Spore Released Early in Australia

[Varsity]

Yes indeed: (http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=12643)

Spore has an official release date in Australia of Thursday, September 4th. In a somewhat pleasing (and unusual) turn of events, Australia has become one of the first countries where consumers are able to pick up the game. The official release date in the US is September 7th.

Now several Australian retailers have started selling the game two days early. While not present on the shelves, our fabulous Galactic edition (pictured below) can attest that if you drop into most EB games, you'll be able to pick yourself up a copy by asking at the counter. There are reports that JB Hifi will also sell you the game.

Australia, if you don't watch Zero Punctuation, is usually the last place on earth where a game is released.

Put another shrimp on the...wait, why does it have feet?

[Earth Djinn]

Yeah, two of my friends bought it already, one from EB and one from JB Hifi. Ill be buying it too when I get my new PC in a month or two.

Oh, and its only $79 at JB so people should get it from there if they can.

[danielout]

So if I fly there, buy the game, and fly back... I'll still beat the Sunday release here in the states! That would make my copy of spore cost over a grand, but hey...

[menage]

Europe as well. At least here in Holland.

[Emabulator]

I'll wait for user feedback before buying this one.

[bKangy]

Hnnngg, I'm so tempted. The thing is, I know it won't even work on my laptop but... I could always plunge into my student overdraft and get a new laptop... Shit.

[danielout]

I'll wait for user feedback before buying this one.

I spent an hour with it at PAX, and loved it. But I am a sucker for user-made content and god-games, so this is really my cup of tea.

[Froggy]

How very Zen.

[Planetbuster]

WTF kinda release/ship date is a Sunday anyways?

[Emabulator]

I spent an hour with it at PAX, and loved it. But I am a sucker for user-made content and god-games, so this is really my cup of tea.That's a start. ;)

I read a ton of reviews, but I don't trust them as much as well reasoned user feedback ("Crysis sucks" is not an example of this). I do make exceptions, like Andy Mahood of PCG, who has the same taste as I do. In reading the reviews you can pick out things that you like or don't like. The final score often means little though. errr.... subject for another day. ;)

Anyway, I'm holding back because I'm having Black & White flashbacks (massive hype = caution). I loved it for about the first six hours. Then it fell flat on its face and left me bored.

If people are talking about how much they love Spore a week after release I'm on it. Going on Maxis' track record I'd expect it to be more Sims addicting than Black & White boring. It also helps knowing I can grab it quick from direct2drive if I'm overcome by the urge.

[Dorfl]

I played it, and it sucked even more than I expected it to. Don't waste money on this flop.

[2HeadedBoy]

I played it, and it sucked even more than I expected it to. Don't waste money on this flop.

Really??? What parts sucked about it???

[Dorfl]

Heck, I'll elaborate on some of the many reason why this game sucks:
1. You pretty much do the same thing, no matter what. You have two "options", and they're both the same every time - conquer or befriend. Zero variation, no consequences, no reason to pick one over the other at any given point.
2. The only part that's any good is the beginning. It's got some arcade thing going - but not more than any other game of the genre (not by a long shot. It's actually very much inferior). But it's over after half an hour, tops.
3. The part where you have cities? Couldn't have less strategy to it, short of making it into Progress Quest 2. Then again, same goes for all the other stages.

Basically, don't touch this with a ten yards long pole unless you can spend hours tweaking cutesy animals and call it entertainment. It's not a game, it's a canvas. And not the good, god-game canvas it's purported to be. Just a creature-creation canvas. Evolution? Choices? Give me a fucking break.

[feeble]

Heck, I'll elaborate on some of the many reason why this game sucks:
1. You pretty much do the same thing, no matter what. You have two "options", and they're both the same every time - conquer or befriend. Zero variation, no consequences, no reason to pick one over the other at any given point.
2. The only part that's any good is the beginning. It's got some arcade thing going - but not more than any other game of the genre (not by a long shot. It's actually very much inferior). But it's over after half an hour, tops.
3. The part where you have cities? Couldn't have less strategy to it, short of making it into Progress Quest 2. Then again, same goes for all the other stages.

Basically, don't touch this with a ten yards long pole unless you can spend hours tweaking cutesy animals and call it entertainment. It's not a game, it's a canvas. And not the good, god-game canvas it's purported to be. Just a creature-creation canvas. Evolution? Choices? Give me a fucking break.

Im having alot of fun with the game.
I'll agree with you that the civilisation/tribal stages have little flesh on the bone.
And growing your brain as a creature is a little tedious.

But when you hit space, the whole game opens up.
Its gonna take me a week or so, before I can tell if its any good or not.

But I'm terraforming a planet for spice production, and hoping to start farming a local species(if i can work this out)

My mates creation is now my nemesis, and Im not allowed to enter their space under death.

Set up a few trade routes to gain trust, and defences on my homeworld so that I can put a spot to pirates raiding my hometown every 5minutes.

I just found a planet terraformer thing, and gonna test it on his planet, I think it creates rivers or something.

Im hoping thou, that once all the pieces have been unlocked in spore/creature mode the game will flesh out even more. I haven't found any wings yet.

[Silverbaine]

boo-urns!

I so wanna play this, it looks like i could be fun especially if you have people playing with you.

[danielout]

Lots of updates to Spore.com today.

I made a Sporecast for Evil Avatar Radio... You can find it under 'EAR Spore'

Buddy me (danielout) and I'll try to pull stuff from other EvAv folks in to the Sporeacst.

[Cade]

I picked it up yesterday,

and I love it, for one simple reason, It's fun.

I miss fun. games are so serious these days it seems to be all about the drama.

Spore is one of the games where you can play 5 hours and it doesn't feel like 5 hours because its constantly changing.

and the creators are awesome.

Spore name is Kalisynth add me.

[danielout]

Friended, and added some of your stuff to the 'EAR Spore' sporecast.

[SilentScreams]

I have to wait for the 5th for this. I'm pre-loading it right now though, so it shouldn't take too long to get once the day arrives.
With this and Mercs 2 coming out on the same day, and Baroque which was released last week here, I'm not going to have a lot of non-gaming time I don't think.

...then WAR hits and I'm dead to the world.

[Froggy]

So if I fly there, buy the game, and fly back... I'll still beat the Sunday release here in the states! That would make my copy of spore cost over a grand, but hey...

And then they created ebay: same price jump, less jetlag.