User Reviews (1 - 11 of 37)

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Buyer Beware! The DRM system is BUGGY too - it won't run at all!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 75 / 87
Date: July 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Buyer beware. I bought a perfectly legitimate version of this product to run on my Mac. I installed it, while my kids sat by my side anxiously waiting to play. Then I typed in the license code and it said that I had already installed it too many times. What the?!? I had just unwrapped the plastic - how can it be installed anywhere?! The game won't run, stubbornly saying that I've already installed the license somewhere else. Well, I haven't.

I've been contacting EA's customer support for over a week and they tell me that obviously I've already installed it too many times. Their fabulous DRM system is BUGGY and they don't seem to know it. I can't get anyone on the phone from EA (no phone number exists), their support people take days to respond, and they're useless when they do. I had to resort to withholding credit card payment from them. It's ridiculous.
I'd love to be able to tell you how the game is, but it won't run. Buyer Beware!

Will not buy

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 47 / 50
Date: July 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was very much looking forward to this game, but when I discovered SecuROM, I decided that I cannot have EA invading my computer.

Until media enterprises stop treating customers as enemies, they will see their sales plummet. For every pirate they block, they alienate a dozen legitimate customers.

Requires Internet access

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 24 / 26
Date: July 31, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Nowhere on the purchase page does it state that you need internet access on the computer where you intend to install this game. My son doesn't have internet access at his home. At least I know now to cancel the Spore preorder.

Fun, but gets old pretty quick

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 22 / 28
Date: June 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I'd heard quite a bit about Spore, so I really looked forward to getting the Creature Creator when it came out. Amazon delivered with typical speediness. As for the CC, it's cool, don't get me wrong. What you can make in just a few minutes is mind boggling. Like anything though once the novelty wears off, there's really not much here. You'd be better off download the free CC, then waiting for the game to come out.

Buyer Beware!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: August 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

EA can't manage even to produce a decent demo (that they make you pay for!). We bought the full demo to pass the time on a rainy vacation. My kids anxiously watched my try to install it. Emphasis on try. The thing didn't work. I tried 2 different operating systems on computers that met all the required specs. I scoured the net for advice. I followed all the advice and tips I found, changed files in the game, uninstalled the EA download manager... the game still freezes and crashes to desktop. All creatures lost, nothing saves. No way on earth will I buy the full version of this game until I can get some guarantee that it will actually run. I'm very disappointed in EA.

It didn't work.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: August 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I saw a video of this product that made it look easy and fun so I ordered it. It would never install and the support on the Spore site did not address the issue. So I had to return it.

Too bad.

EA kinna kills it

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: August 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

It is a fun tool and great toy for anyone who likes computer animation. The creatures created are a lot of fun and finding new ways to use parts and colors is a challenge to keep you busy for quite some time to come.

That said, EA kinna kills it.

There is as of today in game advertising. This is not mentioned on any box or information sheet. The AT&T advert even makes it difficult to see things in the Sporepedia. It also drops in doubleclick and atdmt scripts and tracking cookies on ya. Or it tries to if you let it. This was done after the product was demonstrated in the trade shows publicly.

The game has bugs that have not been addressed since start and the forums are a barely moderated mess. Seems the main plan was to get adverts going less than a month away more than fixing bugs. Enough time to test the adverts but not enough time for most pre-order people to be notified.

If folks were warned ahead of time of in game advertising, spyware loaded onto your system via part of the website, and the general lack of EA assistance. I doubt many would have purchased this or pre-ordered Spore. The fact they waited to show it off at trade shows then bait and switch is hard to swallow.

There are Customer service issues abound. A number of mistaken bans, banning the person who reported a unsuitable item rather than the offender. Folks with DRM trouble having to wait over a week for a new code, and only after asking for it a few times. No real support with any bugs other than some user discovered workarounds.

Generally a mess an a half. Nice program. Shame about any support except unwanted and unwarranted additions.

Amazing...and just a preview of things to come...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 40
Date: June 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

The Spore Creature Creator is a very interesting piece of software on a number of levels. It is a very entertaining program allowing the user to create a wide variety of creatures by dragging and dropping elements into a build screen. It is also a way to jump-start the online set of creatures that will populate the upcoming Spore game (which will be released in September). Finally, it is a very clever marketing tool that will build interest in the complete Spore game.

The Creature Creator is priced ($10) as an impulse buy. Once installed, it is very easy to use and sports a well done and intuitive interface. Creatures are created by dragging and sizing body parts from a menu. The simplicity of the interface will make this a hit with kids.

In addition, as you add body parts the Creature being built reacts (for example, when you add eyes it looks around and makes a happy sound and when you add legs it dances!). This kind of feedback adds to the fun.

Once you have created your Creature you can put it through its paces by walking it around a limited area, having it do some simple tricks (sit, flip, etc.) and other things. You can also snap pictures and make movies of your creature and save these on your system.

However, the real fun is registering your copy of Creature Creator online so your own Creatures can be shared. You can upload your own Creatures and download Creatures made by other people. (You can even automatically upload your Creature Movies to YouTube).

The Creature Creator is not a complete game like the Sims, but it is only $10. Perhaps the most effective aspect to Creature Creature is engendering a desire to get the full Spore game.

If this is just one part of the full game then I suspect Spore will be a massive hit. If Spore lives up to the promised feature list you will be able to create and share not only Creatures but entire Worlds.

Make sure you don't get a copy of Creature Creator on a Monday or Tuesday because you will be tempted to blow off work for the rest of the week so you can play...

Innovative, but buggy

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: July 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

It should be noted that this is basically a preview of the creature editor in Spore than a full game and is probably more suited to people eagerly awaiting the game than the general public.

As far as functionality, the editor is intuitive, fun, very hands on, and immersive. It's definitely a good component and a sign of good things to come.

My major complaint is that Creature Creator hangs every time I save a creature on my machine (a desktop I bought in December 2006 with components that were top of the line back then). This essentially makes creature creator good for messing around, but I can't store things for later use. I also think their components list could use more variety and I found the lack of tail components disturbing.

The tool is nice, but the bug I experienced and the ones listed on various sites make me worried that EA may be putting so much pressure on finally releasing Spore that they are preventing an adequate number testing and bug-fix cycles. Hopefully, this will not be the case and EA will not need to release a patch for a long time.

Demo for sale

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 25 / 52
Date: June 20, 2008
Author: Amazon User

While making creatures is fun, what you can do with your creature is quite limited. This is nothing more than a small demo of the game. I don't recommend people paying for this and I am kind of upset it is being sold in the first place.

Download and try the free trial version off the official game site. It is stripped down so you have limited body parts and what not, but is essentially the same, and if you only spend 15 minutes messing around and feel like you've had enough you wont have wasted ten bucks.

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