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Cute but ...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I waited for [the price to drop] for over a year. I like RPG games and this looked unique, pretty, and interesting.

Playing it wasn't the joy I'd been imagining. Even though it's been out for over a year and I have a very stable system (it never crashes for ANYTHING but Black & White) it crashed my system about an hour into the game every time I played. Which is just insane since the system is popular and over a year old --- there should be a frigging patch for it but there isn't.

Also, the game controlls are overly complicated. Before deciding that it wasn't worth it I spent a good 15 hours playing the game and I was still unsure about which controls to use for certain actions. That is a serious design flaw as far as I'm concerned.

It is a pretty game and if you have the patience to put up with the freezes (make sure to save) and the time to devote to it this is the game for you. The graphics are pretty and it is really cute -- just overly complicated and buggy.

Eh.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I thought it was too difficult to control and it ran very slowly on my system (PIII 500mhz, 256 MB RAM). The idea is good, but the game needs some more tweaking to be really really good.

An average simulation game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Well, I admit it. I didn't do my research and bought this game because I heard great things about it. I wish I had done a little more research before I bought it. Controling the creature is probably the funnest aspect of the game, while the constant micromanaging of the villagers is the biggest letdown. This would have been a sure fire winner if I didn't have to worry about getting the villagers food and wood every 3 minutes. Overall, if you enjoy simulations and don't mind some tedious micromanagement, this might be a game for you. If not, take a pass on this one.

If you want to babysit your game 24 hrs a day choose this!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

A vast majority of people who write to Black and White's official website with suggestions have found that they are misinformed by the media and otherwise about the quality of this game. These people are not looking for improvements but fixes for problems that rarely come up in such well made video games as this, during saving and "out of the blue" the program crashes, which may freeze your system all-together. There are no work arounds that operate constantly and they failed to make two expected patch (game fix) dates so far to rectify the issue. This game can be described in many positive colorful ways, all of which is true, but there are serious issues within that somehow failed to surface. This game's important functions like saving your work (work which can be agonizing to some) is less than operational, if at all, and, in most cases reported, will crash your system. The final product has fallen short from the beginning, I would put no trust in this product's proposed functionality as of now. I must although say that there will be a patch sooner than later, but do to the information and the lack there of, I regret I cannot say when without misleading you.

"Oh my God!" oh wait, thats me...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I'll try to be short. Very nicely done, graghics are top notch as well as sound. The storyline and gameplay are phenominal! I only had one problem... Once you start a game, you have to listen to the same tutorial-type instructions every time you start a new game. I guess they didn't figure on us learning how to move the cursor within the first 8hrs of gameplay...

Beyond that, this game is rockin' good. It has some of the best A.I. coding I've ever seen (your pet Creature really does learn).

This game is well worth buying. You'll laugh (it's fun to teach your creature to throw people into the sea if they complain about you). You'll get hours upon hours of fun out of this one. There could be a few improvments, but for the first release after the beta they did one hell of a job. I'm guessing an on-line patch may be on the way for some of the problems, but don't quote me on that.

Great game, bad interface, but it is, perhaps, worth it.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Okay, let's get the worst over right from the start: the interface is bad. It's as simple as that: it is a very poor interface and it actively hampers the game (which is why I'm dinging it a full two stars). I understand what the designers were shooting for, which is a thoroughly immersive and natural interface, but the mouse isn't the right technology for what they were attempting. Now, if VR gloves ever start to penetrate the consumer market, then such an interface could be justified.

That said, if you can grit your teeth and look past the interface (and, for many players, that's just not going to be possible), the game itself is nothing short of revolutionary. It's complex, its detailed, it's *entertaining*, it's imaginitive, and, above all else, it is utterly engrossing. I've never played a god-style game where you actually started to feel like a deity in charge of real people, with the full range of responsibilities and, most innovatively, moral choices that such a being would face. It's refreshing that the game doesn't compell you to be a good guy, or punish you for being a bad guy. In spite of that, I've found that it's actually rather hard to deliberately be a malevolent deity for the very reason that you are so thoroughly powerful and your people are so thoroughly powerless. Indeed, when I accidentally wreck havok (see above notes regarding the interface), I tend to feel bad about my actions and I find that I want to do something to set things right. I suspect that, for many people, the game is going to be a moral ink-blot.

I can't over-stress the problems with the interface. I can understand why that would suffice to drive a person away from the game. It's also true that the game has stability issues (thank the avatars that I had a spare computer to install it on; it simply locked on the livingroom system in spite of all efforts). But it's also true that there is much to love about this game and, if nothing else, I would encourage people to buy it just to support this style of game and this level of creativity in game design. It may be a flawed child, but it is still a gifted infant.

Bugs Galore

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

While the game is a wonderful and innovative concept it has yet to be fully seen in action due to the numerous bugs within the game. Having complete the game I am now left with a tiny creature that while cute, certainly doesn't measure up to the massive giant I should have ended up with due to a major bug, so basically a waste of many hours game play. The game takes a huge amount of time in loading and saving and has a nasty habit of crashing on saves, corrupting your save files. These are just a few of the many and varied bugs within the game. All this is further aggrevated by the appalling support provided by Lionhead in their failure to provide a patch or to communicate honestly with those who have provided their support by purchasing the game. All in all if you're thinking of buying the game then I suggest you dont until Lionhead is more forthcoming with their patches.

Great game but no support

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Black & White is great fun, when it works or isn't corrupting a save or corrupting a creature file. I've had the game for two months and it becomes more frustrating by the minute. Lionhead/EA have been working on a patch (allegedly) and has delayed it twice now citing issues that pertain to about 1% of the player base. I personally will NEVER buy another game that is produced by EA or written by Lionhead. I strongly advise anyone who is interested in Black & White to reconsider. If I could get my money back I certainly would! As things stand now, I have a nifty chromium coaster.

You should do the same.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I bent over for Lionhead by buying this extremly buggy (P)iece(O)f(S)oftware, and they won't bend over for me by announcing an ACTUAL date for a patch. These guys don't know how to deal with their customers at all. Don't bother releasing B&W2 Peter, it will flop with the way you've handled your customers the first time around. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, I REPEAT, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME.

Frustrated beyond belief

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I really enjoyed this game, what little I got to play of it. This game has some very serious bugs that prevented me from progressing in the game past level 3. Once I got to the third level, my game started crashing everytime I tried to save. This is a known problem with the game and the worst part is Lionhead/EA support. They waited 2 months to say there was a patch on the way and then twice failed to post the patch on the promised date. It has been more than 2 months now since the release and they still haven't release the patch, and without the patch I can't even play the game I paid fifty bucks for! What a waste...

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