So, some PC stuff.

I read a claim here that the Spore Creature Creator Demo has SecuROM on it, which does an ET when you're connected to the internet. There have been problems with this in the past, mostly from Starforce published games. My response is...

So?

The thing runs fine on my laptop, even though it is a bit slow. Major kudos to EA/Maxis for doing that. I couldn't care if it phones home, because, simply, there's no money in it. EA won't give any personal info away, becuase what can it do? Spam is probably the worst - I doubt Will Wright wants to raid your bank account, or Joe Hoggs in Accounting is going to do an ID theft, they get buckets (relatively for Joe) already. Any worries are, IMO, completely unfounded. EA's gonna sell our details to the Mafia or something? Puh-leaze. There's no money, and no incentive, apart from spam, and I don't check my email anyway.

And besides, how do you know? I'm quoting from a blog here. The guy at the other end could be spreading malicious rumours, playing a prank, whatever. I don't really mean that - I'm going to say that Erathoniel's a nice, trustworthy guy who would faint in shock at the prospect of lying, although I don't know him. But simply put, is a blog really a #1 source of info? A #1 source of unfiltered, sometimes hilarious opinions, yes, but for trusworthy info, nope. Sorry, Erathoniel, but no boycotty for EA for me. I love Spore, and damn the consequences.

Speaking of which, has Spore got into any trouble being released in the Bible Belt in the USA? Y'know, where the gay-hating fundamentals live? (I'll get to you in another article.) The game "teaches" about evolution and "playing God" in a sense so loose it gets drunk and has a one-night-stand every night, so they'll certaintly jump on that. Any news, America?

And speaking of making games work, I need help from the rich PC snobs. Yes, a cry of help from a Console Gamer. Why am I putting them into caps? They're not seperate species or anything. Silly me.

So, time for a song to sum up my intention.

Yoo-hoo-hoo,
I wanna be like you-oo-oo,
I wanna walk like you,
Talk like you,
Do-oo-oo,
etc. etc.

Yes, I want to migrate. I want to play PC games without a framerate of -9. I want to play Half-Life 2, damn it, but it won't work. It must be a crime for any PC gamer to not play Half-Life 2. Every month or two I puy PC Gamer UK and stare enviously at the glossy pages, waiting for the guys to jump out the pages and help me finally enjoy my bundles of joy gathering dust on a shelf, but it never happens, no matter how many drugs I take. All I do is taste colours. Colours of disapointment.

I have a hilarious allowance which I won't disclose, but even with that and the equal amount my brother gets, I don't think I can afford a decent PC that plays games by the end of the year, which is when all the crazy games that were having a crafty fag out back run back in, ready to display themselves for Christmas. Birthdays and said Christmas does not hold hopeful, as retail Gaming PC's will often have cut-price graphics cards to make them cheaper. I have a groundwork with PC Gamer's PC building guide every month or so, the most recent being the one in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. preview issue, but getting the parts is a huge jump away. All I need is a PC that runs The Orange Box nicely, and possibly Sins and Gal Civ 2 as well. Internet is another story for another time.

Please give support + encouragement, tips, etc. Don't bother listing keyboard, mouse, moniter and speakers, as I already have those. All prices in the GB of P (Great British Pounds, for the unsutble).