This game has some revolutionary concepts, such as automatically shared user content and amazing design tools (that were already introducted and perfected, and some would say superior by Galactic Civilizations 2 years ago).

However, there is no ‘game’ here. As some people put, the ‘game’ amounts to over simplified tasks that are monotonous and repetitive. The creature stage isn’t as fun as you would imagine, as not all the parts are available, and even if they were, you are encouraged to use the ‘highest stat’ part effectively limiting you to maybe 6-10 parts to place onto your creature.

Why would you use a cool looking mouth with a social rating of ’1′ if that means that you can’t befriend the other tribes and hence progress in the game?? Basically, many of the parts become useless, no matter how good they look. Furthermore, other creature nests (only one nest per species) are arranged with weak creatures immediately around you, and progressively higher level creatures at increasing distances. How predictable. Basically, its designed so that you only explore or run around your immediate nest. I always imagined finding random creatures walking around, hunting, eating, grazing, finding mates, etc. Nope. All creatures basically hang around IN or NEXT TO their nest. How lame. So basically there is no mixing of the creatures. Creatures dont wander around the world as you would think. They are all found in clumps and really only have limited interactions with each other (limited since they only interact [partially] with surrounding nests, as they dont wander around the world)

The civilization stage is HORRIBLE. Basically it amounts to the most simplified and boring RTS I have ever played. Quickly grab a few resources, and then keep clicking on ‘create vehicle’ and send it to the enemy city. Repeat the last 2 steps endlessly and you have the game. No strategy, no thinking, no variety. You might as well have a script do this for you.

Then there’s the DRM. Let me just clarify what people are saying by adding, it not only counts installations, but changes to your hardware ! Upgrade a system component (memory, CPU, vid card) and you are out an installation. Not that it matters because its really a pretty bad game (except for the creation tools) Nice job. Basically I just paid $50 for a coaster.
Rating: 1 / 5

It was supposed to change the way games are played, it was supposed to be ground breaking. It had been dubbed “Sim-Everything”

Expectations for this game were high… I knew better, having been a veteran of games such as Black & White. Nonetheless, I was determined that I would enjoy this game, that I would love it. And I tried very hard to see the good in it, but after around a week of time spent with it… I have to say that my interest is wearing thin. I’ve already exhausted all novelty that this game has to offer, and there is very little in the way of depth to keep me interested. The Cell Game is probably the most excited you will ever be when you play this game.

The most important and touted aspect of this game- the creature evolution, is simplified to such a degree that the game affords virtually nothing like evolution, its more like.. A very simple and shortened Action/Adventure type game that only takes 1-2 hours to play from beginning to end. It also distinctly lacks variety in gameplay, despite the virtually unlimited amount of user-created content available. While this content does number in the hundreds, and will likely soon be in the thousands, of millions of different things, it is generally amateurish and uninteresting to most people. Also unpleasant shapes and/or names for user created objects are not uncommon.

The space game does get interesting for awhile. Mostly due to the on-the-surface vastness it possibly offers… and it does for awhile. The power to destroy a planet offers significant appeal to ones geeky megalomaniacal side and its “Star Wars” flashbacks. (You may fire when ready!) But only so much of this may truly keep one’s interest for any length of time, and when that is exhausted (all too soon!) there is sadly little to bring a person back to this game again.

All of that is really not so bad. It is a great game for young children, it is (generally) family friendly, and light easy gaming fun. Not for hardcore gamers, but this has been known since early development of the game. Its gameplay depth is in the vein of “The Sims”. Which Is a game I thoroughly enjoyed.

No, all that considered would still have made me give this game 3-4 stars, as the game itself does deserve a lot of credit for doing what it tried to do as well as it does. No other game designer on Earth is capable of doing this like Will Wright has.

What makes this game one star is the police-state nature of its copy protection. Three installs, and then you are out of luck. EA claims that this can be rectified for those with legitimate reasons, but of course, this is an exaggeration on their part- they will make you pay for more installs of this game. The DRM has already failed to prevent cracking and piracy of this game. So now, it only punishes legitimate users who properly paid for copies of their game. The only practical purpose of the DRM, therefore, is forcing honest people to pay for the game again if they decide to upgrade their hardware, or get a new computer, more than twice.

EA really should be ashamed of itself for this despicable business practice. Treating their customers like criminals, and then providing absolutely abominable customer service to the people who have allowed EA to become the massive corporation that it is.

Its rather likely, that this will be the final game I purchase from that publisher, if they feel that they are able to treat their customers in this way, than I don’t wish to be one. My software purchases only amount to several hundred dollars a year, but its several hundred that they won’t be seeing again; and they could have, if only they demonstrated that they truly wished to have my business.
Rating: 1 / 5