Zero Punctuation: Spore

[TaboriHK]

See, I personally missed most the hype. I knew the games premise and saw about two preview videos on youtube. And still I expected more. They toned down the depth that they needed.

Still, maybe I do prove your point. I don't hate the game. It's kind of fun. I can see hating it if the hype caught me.

Count yourself lucky. I typically shrink from hype like a vampire from sunlight and I still felt it jammed down my throat with this game. I have a really difficult time hating a game that I don't previously know anything about. It has to be REALLY bad for that to happen. I haven't played Spore, because I'm waiting until I more or less forget about it as the entity it was originally presented as so that I can enjoy. Also, I don't like the DRM thing and hopefully that will go away.

 

[hakadalmann]

What happened to the Killer 7 argument?

"The flaws are irrelevant because you have to play it for the utter uniqueness alone"

 

[TaboriHK]

But it's not unique. It's just a logical progression of previously-established themes in Wright's work, as stated in the review. There have been other games that depicted evolution, and each stage of this game individually has already been done better by other games. Also stated in the review.

 

[Chimp]

I bought the game after watching a friend play through the first two stages (then I had to leave) to support mr. Wright for making an inventive new game - and I feel dirty because of it. It was ONLY the two first stages that were kind of inventive - and they got tiresome awfully quick because of how shallow also they actually were - and the rest of the game was a huge pile of dogshit.

Let's just say I sold the game 3 days after I bought it. 5 flash games put together with some dried paint does not make a game worth playing.

Wright is to gaming what Burton is to making movies. He got one lucky shot with Edward Scissorhands, then he continued on and made a bunch of dreadful musicals.

 

[maxusy3k]

Wright is to gaming what Burton is to making movies. He got one lucky shot with Edward Scissorhands, then he continued on and made a bunch of dreadful musicals.

BUT HE MADE BATMAN RETURNS YOU GUYS?

 

[Chimp]

Wright is to gaming what Burton is to making movies. He got one lucky shot with Edward Scissorhands, then he continued on and made a bunch of dreadful musicals.

BUT HE MADE BATMAN RETURNS YOU GUYS?

Yes. Yes he did. No acknowledgment for that though. That's still like stumbling around with a knife in your back, instead of having your throat slit open. You still die, only a little bit slower. But alright, you're right, it's impossible to even compare Batman Returns to a musical. Batman Returns is still a mediocre movie, while a musical is more of a visual story with some dreadful music in the background, while breaking every fundamental rule there is to movie making.

The movie you're searching for is Batman Begins and that was by Cristopher Nolan. But I guess Burton could take some credit for showing Nolan what you should avoid when making a solid Batman movie.

 

[TaboriHK]

Uhh, no. Tim Burton did Batman Returns, which up until Dark Knight, was in my opinion the best Batman film.

 

[Chimp]

Uhh, no. Tim Burton did Batman Returns, which up until Dark Knight, was in my opinion the best Batman film.

While I think you're absolutely wrong, it's not like it's a major accomplishment. How many competitors did he have actually? The other movies made by himself, featuring a metrosexual Robin sidekick, or his competitor featuring a laughable Governator on ice? Or could we count such masterpieces as the side story with a leathery Halle Berry as Catwoman?

Wright got Sim City right, it was a great theme. Then he continued on with making e-Barbie for grownups, until hitting this trainwreck called Spore.

(Sleepy Hollow and Big Fish were good though, I have to give Burton credit for that. It's his horrible addiction for making utter crap musicals that drags him down, kind of like a catholic priest having a huge urge for [insert totally taboo subject for priests here].)

 

[AceDiamond]

What happened to the Killer 7 argument?

"The flaws are irrelevant because you have to play it for the utter uniqueness alone"

I think that's undone by him citing since it borrows from 5 other games it can't possibly be unique

and yet NMH (which falls into the K7 argument) borrowed from GTA

 

[TaboriHK]

While I think you're absolutely wrong, it's not like it's a major accomplishment. How many competitors did he have actually? The other movies made by himself, featuring a metrosexual Robin sidekick, or his competitor featuring a laughable Governator on ice? Or could we count such masterpieces as the side story with a leathery Halle Berry as Catwoman?

Just because the competitors were cinematic abortions doesn't mean the originals weren't good. Remember, back then the expectation was to stick as close to the comic as possible, which is why the fact that he could still pull out a serious film is so impressive. Batman Begins was a great movie, but it didn't hit me on an emotional level like Returns did at the time. Two hit movies that more or less stand the test of time is a major accomplishment, last time I checked.

 

[H.R.Shovenstuff]

Just because the competitors were cinematic abortions doesn't mean the originals weren't good. Remember, back then the expectation was to stick as close to the comic as possible, which is why the fact that he could still pull out a serious film is so impressive. Batman Begins was a great movie, but it didn't hit me on an emotional level like Returns did at the time. Two hit movies that more or less stand the test of time is a major accomplishment, last time I checked.

yeah the spore review was gre- wait what?

 

[3LANCER]

@Yahtze
you do realize you created another meme?

anyway, great review (as always), i completely agree with this one

 

[runtheplacered]

Great review.

 

[TaboriHK]

Just because the competitors were cinematic abortions doesn't mean the originals weren't good. Remember, back then the expectation was to stick as close to the comic as possible, which is why the fact that he could still pull out a serious film is so impressive. Batman Begins was a great movie, but it didn't hit me on an emotional level like Returns did at the time. Two hit movies that more or less stand the test of time is a major accomplishment, last time I checked.

yeah the spore review was gre- wait what?

Just us children prattling about Batman again.

 

[Muphin_Mann]

And tell me you didn't just compare Yahtzee to Hitler. What, pray do tell, has brought you to this statement?

Only in the sense that they are both hate-filled raving lunatics. But Yahtzee comes off as less evil and meglomaniacal otherwise.

My intent was to warn others not to copy Yahtzee lest they go the Hitler route.

 

[The Youth Counselor]

Hi! Long time reader, first time poster.

First off...there was A LOT of punctuation in this review.

Second off...


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I disagree with what you said. Usually I can see your points even if they are nitpicks, and so I play your videos to my fanboy/fangirl friends to take apart everything they love and hold dear to them and laugh as they are reduced to their knees in a shivering waterfall of tears having been deafened by the truth. (Your Halo, Peggle, Manhunt, Super Smash Brothers, Condemned 2, RE: Umbrella Chronicles videos and God of War videos did wonders!) However I must speak up Yahtzee and not because I'm a fanboy and must defend my religion against your blasphemous spiel but because I enjoyed Spore and absolutely hated the Sims and what it now represents. It's not a bad thing to experiment and try new game mechanics. Spore isn't trying to be anything else it's doing something new. That is the magic of Will Wright and Wright knows we need more designers like him instead of the guy making World of Mumorpugherland : The Burning Wallet and Call of Brothers In Duty earning the Medal of Honor.

Seriously, making penis monsters to hump each other and blowing up planets is way more fun than yelling at your SIMs to walking thirty feet to a bathroom and not piss on their pants for once after the fiftieth command to do so.

 

[Yaro Dango]

Here I thought about buying the game. It still sounds good from what I've heard on other forums, but I don't think Spore will be anything close to the Sims.


Only time will tell I guess. Good review by the way. The fifteen second 'noooooooooooooo.' only got funnier as it went on.

 

[boholikeu]

But it's not unique. It's just a logical progression of previously-established themes in Wright's work, as stated in the review. There have been other games that depicted evolution, and each stage of this game individually has already been done better by other games. Also stated in the review.

I dunno, I think the creators/content sharing is pretty unique, and since that's pretty much the main gameplay mechanic in Spore I'd say the overall game can safely be called unique.

Also, I'd like to point out the irony in saying that Spore stole from flOw. The creator of that game actually used to work on Spore, but then he left Maxis and set up his own company to make flOw.

 

[Tattaglia]

Please, please, take a vacation. Get your writing together. Its no good churning out batch after batch of tasteless, forgettable cupcakes; I'd much rather have a gigantic delicious muffin with rainbow sprinkles that I'll get sick of halfway through, keep in the fridge, then eat the rest after a month of burning off muffin-blubber.
That is how I want my Yahtzee reviews.

Go to New Zealand. We've got Helen Clark and dolphins! Oooooh yeaaaaah!

 

[H.R.Shovenstuff]

yeah the spore review was gre- wait what?

Just us children prattling about Batman again.

I'm just jealous. Batman rocks.
Also, I was on the verge of getting spore, but I think I'll stick to playing LotRO and getting my A-levels.