I'm wondering if 1.8.1 spawning got f'ed up - holed up in my home the entire night, I nonetheless gathered two skeleton archers, four spiders, and two creepers (which subsequently blew up once I opened the door). The spiders, at least, spawned during 1.8.0, so I don't know.
Evidently, COMPLETE had crap releases everywhere, so much so that I had to get my copy online. I probably won't be able to play it when my copy reaches my house, though, due to... problems. (I'll probably LP the entire series once I get used to VOID and FATE, since I didn't get either yet.)