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. AlexandreD.
    Sep 10, 2008
    5
    You can create a lot and do a little. Gameplay is repetitive and boring. Creation does not impact your creature behavior thoroughly. The evolution concept is not really implemented. Each phase is poorer than similar one in other game. The creative stuff os the only interesting part of the game. It's a sandbox with non challenge.
  2. JonathanH.
    Sep 18, 2008
    5
    Some nice ideas, but it's over simplified and offers nothing for long term appeal.
  3. J
    Sep 18, 2008
    6
    The game has its ups and downs. Firstly this is a game that allows you to customize every small bit of your civilization, from your peoples to your buildings which is great. The game really lacks in its actual gameplay. The Cell stage was quite fun and was what I expected. The creature stage could have been longer, with more intricate hunting and evolutionary stages in development as well The game has its ups and downs. Firstly this is a game that allows you to customize every small bit of your civilization, from your peoples to your buildings which is great. The game really lacks in its actual gameplay. The Cell stage was quite fun and was what I expected. The creature stage could have been longer, with more intricate hunting and evolutionary stages in development as well as more then just socializing and attacking. However, this is where the game basically stops. The Tribal Stage, Civilization Stage both lack any complexity whatsoever. The words point and click to kill come to mind as a pathetic attempt at RTS strategy is created. Really both stages could have been massively longer and had potential to be fun long stages of the game. Not 30 minutes of boredom. The Space stage has more qualms, with the constant attacks, the unreliability of your alies and the constant war as well as a difficulty curve thats as jagged as a crystal. The game is innovative and really more draws you to the creature, building creators rather then the Grox infested Universe. With so much hype on this game EA has taken something which should have been amazing and garbaged it. However, the new approach to gaming in this way gives it a few extra points.… Expand
  4. Ravage
    Nov 27, 2015
    7
    This is a great game with a great concept. Although, it's easy for older players. I know that this game is aimed for the younger players, but I would love to see a new release with harder, and more realistic and mature game-play.
  5. AnthonyB.
    Sep 7, 2008
    7
    Meh. For a game of such scope it strangely has limited depth. A surprise - but not a welcome one.
  6. Simon150999
    Apr 1, 2013
    5
    Instead of giving us good content through one age, average at best content are spreaded out across five dull eras and a really boring repetitive space age.
  7. NikoPapanikos
    Sep 27, 2008
    7
    This game's best assets are the online play. Being able 2 share creatures and all other creations is very fun. The creation mode is great, so anyone looking for a creative game to play, this would be your pick.

    The reason i only Give this game a 7 is because the actual game play of the game is pretty boring. The initial stage has some real cool animations, zooming out as you get    This game's best assets are the online play. Being able 2 share creatures and all other creations is very fun. The creation mode is great, so anyone looking for a creative game to play, this would be your pick.

    The reason i only Give this game a 7 is because the actual game play of the game is pretty boring. The initial stage has some real cool animations, zooming out as you get larger, but it gets old fast. I would say avoid the game and just create things to share with your friends. Thats where the fun is.    … Expand
  8. JeffK.
    Sep 17, 2008
    7
    It's a pretty innovative game, I'll give it that. Unfortunately, it's just not all that fun. Based on the fun factor alone, I'd give it a 5, which to me isn't bad, just very average, bland. But I had to give it a few extra points because it is an innovative game.
  9. MarkG
    Oct 30, 2008
    7
    If you're looking for a capable and creative tool to share your own creations with the rest of the world, or you want a fun way to educate your kids in the theory of evolution, Spore is definitely recommended in that regard. If you're looking for an exciting and challenging game which will test your skills (and not your patience), Spore might not be it - but then again, a lot of If you're looking for a capable and creative tool to share your own creations with the rest of the world, or you want a fun way to educate your kids in the theory of evolution, Spore is definitely recommended in that regard. If you're looking for an exciting and challenging game which will test your skills (and not your patience), Spore might not be it - but then again, a lot of Maxis games aren't nowadays.… Expand
  10. Sébastien
    Sep 10, 2008
    7
    More less fun than a SimCity or The Sims. The gameplay is pretty light and has been sacrificed for god damned "casual-gaming". The only cool stuffs are editors and the whole sharing system. SimCreation instead ? Will Wright made better games before.
  11. BPET
    Sep 7, 2008
    7
    PROS: Pretty design Nice interface Nice sound Idea that sounds very good Very nice optimization CONS: To easy WAAAY to easy Very repetitive The creatures/building/vechicles deisgn lose flavor way to soon Basicly, the hype was there. It sounded very promising but it has no gameplay. The funniest part is the cell stage that ends to soon.
  12. ShadwuL.
    Sep 7, 2008
    7
    First two stages were good, but when it turned into rts it sucked so much. And it is too simple. Simple RTS=omfg.
  13. mizerr
    Jan 21, 2013
    5
    This game is a series of 5 minigames tied together. There is a great concept of evolving through time and the game succeeds in customization as you have full control over how everything in your culture looks from armor to buildings and vehicles. Beyond that, the gameplay is bland. The first stage reminds me of an old flash game I used to play online. Just swim around, eat, and thenThis game is a series of 5 minigames tied together. There is a great concept of evolving through time and the game succeeds in customization as you have full control over how everything in your culture looks from armor to buildings and vehicles. Beyond that, the gameplay is bland. The first stage reminds me of an old flash game I used to play online. Just swim around, eat, and then automatically grow. The other levels don't bring more excitement and often feel like a grind. It's too bad this game missed the mark.… Expand
  14. MatthewB.
    Sep 7, 2008
    7
    feels like 5 different (and unremarkable) games thrown together. There is little continuity between each level: something that's particularly apparent in the transition between tribal and civ stages. Did it matter that my tribe was peace-loving as my tanks roll over yet another enemy city at the civ stage? I don't think so. On the plus side: an excellent music system devised by feels like 5 different (and unremarkable) games thrown together. There is little continuity between each level: something that's particularly apparent in the transition between tribal and civ stages. Did it matter that my tribe was peace-loving as my tanks roll over yet another enemy city at the civ stage? I don't think so. On the plus side: an excellent music system devised by Brian Eno; highly intuitive interface; great (if rather American cutesy) graphics. In summary this is a nice diversion for a few days. Sadly, it is not the genre-shifting epic game people were hoping for.… Expand
  15. ThomasC.
    Sep 8, 2008
    7
    Original, but found it boring running around making friends with other life forms or killing and eating them. Reminds me a lot of the Sims.
  16. Calciferus
    May 21, 2012
    7
    It's not for everyone. The creature and space stage is the most interesting, while the cell stage served well as mini game. Creature creator probably one of the best sandbox I've seen lately. The rest? Meh
  17. ben
    Apr 19, 2009
    6
    All in all not a BAD game but as many people have said the addons or expectations are what killed it but with the expectations it should be a very good game however i would of liked to see a more auqadic stage i mead you go from a about 10 cellular thing to a little guy with legs in a snap wheres the water stage??? and also they need a water tribal and a warter civ stage (if the user All in all not a BAD game but as many people have said the addons or expectations are what killed it but with the expectations it should be a very good game however i would of liked to see a more auqadic stage i mead you go from a about 10 cellular thing to a little guy with legs in a snap wheres the water stage??? and also they need a water tribal and a warter civ stage (if the user doesn't want to go to land) and maby they could have more than 1 form of intelligent life such as the zindy from startreck enterprise now that would be something to see .… Expand
  18. mikel.
    Sep 13, 2008
    7
    Overall, barely a mediocre game. Each stage was overly simplistic, even monotonic. Given the amazing potential of the tools for species and civilization customization, it is inexcusable that the actual gameplay is so dull, weak, and hallow.
  19. MaxiP.
    Sep 7, 2008
    7
    "Space Stage" is just a dumbed down version of EVE Online/any other Space Sim: Alliances, trade routes, missions -- which are very repetitive: kill xyz, collect abc, etc. -- and war. Minus the depth of said MMO.
  20. NoVertigo
    Jan 20, 2013
    6
    Spore was definitely a long waited game by MAXIS. It was a fresh entry to the gaming world. Its take on evolution and civilization was great. It presented a funny and interesting view on how organisms interact and progress through life. With these great qualities said, SPORE unfortunately was not all that great. Lets take it generation by generation: The microbial stage was pretty fun. ItSpore was definitely a long waited game by MAXIS. It was a fresh entry to the gaming world. Its take on evolution and civilization was great. It presented a funny and interesting view on how organisms interact and progress through life. With these great qualities said, SPORE unfortunately was not all that great. Lets take it generation by generation: The microbial stage was pretty fun. It involved your player simply eating and surviving, the main objective for any organism. It was an arcade stylish adventure. It was quite simple yet a little boring after awhile. The land stage was pretty similar, how ever things got a bit more challenging. Interaction with other species, whether your fighting them or socializing, made the game quite fun in that aspect, but again it was all just too simple and not challenging. The civilization stage was very boring in my eyes. It was a simple take on the strategy genre; make units and either fight or convert. The space stage was a bit fun, but again it was all too similar to the civilization stage in that you either traded and became friends with other species or attacked.

    As I summed up the levels of play, it was all in fact not challenging at all, granted there were some times that your character gets killed in the early stages, but thats it. You just restart and do the same thing again. It is all too simple in that a player can easily wipe out all other civilizations and species to dominate the globe, I found it pointless to be the peaceful, especially since the objectives never change, it was simply "Be the only one standing", so why do anything but destroy the other civilizations or species. The evolution qualities were quite fun to add to your creature as it grew, but there was not alot of variety. It ended up being pointless by the time your creature evolved to civilization. Creating your units and buildings were the same. It didn't matter how many wheels or guns you put on your vehicle since they all had the same attack and movement. I felt it took every bit of creativity out of this game, and designing was completely pointless. The AI was not challenging at all in any of the stages which just made the game into an interesting educational game.

    SPORE had alot riding on it. It was a great idea for the gaming world, especially for me since I always fascinated by a evolution sim game, and who better to do it than the creators of The SIMS. How ever this game fell very short of great. There could have been alot more done to this game to make it great.

    I say this game is average for the average gamer. You dont have to be a hardcore shooter or a deep thinking micro strategist to enjoy it. The presentation of it offers alot, but there is not much variety to game play. Hopefully another addition to the gaming world like spore will come along, but present a better quality game.    … Expand
  21. Kydos
    Dec 20, 2012
    6
    First impressions of this game were great but eventually some fatal flaws came to surface which can't really be ignored. The premise is amazing and handled quite well, when I started up a new game of this recently I got chills seeing the meteor in the opening cinematic. The game feels like it is rushed to the space stage though and that the other four stages are all leading up to theFirst impressions of this game were great but eventually some fatal flaws came to surface which can't really be ignored. The premise is amazing and handled quite well, when I started up a new game of this recently I got chills seeing the meteor in the opening cinematic. The game feels like it is rushed to the space stage though and that the other four stages are all leading up to the actual beginning of the game. This is most obvious in stage four where halfway through it actually gives you the option to fast-track the rest of the stage and begin your space adventure. This wouldn't be the worst thing if they hadn't made huge errors in the gameplay for the space stage. The first is the Grox, who you are advised to seek out by your own empire. However these guys will go to war with you for very little reason and when they do it's more or less game over unless you're willing to put up with their constant invasions for the rest of your playing time. That brings me to the other huge problem here and that is that you are the only member of your species who can do anything. If an ecological disaster strikes and 5 animals need killing, rather than send out an extermination team from the nearest city, they recall you from lightyears away to smash the poor creatures with the laser on your starship and they get annoyed with you if this seems an unreasonable request. Spore is a fun game with a great premise but it rushes you to the space stage where unless you really know what you're doing and are willing to put up with unnecessary micro-management, you will probably find yourself giving up on that particular save.… Expand
  22. MarkT.
    Sep 8, 2008
    7
    I'm in two minds about Spore, although what I'm sure of is i don't feel this is a classic. The first few phases are over too quickly, which was a surprise. The space phase has the potential for many hours of gameplay if you start with a poor strategy, but I suspect those who have anything but extreme patience will find it gets boring. Even so, a set of interesting ideas, I'm in two minds about Spore, although what I'm sure of is i don't feel this is a classic. The first few phases are over too quickly, which was a surprise. The space phase has the potential for many hours of gameplay if you start with a poor strategy, but I suspect those who have anything but extreme patience will find it gets boring. Even so, a set of interesting ideas, with the final phase poorly executed. YMMV… Expand
  23. AshR.
    Oct 16, 2008
    7
    After playing through most of Spore, I began to realize that the game had so much potential to be the next big thing. It could have been regarded as a gaming revolution! Unfortunately, it had been lowered down to a more simplistic game designed to entertain 1st grade children. The graphics are acceptable, and the creators allow much freedom, yet too much of the gameplay becomes recycled After playing through most of Spore, I began to realize that the game had so much potential to be the next big thing. It could have been regarded as a gaming revolution! Unfortunately, it had been lowered down to a more simplistic game designed to entertain 1st grade children. The graphics are acceptable, and the creators allow much freedom, yet too much of the gameplay becomes recycled and overused after awhile. Will Wright and Maxis had the right ideas, it's just they applyed them wrong. It is true that gamers will enjoy themselves some of the time, but by the second time through, they will want to find something better to do with their time.… Expand
  24. ChristopherW.
    Oct 8, 2008
    7
    Despite the complainers who did no research prior to buying (other than the 2005 demo that promised the earth and all the heavens), Spore is a decent game. Sadly, that's all it is. The early stages are hit or miss, with Cell and Civ being the pinnacle and Creature and Tribe the nadir. Space stage seems like a great open sandbox, with numerous randomly-generated planets. Sadly this Despite the complainers who did no research prior to buying (other than the 2005 demo that promised the earth and all the heavens), Spore is a decent game. Sadly, that's all it is. The early stages are hit or miss, with Cell and Civ being the pinnacle and Creature and Tribe the nadir. Space stage seems like a great open sandbox, with numerous randomly-generated planets. Sadly this stage compares more to Daggerfall in that once you've seen a handful of the planets, you've seen all of them. There's no story to Space other than "get to the center of the galaxy" and about 5 or 6 random missions repeated over and over until you finally get bored and find another game. Thankfully, Maxis had the bright idea of releasing the best part of the game separately: The Creature Creator. Pick it up for $10 and wait until the full game's price comes down.… Expand
  25. KenH.
    Sep 4, 2008
    7
    Simply put, the very basic gameplay will very likely bore inveterate gamers. Casual gamers might enjoy it though. I do not agree with folks who call this game "innovative." It does nicely merge a few different types of games, simplify those games, and put them all togther in one package, but that's not innovative.
  26. C.M.
    Sep 8, 2008
    7
    It's a cute little game but the lack of anything outside of the creature creator really brings the game down. For "serious" gamers it's nice to have a look at but, like myself, there's really no lasting appeal outside of creating all the different little things.
  27. GeroldS.
    Sep 8, 2008
    7
    Becomes booring very fast for lack of depth and a real challange. Any form of "balance the stats" challenge like in sims or sim city with a little more depth, maybe only on "Hard" would have made this a 10/10 game.
  28. dereckd.
    Sep 9, 2008
    7
    This game has a great premise, however, the controls are a bit difficult to manage, especially during the space again. Worth playing if you are a fan of Will Wright.
  29. SlamB.
    Sep 9, 2008
    7
    The creation aspect of the game is every bit as wonderful as was advertised. The actual game part of the game wasn't advertised for a reason.
  30. MichaelJ
    Oct 4, 2008
    7
    I felt that the game was overall a fun game, despite the glitches and repetetiveness(?). The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stages could of been longer though. And although large amounts of the game were either dumbed down (although I feel that the game was never to be marketed to a serious hard-core gamer) or not included (such as gas giant cities, "Encounters of the Third Kind" minigames, and I felt that the game was overall a fun game, despite the glitches and repetetiveness(?). The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stages could of been longer though. And although large amounts of the game were either dumbed down (although I feel that the game was never to be marketed to a serious hard-core gamer) or not included (such as gas giant cities, "Encounters of the Third Kind" minigames, and various editors), it's still something good to pull out on a rainy day. Additionally, expansion packs and patches are expected (The first patch recently came out), which over time may or may not improve the game's quality.… Expand
  31. JonE.
    Sep 14, 2008
    7
    Fun! But ultimately a bit shallow in terms of gameplay to keep me interested for more than a few weeks. Superbly presented and very cute, younger gamers will love this.
  32. MatthewHoesterey
    Sep 19, 2008
    7
    An amazing toy. Anytime your creating creatures or buildings the "game" is fun. The problem is that once you've created something there isn't anything to do thats actually fun. The game minus the creation part is one of the worst I've played.
    Great Toy Concept now they just need to add the game part.
  33. AnonymousMC
    Sep 6, 2008
    7
    Playing this game makes me miss Wright's simulationism. Though the creature creator is undeniably slick, its lack of impact on the simulation is appalling. The player exists in a world virtually without consequence, where creatures hang around their nests doing nothing, waiting for you to walk up and either wave hello, or eat them. In the tribal stage this becomes "hold a concert orPlaying this game makes me miss Wright's simulationism. Though the creature creator is undeniably slick, its lack of impact on the simulation is appalling. The player exists in a world virtually without consequence, where creatures hang around their nests doing nothing, waiting for you to walk up and either wave hello, or eat them. In the tribal stage this becomes "hold a concert or slaughter them", in the civilization stage it becomes "preach, trade, or slaughter them".

    The worlds are fundamentally dead and boring past the glitter and sparkle. Their procedural nature fails to include any landmarks or points of interest. It's just a grid of nests, tribes, cities, which do little but wait for you to effortlessly dominate them.

    This wouldn't be so bad, if the stages didn't overstay their welcome and offered more. Am I seriously expected to play a game of "Simon", that never goes past 3 or 4 elements, over forty times just to continue as a social species?
    It's clear the designers wanted every creature made to be functional, so there's no element of experimentation when creating a creature. More often than not, a player will choose the interactions they wish to excel at (of which there are maybe a dozen of the canned little things), and splice whatever parts give them the best ability in that area, regardless of aesthetic. And just before the creature stage closes, revert to some more pleasing form.

    As other reviews have stated: This is a remarkable product. But as an interactive work it lacks consequence, challenge, and meaningful patterns. Spore is light-years behind the sophistication and creative insight of The Sims or Sim City.
    I would give Spore to a child or novice gamer in a heartbeat. If you have had ANY exposure whatsoever to the RPG or RTS genres though, play a friend's copy first. If you can play through to the galaxy stage, and still find a compelling desire to do it again, this game might be for you. Otherwise, it gets old extremely quickly.    … Expand
  34. HendrikF.
    Sep 7, 2008
    7
    First the part that's really fun: creating your own creature, designing your species' buildings and so on. Now the part that's no fun: the rest. Besides the really entertaining creature creator, the game is all the same from the beginning to the end. It's not just repetitive, it's also poorly executed. Mediocre controls, unpolished design, absolutely no variety First the part that's really fun: creating your own creature, designing your species' buildings and so on. Now the part that's no fun: the rest. Besides the really entertaining creature creator, the game is all the same from the beginning to the end. It's not just repetitive, it's also poorly executed. Mediocre controls, unpolished design, absolutely no variety throughout the single phases.… Expand
  35. RichardS
    Sep 9, 2008
    7
    The first few phases up to the civilization stage are quite fun in their simplicity. However, the civilization and space stage I found to be disappointing in their depth and often quite uninteresting. I spent 2 hours taking over star systems with no real benefit or reason. I have no idea as to what the point is to taking over the entire spore universe is, and I won't spend 100+ hours The first few phases up to the civilization stage are quite fun in their simplicity. However, the civilization and space stage I found to be disappointing in their depth and often quite uninteresting. I spent 2 hours taking over star systems with no real benefit or reason. I have no idea as to what the point is to taking over the entire spore universe is, and I won't spend 100+ hours to find out. I experienced a glitch with the tribal stage where a large rip in the land (a kind of mini sharp valley), went right through my tribe's centre. When the creatures were in line to to eat or deposit food and it was their turn while they were turning to get to the storage every 2/3 times they would begin to spasm left and right until I manually had to move them away and back in line for food again. It wasn't fun and felt broken. Those large gullies in the landscape were very common throughout the game and ugly to encounter. The creature designer and object designer is very well made and intuitive. However the 2 last stages left a lot to be desired and Maxis would really do well with a content patch or expansion.… Expand
  36. RichardO.
    Sep 9, 2008
    7
    This game shouts Medicore all the way. Every game part before the space just seems to end too quick, whats the point getting bigger and better if there isnt anything fun to do with it. The space part just is too hectic. Idea that you have to zap around your empire after every little fight robbers etc are causing is just so flawed. Doing every single thing yourself just leads to that its This game shouts Medicore all the way. Every game part before the space just seems to end too quick, whats the point getting bigger and better if there isnt anything fun to do with it. The space part just is too hectic. Idea that you have to zap around your empire after every little fight robbers etc are causing is just so flawed. Doing every single thing yourself just leads to that its the ONLY thing you will have time to do. well, at least 80% of the game. Summary: Flawed design ruins a good idea.… Expand
  37. Larry223
    Jun 21, 2015
    6
    No se mucho de la historia de este juego. Por lo que eh oído traía mucha esperanza, que seria un gran juego con mas posibilidades que los Sims o algo así. Y al final... Pues es decente...

    Algunas personas no les gusta y puedo entenderlo, vuelve la historia de la evolución en unos 5 mini-juegos, mas o menos. Aunque fue echo para niños, en ese caso supongo que es entendible volverlo todo    No se mucho de la historia de este juego. Por lo que eh oído traía mucha esperanza, que seria un gran juego con mas posibilidades que los Sims o algo así. Y al final... Pues es decente...

    Algunas personas no les gusta y puedo entenderlo, vuelve la historia de la evolución en unos 5 mini-juegos, mas o menos. Aunque fue echo para niños, en ese caso supongo que es entendible volverlo todo simple. Pero al final no encuentro gran cosa para decir que sea atroz. Aveces tendrá dificultad artificial al ponerte uno que otro mutante con mas vida que todo tu clan junto, una que otra horda de carnívoros asesinos que salieron a dar un paseo porque si, pero no significa que sea malo. De echo aveces lo encuentro algo relajante, tiene mecánicas simples, gráficos bonitos y aunque se vuelve frustrante porque no explica mucho... Me gusto. Puede que le este perdonando por ser algo tan simple y adorable...Y después de "The Walking Dead" ver algo tan infantil me volvió muy blando, pero aun así no veo algo malo. Es simple, tiene algo "interesante" como mínimo. No diré que vale 20 dolares, es una experiencia olvídale, pero si lo consigues por 5... Tal ves te guste para pasar el rato.

    06/10    … Expand
  38. PrincessRose
    May 9, 2019
    6
    Quite a fun game for a while, I enjoy creating creatures as well as the vehicles.

    I enjoy playing the game up until the space stage. I get bored flying around space, it all looks the same and the quests are very boring such as scan lifeforms on planet, scanned a fern and returned to other planet then Iam asked to fly back to the other planet to take a sample, it's so tedious and    Quite a fun game for a while, I enjoy creating creatures as well as the vehicles.

    I enjoy playing the game up until the space stage.
    I get bored flying around space, it all looks the same and the quests are very boring such as scan lifeforms on planet, scanned a fern and returned to other planet then Iam asked to fly back to the other planet to take a sample, it's so tedious and repetitive flying back and forth and it all ends up looking the same.

    I recommend as the game is fun for a while, even though overall it's lacking in depth.    … Expand
  39. PatQ
    Mar 15, 2009
    7
    Spore had a huge hype going for it before its release, however the game clearly did not live up to this hype. The creation part of the game is the only reason the game was not struck down completely. The game starts out very fun and interesting, but dwindles down with each phase. The Cell Phase was simple, enjoyable, and immersive, but too short. The Creature Phase was very original but Spore had a huge hype going for it before its release, however the game clearly did not live up to this hype. The creation part of the game is the only reason the game was not struck down completely. The game starts out very fun and interesting, but dwindles down with each phase. The Cell Phase was simple, enjoyable, and immersive, but too short. The Creature Phase was very original but very repetative; the only objective was to conquer or befriend other herds and packs of creatures. It did have the best creation system in the game, though. The Tribal Phase was just plain unecessary. It was unpolished and boring, and there was nothing to do but ally with or destroy other tribes. The Civilization Phase was a poor excuse for an attempt at a RTS game; although the vehicle and building creators were very well made. Too end it terribly, the Space Phase was not thought out well enough and simply put another scar on the face of Spore. It was not fun to constantly be attacked by a hugely unrealistic amount of space-faring civilizations. Playing the Space Phase went completely out-of-control when more than three or four other systems were colonized. Overall, Spore's actual gameplay was well below par. The only thing that brought my rating up was the creators: They were almost flawless and gave much freedom. If only the developers worked some more on the five phases of the games.… Expand
  40. ChoicestGames
    Mar 3, 2012
    7
    If you're looking for a capable and creative tool to share your own creations with the rest of the world, or you want a fun way to educate your kids in the theory of evolution, Spore is definitely recommended in that regard. If you're looking for an exciting and challenging game which will test your skills (and not your patience), Spore might not be it - but then again, a lot of MaxisIf you're looking for a capable and creative tool to share your own creations with the rest of the world, or you want a fun way to educate your kids in the theory of evolution, Spore is definitely recommended in that regard. If you're looking for an exciting and challenging game which will test your skills (and not your patience), Spore might not be it - but then again, a lot of Maxis games aren't nowadays.… Expand
  41. BoltzmannBaby
    Mar 9, 2012
    7
    Spore is the first game i bought after reading a review, and the first one to make me feel sorry for that. It is a great experience, but not what it could've been. It doesn't have the replayability that it should, it feels inconsistent, with some chapters being too easy and shallow (tribe and civilisation stages), and it gets repetitive like hell, especially in the Space stage. This gameSpore is the first game i bought after reading a review, and the first one to make me feel sorry for that. It is a great experience, but not what it could've been. It doesn't have the replayability that it should, it feels inconsistent, with some chapters being too easy and shallow (tribe and civilisation stages), and it gets repetitive like hell, especially in the Space stage. This game is a lot of stress to finish without mods not as much because of the difficulty, but because of the repeatability and the slow progression trough the space stage. Other than that it deserves it's praise for some innovations like the way it generates the content and how it populates the "game world". trough Sporepedia. Creating stuff, from cells to spaceships, is fun and lucrative, but if that's all you're after then you can stick with the Creature Creator.… Expand
  42. hugamuga
    Nov 2, 2011
    7
    Spore was an interesting experience for me, i received it as a gift and not knowing much about it i played through it, the game is divided in to 5 games really which deserve a short review each...

    Cell Stage (9/10) : personally this is my favorite part of the game, although depressingly simple in the amount of options you get, and pathetically short. it is always the stage i go back too,    Spore was an interesting experience for me, i received it as a gift and not knowing much about it i played through it, the game is divided in to 5 games really which deserve a short review each...

    Cell Stage (9/10) : personally this is my favorite part of the game, although depressingly simple in the amount of options you get, and pathetically short. it is always the stage i go back too, the graphics in this stage are perfect, and the gameplay is actually fun, the satisfaction you get as a herbivore when you find a huge plant or when you take out a massive enemy, its a pity there was so little variety because it could have amazing.

    Creature Stage (6/10) : when it comes to creature stage, you finally have some real options to advance your creature, plenty of parts and customization, unfortunately at the same time the gameplay takes a huge hit, its just no fun going up to random creatures and eating/friending them, which is practically all you do for one agonizing hour+ depending on the difficulty.

    Tribal Stage (4/10) : tribal stage is basically an extremely simplified strategy game, its neither fun nor challenging, but fortunately it only takes 20 minutes.

    Civilization Stage (5/10) : civilization stage is a mixed bag, although designing buildings and vehicles is fun, the game its self is pretty limited, and basically involves building as many cars as you can afford and pointing them at other cities, this can take under 15 minutes depending on the difficulty

    Space Stage (7/10) : probably the stage i spent the least amount of time in, not because there's not a lot to do, in fact its by far the largest stage but because everything you do in it is boring. flying from planet to planet trading, colonizing and conquering sounds fun on premise but when it comes actually time to doing it, it becomes rather repetitive.    … Expand
  43. awesomekid06
    Dec 8, 2012
    7
    Actually quite good, but I agree with the other players that the final is a lot worse than the trailers at 2005-2007. As of now, the reason I know of is because of too much space taken, but if it was true they obviously would have told us they would save it to later, and as such, I give it from a 9 to 7, as its still OK.
  44. EastonReviews
    Jul 7, 2011
    7
    It won't change your life, and it won't bring your money back. But it's fun and stays to be so. It has a impressive performance, pretty lame graphics, but it's reliable, and original. It's an Average to Positive game. Buy it if your interested. Just don't cry if it's not as good as you thought it was.
  45. sonicsword
    Nov 24, 2011
    6
    It's a fun game to spend time. But the game has a very clear goal and if you want a bit of a challenge you will not find in this game. The graphics are pretty feeble but the character animations are good. It's a pretty average game.
  46. egn
    Mar 12, 2013
    7
    People were expecting a lot form this title; and it didn't quite match up with that Will Wright demo from 2005, no... but It's a damn fine game nonetheless, with hours of highly-replayable entertainment that is really good for lots of different ages, tastes, and play styles. This would be a great game for younger children, but adults will enjoy it just as much.
  47. RegenaldS
    Dec 15, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. SPORE™ is an amazing game that blends creativity and strategy to create this wonderful adventure. Starting as a single celled organism, you learn, evolve, and create the ultimate being.

    SPORE™ includes in-game achievements, a creating mode where all of your creations are built, a Sporepedia of all your own creations plus over a thousand pre-made ones by Maxis, a wonderful campaign, and a very interesting saved profile setup.

    In each stage of your evolution there are three classes; aggressive, peaceful, and neutral, which are chosen upon your actions. Eating meat and killing other species counts towards aggressive. Eating plants and friending other species count towards peaceful. A mix of aggressive actions and peaceful actions will put you in the neutral class. There are special abilities for each class, aggressive class gives you aggressive abilities, peaceful gives peaceful abilities, and neutral gives you an ability that could either help with peace or war.

    Cell Stage:
    Basically the tutorial of the game, lasting 10-15 minutes and only having 15 parts, but it IS the defining point of your species.
    Eating meat, plants, or a combination of both affects your class.

    Creature Stage:
    So you've evolved legs and moved onto land, huh? Now is where the true action begins, will you kill off the other packs of animals, or will you make them your allies... why not both? Doing either of those actions causes your creature to evolve, increasing your attack and allowing you to add more animals to your own personal pack. Creation becomes more complex as over 200+ parts are added, so your creature can become fully developed. Oh yeah, one more thing, there are creatures known as "Epics"... huge beings focused only on one thing... killing you and your pack.

    Tribal Stage:
    You've gotten smarter, and it’s shown. Your species has evolved to the point that they have started building tribes, weapons, musical instruments, and other items. But you’re not the only ones that have become smart, other tribes will appear, will you make war with them? Peace? Heck, kill the weaklings and ally with the strong if you want. Your creatures now have begun to create clothing and armor, so make them look good. Just a warning, those pesky epics are still around.

    Civilization Stage:
    Wow, Still going? Okay then. Now you start building taller, more modern buildings (they've finally caught up to us). Now you can start building cars, planes, and boats. You use them to race for control over spice vents, improve how other cities feel about you, or lay siege to them. City planning also is important, if done right the populace will love you so they produce more money, if done wrong they will stop the increase of wealth. I guess your fashion has evolved to, because now you get top hats!

    Space Stage:
    One small step for alien, one giant leap for alien kind... SSSSPPAACCEEE TRAAAVVEEELLL!!!!! The space stage is like a game in itself. It has quests, even more complex diplomacy, an economy, exploration of THOUSANDS of planets, terraforming, colonizing, war (Ever blow up a whole planet before? Fun stuff...), and wonderful combat, you control a single ship, arm it with lasers, rockets and nukes, and prepare for pirate attacks! And I can’t forget to mention the cool space armor you get.

    But, this game is far from perfect. Character models are a bit drab and look like clay. More features and parts could have been added to the creation mode, and gameplay does get boring after a few playthroughs, but there is allot of replayability.
    And just a warning, SPORE™ is one of the most problematic games there is... full of crashes, errors and glitches.

    Overall, this game is pretty fun, especially space stage.
    But even with all that the price is still pretty hefty, I would suggest you wait for it to go on sale.

    The reason I have so few hours of play time recorded is because I played SPORE™ Creepy & Cute Parts Pack instead. It’s the same game, but with extra parts added to create with. So if you do decide to get this check out my SPORE™ Creepy & Cute Parts Pack review.

    Pros:
    Massive replayability.
    Ability to create your own creatures, vehicles, buildings.
    Can choose which separate stage to play, or do them in order.
    You get ability’s depending on the morale’s of your actions.
    Complex economy (Space Stage).
    Awesome terraforming system (Space Stage).
    Amazing looking planets.

    Cons:
    Full of glitches (characters bugging out, game failing to start, missing directories, etc.).
    Creature models look like clay.
    Creator feature is option lacking.
    Campaign is linear in the Tribal and Civilization stages.

    Rate: 5/10 with glitches, 7/10 without glitches

    If this review was the deciding point of you getting this game feel free to leave a comment telling me so!    … Expand
  48. ThePandaBlaster
    Dec 22, 2013
    5
    I enjoyed this game in the beginning with the evolution-stages, but it soon became extremely boring. I liked the space-age part when I built an empire using the species I nurtured but it just became too difficult to maintain it. When I was on one side of the galaxy, one of my colonies would be attacked on the complete other side, and the only way I could keep it is if I went ALL the wayI enjoyed this game in the beginning with the evolution-stages, but it soon became extremely boring. I liked the space-age part when I built an empire using the species I nurtured but it just became too difficult to maintain it. When I was on one side of the galaxy, one of my colonies would be attacked on the complete other side, and the only way I could keep it is if I went ALL the way over there and stopped it.

    Not worth the $20 I spent on it because it massacred the concept I believed Spore to be, which was a god-game of complete creation and control of the outcome of the galaxy and your creature.

    Instead, I got repetitive game-play and soon regretted buying it.    … Expand
  49. Msioux01
    Dec 29, 2013
    5
    Okay, okay, the game was no masterpiece, but I did actually enjoy playing it. I didn't like how simplified it seemed, when evolving your creature, it seemed more about the looks than for actual evolutionary advantages.
    I did NOT like the way the camera worked during the Tribal Stage. It was very confusing and hard to navigate, and this proved annoying when I was in the middle of defending    Okay, okay, the game was no masterpiece, but I did actually enjoy playing it. I didn't like how simplified it seemed, when evolving your creature, it seemed more about the looks than for actual evolutionary advantages.
    I did NOT like the way the camera worked during the Tribal Stage. It was very confusing and hard to navigate, and this proved annoying when I was in the middle of defending my tribe from raiders.
    Also-the creature stage was very repetitive and annoying, and I spent the whole time really just hoping I could move on.
    All of that being said, I really didn't hate the game. I liked seeing my creature evolve (seriously, what a cool idea for a game!) and I enjoyed building my own civilization. Overall, I think this game had a good idea-but it was poorly executed. It's a fun game and I'd recommend giving it a try, but don't expect too much, it's not winning any game of the year award.    … Expand
  50. IcecreamSnowman
    Mar 11, 2014
    6
    I had fun making an animal and seeing it evolve into some kind space faring dinosaur thing. Then I got really annoyed that once you're an ally of a race, who were presumably getting along just fine without you, they stop defending themselves from pirates, stop preventing eco-disasters and just sponge of the player. A whole galaxy to explore but you have to go home every five minutesI had fun making an animal and seeing it evolve into some kind space faring dinosaur thing. Then I got really annoyed that once you're an ally of a race, who were presumably getting along just fine without you, they stop defending themselves from pirates, stop preventing eco-disasters and just sponge of the player. A whole galaxy to explore but you have to go home every five minutes because somebody is destroying your might civilization with a toy tricycle.… Expand
  51. Exwin0880
    May 14, 2015
    5
    Spore.... Great Idea, but feels like they lost interest in development.

    It's more like a collection of smaller games, that are done much better by different games, combined into one.
  52. Crackfarmer
    Jan 16, 2016
    5
    Fun game to play but the no auto-save feature kills it, the game crashes randomly and your whole time is wasted. I wonder why the dev's haven't patched an autosave since there still came an addon in 2015 for this.. wrong priority set imo.
  53. Snaggyjoker
    Feb 27, 2018
    6
    This game is pure evil the way it pushes evolution on kids and makes all the planets spherical!

    Just kidding.

    This game is fun and my kid loved it too when I let her play it.
  54. sebastianali
    Aug 2, 2019
    6
    La primer y segunda etapa son muy divertidas, pero el juego muere inmediatamente a partir de la tercer etapa. Muy mal la verdad EA.... Muy mal...
  55. Matt
    Oct 1, 2008
    5
    I don't like this game. I'm willing to admit that it seems well-produced and polished and nice, but I don't like this kind of game. That's why I gave it a 5, not a 0. I will also admit that I didn't play the game for longer than 20 minutes, but that was mainly because I'm very demanding and if I'm not enjoying a game within 20 minutes, it isn't I don't like this game. I'm willing to admit that it seems well-produced and polished and nice, but I don't like this kind of game. That's why I gave it a 5, not a 0. I will also admit that I didn't play the game for longer than 20 minutes, but that was mainly because I'm very demanding and if I'm not enjoying a game within 20 minutes, it isn't worth my time. Either because it's "bad" or because I don't like it. If you like Sims and Sim City games, this may be for you. But after 20 minutes of swimming around eating green things and picking out new pokers and flagela for my little "creature", it became clear to me what kind of game this is: do lots of things over and over till you reach a new "level", then do it more, repeat. Seems like people need to stop and ask themselves more, "is this game actually FUN?". Also, the criticisms that this game doesn't reflect real evolution are true, but I don't know that they're fair criticisms. A game that reflected actual natural selection would be BORING because you wouldn't DO anything...natural selection is just creatures adapting across generations to their environment. So yeah...don't expect this to reflect real evolution. I don't know if it even claims to. Part of me does fear the creationist/intelligent design people trying to take this game as some sort of argument for their viewpoints, or use it as a propaganda tool or something. Because it really is a combination of some ideas that are pretty close to ID and Lamarckian evolution.… Expand
  56. ScottC
    Sep 12, 2008
    6
    Horrible DRM aside (although it did cost me 2 out of my 3 allowed activations just to get it working on Vista), once you get past the creature creator, its an average "game" at best. Making cartoon characters does have a reasonable amount of charm for a while, but it wears off, and then its clear that its only a bunch of shallow minigames built around the creature creator. It has nothing Horrible DRM aside (although it did cost me 2 out of my 3 allowed activations just to get it working on Vista), once you get past the creature creator, its an average "game" at best. Making cartoon characters does have a reasonable amount of charm for a while, but it wears off, and then its clear that its only a bunch of shallow minigames built around the creature creator. It has nothing near the depth and satisfaction of a dedicated Civ builder or sim/strategy game. It seems like it would most appeal to kids under the age of 14. Any reviewers scoring this, as a "game", higher than 7.5, are not to be trusted in the future, as theyre clearly on the EA take, like half the industry is on this Hypefest. The emperor has no clothes.… Expand
  57. TomS.
    Sep 4, 2008
    6
    Very lacking in depth. Hate the way the graphics are so cartoony. Crap theres no fur options. Too simple, too much having units, and click to attack. Space stage is just way too long and hard. Its like they got to the end and tried to tack on as much depth by ramping up the grind and difficulty measure. I was bored very quickly.
  58. AlexF.
    Sep 9, 2008
    5
    Extremely repetitive game. the idea was good and deserved an average score. but the gameplay was uneventful and cheap.
  59. RAGE'N'HATE
    Sep 9, 2008
    5
    Mediocre at BEST. I regret the purchase due to lack of substantial gameplay. Sure, making stuff from a brickbox is fun, but doing the same depthless minigame over and over again is ridiculous. I would have had more fun with a freeware lego game.
  60. MichaelR.
    Sep 9, 2008
    5
    Each evolutionary stage is woefully underdeveloped. This feels like 5 cheap free flash games strung together in a day. What an incredible disappointment.
  61. ChrisR
    Jan 4, 2009
    5
    I am one of the masses who spent about 2 to 3 years biting our nails off waiting for Spore to come out, theorizing on gameplay, and just exactly how awesome it would be. I now realize why the pre-Spore ad blitz focused on only the creature creator, the rest is terrible! The stages are all mindless and if you've played them once you've played them forever. There is no I am one of the masses who spent about 2 to 3 years biting our nails off waiting for Spore to come out, theorizing on gameplay, and just exactly how awesome it would be. I now realize why the pre-Spore ad blitz focused on only the creature creator, the rest is terrible! The stages are all mindless and if you've played them once you've played them forever. There is no variability, only the same thing again and again. the initial time I played I was unimpressed but the hope that maybe the NEXT stage would be just a teensy bit better kept me going. I ended up playing the game to completion a few more times to see if there was any differences between games with different creatures or traits, mostly all I got was a new magic button to push by the space stage. If not for the fact that the creators were the greatest thing in the history of forever I'd fail this game into the ground. I spent more time messing with the creators than playing the actual game.… Expand
  62. diemongo
    Oct 1, 2008
    5
    I agree with most of the reviews in here - the game has very impressive graphics and a nice gameplay the first couple of hours, but then it turns in to a strategy game.
  63. MonteB
    Dec 30, 2008
    5
    Like Mirrors Edge, there is some good ideas here. game designers are creating in a sense a literal paradox that will with any luck help drive the next gaming paradigm.

    Lets face it since E3 we have seen nothing really new or groundbreaking, I pray to the great spotted-red mushroom-in-the-sky that games like Spore will give game designers some decent fucking ideas so they stop    Like Mirrors Edge, there is some good ideas here. game designers are creating in a sense a literal paradox that will with any luck help drive the next gaming paradigm.

    Lets face it since E3 we have seen nothing really new or groundbreaking, I pray to the great spotted-red mushroom-in-the-sky that games like Spore will give game designers some decent fucking ideas so they stop tarnishing decent games with half assed buggy sequels and the like.
    Dont hate, apprieciate.

    Oh, but dont pay more than 10 bucks for it!
    Ideas are free so they're lucky to get 10 bucks imo.

    When they manage to do some more work than fashion a thought, consider giving them more money.

    Peace!    … Expand
  64. FrankH.
    Sep 13, 2008
    5
    I waited for Spore since 2005 when the first videos were showing up. It has remarkably high potential in concept. There are 4 pre-space stages to the game (cell, creature, tribe and civilization). Those stages can be played in roughly 3 hours. Once they are understood, they become completely trivial and uninteresting. Forget about any remote resemblance between the civ stage and Sid I waited for Spore since 2005 when the first videos were showing up. It has remarkably high potential in concept. There are 4 pre-space stages to the game (cell, creature, tribe and civilization). Those stages can be played in roughly 3 hours. Once they are understood, they become completely trivial and uninteresting. Forget about any remote resemblance between the civ stage and Sid Meier's Civilization -- Spore's Civ stage is a kiddy game that takes all of 20-40 minutes to finish. But Will Wright even said in some of the previews that the early stages were just tutorials for the "real" game, which is the Space Stage. This is where the game mechanics become ridiculously disappointing. Unlike other simulation-styled games, where you are actually competing against an AI (artificial intelligence) that is playing by the same rules you are, Spore expects the player to suspend disbelief by providing endless spaceships (if you die, you just get another spaceship for free) and the AI endless attack resources (so you get attacked on several fronts while you only have one ship to respond with). This becomes boring very fast as system after system is attacked, and there's no way to make progress. The alternative is to avoid war by paying off opponents whenever possible, and avoid meeting potential enemies by not exploring early. This eventually breaks down though too, with enemies that won't negotiate. In short Spore really is a kids game. For all the potential that Spore had from it's conception, WIll Wright turned what could have been fantastic into a dull experience.… Expand
  65. AnonymousMC
    Sep 15, 2008
    5
    You spend about 5 hours advancing and evolving your species and then you get to space and it's terrible. Space travel is done by clicking on a bunch of dots that are supposed to be star systems and forget trying to find a specific planet after you've done a lot of traveling. I think the developers put so much time into the beginning of the game that they half-a$$ed the end.
  66. Yoshid
    Sep 10, 2008
    6
    Good game, but you can't actually buy it. Only rent it. That's because you can only install it 3 times. After that your game is useless. So once you have installed it, pray for God that you don't have to install windows again or for other reasons install the game again -- otherwise you'll only have 1 installation left. What if you want to play the game after a couple Good game, but you can't actually buy it. Only rent it. That's because you can only install it 3 times. After that your game is useless. So once you have installed it, pray for God that you don't have to install windows again or for other reasons install the game again -- otherwise you'll only have 1 installation left. What if you want to play the game after a couple of years...and you have no installations left?… Expand
  67. LiesAlllies
    Sep 16, 2008
    5
    They dumbed it down. It's not the game you saw in 2005. The only good parts remaining are the Arcade parts and the creature creator. Thing is you can get a much better arcade game for less or no money and without the INSANE protection. The creature creator is truly great but that's the single thing that is and after you try it out a couple of times it gets quite boring. I belive They dumbed it down. It's not the game you saw in 2005. The only good parts remaining are the Arcade parts and the creature creator. Thing is you can get a much better arcade game for less or no money and without the INSANE protection. The creature creator is truly great but that's the single thing that is and after you try it out a couple of times it gets quite boring. I belive that they with intention put the copy protection there because they knew nobody would be arsed to install it 3 times anyway as the game lacks any replayability due to its gameflaws and over-simplistic gameplay. It was also put there since they knew that while many "pirates" first pirate a game and then buy it if they like it they would've never done this with Spore. Do not buy this game. The game is an average game but with the to simple gameplay and the crappy game protection it looses value to rapidly and is not worth more than 15.00 USD.… Expand
  68. JasoncC.
    Sep 10, 2008
    6
    The game works. It's polished. It's also extremely shallow. The stages with the most potential are about 30 minutes long and then you get to the space stage that completely throws out all the individual creativity and becomes a really poor space colony sim. The UI is great though, performance is fine. I like the graphics style.. but the lack of any complexity and complete The game works. It's polished. It's also extremely shallow. The stages with the most potential are about 30 minutes long and then you get to the space stage that completely throws out all the individual creativity and becomes a really poor space colony sim. The UI is great though, performance is fine. I like the graphics style.. but the lack of any complexity and complete absence of all the game was hyped to be makes it hard to accept this game. Not to mention the DRM and the laughable online component. Beware of the Phallics.. populating a system near you!… Expand
  69. MarkH.
    Sep 4, 2008
    6
    Dumbed down. Simplistic, shallow gameplay that would be more fitting of a browser-based flash game than a big 4-years-in-development, highly hyped release. Poor controls, few options in regards to gameplay tactics. Powerful creature, building, and vehicle editors, but there's ever a moment to sit back and enjoy building and growing your civilisation - it's like a sandbox game Dumbed down. Simplistic, shallow gameplay that would be more fitting of a browser-based flash game than a big 4-years-in-development, highly hyped release. Poor controls, few options in regards to gameplay tactics. Powerful creature, building, and vehicle editors, but there's ever a moment to sit back and enjoy building and growing your civilisation - it's like a sandbox game that won't let you sandbox.for more than a minute at a time. Should have been better - it's points of failure are obvious, and bury what could otherwise have been a fun, creative joy.… Expand
  70. AndyG.
    Sep 5, 2008
    6
    Spore's 5 stages present 4 clickfest mini-games and a poor man's Galactic Civilisation. Whilst the creature creator is an enjoyable distraction, the game itself seems lacklustre. Stunningly your carefully honed creature stats/abilities have absolutely no relevance after the third minigame.
  71. MordorEye
    Sep 7, 2008
    6
    The game is not as good as I expected. The IA is very simple, the real possibilities of evolution are 0 (it doesn't matter the pieces of your body, only their stats), and some levels are similiar to other games, just as FLOW o some bad mmorpgs without quests. Because all the hype I should give it a 5, but I'll give a 6 because this game will like to kids.
  72. Karl
    Sep 7, 2008
    5
    5 sub standard games rolled into one. Not much depth, more of a casual games for people who dont usually play games.
  73. LarsV.
    Sep 7, 2008
    5
    Creation process and graphics are top notch but there just isn't much of a game. I kept feeling I didn't understand the game only to discover that the pushing of 1-3 buttons was the game. Sad to see so much promise unfulfilled. There is no game.
  74. JennyC.
    Sep 8, 2008
    6
    Spore is a series of oversimplified and unimaginative minigames wrapped around groundbreaking procedural animation editors. While these editors are impressive and may herald a new future for customization in games, they alone can't save Spore from monotonous and linear gameplay. For all its claims of being a sandbox, the gameplay of Spore is anything but. While users can create an Spore is a series of oversimplified and unimaginative minigames wrapped around groundbreaking procedural animation editors. While these editors are impressive and may herald a new future for customization in games, they alone can't save Spore from monotonous and linear gameplay. For all its claims of being a sandbox, the gameplay of Spore is anything but. While users can create an infinite variety of creatures to inhabit their worlds, the performance and futures of these creations are entirely determined by diet, fixed stats and objectives the player must complete in each stage. This wouldn't be damning on its own, but where Spore falls apart is in the depth of each stage - there isn't any. There is no strategy, planning, tactics, or creativity in anything you'll do outside of the editors. Solving conflicts and making friends is a simple game of "Simon Says" imitation done by mouseclicks and evolving your creature is a matter of literally pulling body parts out of the ground to add to your collection. In the Creature stage alone you'll be forced to do these actions dozens upon dozens of times with no unique consequences by interacting with AI. Speaking of AI, there isn't any. The animals of Spore either roam in mindless packs or stay concentrated around their nest. They show no desires or emotion. Example, a herbivore character rushes into an unfamiliar albeit neutral carnivorous species' nest, knocks its eggs out, stomps all over, eats the fruit on their nearby trees and then leaves, all without the homewrecked species reacting outside of backing away to keep a foot or two of distance when the player bumps into them. There is a lot more wrong, or rather disappointing, in Spore, and the rest of the stages offer little more than a barebones linear RTS. People have argued that the expectations of this game were too high, but I would counter that gameplay of this calibre is what's expected of a young child's game, not just something meant to appeal to 'casual gamers.' 5 for the editors, 1 for gameplay, overal.… Expand
  75. MaxB
    Sep 8, 2008
    6
    I'm severely underwhelmed. Repetitive minigames, some not even worthy of a flash game on the web. The only good thing about it is the creating things part, and even that's impotent in some respects. I think if they make a Spore 2 it'll be much better. I think this time they tried to do to much and so the entire thing suffered. The whole "world" feels extremely compact, too. I'm severely underwhelmed. Repetitive minigames, some not even worthy of a flash game on the web. The only good thing about it is the creating things part, and even that's impotent in some respects. I think if they make a Spore 2 it'll be much better. I think this time they tried to do to much and so the entire thing suffered. The whole "world" feels extremely compact, too. I don't feel like a species on a planet. I feel like a few creatures in a sandbox. On the whole, the best thing to come out of the game is the procedural generation and animation of models, which hopefully will be adapted to other games [make all your own models for an RTS, perhaps?].… Expand
  76. JamesO.
    Sep 9, 2008
    5
    Tries to be everything thus being pretty average overall. Not a bad game but not a good game either.
  77. sandraD.
    Sep 9, 2008
    5
    Well its fun at the beginning, everything is new and cool and you waited sooo long for this game. Tell you what, I play lots of games, I've played spore for two and I'm already fed up with it. I've given a 5 just cuz the people of maxis worked hard on it but sorry guys you can't beat your own sims.
  78. KL
    Sep 9, 2008
    6
    This game is pretty bad in my opinion. Everything preceding the space stage took around 2 and a half hours to play. Beyond that, the heavily promoted space phase isn't even that impressive. First, there is no seamless transition to the planet stage like there is in Sins of a Solar Empire. Second, terraforming is an arduous affair, where you have to randomly sprinkle plants and This game is pretty bad in my opinion. Everything preceding the space stage took around 2 and a half hours to play. Beyond that, the heavily promoted space phase isn't even that impressive. First, there is no seamless transition to the planet stage like there is in Sins of a Solar Empire. Second, terraforming is an arduous affair, where you have to randomly sprinkle plants and animals on the planet. Third, the missions are pointless and tedious, with most missions requiring you to find something on the planet surface. This is reminiscent of the planet roving on mass effect, albeit worse because now you have a time limit. This was a disappointing game. I suspect they implemented the 3 install DRM because it sucks so badly people will want to sell it off quickly.… Expand
  79. JoeE
    Apr 2, 2009
    5
    While I was waiting patiently for the release, I was disappointed on the whole. Yes, there is more customisation in the game than others, but that's about it. While every different 'playthrough' has you with different looks for your creatures/buildings/vehicles etc. the way you play in each stage remains indentical (make vehicles, take over cities, help other planets enough While I was waiting patiently for the release, I was disappointed on the whole. Yes, there is more customisation in the game than others, but that's about it. While every different 'playthrough' has you with different looks for your creatures/buildings/vehicles etc. the way you play in each stage remains indentical (make vehicles, take over cities, help other planets enough until they're yours; you get the idea) Also throughout the game you always come across all the creatures found in a previous playthrough, with the same traits and characteristics as before. Replayability with all these facts is questionable. Before you decide to get this game, look up videos of old (2006 era) gameplay footage, then rent/buy the game and realise that the old game is 100x better than what you're playing now. Rent at first. Only buy if you like it.… Expand
  80. steveneuberger
    Dec 7, 2006
    6
    I like the concept of this game alot. My biggest problem though are the graphics. They seem so childish, and not complex enough. The graphics this game from amazing to average. If the graphics were better and didn't look like a pokemon video it would be much more appealing to older consumers.
  81. JonasN.
    Nov 22, 2008
    6
    This game is the only one I have ever been hyped about. I pre-ordered it over 2 years prior to release, and the two last months were torture. Finally a true free-form game was to be released, where I had to create my own experience, rather than just follow some pre-designed template. After I'd played it for two weeks, however, I was extremely disappointed, and one thing stood clear This game is the only one I have ever been hyped about. I pre-ordered it over 2 years prior to release, and the two last months were torture. Finally a true free-form game was to be released, where I had to create my own experience, rather than just follow some pre-designed template. After I'd played it for two weeks, however, I was extremely disappointed, and one thing stood clear in my mind: The game, through the last year of development, had been grossly oversimplified, probably from orders by EA, in order to satisfy a larger userbase and to make more money. It was taken from the talk of "verb-creation" and "create your own experience" to a game, where the only thing that was REALLY customizable, except in the early creature stages, was the aesthetics. As I read in a review, in stead of aiming for the fanbase that the game had already developed based on the early videos of the game, they tried to make it something to everyone, and in that process mainly motivated by economic concerns, they dropped everything on the floor. The game ended up mediocre at best, and, from what I've been able to gather, the whole thing backfired. Perhaps this will teach EA to let Will Wright and his team do their job, as they thinks it should be done.… Expand
  82. MihaiC
    Nov 24, 2008
    5
    The game is interesting for a while, but in each stage it gets boring quickly. Especially the space age becomes boring, and also has some annoying aspects because you need to micromanage everything. It is very annoying that each time you go exploring somewhere, sooner or later, something happens on one of your colony or on your allies colonies, that will require your attention. Because of The game is interesting for a while, but in each stage it gets boring quickly. Especially the space age becomes boring, and also has some annoying aspects because you need to micromanage everything. It is very annoying that each time you go exploring somewhere, sooner or later, something happens on one of your colony or on your allies colonies, that will require your attention. Because of this, the game gets very long and dull. Also, the economic part is pretty low level - I would Imagine that by setting up trade routes with other empires, you would be able to get some income, instead you need to take the spice in your ship and sell it yourself. I think it would have been nicer if you were able to build more than one kind of space ships, and send them to do some of your work. As I said, interesting for a while, boring towards the end.… Expand
  83. JD.
    Oct 17, 2008
    5
    Creative aspect of the game is second to none, the actual game play is just a mish-mash of mini games thrown together. There is very little strategic depth in these mini games which was a major disappointment. It's a fun casual game, don't get me wrong, but it was over hyped and found myself putting it down after 1.5 playthroughs.
  84. sAPP
    Dec 17, 2008
    5
    I would compare this game to a multifunction phone that has a camera; GPS and email. It doesnt shine in any segment as such; but has it all built in nevertheless. I found the first stage the most interesting; then subsequent levels less interesting. The space age was really dissappointing since gameplay became too repetitive and uninspiring.
  85. CaseyBurnett
    Dec 29, 2008
    5
    Interesting concept and the creature creator can be fun to toy around with, but the game itself is boring and shallow. Space Stage, where the player will spend most of their time, is plagued with excessive micromanagement hell and tedious exercises in mediocrity. Wait for it to find it's way to the bargain bin, and only let your developmentally disabled children play with it.Interesting concept and the creature creator can be fun to toy around with, but the game itself is boring and shallow. Space Stage, where the player will spend most of their time, is plagued with excessive micromanagement hell and tedious exercises in mediocrity. Wait for it to find it's way to the bargain bin, and only let your developmentally disabled children play with it. Everyone else will get bored with this really, really fast as none of the stages have virtually any replay value what-so-ever.… Expand
  86. Mike
    Oct 24, 2008
    6
    I wont give it the generic 7, the idea was good but the delivery was miserable. The game is so simple that it could be played out on one of those free website games. Will Wright did the best he could with the team he had, most of you should not look down on him (look up articles where he was forced to dumb down the game). All these ratings over 80% are the ones of bought into hype, as I wont give it the generic 7, the idea was good but the delivery was miserable. The game is so simple that it could be played out on one of those free website games. Will Wright did the best he could with the team he had, most of you should not look down on him (look up articles where he was forced to dumb down the game). All these ratings over 80% are the ones of bought into hype, as usual, and marked it based on that initial shock appeal rather than playing it for a week or 2. Games that promise something and then don't deliver deserve to be marked down severely. Gameplay is just way too simple consisting of mind numbingly boring point and click style gathering of food, etc.… Expand
  87. FawfulS.
    Oct 26, 2008
    6
    Fun game that fails for two main reasons: (1) - Too shallow, needs more depth (2) - DRM pretty much makes this unplayable.
  88. ThomasH.
    Sep 10, 2008
    6
    This game was not what they showcased at the conventions in 2005.
  89. DR.
    Sep 11, 2008
    6
    I found this title to be over rated by many of the game reviewers I once trusted. It seems EA might be giving them a little more than just a preview copy of the game. Upon purchasing this overpriced game for only three installs I decided to review it on gameplay alone. Forget the 3 install problem and look at the gameplay. Graphics are colorful but not mind-blowing, Soundtrack, well there I found this title to be over rated by many of the game reviewers I once trusted. It seems EA might be giving them a little more than just a preview copy of the game. Upon purchasing this overpriced game for only three installs I decided to review it on gameplay alone. Forget the 3 install problem and look at the gameplay. Graphics are colorful but not mind-blowing, Soundtrack, well there really isn't one but slight grunts. Style, this is where the game is yes unique, but it seems to be very limited. Each of the stages you go through you seem to have resources everywhere and are easily accessible. It is true that you have many different objects you can place on your creature but only certain ones can be matched to be visually pleasing. If you go far too complicated some of the motions your creature will do look terrible and messy. Yes its nice we can design a bunch of things throughout the world. Your limited by the amount of what you do with it. Sure you can through fifty spikey balls on your face but it comes off looking cluttered. I gave this game a 6 because the stages do get boring even after you have made 3 - 4 different creatures. It just appears to be the same old song and dance, or song and attack strategy. I remember the days when game developers release the full game and not just partial chunks to earn more profit. This game clearly appears to be only half complete.… Expand
  90. LaurentD.
    Sep 11, 2008
    5
    A game that promised so much and fails to deliver. Ok, the editors are fun and allow you to make beautiful things but in the end don't have no repercussion whatsoever in playing the game. I couldn't wait to start playing this game and when i finally got to play it ( after waiting to unlock the install from EA downloader around 2 at night) i only played for a little hour, A game that promised so much and fails to deliver. Ok, the editors are fun and allow you to make beautiful things but in the end don't have no repercussion whatsoever in playing the game. I couldn't wait to start playing this game and when i finally got to play it ( after waiting to unlock the install from EA downloader around 2 at night) i only played for a little hour, dissappointment set in quite fast. After each phase you feel as if whatever you did in the previous phase doesn't matter a single bit, the design of your creature hardly matters, it's astonishingly, nearly insultingly easy and thus boring. The editors are fun and give it all some playability fortunately, just a huge pity that there was no effort whatsoever of giving value or reason to how you desgin your creature. One game wherein each phase feels as 6 mediocre ones. Is smells as if moneyinterests win over true gaming once more, if the emancipation of the gaming industry is setting us up with this constantly it will be a sad time in gameland to come… Expand
  91. Brad
    Sep 12, 2008
    6
    What's revolutionary and inspiring about this game is the evolutionary concepts it's based on, the space-age terraforming etc and the creative design elements. The actual gameplay however is really tedious and childish. It becomes Sbore. The bulk of the game is really cheap 'grinding' to be able to afford the next cool upgrade, which usually just means a different kind What's revolutionary and inspiring about this game is the evolutionary concepts it's based on, the space-age terraforming etc and the creative design elements. The actual gameplay however is really tedious and childish. It becomes Sbore. The bulk of the game is really cheap 'grinding' to be able to afford the next cool upgrade, which usually just means a different kind of grind. It's the illusion of progress - burn time doing menial tasks until you get the next status symbol so you feel like you're really achieving something. Flying around the planet scanning plants and wildlife for example sounds cool but is physically stupid and menial. This is also the same mechanics as the planetary combat when other civilizations invade your planet. Gameplay-wise that kind of stuff has half the challenge of a 1980's Asteroids game. It becomes a chore - it reminds me of an old Donald Duck game on the Commodore 64 where you had to click items on a conveyor belt in a factory to earn $7 an hour. I literally started falling asleep in my chair at least twice while playing Spore. The impact that physical body shape customizations make on the gameplay were dramatically misrepresented in all the hype that came out before the game. People assumed that if you styled body shape and geometry particularly well it would seriously impact your creatures' abilities. It doesn't. The game doesn't care a lot what your creature shape is. You just buy certain body parts to tack onto your creature that give you +1 Social or +1 Combat etc. These normalising intellectually-dull shopping sprees are what determine your creatures abilities. The ideologies your tribe evolves into are poorly designed. If you complete the tribal stage by social victories for example - giving food away and impressing other creatures with your music - your tribe has to play the Religion game in the next stage. The religion game is almost identical to the combat game. In combat you shoot a tank and it explodes. With religious wars you shoot the tank with a religion beam and it disappears. The game will not let you play with an Economic style unless you kill half the tribes in the tribal game and make friends with the other half. If you kill them all, they force you to play a Military ideology. If you befriend them all they force you to play a Religion ideology. This is just stupid in evolutionary terms. History shows you don't necessarily have to become an economic powerhouse just by killing half your enemies. Indeed, these should be about buying them off with gifts and bribes etc. The game teaches people about evolution in some useful ways but what does it teach them about the evolution of ideologies? It says that if you're tribe is friendly to everyone then you must be becoming a religious fanatic. It says that if you focus on wealth that you must be half a killer and half a peacenik. It says if you defend yourself against anybody that attacks you that must be militaristic. Anyway, the one thing that might have saved this game is multiplayer features and yet these are sadly lacking. If strategy and intellectual gameplay challenges are important to you, you'll get bored with this game pretty quickly. If cool creature design and grinding to go shopping appeals to you, this game is for you.… Expand
  92. AnonymousMC
    Sep 12, 2008
    5
    So after reading some of the reviews , I realized it wasn't just me. This game actually is flawed. There are some good moments and some fantastic design tools but overall i worked through some less than spectacular game play to get to the "space Age"...only to be given the task of setting up a trade route, then be blown up or attacked at nearly every planet i visited.
    For 2 hours I    So after reading some of the reviews , I realized it wasn't just me. This game actually is flawed. There are some good moments and some fantastic design tools but overall i worked through some less than spectacular game play to get to the "space Age"...only to be given the task of setting up a trade route, then be blown up or attacked at nearly every planet i visited.
    For 2 hours I basically watched my "space ship" get rebuilt, over and over and over and over and over.......    … Expand
  93. DmitryA
    Sep 12, 2008
    5
    Perhaps the most annoying thing about that many haven't mentioned..is how the game is marketed. EA forces the consumer to choose between a physical copy that can be played offline( but ownership is lost if the key is lost) and the downloadable version( that you can never lose) but has to be played online. Why can't EA be like Steam? Once you own a game, it should always be Perhaps the most annoying thing about that many haven't mentioned..is how the game is marketed. EA forces the consumer to choose between a physical copy that can be played offline( but ownership is lost if the key is lost) and the downloadable version( that you can never lose) but has to be played online. Why can't EA be like Steam? Once you own a game, it should always be accessible through your account wherever you are. Spore's cool though, I hope that Maxis will release expansions for it like they did for Sims.… Expand
  94. MrF
    Sep 12, 2008
    5
    I feel bad rating this, I never made it past the second phase. But the reason for that is that this game bored the pants off me. It doesn't take a lot to keep me happy, but the mediocre graphics, shoddy controls and puddle deep gameplay made the whole thing feel like a chore. I turned it off and had no urge to go back. I hear the space phase is good, but then there are plenty of I feel bad rating this, I never made it past the second phase. But the reason for that is that this game bored the pants off me. It doesn't take a lot to keep me happy, but the mediocre graphics, shoddy controls and puddle deep gameplay made the whole thing feel like a chore. I turned it off and had no urge to go back. I hear the space phase is good, but then there are plenty of games that are good for their entire duration that I would rather spend my time on.… Expand
  95. ArvinS.
    Sep 14, 2008
    6
    Each stage feels rushed with an artificial ending; as someone said its like playing a bad version of five different games. The game really does lack depth and substance and is a huge disappointment.
  96. ZachO.
    Sep 15, 2008
    6
    It's alright for a weekend, but gets boring pretty quick due to it's extreme simplicity. I was hoping for much more actually, I'm pretty dissapointed.
  97. Denver
    Sep 15, 2008
    5
    The cell stage was fun, but needs alot of improvement. Tribal and creature stage is silly like hell. Civ stage is the most dumb down RTS i ever played, hell those flash tower defense RTS has more depth than it. Haven try space age, since after i play it 3 times i stopped playing.
  98. PhilP.B.
    Sep 16, 2008
    6
    EA really created a strong belief that this game would be a gaming revolution. Unfortunately for them, the simple fact that they created such a big expectation made certain that they couldn't reach it. It's a good game, altough I wouldn't have paid so much for it having known how it is, but many factors such as the contrast between the complicated space stage and the simple EA really created a strong belief that this game would be a gaming revolution. Unfortunately for them, the simple fact that they created such a big expectation made certain that they couldn't reach it. It's a good game, altough I wouldn't have paid so much for it having known how it is, but many factors such as the contrast between the complicated space stage and the simple previous stages, as well as repetitive gameplay make it a bit less than what it could've been. EA sure made a bunch of money with it, as Wright said that's what they were aiming for, but I'm afraid that this game will not make history as was intended originally. Once you played through the game once (roughly in one evening for the first four stages), playing through it again doesn't feel nearly as exciting as the first time, and nothing new is offered. Though I'm eager to see an eventual expansion to the game, I probably won't play it again for a while - The thrill was, indeed, short-lived. I'll go play SimCity 4 or AOEII when I'll be in need of startegy/simulation.… Expand
  99. DavidL.
    Sep 19, 2008
    5
    Fun the first few times through, then gets very repetitive.
  100. AngusHirst
    Sep 26, 2008
    6
    While at first it appears to have unlimited replayability, the reality is that the different phases quickly become repetitive. The Cell stage is probably the best executed, and it lasts just long enough for you to still have some interest in it. The creature stage is saved by the multitude of different ways your creature can be edited. The tribal and civilization stages are very boring andWhile at first it appears to have unlimited replayability, the reality is that the different phases quickly become repetitive. The Cell stage is probably the best executed, and it lasts just long enough for you to still have some interest in it. The creature stage is saved by the multitude of different ways your creature can be edited. The tribal and civilization stages are very boring and tedious, and if you ge tthrough them, you'll find th meat of the game in the space stage.

    The space stage initially appears amazingly good. Once the helpful tutorial ends, zoom out and see how damn big the galaxy really is. Unfortunately there really isn't many ways to progress. All strategies in the end involve conquering and setting up colonies. While this is fun for a while, the pointlessness of this soon fits in and the massive galaxy becomes a burden - not a gift. There are some very annoying moments, particularly fighting your way through an enemy planet, only to get the message that one of your far away allies ecosystems is in danger, and you'd better stop that battle and get to where the real priority is *cough*.

    Despite this nuisances and problems, Spore is not a bad game. Its just the whole concept while having magnificant potential is not carried out correctly.    … Expand
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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".
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