Spore designer Chris Hecker probably didn't realize that a firestorm of controversy would erupt over his comments yesterday regarding the Nintendo Wii. During a developer rant session at Game Developers Conference on Wednesday, Hecker said that the "Wii is a piece of s***," slamming the system for its lack of power and Nintendo for only making fun games and not artistic ones. A day later, and after much outcry on the Internet, Hecker offered up a lengthy apology just prior to a presentation that he gave on Spore's powerful animation system.

"I was trying to be thought provoking and entertaining and fun, and a lot of the stuff went too far over the top on the entertaining and fun side, so that it was no longer thought provoking, just inflammatory. And in the process I hurt a bunch of people I care about. And so, I want to apologize now," Hecker said.

He added that when he said those words he was speaking for himself and that he did not represent the views of EA or Maxis. Hecker also apologized to his coworkers, who he said were upset over the remarks.

"I do not think that the Wii is a piece of s***," Hecker said, and he applauded Nintendo for its innovation regarding the Wii's unique controller, its user interface, and the system's affordable price. He also commended Nintendo for its passion at making great games.

Hecker's apology was met with polite applause from the sizeable audience. He then launched into an in-depth explanation of the animation system in Spore, the ambitious and long-awaited next game from Will Wright, the creator of The Sims and SimCity. Hecker's session was titled, "How to Animate a Character You've Never Seen Before."

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