I am deeply offended by Darkspore

[Grelmo]

...but I understand if you aren't. Some people like this nonsense.

This game is basically Spore for dumb, uncreative people. Do you really mean to tell me that EA went through a Dr. Pepper promotional cluster-f**k, stopped supporting the content-downloading in Spore and refuse to release a patch to fix Spore's basic game mechanics so they could focus on releasing this absurd Diablo II clone?

I mustered the energy to get through the cutscene last night, played the first two levels, latched a few upgrades to my hero and was bored to death. If I wanted to click-and-kill, I'd play Torchlight (which did the Diablo clone thing much, much better). If I wanted to equip a constant stream of new items, I'd play Baldur's Gate II (which did the item-equipping thing much, much better).

I want to create stuff, EA. Make things. Share them with people. Explore worlds. Put my stamp on my virtual surroundings.

You screwed this one up big time and it makes me sad.

[Fion]

If you expected a spore sequel you must certainly be disappointed. I expected a diablo style action-rpg based upon spore and that is exactly what we have here.

I'd love to see another Spore. But this time fire the ♥♥♥ that dumbed that game down to childs play levels.

[jmido]

This is Darkspore, not Spore 2.

They're different games, completely different genres. Telling a developer not to make a specific genre because one other company dominates the market for it is like telling no one else to make a fps because activision makes COD.

[eightohfive]

...So go play Spore? It will be a much better use of time compared to whining that a video game that was designed to *not* be like Spore...is not like Spore. It's like complaining that L4D isn't enough like Counter Strike. It's not supposed to be.

If you want to complain about something, pick something with some merit beyond it such as the price.

[Grelmo]

I'm not entirely complaining that Darkspore isn't Spore II. I'm complaining that the small bit I played showed it to be a shallow, stupid game.

However, if EA really wanted to branch out into the Diablo-style action RPG market, why did they base this absurdity on an existing niche-market game that is a completely different genre? Why was this marketed to me through Spore if it's completely different? More importantly, why does it suck so much?

[l3reak]

I think Spore really made EA nervous about doing creation-centric games. Darkspore certainly has a lot more creation options than most hack n slash games, though. I wouldn't be surprise if EA let Maxis start making more creative games if this one did well. Who knows, maybe even a Spore 2 one day, though that is quite a long shot.

[trojanrabbit.gg]

...but I understand if you aren't. Some people like this nonsense.

This game is basically Spore for dumb, uncreative people. Do you really mean to tell me that EA went through a Dr. Pepper promotional cluster-f**k, stopped supporting the content-downloading in Spore and refuse to release a patch to fix Spore's basic game mechanics so they could focus on releasing this absurd Diablo II clone?

I mustered the energy to get through the cutscene last night, played the first two levels, latched a few upgrades to my hero and was bored to death. If I wanted to click-and-kill, I'd play Torchlight (which did the Diablo clone thing much, much better). If I wanted to equip a constant stream of new items, I'd play Baldur's Gate II (which did the item-equipping thing much, much better).

I want to create stuff, EA. Make things. Share them with people. Explore worlds. Put my stamp on my virtual surroundings.

You screwed this one up big time and it makes me sad.

Sooooooo.... Basically you have a biased opinion of the game due to the fact that you are mad at EA for not continuing development on Spore (which by the way was a complete flop of a game all around), and coupled with the fact that you don't like hack n' slash games anyway? Why are you on the Darkspore forums in the first place? I think it is an obvious conclusion from your post that the HnS genre of video games is just not for you.

[skiddlywibble]

Eh, as if anything these guys ever make is as good as they say they. Just enjoy it, and customise as you can.

[Kantham]

At least some people have decent complains, this is just extremely silly.

Notice how most of the crybabies always refer to the publisher instead of the developer?

[Brannagan]

Huh, so far i love this game, its the type of game i can just get on and play and have fun and the story is good so far (guessing you can only get up to 3-4 :( wont let me advance) and i love the character creation part, it brings the best part of Spore to a different genre and the way you equip items is an interesting new take instead of dedicated spots this way everyones character will look different even with the same gizmos

[flarp]

I agree.

wtf is this? Who the hell would pay for this? Especially with Diablo 3 on the horizon...

I dont remember ever once thinking that spore would be improved if they added some poorly implemented Diablo features...

And here i was, hoping that Dark Spore would be the true, expansive and more "realistic" approach to evolution that the original Spore promised yet never delivered.

[SethOMEGA]

If I wanted to click-and-kill, I'd play Torchlight (which did the Diablo clone thing much, much better). If I wanted to equip a constant stream of new items, I'd play Baldur's Gate II (which did the item-equipping thing much, much better).

I want to create stuff, EA. Make things. Share them with people. Explore worlds. Put my stamp on my virtual surroundings.


Sounds like you need to play Spore.

Anyway, if they go along with the proposed price tag on this half-assed title, it'll flop and EA will take a hit in profits and maybe get the message this time around.

[neurotiq]

This is Darkspore, not Spore 2.

They're different games, completely different genres. Telling a developer not to make a specific genre because one other company dominates the market for it is like telling no one else to make a fps because activision makes COD.

But CoD is actually a ♥♥♥♥ty game for its genre, rail-leveled and unoriginal.

[lonewolf1044]

...but I understand if you aren't. Some people like this nonsense.

This game is basically Spore for dumb, uncreative people. Do you really mean to tell me that EA went through a Dr. Pepper promotional cluster-f**k, stopped supporting the content-downloading in Spore and refuse to release a patch to fix Spore's basic game mechanics so they could focus on releasing this absurd Diablo II clone?

I mustered the energy to get through the cutscene last night, played the first two levels, latched a few upgrades to my hero and was bored to death. If I wanted to click-and-kill, I'd play Torchlight (which did the Diablo clone thing much, much better). If I wanted to equip a constant stream of new items, I'd play Baldur's Gate II (which did the item-equipping thing much, much better).

I want to create stuff, EA. Make things. Share them with people. Explore worlds. Put my stamp on my virtual surroundings.

You screwed this one up big time and it makes me sad.

Didn't take the purple pill this AM I see. The only uncreative and DUMB person I see is you being your post is nothing but gibberish and how creative is that. IF you are not into this type of game go and start up D2 if that tickles your pants. You really need to get a grip.

[orijinal]

...but I understand if you aren't. Some people like this nonsense.

This game is basically Spore for dumb, uncreative people. Do you really mean to tell me that EA went through a Dr. Pepper promotional cluster-f**k, stopped supporting the content-downloading in Spore and refuse to release a patch to fix Spore's basic game mechanics so they could focus on releasing this absurd Diablo II clone?

I mustered the energy to get through the cutscene last night, played the first two levels, latched a few upgrades to my hero and was bored to death. If I wanted to click-and-kill, I'd play Torchlight (which did the Diablo clone thing much, much better). If I wanted to equip a constant stream of new items, I'd play Baldur's Gate II (which did the item-equipping thing much, much better).

I want to create stuff, EA. Make things. Share them with people. Explore worlds. Put my stamp on my virtual surroundings.

You screwed this one up big time and it makes me sad.

If you wanna create stuff, share them with people, explore worlds, and put a stamp on your virtual surroundings, why not just play Minecraft instead?

But seriously, to be upset with a game that doesn't even advertise the features you wanted is a bit extreme. Nowhere does it say you will be able to create anything, it clearly says CUSTOMIZE. Customizing something is not the same as creating something.

And its not like EA is releasing this game to replace Spore. If they had made a Spore 2 before actually fixing the problems you say are still prevalent in Spore then I would understand, but Darkspore IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME.

Don't blame the publishers because they are releasing a game you do not like, its not like anyone is forcing you to play it.

[Metro]

I think Spore really made EA nervous about doing creation-centric games. Darkspore certainly has a lot more creation options than most hack n slash games, though. I wouldn't be surprise if EA let Maxis start making more creative games if this one did well. Who knows, maybe even a Spore 2 one day, though that is quite a long shot.

Spore failed because the game played out exactly the same regardless of the 'creation' aspect. Didn't matter if you made a creature with thirty legs and six arms versus a standard bipedal dude -- everything played out the same. The game failed to deliver actual customization in game play.

If you're going to make a 'creation' game you had better make sure the player's creative choices actually have an impact on game play other than mere aesthetics.

[Zidders]

I think Spore really made EA nervous about doing creation-centric games. Darkspore certainly has a lot more creation options than most hack n slash games, though. I wouldn't be surprise if EA let Maxis start making more creative games if this one did well. Who knows, maybe even a Spore 2 one day, though that is quite a long shot.

What you did there? I see it.

"I wouldn't be surprise if EA let Maxis start making more creative games if this one did well"

You do realize you pretty much just said 'I know this game isn't very creative, but if you buy it, you might get lucky and end up having EA let us make a game that DOESN'T suck'

Nice try, EA dude. Not gonna work.

[Grelmo]

At least some people have decent complains, this is just extremely silly.

Notice how most of the crybabies always refer to the publisher instead of the developer?

I didn't refer to the developer because, despite the last ten years, I still have enormous respect for Maxis. EA neutered Will Wright and turned Spore from a scientific simulator into a consequence-free cartoon (and Wright still managed to make a great game). EA turned SimCity 4 into SimCity Societies, which had none of the city management and all of the consequence-free plop-and-play.

If EA wants to publish great games, they need to ease off their developers, especially when they have an all-star like Wright. Gamers aren't afraid of depth or complexity.

Ok, maybe the gamers who find enjoyment in Darkspore do.

[flarp]

I didn't refer to the developer because, despite the last ten years, I still have enormous respect for Maxis. EA neutered Will Wright and turned Spore from a scientific simulator into a consequence-free cartoon (and Wright still managed to make a great game). EA turned SimCity 4 into SimCity Societies, which had none of the city management and all of the consequence-free plop-and-play.

If EA wants to publish great games, they need to ease off their developers, especially when they have an all-star like Wright. Gamers aren't afraid of depth or complexity.

Ok, maybe the gamers who find enjoyment in Darkspore do.

well said.

In the information age of today, where 100's of GB of date can be acquired daily, i find the publisher to be quite irrelevant.

I have yet to understand why established and well respected developers like Maxis or DICE bother with EA.

As i have found out, developers who lack a publisher or self publish such as Bethesda and Valve, tend to have higher quality games; most likely due to the fact that they dont have to deal with the publishers bureaucracy.

Developers should just avoid the publisher and distribute the game electronically through their servers.

But yeah, i find darkspore to be a rather bland and unoriginal ARPG game; which is mind boggling because the concept of spore was so unique and innovative.

would pay more than $10.00 this. Also considering it's EA, we're prone to see about 150000 DLC's for this game one month after release lol

[lyravega]

...So go play Spore? It will be a much better use of time compared to whining that a video game that was designed to *not* be like Spore...is not like Spore. It's like complaining that L4D isn't enough like Counter Strike. It's not supposed to be.

If you want to complain about something, pick something with some merit beyond it such as the price.

I am Commander Shepard, and I find this post funny.

And I agree.

[Kamiyama01]

Yeah I played up to level 8 and decided that I'm not going to buy it. I liked the creatures with ranged combat skills but the only one with any staying power was the tree you get at level 1, because the tree is the only ranged creature with a decent healing skill.

To be perfectly honest, Darkspore is incredibly simplistic. You can only equip one item from 6 different types, and each creature comes with 4 pre-determined skills. You can't even customize the skills.

This game is as fun as collecting Lego's. You can get the same plastic brick in a dozen different colors.

[Naed_draagur]

At least some people have decent complains, this is just extremely silly.

Notice how most of the crybabies always refer to the publisher instead of the developer?

+ rep to you :)

[Kydar]

This game needs puzzles or battles that require a real strategy to make it more interesting, the game is fine and all, but needs some more love :)

[Trancua]

To be perfectly honest, Darkspore is incredibly simplistic. You can only equip one item from 6 different types...
Yeah, RPGs are stupid! I want to equip two helmets, three pieces of chest armor and ten magic rings! But the silly game won't let me! xD
Lol aside, you really can't blame this game from doing what other games of the same genre have done in the past, equip the pauldrons in the pauldrons slot and the magic sword in the weapon slot.

...and each creature comes with 4 pre-determined skills. You can't even customize the skills.
Customize how? Even in the deepest point and click game you'll get the fireball spell and the spin attack, you can't customize those either. They just increase in power and effectiveness as you level up. Same in this game.
Or do you mean you want to set both the lightning orb AND the ground smash attack in the same hero? You can't.
You're supposed to switch out to the appropriate hero for the situation.

[Memphix]

What you did there? I see it.

"I wouldn't be surprise if EA let Maxis start making more creative games if this one did well"

You do realize you pretty much just said 'I know this game isn't very creative, but if you buy it, you might get lucky and end up having EA let us make a game that DOESN'T suck'

Nice try, EA dude. Not gonna work.

they were also referring to creative-centric games and mentioned darkspore's own creative options.

really, you had free access to play a game before release, which is nothing short of fantastic in this day and age of exclusive pre-order extra gubbins to get you to buy a game long before you know what it's like or how it will even run.
Plus you have active reps on the forums (steam forums at that, infamous as whining central) genuinely trying to keep us informed and garner productive feedback. bad things to say about the game are one thing, but if it's good games you want then trolling the people here for the game and community's sake is a little counter-productive no?

[l3reak]

Well, I probably shouldn't say any more and get into a big discussion about guessing what would happen in the future, what Maxis wants to do, what EA wants Maxis to do, and everything like that, 'cause really I don't know any of that.

All I was saying is what everyone could figure out. Everyone knows Spore didn't sell as well as many people hoped, and that was pretty much the most "creation-centric" game Maxis has ever released. One of the biggest complaints people voice was that there wasn't enough "gameplay", that the game was just editors with no real meat. I'd be willing to bet you share that opinion; most people do. Even I feel that way, even though I think the editors are nothing short of revolutionary, and still play with them to this day.

Now, few years later, Maxis is releasing spin-offs of their sandboxy creation games that have a much more "gameplay" focused core, like Darkspore, a sci-fi ARPG Spore spinoff, and Sims Medieval, a medieval fantasy kingdom building Sims game. Anybody can guess that this is probably a response to people saying there wasn't enough "core gameplay" in Spore.

Then, the thing about more creative games... I really shouldn't have said it like that. I think that if Darkspore does well, it'll be good for Maxis in general, and you could say the same thing about every Maxis game. They'll be able to make more creative games because they'll be able to make more games in general. More "gamey" games, more creative games, more games of every type.

If Maxis' games sell well, they'll continue to make more games, and you'll have a better chance of getting the type of game you want. That's all I was trying to say.

[HorrorScope]

I think Spore really made EA nervous about doing creation-centric games. Darkspore certainly has a lot more creation options than most hack n slash games, though. I wouldn't be surprise if EA let Maxis start making more creative games if this one did well. Who knows, maybe even a Spore 2 one day, though that is quite a long shot.

EA can't get much right these days. Yep creativity is dead, see Minecraft.

They don't want to come to grips that it's their execution that is killing their sales.

[Grelmo]

Well, I probably shouldn't say any more and get into a big discussion about guessing what would happen in the future, what Maxis wants to do, what EA wants Maxis to do, and everything like that, 'cause really I don't know any of that.

All I was saying is what everyone could figure out. Everyone knows Spore didn't sell as well as many people hoped, and that was pretty much the most "creation-centric" game Maxis has ever released. One of the biggest complaints people voice was that there wasn't enough "gameplay", that the game was just editors with no real meat. I'd be willing to bet you share that opinion; most people do. Even I feel that way, even though I think the editors are nothing short of revolutionary, and still play with them to this day.

Now, few years later, Maxis is releasing spin-offs of their sandboxy creation games that have a much more "gameplay" focused core, like Darkspore, a sci-fi ARPG Spore spinoff, and Sims Medieval, a medieval fantasy kingdom building Sims game. Anybody can guess that this is probably a response to people saying there wasn't enough "core gameplay" in Spore.

Then, the thing about more creative games... I really shouldn't have said it like that. I think that if Darkspore does well, it'll be good for Maxis in general, and you could say the same thing about every Maxis game. They'll be able to make more creative games because they'll be able to make more games in general. More "gamey" games, more creative games, more games of every type.

If Maxis' games sell well, they'll continue to make more games, and you'll have a better chance of getting the type of game you want. That's all I was trying to say.

You seem like a reasonable dude and perhaps I was a bit harsh with my opening thread topic, especially considering I was only a few hours deep into Darkspore.

My complaints, however, still stand. This was marketed to me not only through Spore but by it's very use of the Spore IP. My experience so far shows it to be just Diablo II with the ability to put a pauldron on my heroes head if I so choose. It's not unique. It's just not that fun.

People may have had complaints (and valid ones) about the lack of gameplay and the overabundance of editors in Spore, but that game is revolutionary. It brought out the creative side of anyone who picked it up. It allowed you to shape your game-space, and even if one argues that it's only aesthetic, the scale of that game mechanic is still an incredible achievement. Why did Maxis go the opposite route and give us this Darkspore, which is something we've seen before and which has been done better? This is especially egregious because they refuse (or are prohibited from) releasing a few patches or some new content that will at least fix Spore. I bought that game in 2008 and still fire it up frequently. There's a user-base who works for free just building Adventures. It's practically self-sustaining with a little support.

I'm sorry, I'm just not a fan of EA. Their pursuit of profit over quality results time and again in ruined titles with a goal of dumbed-down mass appeal. Maxis used to make games that made us rethink how we play games. Now when they try to do that EA yanks their leash. If it doesn't sell a million copies in year one, they stop supporting it. And they don't even have the courage to tell the fanbase the truth.

I know this is the Darkspore forum and not the "complain about Spore" forum, but I've just totally lost faith in any product published by EA. They'll turn on you the minute a rip-off DLC doesn't make their financial quarter.

I meant it when I say this makes me sad. I want to give them my support, but you know what they say about "fool me once..."

[Teranasaurus]

This game is basically Spore for dumb, uncreative people.

If you can't see the depth present in Darkspore I would highly recommend you stop calling people "dumb" or "uncreative".

...so they could focus on releasing this absurd Diablo II clone?

Have you actually played either game? I guess that's a stupid question. Obviously you haven't or you'd know that just about the only thing the two games have in common is they're played primarily with the mouse.

I mustered the energy to get through the cutscene last night, played the first two levels, latched a few upgrades to my hero and was bored to death.

Bored to death in a tutorial? Perish the thought. I'm guessing you've never completely read a book or watched a movie that had a slow start.

If I wanted to click-and-kill, I'd play Torchlight (which did the Diablo clone thing much, much better). If I wanted to equip a constant stream of new items, I'd play Baldur's Gate II (which did the item-equipping thing much, much better).

Your opinions are all wrong but that's irrelevant.

If you like those other games so much go play them. I mean heck, if I wanted to play a good fps I'd go play Tribes 1. If I wanted to play a good strategy game, I'd go play X-COM. If however I wanted to see how developers continue trying to refine and improve a genre I wouldn't play either of those games, I'd play new games and accept that the flaws are there because innovation requires risk and the presence of risk means the potential for failure exists.

I want to create stuff, EA. Make things. Share them with people. Explore worlds. Put my stamp on my virtual surroundings.

If you want to create stuff, go build a home. Restore an old car. Play Sim City 2. Open a deviant art account and post your creations on it.

I'm sorry this game isn't for you but despite what you may think, that doesn't mean the game is bad.

[Matty101]

I think Spore really made EA nervous about doing creation-centric games. Darkspore certainly has a lot more creation options than most hack n slash games, though. I wouldn't be surprise if EA let Maxis start making more creative games if this one did well. Who knows, maybe even a Spore 2 one day, though that is quite a long shot.

problem with spore wasn't the creation focus, it was DRM issues and the evolution from awesome creature development into a bland substandard space colony management game.

If anything, the creation side saved spore from becoming one of the biggest jokes/disasters in gaming history.