Customer Reviews

Spore Creature Creator

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(26)

 

 

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!

----------- Update to my review (1 year later)
We finally got EA to talk to us and give us a new license for the software, about 6 weeks after buying it. They treated me as if I were clearly a software thief the whole time, which I really did not enjoy.

On the other hand, both my kids have enjoyed building creatures and watching them dance, sing, play. Of course the Creature Creator alone doesn't actually have a game - you just make creatures. So the fun fades pretty quickly. On the whole, not a game I'd buy again.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Marketing on this product is deceptive. It is not an add-on enhancement but a more basic starter version of the game. My son says "a total waste of money." If you already have Spore installed and try to install Creature Creator, you will receive a dialogue box telling you what you should have been told on the packaging - "you cannot install Creature Creator if Spore is already installed."

Spore page said many people who buy spore also buy Creature Creator. If you get Spore this is a waste of $10. By itself it's cute, but gets old fast. Spore contains the same creator.

Installation required admin access so I installed it using "run as" from my son's limited account. It complained a couple times although it ran. He made a creature and liked it....I should have left well enough alone! I figured some configuration settings might not have been made correctly so I uninstalled it and reinstalled it from my admin account. Now it doesn't work at all! Double click the icon you get an hourglass...yea maybe it will work this time...but NO! Task manager shows it is running but its nowhere to be seen! Double click again and it complains that another instance is running. Uninstall and reinstall, over and over, no joy. No help on the web site either. This release is just not ready for prime time.