Posted on: April 15, 2020

NotABlueElephant

Games: 46 Reviews: 3

Amazing Games, Disappointing Re-Release

Creatures 1, 2, and 3 were staples of my early interest in AI, AL, and Genetics. Creatures 2 in particular had a beautiful mix of authenticity (Creatures 3 Norns were able to survive without food long enough to breed, which made their Artificial Life credentials..questionable), community (huge involvement from community members help to create additional and often incompatible genomes, brains, and behaviours), and atmosphere (the music, the rich backgrounds, the stable but dynamic-seeming ecosystems of independent agents and organisms). Sadly, this re-release fails at that first hurdle for me, because try though I might (including every forum 'hack' I could find on GoG and elsewhere) I could not get Creatures 2 to launch successfully, so I was denied that decades-delayed dopamine hit. :) Not sure where the funds from this are going because no future development seems to be planned, and it's a real shame that the current owners of the IP, whoever they are, don't consider releasing the source code and helping to restore the community feeling this game had back when it was new. No serious Artificial Life games have really happened since the Creatures series, which is a real loss.

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Posted on: April 5, 2020

Krensada

Games: 89 Reviews: 24

These games were unique

THese games were the creation of a Robotics scientist named Steve Grand. Steve Grand is one of those very rare people that sees this world just a little differently. To this day there is no game even remotely like them. Do you remember those little digital pets you used to carry on a keychain? Well this game was like those. Only thousands of times more complex. These creatures have digital DNA that controls thier behavior, inctincts, the color of thier fur and other various traits. You teach them to talk using a rudimentary language system. They learn basic phrases, and even understand what the words mean. You can discipline them when they misbehave. They breed, They eat, they sleep, they get old, and die. They can be born with genetic defects. some of them minor, and some of them so detrimental that they are stillborn. They can be poisoned, they can get too hot or too cold. they can get sick. They have simulated blood, hormones, and pheramones. They have simulated neurons. The only thing they cannot do is imagine things outside thier own programming. and sometimes they just don't learn no matter how much you try to teach them. It's a shame there will never be a game like this again for a very long time.

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Posted on: December 19, 2011

somePhreak

Verified owner

Games: 278 Reviews: 7

Creatures 1=great Creatures 2=not

The first one was pretty good, and the animals would do what you wanted pretty easily. All the other games in this series are so difficult and unwieldy that it's more like just watching the game unfold instead of playing.

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Posted on: June 10, 2019

borobandito

Verified owner

Games: 31 Reviews: 1

Sequel is NOT compatible in Windows 10

These were some of the earliest PC games I've ever played, and I loved them dearly as a child growing up in the 90s. Wanted to experience some nostalgia, and figured I'd pick them up again. Checked the website and it showed that the Albian Years was compatible with Windows 10, so great! I thought, and picked them up. First one does indeed run on Windows 10, with some quirks but it definitely runs. Resolution is at a point where about a quarter of the entire world fits on your screen at one time, but that's not too much of an issue. Sadly though, Creatures 2, which originally came out for 95/98 has too many quirks in it's programming to run at all with Windows 10. I saw some folks get it to work with Windows 8 a couple years ago after much trial and error, but I literally sat here for 3 hours trying every damn trick in the book that I know (I'm not in IT but I'm pretty dang computer literate) plus anything I could research, but alas, nothing worked, in fact compatibility mode based stuff just made the game worse. The only way I can see anyone getting this to run is if they've got a Windows 98 or similar emulator, that they'd then have to install the game in, but so far I haven't taken that step and am loathe to try. It's especially sad because Creatures 2 is arguably the best in the series, and the one that I really wanted to play. Not sure what gog.com can do to fix this, lately they seem to have moved away from selling and providing support for older games and have seemed to completely shifted this website/store's focus to indie and new titles almost exclusively. TL;DR this would absolutely be a 5 star review, if it worked. If you really want to play the first game, this isn't a bad price honestly but know that if you're on a newer rig you will simply NOT be able to get Creatures 2 to work.

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Posted on: November 19, 2012

WilliamH

Verified owner

Games: 71 Reviews: 1

Astoundingly Complex

You will never find another life simulation game that's on the level of complexity that Creatures is. Creatures manages to have unparalleled depth, while masking the simulation behind a game that even as a kid I could enjoy. Make no mistake, this is NOT a virtual pet game. You will take care of your Norns, maybe even grow to love them. But you will be angry with them, you will feel pain when they die. It is a life simulation at it's finest. You don't just sit back and feed them. In fact under normal circumstances the Norns should be able to feed themselves. You'll guide them away from dangers, teach them right from wrong, play doctor when they're sick. And watch them grow. You may have to make tough decisions, like putting down a defective Norn, so he doesn't spread his disorder through the gene pool. It's a hard experience to explain, you have to see it to believe. When you do see it though, be warned. Creatures 1 & 2 have not aged well. While the actual art is still quite nice, the interface is far beyond the definition of ghetto. The GUI closer resembles that of a word processor than an actual game. But if you're willing to brave the interface, and get your hands dirty, you'll really find an experience that is unlike anything else you've seen before.

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