Joystiq Polls: A Spore Census
by Ross Miller 
{ Sep 12th 2008 at 12:33PM }
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
WhoMe @ Sep 12th 2008 12:40PM
I found the cell stage to be the most fun. It was pretty much downhill from there.
Especially the civ stage was fucken irritating (lame and dumb AI/gameplay) and the space stage is terribly boring with all the stupid travel. I haven't touched it since.
Overall score: meh.
Jeff @ Sep 12th 2008 12:45PM
I basically agree. The cell was a cute little light-hearted, semi-fun game. I wish it went on longer and allowed for more customization.
I thought Creature Stage played like an easy, retarded version of World of Warcraft, and Tribal stage played like an absolutely annoying and gimped version of KoTOR. I hated the Tribal Stage.
The CIV stage played like a stategy game that required no mental processes whatsoever. That being said, it was my favorite stage up to that point. At least shit was happening.
And Space stage so far is just tedious.
And the worst part of the whole game is that nothing you do matters at all. Literally. NOTHING YOU DO MAKES A FUCKING DIFFERENCE. In cell stage its basically just whether you eat meat or plants, in creature stage its just minor differences in difficulty depending on how you design your dude... same with tribal... once you hit civilization, all the vehicles, buildings, and characters are the same regardless of how much you design them. You can make it all look like heaps of shit and be as good as the professionally designed shit.
I hate it. I think it'd be a better game if they completely ommited the whole customization aspect, and simply made a cute little game following a species evolution (all pre-made) and offering RTS and RPG elements to n00bs. They could have made each game mode a lot less shitty if the didn't spend the majority of the time working on customization features that dont have anything to do with the gameplay.
theturtle363 @ Sep 12th 2008 5:04PM
i agree with you on the overall game, but I have absolutely no idea how the tribal phase was like KOTOR
Haggard (Free Mr.ESC!) @ Sep 12th 2008 12:42PM
It's one of those games I might buy later, but at the moment it didn't really tempt me enough to pre-order (which I do for a lot of PC games).
kojo87 @ Sep 13th 2008 5:16PM
wish thats how i felt. i've been so excited for this game for so long i bought it the day it came out. im rather disappointed.
how can some of you stand the creature stage?!?!? that was the most obnoxious part of the whole game! "lets go walk over here, fuck i just got raped by some huge fucking griffin like monster for no reason!!"
Wiinterfang @ Sep 12th 2008 12:43PM
Woah LOL the majority though the same as me.
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 12th 2008 12:48PM
Well, when I first got to the space stage I was shocked at everything you could do and how huge it was compared to the first 4 stages which were a complete joke and an insult to anyone with any form of intelligence.
Now, hours later into the space stage it's really easy and probably too big. There's just not enough different things to do to match the insane amounts of planets and empires.
Overall the game is a colossal letdown.
BananaBoat @ Sep 12th 2008 1:28PM
I was going to write my own comment, but you basically summed up everything I was going to say.
Seconded
Sam @ Sep 12th 2008 12:57PM
I want to play it, but I won't until they remove the DRM, i've heard the bad things it does to your computer, and I just got mine fixed, so I won't touch DRM with a ten-foot pole.
JonFitt @ Sep 12th 2008 2:21PM
Me too. I want to have an opinion but I'm not buying it now.
I'm not scared of the DRM, it will just prevent my wife and I both playing it at separate times on our 2 PCs (only one Spore account and 3 installs allowed), and I'm not spending $100 to buy two copies.
Ty @ Sep 12th 2008 12:59PM
WOW LOOK! Joystiq is now a place where gamers can talk about how which part of a game they liked more. Because it was always about the gamers wasn't it Joystiq... wasn't it......
mike_p @ Sep 12th 2008 1:04PM
The fuck are you on about?
Nick the Hero of Canton @ Sep 12th 2008 1:15PM
He's been playing too much Portal. GladOS gets to you like that.
Joe @ Sep 12th 2008 1:00PM
I am very disappointed in this game with how much hype was surrounding it for so many years
NvM @ Sep 12th 2008 1:03PM
I really hated the creature stage.
It was so boring, at least with all the other ones they attempted to at least make a game that at least tries not to suck.
DarkNessBear @ Sep 12th 2008 3:54PM
Yea... I'd agree I didn't really like the creature stage. It felt like a "meh" mmorpg. Actually, it's a pretty good MMORPG, but they could have done a lot more.
And it's funny, my favorite stage was the tribal stage... Everyone hates it though. I just liked getting my whole team together super strong and taking down those big creatures (that I made in the creature creator) felt like Patapon.
Zertoss @ Sep 12th 2008 1:05PM
I'm probably the only person who has owned Spore since launch that hasn't made it past the tribal stage.
I blame Hurricane Ike. Fucker has kept me too busy. I've had VP:TiP just as long and haven't even had time to play it.
Dirty @ Sep 12th 2008 1:47PM
Im in the same boat. Other than the whole hurricane thing. Haven't made it past tribal, mostly because of Viva P.
Ihavepants @ Sep 12th 2008 9:29PM
I havn't made it past Tribal because that stage is a pile of ass. Was loving Cell and Creature.
Yourself @ Sep 12th 2008 1:07PM
I've been really disappointed by what people have to say about this game... though I absolutely adore user-created content and would buy it for that reason alone. That being said, I'm probably in the "wait til' it's cheaper" camp, as for now I can play a civilization/empire-building game like Sins where I can't see my own units (they're so tiny) and can just pretend I designed them myself.
Rico @ Sep 12th 2008 1:11PM
Fuck the space stage. Constantly being attacked while playing connect the dots with the planets EXTREMELY SLOWLY is not my idea of fun.
Plus the previous stages actually had a goal you could complete. I loved the cell and civ stages especially as the core gameplay was fun. Space stage is just shitty random quests, forever.
Blazur @ Sep 12th 2008 1:49PM
Have you actually tried to attain some of the badges? That provided alot of entertainment for me, amidst all the constant attacks at home.
Eventually I got sick of being raided by rival factions and went on a murderous rampage, destroying all life on each of their planets. Things have quieted down since =]
Misframed @ Sep 12th 2008 1:13PM
Wish I had a graphics card that would run Spore. I picked up a HP on the cheap and only has a integrated GPU. Everything else is great, I just don't want to spend $250 just to play Spore (game/card).
Jeff @ Sep 12th 2008 1:21PM
You could spend under $100 and run it like buttah. The 9600 GSO for under $100, Or the 9500 GT for even less, or the AMD 4670 for like $60... all good cards that can run all modern games.
tmacairjordan87 @ Sep 12th 2008 1:34PM
You should be able to play it if my 2 1/2 year old laptop (which isn't meant for gaming really) can play it. Yeah it's not at high settings, but it runs and really..is anyone gonna care if they can't run Spore at high? It's not really a graphics showcase to being with.
TomCo @ Sep 12th 2008 1:23PM
i liek to kilk teh buton
edgore @ Sep 12th 2008 1:37PM
Voted up because the is the best review of Spore I have seen so far, intentional or not.
Wiinterfang @ Sep 12th 2008 1:38PM
awwww.
Mike @ Sep 12th 2008 1:32PM
My favorite was the uninstall stage.
Wiinterfang @ Sep 12th 2008 1:39PM
OH SNAP.
Blazur @ Sep 12th 2008 1:50PM
While I disagree with you I did laugh at your post. Now I'm not sure if I should click the - or +.
Fishbox @ Sep 12th 2008 2:05PM
Thirded. Complete waste of time this game. So much hype for essentially 5 crap minigames with mechanics commanly found on home-brew flash titles.
Will sell like hotcakes, mind.
TorrentRage @ Sep 12th 2008 1:35PM
No comment, I just wanted to type
edhc44 @ Sep 12th 2008 1:39PM
Witty... I wish I'd thought that
Poisoned Al @ Sep 12th 2008 1:35PM
Fav: Space.
Worst: Um... space.
Fun: Wiping out lesser species and stealing their planet, being a pirate. Buzzing tribes with my cool spaceship, the Red November.
Less fun: Going to save your damn planets and friend EVERY FIVE SECONDS!
juju187 @ Sep 12th 2008 2:27PM
i agree I like the whole colonizing planets and such but the constant runing around and trying to cast tiny dots without a fleet sucks, my solution drop a bomb asteroid or etc and they leave alone for a bit.
Poisoned Al @ Sep 12th 2008 6:33PM
I could have a lot of fun with this game, which makes it all the more annoying that it WON'T FUCKING LET ME!
I'll I do now is run around, driving off yet ANOTHER attack that come one after another, wishing a slow, painful death on the fuck-wit that thought that is was a good idea to make the game more "challenging."
edhc44 @ Sep 12th 2008 1:36PM
The longer it passes since Spore was released, the happier I become as I never joined its hype wagon.
Misframed @ Sep 12th 2008 1:38PM
@ tmacairjordan87: I thought it should run Spore (at least on min settings) as my GPU is above the minimum listed on the website but I downloaded the Creature Creator demo and my GPU is not supported. I think it is a GeForce 6130 (integrated) but I could be wrong on the number...
Mr Khan @ Sep 12th 2008 1:41PM
As time goes by, i fear more and more that our set is getting too damn jaded
Jaded and grouchy
Blazur @ Sep 12th 2008 1:45PM
I'm enjoying the hell out of this game. So far I've played through on medium as a carnivoer/warrior, and have made some considerable progress on space spage, as well as starting a friendly herbivore and getting into tribe phase.
Space is the best, I can spend hours just exploring and doing random missions, while trading spices and taking on rival planets.
I think my least favorite phase is the creature phase. It's okay when going on offense and attacking other creatures, but it gets very tedious. And taking the socialization route is definitely boring as hell and gets old fast. I found myself rushing through this stage just to advance my species.
The spaceship editor is my favorite, with the building one being my least favorite. However, once I've established my creature and using each of the editors once, I seldom go back and create anything new, opting for using Sporepedia to populate my world in favor of the gameplay.
Jakka(Free Mr.ESC!) @ Sep 12th 2008 1:48PM
Why does Joystiq still use the "No opinion, I just like to click" choice? It's stupid,pointless and all it ever does is derail the poll. Couldn't you just replace it with something like No-Vote or View Results?
Jeff @ Sep 12th 2008 2:47PM
Because if it wasn't an option some of those people would just randomly click other shit.
Visc PC @ Sep 12th 2008 2:07PM
You can tell they spent the most time on the creature and space stage of the game. The cell stage is fun, but it has no depth beyond 10 minutes of playtime which is what it is designed for. I kind of wish they had done more here as they had a good thing here. The Creature stage is pretty fun, and there are a ton more options then the previous stage, but it's still only about 30 minutes of playtime. The tribal stage was a huge letdown. They could have been so much more depth to this stage, but they completely watered down any gameplay elements. The same is true for the civ stage. It felt like I was playing a RTS game for 8-year old children. Finally the space stage comes, and it's fun initially. However, this stage riddled with tedious chores and missions that after a few hours, you're yearning for the simple gameplay that the cell stage had. Big disappointment.
Fishbox @ Sep 12th 2008 2:07PM
What do you expect? The hype-anticipation-purchase-realisation cycle has been goign on too long now.
pwnetheus @ Sep 12th 2008 2:38PM
I've never been so disappointed in a game. I was caught up in the hype train so I guess it's partially my fault. Why didn't I see it coming? The last game he made was The Sims wasn't it? Why the game doesn't really suck, it just does not deserve any of the hype it got. My girlfriend, who loves the Sims, likes this game a lot so I guess it wasn't a waste.
FSK405K @ Sep 12th 2008 2:46PM
My favorite part of the game hasn't been released yet: removal of SecuROM. Until then, it will sit on my shelf looking pathetic.
Thanatos @ Sep 12th 2008 3:15PM
I feel the same way except i refuse to even purchase it as long as it still has SecuROM.
daHIFI @ Sep 12th 2008 3:27PM
I'm fucking livid after finding out last night that the only way my girlfriend could create an account for her creatures and achievements is if we bought another copy of the game. This move by EA is an insult to their customers and a real DICK MOVE.
LaughingTarget @ Sep 12th 2008 3:20PM
The game is somewhat entertaining, though nothing amazing, up until the Space stage. Then it gets boring beyond belief.
Seriously, why is it I've got this advanced space faring civilization and they need to take all their orders from some guy flying around in a space ship. Planets can't defend themselves, they don't build cities without my say so, and I even got this idiotic explanation that Space Command can't afford to upgrade the ship, so I need to do it myself. Wow, the function of an entire species rests in the hands of a space faring vessel that looks like a pirate ship.
Hell, at least cities bothered to defend themselves and tribal members fought off raiding animals on their own, without asking for my permission. The Space stage is like having to change the collective diaper of the entire empire.