8 hours, and that I had a young galactic civalization.
I played for 4 more hours and then decided to go get some dinner. Then I played for 2 more hours...
I find Spore to be an awesome mix of the Sims, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Master of Orion 2. It may not be perfect, (it's really not, the audio broke after 12 hours and it won't work with SLI) but it's got the perfect "just one more thing" feel. Especially since that one more thing may or may not be genocide.
j.howlett @ Sep 8th 2008 1:24PM
that review should go on the box
The Artist formally known as Jesus @ Sep 8th 2008 2:01PM
Well at least the first paragraph should go on the box.
Geist @ Sep 8th 2008 8:34PM
I do like the creature creation. Ask Simon about his "BattleToad" creation someday.
Ranus Studios @ Sep 8th 2008 10:04AM
Woohoo! I'm not interested in any of these!
deadjesterx @ Sep 8th 2008 10:18AM
Got Spore yesterday and I had a lot of fun with it. Got up to the Galactic Phase before I had to stop to go to bed. (Curse you job!)
Out of the first four phases, I liked the Creature phase the best. Controlling the creature felt like it had more depth than the other phases for some reason and there's most creation choices in that phase than any of the others.
It should be noted that the game's bigget strength is the creature creation. In terms of gameplay, well, it's nothing all that special. Phase 1 is kinda-sorta like Flow, Phase 2 is MMO-lite, Phases 3 and 4 are RTS-lite, just on different scales. I guess the major appeal is the fact that the critters on the screen are something you actually created and there is something about destroying a rival tribal with beings that you designed rather than Generic Ork #45 (not to be confused with #46).
Those looking for a really in-depth civilization sim are probably going to be disappointed. Those looking for something quick and fun or a game with heavy emphasis on the user's creative output will have a blast.
Brazell @ Sep 8th 2008 10:49AM
Not to laugh along with everybody else at hockey games, but NHL '09 got higher ratings than Spore.
Tridus @ Sep 8th 2008 10:56AM
Its a shame Spore is packed in with EA's godawful DRM. Hope you never want to install it more then 3 times.
(Was really fun the other day when Mass Effect PC randomly decided to start telling me that it wasn't authorized, despite the box sitting on my desk. Funny how the pirated version works just fine while my paid for version doesn't.)