Spore: While not slated for release until late 2008, this highly anticipated game has the potential to be an incredibly powerful tool in the classroom for teaching students about evolution and the behavior of organisms. The game allows students to create a creature which they can help evolve from a multi-cell organism to an interstellar exploring species.
Is it worth $10? Maybe, it is tons of fun to play around with, but I'm not sure if I'd want to shell out cash to get early hands-on time with something that will come built-in to a game I'm planning on buying. Then again it's only $10 and it's TONS of fun. Actually a little addictive.
I think he knows Spore runs on OSX. He's pointing out that the system reqs say the game doesn't work on the Intel GMA950 under OS X (which is the integrated graphics that were in the older Macbooks). However, under Windows XP it has Intel GMA950 as one of the supported graphics. Either way, the game will probably have a tough time on the Intel GMA950. It is interesting that the integrated graphics are sufficient in Windows and not OSX. Is this an indication of Direct X's flexibility over OpenGL?
@Alchemy, oh actually it looks like Spore works on GMA950 systems under Windows, but not for Macs. I wonder why that is the case. Perhaps you just need to run it in Bootcamp on a Macbook?
@lstormy10, Unfortunately it doesn't look like the game will run on Macbooks, or any computer using the once very common Intel GMA950 integrated graphics.
@vGInfidel, Looking at these system specifications, I believe that EA has actually made sure that the game is scalable to a large number of systems. Even a computer three years old would easily be able to meet the minimum requirements and they have even stated the specs needed for people with integrated graphics accelerators and no discreet graphics (whereas many PC games these days do not even support being played without having a discreet graphics card). These system specifications are good news for the overall sales of this title on the PC platform.
FOR WINDOWS XP: - 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent / 512 MB RAM / A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 / At least 6 GB of hard drive space
FOR WINDOWS VISTA: - 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent / 768 MB RAM / A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 / At least 6 GB of hard drive space.
Full details in link.
@Arbiter, Spore is a game that will be used at schools around the world. Children will be encouraged to play the game by their parents. It has a massive appeal, not just for the fun factor, but also the educational value. One year after launch I expect most girls and boys age 4 to 40 will have had their go at making funny creatures and playing with the first half of the game. This game is easier to have fun playing than Sims 2 and Sims 3, and has the same targets, only a little broader. The Sims 3 is currently priced at 17M copies.
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