Creatures Trilogy

by Encore

Product Features

• Bundle of three classic life-simulation games
• Incredible graphics and simulation melds smart with cute
• Help evolution run its course
• Wide-ranging, open-ended challenges
• For one player

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004YUI6
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: November 2, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,446 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #31 in Software > Children's Software > Virtual Pets
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Creatures Trilogy contains full versions of all three Creatures games. The core game is nothing short of a life simulator. You manipulate the environment around and interact with a virtual organism. This creature is born, grows, and dies just like a real being. Sophisticated artificial intelligence allows the creature to learn, taking cues from the environment as well as your careful instruction. It even has virtual emotions. Creatures is fascinating as a simple "goldfish bowl", watching the creature move about, forage for food, and play with objects in the game world. But each game also contains an interesting world with glimpses of a larger storyline.

Creatures 1

The original Creatures was a gaming and scientific phenomenon of which the author Douglas Adams famously said, "I first saw this program in the same week that evidence was discovered of life on Mars. This is more exciting."

Creatures 2

They're back and they've brought some friends!

Creatures 2 is the sequel to the innovative best-seller from Creature Labs. This amazing Artificial Life product lets you create real life on your own PC.

Explore the Shee Laboratories and discover the all-new Norns inhabiting a vibrant, living eco-system--find the Genetic Splicer and defend your Norns against the vicious and disease-ridden Grendels.

Creatures 3

Over a thousand years ago, the ancient civilization of Shee left the world of Albia in a giant spaceship to find a new home. When the Grendels attacked them during the flight, they escaped to their new planet's surface, abandoning the Norns and their spaceship in orbit. But the Norns are not alone, and with your help they can thrive. You'll find a host of advanced machines to help you - all of which can be plugged together to make huge automated devices.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creatures 1 good. Creatures 2 awesome. Creatures 3 annoying., September 8, 2001

By 

Nix (Cheshire UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creatures Trilogy (CD-ROM)

Although I don't own the trilogy, I own all the games seperately and can tell you that Creatures 2 is the best.
Basically, you hatch these cute little creatures called norns. You can name, take photos and raise your norns.
Your norns live in a world called Albia which is covered in all sorts of strange wildlife and contraptions.
After you have named your norns, you can start to teach them language. You can use the learning machines to do this or you can pick up an item and wave in front of their face and type in what it is.
Your norns can speak, play, eat, drink and even express their feelings e.g: Luke crowded or Amy scared.
The amazing thing about norns is the fact that their behaviour is not programmed into the machine. They are arguably alive.
Norns are basically like 2 year olds (But much cuter).
Every norn is unique which makes breeding very interesting. The species will actually evolve after several generations because occasionally when two norns breed, there are genetic mutations which can be harmful or beneficial to your norns.
Norns have their own working biochemistry and DNA which can also be very interesting.
On Creatures 1 & 2 you have kits to help you. Owner kit, health, science, observation, chronicles, breeding and ecology kit.
On creatures 2 & 3 the world of albia has a full working ecology including weather, seasons and other things. The Norns lifespan can be anything from one second to 15 hours( maybe more). Don't expect to be easy though. The vicious Grendel species can hit, infect or even kill your norns as well as lots of other horrible bacteria.
The graphics on this game are nice and colourful and it is presented well.
BUY THIS GAME! IT IS WORTH IT! I haven't even told you everything. You'll have to find out everythin on your own

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another facet of the game., March 11, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Creatures Trilogy (CD-ROM)

In these games, there is not only the "game", but also you can develop new agents, COBS and creatures genomes! In Creatures 1, Developping was very limited, but the norns were more amusing, more real. In Creatures 2, the original genome was horrible, but the third party developers created AMAZING genomes such as Mernorns, Canny norns and all. In Creatures 3, developement possibilities are really illimited! I would really suggest Creatures 3 for developping, and Creatures 1 for fun. However Creatures 2 is good, as it's behind to two :) This game is excellent, and it's even better as a trilogy!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Creatures: A Unique Game To Be Sure !, February 2, 2002

By 

Currer Bell (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creatures Trilogy (CD-ROM)

Where to begin ? Okay practicality first: Creatures the first game, is Win95, so if you have Windows 98 or up it probably won't install. Unless you have WinXP I think. Creatures 2 will install though, and Creatures 3. At least, they did on my PC, which is Windows 2000. However, I've played all three, because I began with the first Creatures game on my Mac.

I fell in love with "Creatures" for a lot of reasons: they are cute; they REALLY seem alive (to the point they are like pets; and I actually got sad when my first norn began to get old and ill much to my embarrassment & surprise), and they are so cute ! They do cute, unexpected things. Example: my first norn Kiki loved to watch the bees buzz around the beehives (norns eat things like carrots, honey, flowers) even though they'd sting her; then she'd turn straight to me (they make it so they turn to look right AT you; weird !) and frown sadly.

Or when another norn player (search the 'net for norn or Creatures and you will find a lot of homemade websites with homemade items for them -- toys, food, medicine...) made a trampoline for norns -- oh MAN was that funny. Now they couldn't have been programmed this way, cos this wasn't invented yet ! But they'd trip the trampoline lever and go flying through the air -- and the range of expressions on their faces was priceless. Some were scared, some were ecstatic, some were puzzled as could be. It was priceless.

ANyway you get the idea. For more technical types, the norns have biological data you can keep track of. For computer techie types, you can breed norns and try to make new genomes etc. Also you can make things for them to use in the game. The official website has free downloads and advice to help you with all this.

As for the game itself: it's about life ! Very good for kids or for anyone with a nurturing instinct. You hatch an egg, inside which is a baby male or female norn. They come in different colors etc. They sort of look like the gremlins when they were nicer. They crawl, then toddle around, learning about Albia, the world they live in. They learn to eat, play, and can learn language from a computer upstairs. Keep them away from 'bad' plants or they might get sick and even die. After about an hour, a grendl hatches; he's scary at first, but they have their personalities too, some are worse than others. Usually though they are snotty and slap the norn or follow him around spreading germs on him unwittingly. Bottom line: Keep norns and grendl apart. At least there's only one of him !

In the first game there's a desert island, (they get there by submarine ! [...]) a hot air balloon, there's just too much about this game to go into here but trust me it's fun.

For small kids you might want to get the kids' versions instead (Creatures Adventure, Creatures Playground; no grendl and norns don't die, just play dressup etc.), as some kids think grendl is too scary or mean. (Also, when they grow up they can 'breed'; they simply walk by each other and there's a kiss-pop noise but no visual; but later the female lays an egg. I don't think it's a big deal but my aunt didn't want her grandchild to read about hormone levels etc. since you can track those in their health kit. Kind of an individual call there. But there's nothing 'dirty' about it in any sense and no visual at all the egg just appears later). Then again when I was on the Creatures newsgroup there were a lot of grade schoolers in there who love Creatures, and didn't seem fazed by reading about rising estrogen in their norn etc (probably went over their head).

Creatures 2 is just as fun; something they kept in both games is the point of view of the norn. This means when you click on the 'eye' on the toolbar you see what it's seeing. Know how you talk to a toddler or puppy and THINK it's listening but can tell it might not be ? Wouldn't you like to know what they are really looking at or thinking about ? In Creatures and Creatures 2 you can see. It's usually NOT whatever you are trying to teach them. haha

Which is the downside -- sometimes it can be frustrating -- they forget words you taught them and even forget how to eat ! They are like little kids in that way, you have to really take care of them. But the upside is they're so cute to watch play.

Creatures 2 has a larger world, a new being called an ettin who just kind of wanders around harmless, and thanks to the world being bigger you don't see grendl as often. However the norns can now fall off upper levels, and even drown ! But, get things from user websites and from the official site to help with that (bridges, extra puffer fish to save norns from the water etc.) and you'll be fine. The norns aren't as cute I don't think but at least you can play this one on your system. They have more facial expressions in C2 but also they can get sicker easier it seems like. But they seem to live just as long. Norns go thru life stages and even go bald or get grey hair !

Creatures 3 I didn't like at all. They turned it into a 'survivor' type game ! They had pirhanas, sharks, and norns can get sucked out into space through a door ! It's a big spaceship ecosystem instead of a planet. You can't pick things up to carry from one part of it to another very easily to give your norn (say he's trapped somewhere w/no food) and worst of all you can't see what they see any more. I had no use for C3 at all -- makes a nice coaster though.

I hope this helped -- enjoy Creatures ! I think it's a really neat idea. And fun to play ! [....]