Spore

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2110 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 885 out of 2110
  2. Mixed: 446 out of 2110
  3. Negative: 779 out of 2110
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  1. roten
    Apr 30, 2022
    0
    this product is not available in your region
    "games out of politics" right?
  2. the_GEX_rating
    Apr 6, 2021
    0
    it is not gex ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ ‍ ‍ ‍
  3. vomov
    Feb 17, 2021
    3
    It's fun for a few hours, but that's it. If EA would've stuck with the original, it would've still been popular today, but they wanted to dumb it down.
  4. Cz3rw0ny
    Feb 9, 2021
    3
    One of the biggest disappointments when I was a young gamer in 2008. The game that Peter Molineux announced as revolutionary turned out to be very limited and boring.
  5. BraveW
    Sep 24, 2019
    4
    Great idea, terrible execution, not worth playing anymore. It feels to simple and bad in many ways.
  6. Wineneeder
    Jul 26, 2018
    0
    A disaster. This is unacceptable. Will Wright is a goddamn moron for thinking it is fine to releasing a game this unfinished, bad and buggy (in 2016, when I played it). Now, ignoring the creature creator, imagine five different types of games. Now imagine they were released on mobile by someone who liked all the worst parts of those games. Now imagine those five garbage games were portedA disaster. This is unacceptable. Will Wright is a goddamn moron for thinking it is fine to releasing a game this unfinished, bad and buggy (in 2016, when I played it). Now, ignoring the creature creator, imagine five different types of games. Now imagine they were released on mobile by someone who liked all the worst parts of those games. Now imagine those five garbage games were ported to PC badly, then died and were Frankenstein's monstered together.
    This is Spore. It lives up to the name because it is worse than a mold.

    A goddamn moron, but well, he voted for Bush.    … Expand
  7. aditya1101
    Oct 12, 2017
    2
    Super disappointing game. We were promised so much and ended up getting so little. For a game that boasts about its depth, this game is surprisingly shallow. The progression isn't nearly as authentic or gradual as I had hoped, and the mechanics of progression get old really fast.
  8. Broyax
    Apr 13, 2017
    2
    Un point pour l'interface agréable et efficace, un point pour l'atelier de création des... créatures, seul endroit où on s'amuse un peu...! pour le reste, les graphismes sont indigents et le gameplay est d'un ennui profond, très limité, très lent et très répétitif. ça nous fait donc 2/10 et c'est déjà très bien payé ! on dira que Spore n'est pas un "jeu" classique : c'est vrai, il n'estUn point pour l'interface agréable et efficace, un point pour l'atelier de création des... créatures, seul endroit où on s'amuse un peu...! pour le reste, les graphismes sont indigents et le gameplay est d'un ennui profond, très limité, très lent et très répétitif. ça nous fait donc 2/10 et c'est déjà très bien payé ! on dira que Spore n'est pas un "jeu" classique : c'est vrai, il n'est tout simplement... pas grand'chose.… Expand
  9. SINEKT
    Mar 2, 2015
    3
    In the cell and creature stages it really kicks you off your feet with a nice FPS survival style and until here I would give 100 out of 10. However, going to tribe mode, thing change dramatically: the controls get messed up. You controlled the game one way until now? No problem, forget that and here's a ton of new combinations and mouse dragging you have to get used to. Why keep the sameIn the cell and creature stages it really kicks you off your feet with a nice FPS survival style and until here I would give 100 out of 10. However, going to tribe mode, thing change dramatically: the controls get messed up. You controlled the game one way until now? No problem, forget that and here's a ton of new combinations and mouse dragging you have to get used to. Why keep the same fps style? Now we're a strategy game. But, you get used to that and things happen fast and gameplay is ok.

    THEN, you move to civilization stage. This is where the brown matter hits the fan. I was a warrior, and somehow I didn't manage/didn't know I have to capture the others in a fraction of a second, maybe even faster, so I ended up with one great empire that I'm allied to, and me. Now, I can't continue the game because I'm warrior style and I have to conquer them all, but can't conquer them because all I have is a small town capable of nothing, and I get flattened out if I try to attack them.

    The game is so unbalanced that it stuck itself. I mean, either you conquer them all, either you die, but somehow this game allows a situation where you just coexist with another civilization and nothing happens further. EVER.

    So basically I have to restart from cell stage to do anything, because I also saved my game in this state and nothing can be done.

    It's a pity... this had great potential.    … Expand
  10. guy5f
    Dec 15, 2014
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The one part of the game in actually fond of is the cell stage. It felt so fun compared to much of the other parts. In fact, it's the only area I ever had any REAL fun. I got pretty turned off and almost quit when I was in the tribal stage. The 2nd stage, whatever it's called, is just the same thing OVER and OVER. You can kill some things, or you can befriend them by dancing or singing. Something that ruins my experience about almost all of the game is the fact that the only area where you place things on your creature actually matters is in the cell stage. The only part of the game that most people is to the creature creator, but it's quite hard to create anything more than a few animals that look almost nothing like what they're supposed to be.… Expand
  11. BoredGamer42
    Oct 10, 2014
    0
    Tried to purchase this crappy game on Steam today. I remember when it launched, the joke (reality) was that people who paid for Spore had to then pirate the game to get a playable copy since the copy protection broke the game. It's been a long time since then, though, and Steam has its own copyright protection methods. Well, guess what.

    Spore still required me to register on    Tried to purchase this crappy game on Steam today. I remember when it launched, the joke (reality) was that people who paid for Spore had to then pirate the game to get a playable copy since the copy protection broke the game. It's been a long time since then, though, and Steam has its own copyright protection methods. Well, guess what.

    Spore still required me to register on Spore.com to play. Spore.com is down. For how long? I dunno - maybe 10 minutes, maybe a year, maybe forever. All I know is that I can't even register to play a game that was honestly pretty stupid to begin with. It gets boring after an hour, but I was willing to pay for that. Give me my hour back, you sons of !@##&*)(@# @#$)(*#$!

    Critic scores on metacritic are garbage, and so is this game. Trust the other users here and save yourself the headache.    … Expand
  12. TepidThought
    Oct 8, 2014
    3
    Atrocious game. Advertised as a massive open game with limitless possibilities. 90% of this game is comprised of the space section, which is repetitive and boring, and the other eras are just simple minded grind. Honestly the best one is the cell stage, as its a half decent as an arcade game. This game takes an awesome and complex idea and compresses it into something seemingly designedAtrocious game. Advertised as a massive open game with limitless possibilities. 90% of this game is comprised of the space section, which is repetitive and boring, and the other eras are just simple minded grind. Honestly the best one is the cell stage, as its a half decent as an arcade game. This game takes an awesome and complex idea and compresses it into something seemingly designed for a 5 year old.… Expand
  13. jacob4
    Jun 25, 2014
    2
    It might first seem like an O.K. game, but once you play it over again and get deeper into the game, you find out it's just a bunch of pointless clicking around and no exciting quest or storyline or campaign. The cut scenes are lame, and the animation isn't good at all. I'd sell or trade my Spore game for a much better game like Halo.
  14. guest91111
    Jan 5, 2014
    0
    Even though this isn't a review of the game itself, the DRM, which just kills computers, is not fun! The game looks like fun, but I can't enjoy it if my computer is on fire, can I?
  15. AntonioCalegaro
    Oct 19, 2013
    4
    Tenho notas do jogo sao essas: Grafico:5 Jogo:4Tenho notas do jogo sao essas: Grafico:5 Jogo:4 Historia:6 Controles:8 Redução: OVNIS:0.5 Criaturas Impossiveis de matar:0.5… Expand
  16. Hoodinski
    Sep 24, 2013
    3
    I'd hesitate to call this game a complete atrocity and hogwash the first stage is quite amusing and as I remember playing it gave me a sense of expectation. That expectation was crushed with every subsequent minute of playing. Plain unimaginative is what it is. After a landslide advertising campaign we were promised the birth of a messiah and in return got a mildly amusing editor andI'd hesitate to call this game a complete atrocity and hogwash the first stage is quite amusing and as I remember playing it gave me a sense of expectation. That expectation was crushed with every subsequent minute of playing. Plain unimaginative is what it is. After a landslide advertising campaign we were promised the birth of a messiah and in return got a mildly amusing editor and certainly not a game. The graphic engine was decent, but the content was boring and tedious.… Expand
  17. micic00
    Jul 14, 2013
    3
    The best thing about this game is the ability to improve your creature, everything else fails miserably. Repeatable game with repeatable goals. No complex strategy is necessary. Very childish, but it was supposed to be like that I guess. I couldn't get to the expansion Galactic civilizations since the previous parts of game bored the hell out of me. You constantly expect to get toThe best thing about this game is the ability to improve your creature, everything else fails miserably. Repeatable game with repeatable goals. No complex strategy is necessary. Very childish, but it was supposed to be like that I guess. I couldn't get to the expansion Galactic civilizations since the previous parts of game bored the hell out of me. You constantly expect to get to something even slightly challenging but that moment never comes. You cannot go extinct, the creatures are almost always the same, everything seems developed for the 10-year old kids nothing wrong with that, but, unless you like not to think much and just run around with your silly colorful creature then this game is for you. Too simple, too incorrect, too trivialized and too fast.… Expand
  18. faceless-1
    Jun 8, 2013
    0
    This game is really bad. You get many mini-games but every one of them is bad. This game plays like bunch of free web games putted to gather. What a trash game.
  19. Sneetches
    Mar 6, 2013
    2
    TL;DR You're playing the remains of Will Wrights hopes and dreams.

    Oh what a disappointment...i'll just keep this short, Spore fell short of the hype and Will Wright has a tombstone somewhere right next to Squidward's, i'm sure. The problems are the dumbed down editor, relatively short pre-Space modes, and just the fact that every stage except for the Space stage feels like a minigame,    TL;DR You're playing the remains of Will Wrights hopes and dreams.

    Oh what a disappointment...i'll just keep this short, Spore fell short of the hype and Will Wright has a tombstone somewhere right next to Squidward's, i'm sure. The problems are the dumbed down editor, relatively short pre-Space modes, and just the fact that every stage except for the Space stage feels like a minigame, not seperate parts within the game itself. It introduced some new concepts, of course, but it simply did not make the game as interesting or as fun as it was imagined. The fact that EA then later charged for DLC packs was like spitting on Will's grave as EA just walked on by. Overall, it was a game with a lot of promise that simply fell very short and ended up being a "play a bunch of minigames before the final mode which is just as repetitive" type game with a very simple creature designer tacked on.    … Expand
  20. Toms123
    Aug 30, 2012
    0
    The fact some people says this game is fantastic is just an evidence some comments are made by the producer.
    The fact so much review from 'professionals' are positive are the evidence there is some kind of bribery in the sector.
    One word: CRAP.
  21. fartheststar
    Jul 20, 2012
    4
    First off: I was so so disappointed in this game. Brilliant concept, but terrible terrible game. I feel it was intentionally dumbed down from the start with the intention of selling loads of add-ons and DLC. It was SO dumbed down that there's hardly much game at all there - at least in the initial launch. I gave up on it - very unrewarding gameplay. I expected sandbox, not constantFirst off: I was so so disappointed in this game. Brilliant concept, but terrible terrible game. I feel it was intentionally dumbed down from the start with the intention of selling loads of add-ons and DLC. It was SO dumbed down that there's hardly much game at all there - at least in the initial launch. I gave up on it - very unrewarding gameplay. I expected sandbox, not constant conflict/pirates/eco-missions, but by the time you get powerful enough to play a sandbox game there's nothing left but repetition of the same. The quotes "You've got a whole galaxy to do nothing in" are true. It's like playing Tic-Tac-Toe for the 1000th time. All the same.
    But the game's not all bad. What's good? The creature creators. Before the game was released I had a blast building creatures that I expected would be part of my gameworld (only a few of the 100s I created actually showed up in my game). I've definitely spent more time building creatures and spaceships than I spent playing the "game". I give it 4 because I did have alot of fun with the creature creators, but don't expect much of a game here unless you're 8yrs old. Anyhow, that's my $0.02    … Expand
  22. damp
    Jun 13, 2012
    0
    Given all the hype surrounding Spore it was always going to struggle to live up to expectations, there is a difference between failing to meet expectations and missing them entirely however.

    As a game it is really nothing more than a collection of simple mini games with very little tying them together, for the most part choices in one game have little to no actual impact in subsequent    Given all the hype surrounding Spore it was always going to struggle to live up to expectations, there is a difference between failing to meet expectations and missing them entirely however.

    As a game it is really nothing more than a collection of simple mini games with very little tying them together, for the most part choices in one game have little to no actual impact in subsequent games other than aesthetic (and even that isn't always maintained).

    The initial cell game is quite entertaining and shows promise (although there are free flash games that pre-date spore that do it better), unfortunately this is probably the highpoint of the entire game.

    The creature stage was initially entertaining as you wander around however it quickly becomes repetitive. Evolution is no more than finding upgrades, the higher the number the better the upgrade; there is no downside to any of them, no trade offs or limitations - better numbers = better creature = quite dull really. The actual design of the creature - size, number and position of limbs etc has absolutely no impact whatsoever. Survival at this stage is a choice between the two well know evolutionary choices - kill opponents or dance and sing.

    The tribal stage is a very mediocre RTS game, the "opponents" never really put up a fight and are soon defeated, not much else to say about this stage.

    The Civ stage gives you a city and you build units that are either military, religious or economic and you send these to other cities to conquer them. Regardless of the units the result is pretty much the same. Best described as another very mediocre RTS.

    The previous four stages lead up to the Galactic stage. You have a planet and a spaceship and as such you can travel to other planets to terraform them or trade. The main problem with this stage is hidden in the previous sentence - *YOU* have a spaceship, nobody else on your starting planet does, no planet you claim ever gets them. This means you spend your entire time responding to every single tiny detail or alert or attack or request or discovery or trade opportunity yourself. The larger the mapped area is, the more time you spend not exploring but constantly dealing with mundane trivia. To add insult to injury when you make allies who *do* posses spaceships they not only don't give you help but then expect you to drop anything and everything when *they* have any problem at all! I know you are fighting a war to defend your planets on the far reaches of the galaxy and also trying to single handedly ferry spice everywhere but we have knocked over a glass of milk and it is imperative that you, and only you in the entirety of creation, rush to our aid right now!

    Overall a very disappointing and mediocre game.    … Expand
  23. Discord
    May 19, 2012
    2
    It had an incredible amount of potential, but fell flat on its face. The game would have been better if if didn't look like it was designed for children. It could have been a revolutionary game if not for the mindbogglingly idiotic AI. The entire idea has been trivialized and simplified to the point where the only good thing about it is the Cell and Space Stages and that's it. The gameIt had an incredible amount of potential, but fell flat on its face. The game would have been better if if didn't look like it was designed for children. It could have been a revolutionary game if not for the mindbogglingly idiotic AI. The entire idea has been trivialized and simplified to the point where the only good thing about it is the Cell and Space Stages and that's it. The game that Will Wright showed in 2005 was slaughtered by the bastards at EA and turned into a game for children.… Expand
  24. garyfisher
    Dec 27, 2011
    2
    Spore is a 5 stage evolution game that sucks. The game begins with you selecting a world to play in the massive galaxy. This is completely irrelevant, as the only differences between worlds are the color of the ocean and ground. Then you are in the cell stage. The idea is to collect food and evolve your creature. So you will decide if you want to be a carnivore or herbivore. This is doneSpore is a 5 stage evolution game that sucks. The game begins with you selecting a world to play in the massive galaxy. This is completely irrelevant, as the only differences between worlds are the color of the ocean and ground. Then you are in the cell stage. The idea is to collect food and evolve your creature. So you will decide if you want to be a carnivore or herbivore. This is done through selecting a mouth style. Herbivores will spend this part of the game finding plants to eat, and carnivores will attack the other cell creatures. While cool at first, there are only a dozen or so creatures in this stage to attack. They are cool to see at first, but after seeing the same things a dozen times over, they lose their magic. Upon eating enough food, you will grow in size and be able to edit your species. You can add different eyes, and other attachments. They do things like make you faster, or able to kill faster. The problem is that none of these choices are permanent. You don't decide at one point in the stage that you are a herbivore, you can change any time you level up. So itâ… Expand
  25. Gabbo
    Nov 4, 2011
    2
    Probably the most disappointing game i have ever played. The creature editor is incredible fun, lots of designs, lots of creativity. Too bad 90% of it is purely cosmetic. doesn't matter where you place those horns, you will get +2 attack and so on. Later in the game, the creature's characteristics are funneled tighter again and again until you have been reduced to "warrior" "banker" orProbably the most disappointing game i have ever played. The creature editor is incredible fun, lots of designs, lots of creativity. Too bad 90% of it is purely cosmetic. doesn't matter where you place those horns, you will get +2 attack and so on. Later in the game, the creature's characteristics are funneled tighter again and again until you have been reduced to "warrior" "banker" or "diplomat" essentially. the space phase is incredibly dull once you realize the rest of the experience will be more of the same. go to planet, drop colony, come back later and collect resources. then use resources to do it again someplace else. I pre-ordered this game, Have not pre-ordered a game ever since. I have however visited alot of torrent sites since then… Expand
  26. Blackhamer
    Oct 8, 2011
    4
    I was waiting about 2 years for this game to come out. Few months before the premiere I couldn't stop thinking about it. But after the premiere...at first I was like "Omg I finnaly have it! Weeee!" after installation and playing a bit "Wait, where is all this content, where is realistic evolution and all this epic stuff they told they will implent in the game?" after few days I knew thatI was waiting about 2 years for this game to come out. Few months before the premiere I couldn't stop thinking about it. But after the premiere...at first I was like "Omg I finnaly have it! Weeee!" after installation and playing a bit "Wait, where is all this content, where is realistic evolution and all this epic stuff they told they will implent in the game?" after few days I knew that buying this game was a huge waste of money. The creators are awesome, but the game itself sucks. So many things has been cut from the game before relasing it...it could have been an awesome game. I've bought the expansion (not the new body parts though cuz it was damn expensive for such a little addon) hoping it will fix the game but it didn't. It's a good game for 10 yrs old kid but for older people it will seem silly and too much childish. **** EA for what they done with this game. Of course the reason for ****ing it up was money, the childish game about creating funny creatures and dominating the space (which is so repetitive boring and definitely not realistic) would make more money! I doubt it did though, but they've managed to break the game. I don't recommend it unless you're buying a present for someone who is… Expand
  27. kowalski
    Aug 28, 2011
    0
    This game is what the WTF was made for.
    As a computer-biological experiment, it's interesting.
    As an actual game, it's beyond boring. Perhaps it's because the hype was so huge, the game couldn't stand a chance living up to it.
  28. wordy_actions
    Jul 17, 2011
    3
    THE GOOD: The first stage. THE BAD: Pretty much all the other stages. Each one is far too simple and repetitive. THE UGLY: Seriously, who thought grinding for money in the space stage was a good idea?
  29. Pomornik
    Jun 2, 2011
    1
    I feel cheated. I was promised a revolutionary, unique game, instead I got sold a child game... Thats what it is. Its basically 5 extremely easy mini games in one, plus this anti-creative "creature creation". Pick 5 random animals that come to your head, then try make them in this creator, you can't, this game only allows you make some unrealistic freaks that all look similiar. This is theI feel cheated. I was promised a revolutionary, unique game, instead I got sold a child game... Thats what it is. Its basically 5 extremely easy mini games in one, plus this anti-creative "creature creation". Pick 5 random animals that come to your head, then try make them in this creator, you can't, this game only allows you make some unrealistic freaks that all look similiar. This is the biggest disappointment in gaming history, not worst game ever though, if they said it was supposed to be an game for children in the first place, it could aim for best one ever, but it pretends to be what its not. I beated the game in one day, not even a day but few hours, i didnt launch it ever since then. If you want to buy it for your 8 year old kid, go for it, but if youre a gamer and looking for a good game, forget about it.… Expand
  30. guinevere2
    May 21, 2011
    4
    Why such a genial and complex idea has to be brutally trivialized and simplified to such a ridiculous extend? This game bored me really really fast and editing the creature was actually the most enjoyable part of it. The rest is a boring and repeatable game that uses same old rts schemes one can see in so many games, but implemented very poorly and limited to its rudimentary options.
  31. elgordo7
    Apr 10, 2011
    1
    Where is the game that Will Wright showed off in the pre-release trailers? It's not what ended up in the final product. The only remaining vestige of the game that we saw in the pre-release trailers is the cell stage- where it actually matters what parts you choose, and where you place them. Beyond that, it's "Oh, let's make my character look pretty". I'm sorry, but that doesn'tWhere is the game that Will Wright showed off in the pre-release trailers? It's not what ended up in the final product. The only remaining vestige of the game that we saw in the pre-release trailers is the cell stage- where it actually matters what parts you choose, and where you place them. Beyond that, it's "Oh, let's make my character look pretty". I'm sorry, but that doesn't interest me. Where you place arms, legs, head- it doesn't matter beyond the cell stage. Playing up through the space stage was mildly entertaining the first time through- but that's about all it's worth. I'm giving this a 1 due to the fact I felt like the developers gutted the best portion of this game- evolution. I am deeply disappointed.… Expand
  32. simonli2575
    Feb 15, 2011
    4
    Without knowing about the E3 2005 to 2007 version, I would rate this game 8 out of 10, but then, I was disappointed that the Spore in the released version has the limit on the complexity of the creator, one of the main letdown to me. Another things that weren't as great as the beta version in my opinion is that it doesn't have great visuals, and the actings of those creatures are a littleWithout knowing about the E3 2005 to 2007 version, I would rate this game 8 out of 10, but then, I was disappointed that the Spore in the released version has the limit on the complexity of the creator, one of the main letdown to me. Another things that weren't as great as the beta version in my opinion is that it doesn't have great visuals, and the actings of those creatures are a little too stupid, and usually their arms act the some and often the legs acts the same. Another main letdown is that their voice acting are stupid and repeatably. This cause me always have to playing it without the sounds or listening other sounds.
    When I started playing, I thought it was great, and also by looking the offical reviews, they are also having high ratings. Seriously, why is this so great anyway? I need to use some hack to make no limitation in creature creator, and those creatures aren't normal creatures. They are stupid, allying with others are too easy, and attacks are not good enough. Even it's got infinite possibilities, it's still not good enough.    … Expand
  33. Q8eZy
    Oct 15, 2010
    1
    Sickly cute, diabetic coma inducing Disney graphics suitable only for children 12 and under...not an evolution game at all...belongs on the wii. Maybe one day we will get a god game that deserves the title.
  34. RMW_Critic
    Oct 11, 2010
    3
    Not really a favorite. Had no mind to it, it really wasn't any fun creating something like this to a wide majority of people. I found the free version inside The Daily Telegraph more fun, in reality. This game should really have only been made for the people who sit down for hours creating something and watching it do stuff, not a huge majority of people. Will Wright, nice try mate, butNot really a favorite. Had no mind to it, it really wasn't any fun creating something like this to a wide majority of people. I found the free version inside The Daily Telegraph more fun, in reality. This game should really have only been made for the people who sit down for hours creating something and watching it do stuff, not a huge majority of people. Will Wright, nice try mate, but not enough.… Expand
  35. MarkL
    Jan 6, 2010
    2
    Despite the publicity and "uniqueness", Spore sucks. It's boring, extremely simple, buggy, and just flat bad. There are about three buttons repeated throughout just about the whole game. The creature creator is nice, but ultimately pointless. A massive letdown.
  36. JamesM
    Dec 27, 2009
    2
    Too many promises that were made were left unfulfilled by the core game. It simply doesn't live up to the hype. Even without the hype, it is a far cry from the standards I have for a Maxis or Will Wright game.
  37. J.C.
    Dec 24, 2009
    0
    In all honesty, the biggest let down of a game in all of my years of gaming. Spore has nothing to do with what was promised. Avoid this if you're above 5 years of age.
  38. tristanp
    Oct 3, 2009
    3
    spore was a great game at first but its lack of specific jobs and missions leave you kind of wondering "why am i playng this, its exactly the same every time?"
  39. JackM
    Aug 23, 2009
    0
    Ok, this game is so bad I'm not even going to give it a 1. It's just purely horrendous. There's almost no gameplay, and the gameplay that is there goes against everything the game was hyped for. It's extremely linear, almost no chances for it to be dynamic, and the creations you make are only asthetic, they don't actually serve any purpose! The only part I Ok, this game is so bad I'm not even going to give it a 1. It's just purely horrendous. There's almost no gameplay, and the gameplay that is there goes against everything the game was hyped for. It's extremely linear, almost no chances for it to be dynamic, and the creations you make are only asthetic, they don't actually serve any purpose! The only part I actually liked was the first stage and creating my creature. So thanks for a $50 minigame and creature creator, EA!… Expand
  40. MutzP
    Aug 8, 2009
    2
    This is waste played until final stage and it's rinse and repeat...No depth at all just rinse and repeat. Too much marketing is spend ont this they better spended it on the game itself. HYPED
  41. Hat
    Jun 29, 2009
    1
    Awful, just awful. The scientific aspects of Spore, which were so hyped by the games creators and marketing is non-existant. Creatures DONT evolve. Instead you FIND body parts. NOT HOW EVOLUTION WORKS AT ALL!!!!! Instead of the adaptive environments we were promised, Spore forces players to dance or kill all other creatures, before moving on to the woeful Civ/tribe phases which have no Awful, just awful. The scientific aspects of Spore, which were so hyped by the games creators and marketing is non-existant. Creatures DONT evolve. Instead you FIND body parts. NOT HOW EVOLUTION WORKS AT ALL!!!!! Instead of the adaptive environments we were promised, Spore forces players to dance or kill all other creatures, before moving on to the woeful Civ/tribe phases which have no depth. Instead of a wonderful game of evolution Spore nothing more than 5 terrible mini-games. Its only plus is its creators. But when used it doesnt matter where you put part X as it will always give the SAME bonus. NO intelligent design exists. It becomes pointless. Avoid spore at all costs. oh and not to mention SECU-ROM.… Expand
  42. AnonymousMC
    Jun 7, 2009
    3
    Loses steam fast, goes nowhere quickly, doesn't expand enough on the individual concepts.
    EA brought a shotgun into a hungry mob, pretty soon they'll be whishing they'd taken the RPG.
    it would be fine if the individual stages were GOOD! but they aren't. It would be fine if they made expansions that made each stage better one at a time so you could get more of your    Loses steam fast, goes nowhere quickly, doesn't expand enough on the individual concepts.
    EA brought a shotgun into a hungry mob, pretty soon they'll be whishing they'd taken the RPG.
    it would be fine if the individual stages were GOOD! but they aren't. It would be fine if they made expansions that made each stage better one at a time so you could get more of your favourite but they haven't. Instead they shoved securom down our throats. EA, get some friends.    … Expand
  43. KevinD
    Apr 11, 2009
    3
    This game was hyped as 'Sim Everything'. All the pre-game marketing, screens, previews, led us to believe it would be awesome, and I believe it was intended to be by it's creator, Will Wright. Now that EA is releasing additions to the game it seems to me that greed at EA must have been the issue here. I suspect that the game was 'minimized' and a lot of good This game was hyped as 'Sim Everything'. All the pre-game marketing, screens, previews, led us to believe it would be awesome, and I believe it was intended to be by it's creator, Will Wright. Now that EA is releasing additions to the game it seems to me that greed at EA must have been the issue here. I suspect that the game was 'minimized' and a lot of good content was saved for later release as an addon, like 'Galactic Adventures'. It seems that the addons have a lot of things that were hinted at prior to the games original release. Thanks a lot EA!! You turned an awesome vision into 2 weeks of disappointment. If you had just released it all as one game it would have been the greatest game of all time!! Instead it has turned into a flop!!! Based on the number of bad reviews I have seen I would guess most other people agree. I am not sure if I will buy any of the new content... depends on how bored I get I guess... Regards, Former Spore Fan.… Expand
  44. WayneH
    Mar 28, 2009
    0
    Looks and plays like it was only half finished when it was released. Sure, you've got hundreds of different things to add to your creature. Yes, you've got hundreds of different ways to make your civilization's buildings and technology look unique. But why? Why would I chose one over another when neither gives me any advantage? Furthermore, the evolution part of the game is Looks and plays like it was only half finished when it was released. Sure, you've got hundreds of different things to add to your creature. Yes, you've got hundreds of different ways to make your civilization's buildings and technology look unique. But why? Why would I chose one over another when neither gives me any advantage? Furthermore, the evolution part of the game is just awful. You wander around and "find" different body parts. Shouldn't the parts available to you be based upon your actions in the game? Isn't that how evolution really works, creatures evolve a certain way according to how and where they live? Adapting to their environment?… Expand
  45. KevinM
    Mar 23, 2009
    2
    This game becomes incredibly repetative very quickly. Several of the stages of play resemble flash games you can play for free rather then any in depth kind of game play. The creature creator is neat but after that there is very little to do with your creations. I cant believe they are still charging full price for this game much less 20$ for a pack of new parts.
  46. MarkHumphreys
    Mar 20, 2009
    4
    The biggest disappointment in gaming in a long, long time. Years of development and hype put spore in the spotlight as something to really get excited over. The E3 2005 presentation was mind blowing, it was stunning... And then for 3 years, spore went into hiding as the developers set about refurbishing their creation for what they thought was mass appeal: The realism and science wasThe biggest disappointment in gaming in a long, long time. Years of development and hype put spore in the spotlight as something to really get excited over. The E3 2005 presentation was mind blowing, it was stunning... And then for 3 years, spore went into hiding as the developers set about refurbishing their creation for what they thought was mass appeal: The realism and science was removed from the game, in favour of kid-friendly cuteness and more simplistic methods of applying stats to the creatures: Gone was the idea of the skeletal structure influencing the movement speed, or of the arm length and positioning being relevant in combat - no, it was watered down to an arbitrary number assosciated with a given type of foot or claw. Watered down is pretty much the story of spore. The game that promised to pull the industry away from catering to the lowest common denominator did just that, with Will Wright's words on the situation being 'We decided that we would rather have the metacritic and sales of the sims, rather than the metacritic and sales of half-life'.

    It was all about money.

    But there's a lesson to be learned: Spore has neither the sales, nor the metacritic of halflife OR the sims.    … Expand
  47. Warwick
    Mar 16, 2009
    3
    So very... very boring. This is the proof that the official "Critics" play these games for 1 hour before reviewing. That's about all there is before it runs out of puff. Stop as soon as you're a tribe. Thereafter you Will lose the Will to live. Thanks Will. Yawn.
  48. ShaunW
    Mar 7, 2009
    4
    I'm sorry will wright but in trying to make this the ultimate god player. you orchestrated it's own destruction. On a design point the game can entertain you with his customisation but the game play leaves much to the imagination. I found the game enjoyable for the first 6 hours it took e to get to the space stage then on I could not stomach the game past that point. Every time I'm sorry will wright but in trying to make this the ultimate god player. you orchestrated it's own destruction. On a design point the game can entertain you with his customisation but the game play leaves much to the imagination. I found the game enjoyable for the first 6 hours it took e to get to the space stage then on I could not stomach the game past that point. Every time I would decide to settle down for some fun on a planet the game would force me to do it's bidding. It had nothing to do with anything I had done, it was insufferable getting a message that my planet was being destroyed every minute. I just wanted to make my own planets and then grow my master race but the game wouldn't let me have any fun.… Expand
  49. StevoW
    Mar 3, 2009
    2
    I have no beef with DRM or EA and my score simply reflects the poorness of the game. However, EA should be ashamed of itself with the hype attached presale. Even some of the "official critics" right here suggesting the game rates akin to Sims obviously did not play it very long! Had the critique been realistic I would not have bought this game in 1m years. I found myself looking for some I have no beef with DRM or EA and my score simply reflects the poorness of the game. However, EA should be ashamed of itself with the hype attached presale. Even some of the "official critics" right here suggesting the game rates akin to Sims obviously did not play it very long! Had the critique been realistic I would not have bought this game in 1m years. I found myself looking for some depth 1 hour into the galactic phase. While the GFX and creatures might be cute, the AI is non-existent and the options are far too shallow. The interface is inconsistent pre-galactic while the galactic stage is tedious to endure. Having to roll the mouse wheel backwards and forwards over and over to pick up spice from each system is poor design. A quick double click would have made all the difference. Even simple auto trading vessels would have been nice so that you would not have to travel to every system personally and collect the spice while repeatedly chasing your tail against nuisance value missions. (Having to constantly fight pirates, aliens and be an Eco-hero fixing extinctions requires anger management classes when you get beyond about 7 star systems.) What about when you're on the other side of the galaxy and get lost travelling through mindless blackholes with no clue as to their destination! And then some species wants ever-increasing amounts of graft repeatedly so they don't become annoying and start bombing your planets simply because you wouldn't pay the bribes. What the heck! I could go on but I need some time now to find a game that will provide enjoyment beyond a single day! I paid A$80 for this and it's worth no more than about $20.… Expand
  50. StevenShaw
    Mar 1, 2009
    3
    Spore was awesome... for an hour. Creating my own creature was really cool. The editor is very powerful and easy to use. Unfortunately, I think they forgot to make the rest of the stages fun. As soon as you get to the tribal stage, the game sucks. Hard. It's not hard, it's not anything. The A.I. for for enemies sucks and the pathfinding for your own units suck.

    Buy the    Spore was awesome... for an hour. Creating my own creature was really cool. The editor is very powerful and easy to use. Unfortunately, I think they forgot to make the rest of the stages fun. As soon as you get to the tribal stage, the game sucks. Hard. It's not hard, it's not anything. The A.I. for for enemies sucks and the pathfinding for your own units suck.

    Buy the creature creator, you'll have way more fun.    … Expand
  51. ChrisG
    Jan 10, 2009
    2
    This game is not what i thought it would be. Its too simple...everything is! More complexity would be cool for a casual audience! More complexity means more creativity and coolness! Most people who will play this will be 13 and up, so complexity wont be an issue but they made it too simple for us to enjoy...
  52. KS
    Jan 5, 2009
    1
    1) Simplified beyond belief. 2) Overhyped to the extent of extreme disappointment. 3) Digital Rights Management and EA Customer support has prevented me from using this game's online content (Access to other people's creatures) despite my legal version. It's very bad form to release a game like this and treat customers so poorly. I wish I could still return this one.
  53. Kyle
    Dec 15, 2008
    3
    The creature creator was fantastically done. The game however was short and the gameplay can be outdone by some online flash games I've played. Over hyped and underperformed. Not worth the money. If you really want to get the most out of your cash simply pay the 10 bucks for the creature creator. I ended up paying 10 for the creature creator and then 50 for the game which also came The creature creator was fantastically done. The game however was short and the gameplay can be outdone by some online flash games I've played. Over hyped and underperformed. Not worth the money. If you really want to get the most out of your cash simply pay the 10 bucks for the creature creator. I ended up paying 10 for the creature creator and then 50 for the game which also came with the creature creator. I definitely feel ripped off by that. I played the game solidly for about 5 days before getting bored and I havent played it for months now. Outstanding concept, but very very poorly done with regards to gameplay and replay value. You can only make so many interesting creatures before you realize you cant do anything fun with them.… Expand
  54. Charlie
    Nov 24, 2008
    3
    Its just bad versions of 5 mini games (only being better in the graphics, but that doesn't matter to me) and it quickly becomes boring and repetitive, and you'll never get an urge to go back on it, after a very short while. However, the creature and building creators are very interesting to play around with, and its for this reason that i'm going to give the game a 3.
  55. JohnM
    Nov 22, 2008
    3
    This game had the potential to be good and revolutionary. Instead its a over hyped watered down version that quickly lost my interest. After a few hours of playing the game, I began to get a sick feeling in my stomach. I said to myself, "Dont worry, its going to get better." Problem was it didn't get better. Upon reaching the space age I was utterly disgusted with the game.This game had the potential to be good and revolutionary. Instead its a over hyped watered down version that quickly lost my interest. After a few hours of playing the game, I began to get a sick feeling in my stomach. I said to myself, "Dont worry, its going to get better." Problem was it didn't get better. Upon reaching the space age I was utterly disgusted with the game. Throw in the DRM that punishes the law abiding gamer and your left with one awful product. I thought about trying the game again a few months down the road, but thought better of it and promptly threw the game in the trash. I think this is the first game I've ever tossed in the garbage so soon after buying it. Avoid this game like the plaque.… Expand
  56. Matt
    Nov 18, 2008
    4
    This game was a major disapointment. They spent 5+ years making this game and they came up with a package for four simple mini games that each stink by themselves, but together they flawless combine to make a cutesy but simple game. If you like to build us creatures, ships, buildings, outfits then you have a creative outlet in Spore. However, your choices won't have any real gameThis game was a major disapointment. They spent 5+ years making this game and they came up with a package for four simple mini games that each stink by themselves, but together they flawless combine to make a cutesy but simple game. If you like to build us creatures, ships, buildings, outfits then you have a creative outlet in Spore. However, your choices won't have any real game impact. In short, this game was overly hyped and it is not worth your time or money.… Expand
  57. LouieA
    Oct 30, 2008
    4
    A combination of 4 poorly made games, in fact the best thing about this game is probably the cell stage, then it becomes just plain stupid, i mean who ever heard of a pack or zebras trying to charm a pack lions by dancing, singing or posing what was that all about? the civ stage, is very bad rts game, that you could beat in about 10 mins, and the space stage, woulda been nice if it A combination of 4 poorly made games, in fact the best thing about this game is probably the cell stage, then it becomes just plain stupid, i mean who ever heard of a pack or zebras trying to charm a pack lions by dancing, singing or posing what was that all about? the civ stage, is very bad rts game, that you could beat in about 10 mins, and the space stage, woulda been nice if it wasn't for the fact that you can't explore since you get attacked every 30 secs by pirates or enemy's, and im not even gonna mention the whole DRM, thing, the game does shine on the creature or vehicle editors, those are amazing, that;s why I gave it a 4, other than that, well its very dissapointing, and just a bad game.… Expand
  58. MayQ
    Oct 27, 2008
    3
    Spore is a little difficult to rate because there are so many good things about it and also so many bad things. Creating your creature can be very fun. Customization of my creature was great, as I was able to change its body and add pre-made parts however I wanted to. The bad? Each part I added had a certain amount of skill: social, fight, defense, etc. Despite how many times I put the Spore is a little difficult to rate because there are so many good things about it and also so many bad things. Creating your creature can be very fun. Customization of my creature was great, as I was able to change its body and add pre-made parts however I wanted to. The bad? Each part I added had a certain amount of skill: social, fight, defense, etc. Despite how many times I put the same part on my creature, it didn't increase that particular skill. i.e. If you put a mouth with a biting force of +4, putting a 2nd or 3rd mouth will still leave it at a +4 rating. Each stage is fun at the beginning, but it gets very repetitive very quickly. I focused on bettering my creature in every stage only to find out that in the next stage, what I did to it did not matter anymore. I feel the cell and creature stage went by way too quickly, and I was rushed on to the next stages. In the creature stage, the other creatures in the surrounding vicinity were all within my strength range, so they were easy to defeat or ally. There was no challenge because the developers placed everything in conveniently strategic places. The space stage is, by far, my favorite stage because I liked exploring the other planets and changing its climate. But, that also became repetitive. There are (what seems like) a gajillion galaxies and exploring them all is very tedious. Colonizing and terra-forming the planets became tedious as well after a while. Anyway, I could go on but you see my point. I was very excited about this game when it was first introduced by Will Wright. It seemed innovative, creative, and revolutionary... Wright got the idea down right but it failed in execution. Oh, and there is the now infamous SecuRom DRM that came hidden with the Spore software. EA, in its effort to combat piracy, just ticked off the consumers... HONEST consumers, might I add. Now I have this darn DRM stuck on my computer, and it won't uninstall when I uninstall Spore... great.… Expand
  59. RenatoB.
    Oct 27, 2008
    3
    Spore is one of the biggest disappointments I've had in years for the PC. Ever since I first heard of it in 2004, I've waited impatiently for it to come out. When it finally did, it came with that draconian DRM and it RUINED the game. I've already used the three allowed installs, and I've had this game for only two months. That means that I effectvely lost my money Spore is one of the biggest disappointments I've had in years for the PC. Ever since I first heard of it in 2004, I've waited impatiently for it to come out. When it finally did, it came with that draconian DRM and it RUINED the game. I've already used the three allowed installs, and I've had this game for only two months. That means that I effectvely lost my money already, and I am not too savvy on buying my own game again. Do not buy this game. It is a mistake, and a big one, even if the core concept is one of the best I've ever seen.… Expand
  60. TheJhereg
    Oct 26, 2008
    3
    Been waiting forever for this, then heard about the DRM. So figured I would hold off till they made it reasonable. Grew tired of waiting for that and played it at my friends house for four hours and some minutes....what can I say that has not been said. Mini Games! This was as disappointing to me as MOO3 was, only MOO3 actually attempted to deliver a deep game LOL! This is just drivel... Been waiting forever for this, then heard about the DRM. So figured I would hold off till they made it reasonable. Grew tired of waiting for that and played it at my friends house for four hours and some minutes....what can I say that has not been said. Mini Games! This was as disappointing to me as MOO3 was, only MOO3 actually attempted to deliver a deep game LOL! This is just drivel... as stated 10 and younger will enjoy it! Glad I did not spend a dime on this. For all those who say "you must be thick, irrational or a twitch gamer to not like this"...whatever; you need to go get some kool-aid from the nice man over there.… Expand
  61. JillC.
    Oct 25, 2008
    4
    Far too simple to be enjoyable longer than a week at most. The gameplay is too shallow to be enjoyable for more than one play-through. Spore doesn't live up to the hype of many different demonstrations in the past. In fact, its most interesting features were stripped away, leaving a hollow shell of what could have been a very deep game.
  62. TW.
    Oct 24, 2008
    3
    After kibitzing with the character creator, I had high hopes for this game. But it became quickly evident after playing the final release that the critic reviews had succumbed to the pre-release over-hyped media blitz and grossly over rated this game. The game play is shallow and becomes quickly redundant. The worlds are generally the same, making planet exploration more a chore than fun. After kibitzing with the character creator, I had high hopes for this game. But it became quickly evident after playing the final release that the critic reviews had succumbed to the pre-release over-hyped media blitz and grossly over rated this game. The game play is shallow and becomes quickly redundant. The worlds are generally the same, making planet exploration more a chore than fun. Even the characters begin to look alike. The … Expand
  63. AaronM
    Oct 23, 2008
    3
    I bought this game thinking it was going to revolutionize game play. The whole experience is very shallow and simplistic. Once I got to the space age I just didn't care anymore. The oppressive DRM certainly didn't help any. I think I played this game for a few days...now its collecting dust.
  64. DevinO.
    Oct 23, 2008
    0
    Invasive DRM, completely fails to live up to the hype, incredibly annoying mandatory 'escortlike' missions, very few options to control creature content, expan$ion released a month after launch.... a perfect no hitter. AVOID.
  65. CB
    Oct 23, 2008
    1
    Massively overrated. Absent the massive hysteria before the launch, this game would be a 5 or 6 out of 10. But the massive media propaganda for this (give me a break, Robin Williams advertising Spore??) makes this a bomb. The multi-stage nature of the game forces each stage to be very simplistic, but gains continuity and the feeling that you have created your creature from a single cell Massively overrated. Absent the massive hysteria before the launch, this game would be a 5 or 6 out of 10. But the massive media propaganda for this (give me a break, Robin Williams advertising Spore??) makes this a bomb. The multi-stage nature of the game forces each stage to be very simplistic, but gains continuity and the feeling that you have created your creature from a single cell to a galactic civilization. The problem is that the creature design, as graphically impressive as it is, HAS NOT IMPACT ON GAMEPLAY. Or rather, it has a very simplistic impact (do you want to add a +2 attack beak or a +2 health claw?). This doesn't come even close in complexity to the simplest Civilization-like games. The actual graphical design of your creature is a waste of time and the novelty quickly wears off. The simplest change that could have made this game much more interesting is to have the physical structure of your creature (not simply the mere enumeration of features) meaningfully impact its effectiveness - since that is were most of the time is spent by the user and since that is what makes the game really unique.… Expand
  66. AAG
    Oct 23, 2008
    2
    Brain dead. Only recommended if you're 10 year old, and not very bright. Good potential wasted. Cell stage : click on food bits untils you grow. Repeat for 10 minutes to evolve. (just a parody of freeware flOw, which was actually entertaining) Creature stage : click on neighbour. Smash keys 1-4 to kill / befriend them. Repeat for 20 minutes to evolve.("evolution" is limited to Brain dead. Only recommended if you're 10 year old, and not very bright. Good potential wasted. Cell stage : click on food bits untils you grow. Repeat for 10 minutes to evolve. (just a parody of freeware flOw, which was actually entertaining) Creature stage : click on neighbour. Smash keys 1-4 to kill / befriend them. Repeat for 20 minutes to evolve.("evolution" is limited to picking up shiny things - body parts - randomly scattered in the lanscape) Tribal stage : click on neighbour. Smash keys 1-3 to kill / ally them. Repeat for 30 minutes to evolve.(diplomacy ? strategy ? alliances ? nope, just a bad joke) Civ stage : build 5-10 vehicles then send them to attack /trade /convert nearest city. Repeat 10 times to evolve. (don't waste time making a pretty model, they function the same no matter what you choose in the designer, and you can't really see them anyway from up there) Space stage : click on planet to explore...no oops.. they need you back home...repeat endlessly, coz' this is where "evolution", fortunately, stops.… Expand
  67. PhilN
    Oct 22, 2008
    2
    Spore gets real boring, real quick. Sure it's fun creating a few creatures, eating some others, blah blah blah... then you get to the space stage and it is soooo incredibly repetitive. Find a plant, develop it, sell the spice it produces, win the game. It's so easy, so repetitive, it's horrid. This is coming from someone who has played games like simcity, civilization, etc, Spore gets real boring, real quick. Sure it's fun creating a few creatures, eating some others, blah blah blah... then you get to the space stage and it is soooo incredibly repetitive. Find a plant, develop it, sell the spice it produces, win the game. It's so easy, so repetitive, it's horrid. This is coming from someone who has played games like simcity, civilization, etc, to death a million times and loved it. Spore is just too simple to be either challenging or interesting. Booo!… Expand
  68. NicA
    Oct 19, 2008
    4
    I wasn't tainted by the original Spore gameplay videos, but I got stuck with a game that is severely lacking depth. Each stage is a leapfrog version of its potential encyclopedia volume. The social aspects of the game have been reduced to forum members banning together to either suggest improvements, complain, or create your own idea of content to make the game interesting again. I I wasn't tainted by the original Spore gameplay videos, but I got stuck with a game that is severely lacking depth. Each stage is a leapfrog version of its potential encyclopedia volume. The social aspects of the game have been reduced to forum members banning together to either suggest improvements, complain, or create your own idea of content to make the game interesting again. I played roughly 50 hours of this game and it wasn't because it was hard. I just played through a few races from start to finish and got bored. Most of that time was spent collecting spice in space or using the creators(which are the only redeeming value it has). This amount of time may seem like a large number, but it is far lower than I have played many other games.… Expand
  69. SteveM.
    Oct 18, 2008
    2
    The creature creator is the only interesting part of this game. The gameplay itself is incredibly bland, unbelievably easy and there is absolutely no replay value whatsoever.
  70. MarkW.
    Oct 17, 2008
    3
    After playing a couple hours, I got so bored of it I just could not continue. It certainly does not live up to the hype, and is not much of a game.
  71. J.S.
    Oct 17, 2008
    3
    Spore is a big let down. As others have said it comes across as being a series of extremely simple mini-games centered around the best part of the game - the creature creator. This, combined with technical issues for a lot of people, slow patching, and the immediate release (no surprise, but still...) of an expansion pack when the game feels so incomplete leaves me with the feeling of Spore is a big let down. As others have said it comes across as being a series of extremely simple mini-games centered around the best part of the game - the creature creator. This, combined with technical issues for a lot of people, slow patching, and the immediate release (no surprise, but still...) of an expansion pack when the game feels so incomplete leaves me with the feeling of being ripped off and mildly insulted. They relaxed a little bit on the horrible DRM, but it still remains a limited install system.… Expand
  72. MatthewS.
    Oct 16, 2008
    3
    A truly exciting concept, dumbed down and made into an overly-simplistic game, lacking any real challenges. I've heard the argument that each part of this game could be a game in its own right. Well, they'd be terribly dull games in their own right. Spore is of such a quality that playing four Flash games in a row would be both more fun and better value for money.
  73. LeviK.
    Oct 15, 2008
    2
    Mildly entertaining for a few hours, Spore quickly becomes a chore to play. The fabulous creature editor turns out be a gimmick basically. All that really matters is what parts you put on it. And it doesn't even matter how many of a particular part you use. Two legs, three, four, it doesn't make any difference if you use the same ones. Same thing goes for mouths. I thought it Mildly entertaining for a few hours, Spore quickly becomes a chore to play. The fabulous creature editor turns out be a gimmick basically. All that really matters is what parts you put on it. And it doesn't even matter how many of a particular part you use. Two legs, three, four, it doesn't make any difference if you use the same ones. Same thing goes for mouths. I thought it would be amazingly powerful to have 3 mouths on my creature but it turns out those 3 have the same effect as just using one. Everything has been oversimplified. I'm sure kids will have fun playing it, but if you are looking for a deep complicated game that will make you think, Spore is not what you are looking for.… Expand
  74. PLALYEDTHEGAME
    Oct 13, 2008
    4
    Played it for a few hours. Repetitive and boring. Designing a creature is pointless, it's more like upgrading your creature. Your design has little if any bearing on your success, just slap the highest level parts together and voila! Super easy. Very disappointed for such a long wait. And the DRM sucks! I want to play on a different account than my brother, does that make me aPlayed it for a few hours. Repetitive and boring. Designing a creature is pointless, it's more like upgrading your creature. Your design has little if any bearing on your success, just slap the highest level parts together and voila! Super easy. Very disappointed for such a long wait. And the DRM sucks! I want to play on a different account than my brother, does that make me a thief???

    Lame.    … Expand
  75. zimkafilippov
    Oct 13, 2008
    3
    a total let down. the game is way too short and at the same time is extremely boring. i don't know if its worth the money, since i never paid for it. but, really, it's simply not worth your time of effort.
    the game consists of several poorly designed mini-game-parodies-of-better-games. well, why pay for crap, when you can buy better original games?
  76. MartinG.
    Oct 12, 2008
    3
    Spore had the potential to be so much, yet it turned into a linear, dull collection of uninteresting minigames tacked on to a marvellous creature editor. Still a fun game, at least until you've done everything once and it's just repetition, but at the end of the day, it's disappointment of the year 2008.
  77. Dabi
    Oct 11, 2008
    2
    If your looking for a action packed game to fight for survival, your at the wrong game, all you do is play arcade-games, i mean sure you get to kill, but that doesn't help you survive. This game is for kids, not people looking for a serious time like me, to bad you don't get refunds. 2: 10 For kids, -2 for adults = 8.
  78. LuisP.
    Oct 11, 2008
    3
    I tried to vote on this disregarding the hype that surrounded the game, however, it is still a low score... simple mini games bundled together... The strategic part of it is laughable... The creature creator, albeit fun, has nearly no influence on how your creature will perform. Will not last you more than a couple of days and then you'll be looking for other games.
  79. Niklas
    Oct 10, 2008
    4
    Fun for one playthrough, but lacking real re-play value and the five stages is far from deep enough to provide a solid gameplay. The galaxystage is endless and make sure you notice that the first 10 minutes of it.
  80. StevenP.
    Oct 10, 2008
    2
    Extremly poorly designed space age gets boring very fast. Fun for about 4 hours.
  81. DennisE.
    Oct 8, 2008
    2
    Great idea! It's too bad the game turned out to be so dull and linear.
  82. StewartS.
    Oct 7, 2008
    0
    An excellent design concept - 10 for the ideas, graphics and style. As far as gameplay is concerned - this is just 5 repetitive simplistic arcade games bundled together. And in fact they are much worse than the shareware arcades that don't pretend to be anything more than a simple fun arcade. While Spore was advertised as nex-gen, epic-scale, revolutionary masterpiece of gameplay - An excellent design concept - 10 for the ideas, graphics and style. As far as gameplay is concerned - this is just 5 repetitive simplistic arcade games bundled together. And in fact they are much worse than the shareware arcades that don't pretend to be anything more than a simple fun arcade. While Spore was advertised as nex-gen, epic-scale, revolutionary masterpiece of gameplay - in fact it is not. It is still just 5 simplistic arcade games. Final score: I give it a 5 just for the average gameplay with nice graphics -3 goes for false promises and over advertising -2 goes for draconian DRM. Just so silly it was on torrents the other day after the release - now we know for sure that DRM is aimed not against pirates, but against the law abiding and paying consumers to make their life more miserable. I hope the consumers all over the world would get the message. Final score therefore is 0. Regretfully. Don't buy this game.… Expand
  83. AnonymousMC
    Oct 7, 2008
    3
    I, like so many other people have been waiting for spore for a long, long time. I remember saying at one point that I was going to become a hermit for a few months and liviing off tinned food while just absorbing everything the game promised.

    Well, thank god for my health that it turned out to be an undeniably charming, but ultimately shallow and uninteresting title. You will have    I, like so many other people have been waiting for spore for a long, long time. I remember saying at one point that I was going to become a hermit for a few months and liviing off tinned food while just absorbing everything the game promised.

    Well, thank god for my health that it turned out to be an undeniably charming, but ultimately shallow and uninteresting title.

    You will have the most fun in the first 20 minutes of the game with your cell, and the first hour or two of the space stage. The stages inbetween are poor attempts at tried and tested genre's, but lets cover every stage. Too start you have the cell stage, which is simple fun personified. You use your mouse to swim your little cell around, avoid things bigger and strong then you that will try to eat you, while either eating other smaller, weaker creatures or plant matter. There is not much more to it then that, but it feels very vibrant and alive and I atleast found it the most fun aspect of the entire experience. Next comes the creature phase, and if you've played any MMO's you've played this. Except there is no social aspect of chatting innanely to your friends to relieve tedium, there are no fun abilities and it's generally just incredibly dull. The games most vaunted feature, the creature creator, is stunted by the need to complete repetitive tasks for pieces and the need to equip certain bits so that you can survive and succeed easily and get the drudgery over as soon as you can. Next is the tribal phase, which is a simplistic RTS with a lousey outfit creator, and 'diplomacy' and 'combat' that requires no different playstyles from one another and is thankfully over before you feel the need to inject aresnic into your eyesockets. Up next is the civilization phase, which is very similar to the tribal phase, and is only made slightly more interesting by the vehicle and building designers, which are not stunted by dull seeking mechanics and are genuinely powerful and entertaining distractions from the complete lack of gameplay.

    But the developers have said the core of the game is really the space stage which is vast and expansive and fun to explore.
    Yes.
    Yes.
    No.
    For a couple of hours I enjoyed it, flying about trading multi coloured dust, abudticing things, shooting things with lasers...but it quickly grew repetitive. Planet terraforming and populating is uninteresting and really, very very linear. You can unbalance a planet by removing a species, but you can't by adding them, you can't move unadvanced civilisations to an enemies planet to see what happens, ultimate there are infinetly more you can'ts then, you cans and you'll get bored with your limited options. I wanted to like this game. In the end i played to the space stage once, then uninstalled it. Don't waste your money.    … Expand
  84. JohnWalker
    Oct 5, 2008
    0
    Look at the massive disparity between reviewer and user scores. This alone tells you alot about 1. The Game, 2. The Reviewers, 3. EA. Reviewers are all sensationalists, almost any game is good before you play it or for the first 5 minutes. Save your money and your time and look elsewhere for your entertainment.
  85. AnthonyC.
    Oct 4, 2008
    3
    This game tries to do everything, and does none of it well. The only part of the game that was more fun than a chore was the editors: creating creatures, buildings and vehicles was fun. Otherwise, it's like incredibly dumbed-down versions of other games - the cell stage is mildly entertaining, but the rest are dull. The creature stage is like World of Warcraft, but single-player and This game tries to do everything, and does none of it well. The only part of the game that was more fun than a chore was the editors: creating creatures, buildings and vehicles was fun. Otherwise, it's like incredibly dumbed-down versions of other games - the cell stage is mildly entertaining, but the rest are dull. The creature stage is like World of Warcraft, but single-player and with a total of 3 spells. The tribal stage is like Age of Empires, but with a total of 3 different units, and a single base. The civilsation stage bares a vague resemblance to the game of the same name - however, the simplistic resource management, combined with (you guessed it) a total of 3 different units makes it a matter of building up an army, then clicking on the city you want to capture. Even if you decide to take the peaceful path through religion, the gameplay mechanic is identical - build "religious" units and tell them to "attack" the city. The space stage is like nothing I've ever seen before - it attempts to be a galactic 4X game (though a very dumbed down one) at the same time as requiring you to fly everywhere and do everything from your single ship. There's a reason I've never seen anything like it before - it's rubbish. I played the space stage for about an hour before stopping out of sheer boredom - having to visit each planet and manually harvest the spice for selling is a chore. I don't see how this game is getting such good reviews - I got a total of 4 hours playtime out of it, and have no desire to go back. Those 4 hours weren't even particularly entertaining.… Expand
  86. Brian
    Oct 4, 2008
    3
    It was decent the first time through, I will say that. However, I don't think it was really worth $50 for 3 hours of enjoyment... It was not what they advertised. They said, "The universe will be completely random, it will be so large that you could never explore the entirety of the galaxy." First of all, it's not random. If you notice, one of the achievements is to "find It was decent the first time through, I will say that. However, I don't think it was really worth $50 for 3 hours of enjoyment... It was not what they advertised. They said, "The universe will be completely random, it will be so large that you could never explore the entirety of the galaxy." First of all, it's not random. If you notice, one of the achievements is to "find Earth." You can google a map of the galaxy and find the location of Earth from any of the 8 or so preset starting planets. They said that you would always find creatures you had never seen before created by other users. In all my adventuring in space, I never found one non-Maxis creation. The dialogues between other space civilizations was interesting the at first, until you start seeing repeats of personalities, at which point they all say the same thing. When you tell your allies to attack a planet, it would be fun to help them in the siege, but why bother? They can't lose, and if you help them, it's extremely easy to accidentally shoot your allies and your fleet will continue to attack until you fly away from the planet, the same happens when you are defending their planet from pirates. Space to planet transitions are too choppy for me, detracting from smooth gameplay. Aside from the pointlessness of colonizing a 21st planet when your first 5 give you enough money to fund your space ship indefinitely and still have a surplus, it's also more difficult each time, as you will have "ecological crises" every minute by that point. The game is also not "sandbox" like they said it would be. Another limitation is that you cannot have two civilizations on the same planet after you reach the space age. Is there some sort of gravitational limitation to putting a space colony on a planet with a tribe? Additionally, you can never fully abduct a city, because when you abduct one, another citizen spawns from nowhere (baby factory?). Then, once you abduct about 30 of your enemies and terraform a planet for them, expecting that they will form a tribe or something on the planet, you put them down, wait, then watch them randomly die together. Notice, also, that if you use a tool such as tentacle plateau, take off to space, then come back, the plateau is either submerged in water or gone. The planet will change in about 5 minutes of game time, but not in the eons that take place in the creature stage. Why does no other creature evolve intelligence on your homeland? I expected - and they advertised - something other than a Civilization IV game on Epic "Extended time" mode.… Expand
  87. HamishB.
    Oct 4, 2008
    2
    Iv been waiting for this game for four years so i finally get it and just wtf i mean really were is the gore a realism i was promised in the original alpha stage trailer, i loved the look of it in the alpha stage the cells dint have giant eyes. the only reason i gave it 2 is because of the building which u can play for at lease half-hour. only play this game if your under 10 and think Iv been waiting for this game for four years so i finally get it and just wtf i mean really were is the gore a realism i was promised in the original alpha stage trailer, i loved the look of it in the alpha stage the cells dint have giant eyes. the only reason i gave it 2 is because of the building which u can play for at lease half-hour. only play this game if your under 10 and think watching stupid monsters kill each other with over sized clubs.… Expand
  88. Ppsh
    Oct 2, 2008
    0
    Generally speaking, any game made by EA is probably going to have its flaws, but Spore takes this to a whole new level. From it's cutesy sounds and fights to the utter lack of depth in every part of the game, Spore manages to dissapoint in almost everything it does. Even the Creature creator, something I thought was genuingly an original, well executed idea, turned out to be a Generally speaking, any game made by EA is probably going to have its flaws, but Spore takes this to a whole new level. From it's cutesy sounds and fights to the utter lack of depth in every part of the game, Spore manages to dissapoint in almost everything it does. Even the Creature creator, something I thought was genuingly an original, well executed idea, turned out to be a dumbed-down kids version. To put it simply, EA has made an evolution game which is ALL looks and NO substance. Evolution itself has absolutely no effect on what happens. The first four stages of the game are extremely fast and repetitive. The space stage, as people have sometimes said is TOO indepth, is a complete lie. It doesn't take anyone long to figure out that the space stage is just as basic and repetitive as the rest, the only difference is that it's been pushed to a larger scale so that it isn't apparant quite so fast. As it was, it took me one day to finish & become bored with this game. I give this a 4 out of 10 for being a simplistic, dumbed down version of what is was hyped to be, and a total 0 of 10 for EAs ridiculous restrictive DRM software which is virtually the same as a virus.… Expand
  89. amalll.
    Oct 1, 2008
    1
    Man, I played this lousy game and thought there must be something wrong with me if all the critics like it as much as they do and i hate it. Then I saw the meta user scores. LOL do I hear you all.
  90. MorelyD.
    Oct 1, 2008
    1
    Un-freaking-believabale. Non configurable controls, no evolution to speak of, disjointed gameplay, and crummy DRM to boot. Why bother?
  91. JonathanL.
    Oct 1, 2008
    1
    I am rarely speechless but after 3 tries at installing this piece of dung on my machine, I gave up and tried installing it on my daughter's machine. I "played" it for about 2 hours before I realized that there is no game. Boring as hell. Can't believe it's a technological mess, a crappy game, and so popular? What's up with the press score? Pre-release versions?
  92. PeteW.
    Oct 1, 2008
    1
    Desoite the DRM. The game is boring within 3 days. I waited a year to buy it. Save your money. Only an 8 year old would enjoy this simplistic game.
  93. Chuck
    Sep 30, 2008
    2
    I bought the game because it was supposed to be a fun exploration of evolution and then turn into a civ game. This game has nothing to do with evolution, unless you're a creationist, and the civ part of the game is not as good as already existing civ games. I tried to force myself to play it and couldn't because it's so boring. I suppose it might be fun for children under I bought the game because it was supposed to be a fun exploration of evolution and then turn into a civ game. This game has nothing to do with evolution, unless you're a creationist, and the civ part of the game is not as good as already existing civ games. I tried to force myself to play it and couldn't because it's so boring. I suppose it might be fun for children under 10, but as an edu-tainment package it falls short in edu and tainment.… Expand
  94. bignuinLot
    Sep 29, 2008
    2
    This game is a big disappointment. It's only like 5 minigames and a creature editor.
  95. SamP
    Sep 29, 2008
    0
    AAAAAAARGH!!! I wish I had read some reviews before buying this sordid lump of whale faeces, but my girlish enthusiasm got the better of me - I have been waiting for this game to come out for 3 years, after all. I was expecting depth, innovation, and complete immersion. Instead, the game is about as immersive as having a squirrel pee on your face (and I know which one I would prefer to AAAAAAARGH!!! I wish I had read some reviews before buying this sordid lump of whale faeces, but my girlish enthusiasm got the better of me - I have been waiting for this game to come out for 3 years, after all. I was expecting depth, innovation, and complete immersion. Instead, the game is about as immersive as having a squirrel pee on your face (and I know which one I would prefer to endure, too - at least squirrel pee is free). The DRM stuff is just the final twist of the testicle clamps if you ask me - installing malware onto your hard drive without your explicit consent is just bad, and shouldn't be tolerated by the gaming community. I had to scrub my hard drive very carefully to get rid of that evil SecuROM thing. Out, out, damn rootkit! Seriously, it looks like the original version of the game, the one that got me interested to begin with, was destined to be an utter failure to begin with because it was just too complex to implement. Talk about biting off more than you can chew. Will was probably able to hide in his ivory tower for some time while the project foundered and wallowed in its own filth, but eventually the truth of the project would have become too much to ignore even for the starry-eyed EA execs who had backed everything so far, and as one reviewer so aptly mentioned, they would have marched in and laid down the law, in order to commercially salvage what they could of the sinking behemoth. But you know what? I would rather play a glorious failure that had depth and conviction regarding its original goals, than this fake, airbrushed, used tampon of a game. However, watching the "Spornographic" creatures on YouTube was certainly very entertaining, although I doubt it was part of Mr Wright's original vision.… Expand
  96. KrisS.
    Sep 28, 2008
    1
    EA as completely insulted honest customers. Its a so-so game, but the DRM makes it completely and totally not worth it. I would not recommend this game to anyone due to its DRM being of the verge of tyranny.
  97. FrankB.
    Sep 28, 2008
    0
    Game refuses to run after I install other unrelated software on my PC (specifically, VMWare Player). "The game can not start. For security reasons, only a limited number of machines can ever be licensed by a single purchase. This limit has been reached. Please purchase another registration code, reinstall, and then try again." This after only installing the game on one machine, and Game refuses to run after I install other unrelated software on my PC (specifically, VMWare Player). "The game can not start. For security reasons, only a limited number of machines can ever be licensed by a single purchase. This limit has been reached. Please purchase another registration code, reinstall, and then try again." This after only installing the game on one machine, and playing it for a few weeks. Go to hell Will Wright.… Expand
  98. ChengB.
    Sep 28, 2008
    0
    What a pile of rubbish! Not only does this game "feature" a rootkit that will limit the numbers of installs to three times, create a gigantic security hole in your OS making it possible for anyone to access your computer it will also cripple or destroy cd/dvd-rom's and burners as an extra bonus feature, just for the kicks. The actual game is completely devoid of any content, it has What a pile of rubbish! Not only does this game "feature" a rootkit that will limit the numbers of installs to three times, create a gigantic security hole in your OS making it possible for anyone to access your computer it will also cripple or destroy cd/dvd-rom's and burners as an extra bonus feature, just for the kicks. The actual game is completely devoid of any content, it has some serious flaws and in the end, is nothing more than a gold plated pile of crap designed to make EA more money.… Expand
  99. jbean
    Sep 28, 2008
    2
    This game is ridiculous! First you can only install it three times, then of those three times they all have to be the same account! i don't know about you but i have 5 computers in our house. The gameplay is almost just as bad because the changes to your character are only cosmetic and don't even help you in the game.
  100. JimSmith
    Sep 28, 2008
    4
    Promised so much, delivered far less, and then was not "science" as suggested but just fluff.
    10yo and 12yo kids were gone after three days - off they went back to Civ4
    Cell stage is the best, then it falls away - bit sad as I bought it for the stages I-IV, not space, then find it is designed to get you to space asap!
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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best PC Game of 2008
2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 75
  3. Negative: 0 out of 75
  1. Play (Poland)
    90
    How to design a game that spans from swimming in a drop of water to ruling the galaxy? Will Wright knows how: as simple as possible. Spore deserves success on "The Sims" scale. [Sept 2008]
  2. PC Gamer UK
    91
    Spore's triumph is painfully ironic. By setting out to instill a sense of wonderment at creation and the majesty of the universe, it's shown us that it's actually a lot more interesting to sit here at our computers and explore the contents of each other's brains. [October 2008, p.64]
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  3. PTGamers
    100
    Spore manages quite some feats – it's accessible for casual gamers, but at the same time so real and dynamic, able to offer hardcore gamers a demanding experience and, obviously, a more appealing one than in "The Sims".
    Read full review
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