Topic: Well: The Zero Punctuation review of Spore.

[MageLite]

Spore vanilla is already a worthwhile game, though. The expansions just improve on what we've already got.

It's 5 shallow mini-games tacked on to a highly elaborate Mr. Potato head.

To make the game more gradual, it should have been a sims/rts all the way through. Perhaps start with one cell, he splits into two, soon you control a whole colony instead of the pac-man gameplay, the creature stage would have seen you control the whole pack in a sims/rpg fashion, before moving on to the tribal stage. The Space stage really should have had fleets instead of one ship and AI allies.

Also to add depth to the game, I would have liked to have seen more abilities attached to different parts. Some mouths might have had poisonous bites, some horns might have had a gore ability, and so forth, rather than the same four attack and social abilities. Furthermore, I would have liked to see a more in-depth traits system, picking up traits and respective special abilities and bonuses which would have had an effect even later on in the game.

[WeAreLegion]

Personally I laughed my ass off!  His reviews (Which I just discovered) are fantastic!  Great humor wether you agree or not heh.

LMAO x 10

[Moogie]

It is well worth watching all his videos, even if you've never (and never intend to) play the game he's reviewing.

[Bellum]

Yeah, but Spore and SimCity are fun while The Sims isn't. 

EDIT:
Also, I remember him comparing cell stage to 'flOw with less features' in that podcast a few days back. Now, I've only played the online version, but unless the PS3 version added a ton of features with a completely different core game, I call BS.

[Mr. Consideration]

I can smell the Fanboys; they've scented blood....

[Telluric]

It's 5 shallow mini-games tacked on to a highly elaborate Mr. Potato head.

I entirely agree.  I was expecting and hoping for something a lot more like what you describe.

Only, I understand now that I am not at all the person they were shooting for when they sold me this game.  Even though I've been a devoted fan of many previous Sim games and played things like Sierra's city building series and Civilization and loved them, I have also had serious game time in a dozen different mmorpgs, rts, 4x, and such.  That makes me a "hardcore gamer" - I have sophisticate and complex gaming tastes and I am on the lookout for rich game experiences against which I may exercise them.

This game has been made for the non-gamer or semi-gamer.  For the person who dabbles in games.  The theory is that such a person likes to play games, but won't tolerate complexity very well.  So is it a bit underwhelming or easy for me and perhaps you?  Sure.  But I think we aren't the target market.

-----

I do think also that many people are missing the point of Spore.  People are thinking of this in terms of a typical computer game - get a high score, unlock all the bits, complete the stages - and it isn't that at all.  It's an art tool hooked to information sharing services.  There is a game to play to inspire and influence your art, but the "game" is the editors and sharing your things you've made with others.

That and sandbox play in Space.

[Crowster]

We've known that you had one ship since 2006. We've known that the game would be broken down into 5 simple stages since day one, when Will Wright first demoed Spore, calling it to a very casual experience that anyone could just pick up and play with for 5 minutes, relating it to a gameboy. We've been hearing all along how it's more of a "toy galaxy" than a hardcore strategy game. Why is it only an issue now that we actually have the game?

By the way, the traits system IS more in depth than just "ecologist! Warrior! Bard!" It decides the overall archetype based on the combination of colors you acquired, but it gives you more "hidden" traits based on what stage you got each color. Green in tribal, for example, lowers the likelihood of eco disasters. It's all right there in your space empire's overall history panel. Green in one of the stages, I forget which one, gives you a relationship bonus with every empire you meet. There are actually quite a few possible combinations out there.

EDIT:

Yeah, but Spore and SimCity are fun while The Sims isn't. 

Well, there you are. Sims is insanely popular for what it is, and if it became something that "the typical gamer" enjoyed, or "got," it would no longer speak to the crowd that made it what it is. It captures a certain magic, it just doesn't capture it for everybody. In the end, The Sims, Spore for that matter, is still what every other maxis game has ever been, a nitch(sp? >_>) game. Doesn't make it bad, just means it's not good for the same reasons most "mainstream" games are good. 

[Doomsday]

nitch(sp? >_>)

Niche.

[Techleo]

 I really love these reviews. I tend to agree the levels are a mash of fun styles with to little depth. Mind you with all the storytelling I'm doing I don't have so much time to worry. Frankly more interaction with objects, mini puzzles, missions and various elements sprinkled throughout the levels would make it more fun for me. Overall though Id say that was a soft review from Yahtzee. Even nice... Spooky

[Crowster]

I really love these reviews. I tend to agree the levels are a mash of fun styles with to little depth. Mind you with all the storytelling I'm doing I don't have so much time to worry. Frankly more interaction with objects, mini puzzles, missions and various elements sprinkled throughout the levels would make it more fun for me. Overall though Id say that was a soft review from Yahtzee. Even nice... Spooky

You want to know what the creepiest Yahtzee review is, in my opinion? The Assassin's Creed one. Seriously, that game was getting bashed left and right, to the point where IGN was calling it, "the biggest disappointment of the year," and then Yahtzee came blazing out going, "You guys are idiots the game really isn't THAT bad."

This review did surprise me a bit, though. He seemed to go out of his way to say, "Look, it's not as good as The Sims," which is kind of stretching for criticism. I also agree that the stages seem too much like a checklist at times, especially when you want a certain archetype at the end and are planning out how you will play each phase. I just don't see how such drastic gameplay changes could have been "gradual." I mean, how do you make the gameplay change from third person action to RTS without it being one huge step. It's not an easy design struggle to overcome, really. I can see them working on it for Spore 2, but for the time being I'm going to enjoy what I got.

[MageLite]

By the way, the traits system IS more in depth than just "ecologist! Warrior! Bard!" It decides the overall archetype based on the combination of colors you acquired, but it gives you more "hidden" traits based on what stage you got each color. Green in tribal, for example, lowers the likelihood of eco disasters. It's all right there in your space empire's overall history panel. Green in one of the stages, I forget which one, gives you a relationship bonus with every empire you meet. There are actually quite a few possible combinations out there.

I would still have liked to have seen more abilties, more traits, more control over the growth of you race and civilisation.

[Absinth]

Me thinks he likes Spore.  
Not one thing he said was offensive besides the usual F-words.
Even though i liked sim city and the sims, they never gave me the jaw dropping moments like i have with Spore.

[Crowster]

By the way, the traits system IS more in depth than just "ecologist! Warrior! Bard!" It decides the overall archetype based on the combination of colors you acquired, but it gives you more "hidden" traits based on what stage you got each color. Green in tribal, for example, lowers the likelihood of eco disasters. It's all right there in your space empire's overall history panel. Green in one of the stages, I forget which one, gives you a relationship bonus with every empire you meet. There are actually quite a few possible combinations out there.

I would still have liked to have seen more abilties, more traits, more control over the growth of you race and civilisation.

I would have liked to see more options too. I just, you know, didn't expect more than what we got. In the end, some things I was surprised by. As simple as it is, I can play through creature stage a million times and never get bored of it, while Tribe feels lackluster.

I stand by my original opinion, though. Spore vanilla is a worth while game. I think it's a much better toy than a game, but either way it's a worth while piece of software. When expansions come out, they will make it even better. I don't think it'll ever get the depth that some people hoped for, but more features and more things to explore are guaranteed. My point is that, at least in my opinion, what we got is a worth while game.

[Uroboros]

Its not like I care much anyway. People say that Spore lacks real depth, but I say : "Yeah, but how many games offer ANY depth"? I'm in this for the sake of making things, and chuckling at the little things that happen. Anybody who is buying Spore for another gaming equivilent of a high-budget action movie DESERVE to be disappointed, damnit. Those kinds of people get those kinds of games every damn month of every damn year. This game is for the more chillaxed and childishly creative. I'm a hands-down nerd who can enjoy nearly anything with a vague sense of humour or charm. I bought the original pokemon blue for myself, and loved it. I watch cartoons, and no, not just anime, but the occasional loony tunes or kids show. I can even chuckle genuinely at Spongebob Squarepants. Yeah, I can appreciate TF2, i'm a Silent Hill fanatic, and want to get my hands on MGS4 but cant/wont fork out for the console...

Spore is a game you dont take seriously, a game you can put your feet up to, and just mess around. Its exactly what I think it should be, barring a few little tweaks likely to come in a patch. (terrasculpting revert stuff, 'high detail' graphics meaning less plumping and more actual details like spotlights and such showing up, starting a new game on a planet you made, space phase raid/attack frequencies, etc). As Yahtzee said, if you bought it for a childish paintset, you'll be fine. Me? I adore my childish paintset. In fact I really qualmed up an eznerg; babbalabbasqueeb. :3

I've played this game so many hours since it came out that its almost shameful, but I regret nothing! Once ive chilled out a bit on it, I might use the unpacker thingy, and try to replace some of the voices with my own. That'll be fun too.
*rubs hands*

[Crowster]

I've played this game so many hours since it came out that its almost shameful, but I regret nothing!

Heh. I just got the 50 hour achievement last night. I had no idea I already spent that long playing. Fifty hours is already more time than I spend playing most games during my first playthrough, and I haven't even thought about trying to reach the center of the galaxy yet.