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. Keron_Heruman
    Aug 25, 2023
    7
    I had been waiting this game with hype, but it has not met expectations... Interesting creator and absolutely awesome idea, but so boring to play with little options to really do
  2. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    7
    It's an overall fun game that has its moments of greatness but sometimes feels half-baked. Creature stage is the best, space stage is excellent if directionless, and the tribe/civilization stages feel underwhelming by comparison. The public creature sharing is amazing though! It creates very fun and diverse worlds to play in.
  3. Naked_Snakee
    Apr 7, 2023
    7
    Just text (crutch) to save the game to the list. Such things. Maybe I'll do a review later.
  4. Jollyolfun
    Nov 18, 2022
    6
    this is one of those games you play as a kid and really enjoy but come back to as an aduly and think is mid
  5. Gornostai
    Jun 1, 2022
    7
    До этапа космоса - очень интересно. А дальше очень скучно и однообразно. Вроде прошёл, а вроде с какими-то придурками не договорился.
  6. Flaks
    Apr 12, 2022
    7
    I like this game. I went through it completely and created a gigantic empire. The whole process of evolution from a small bacterium to a galactic empire was well done and worked out by the developers. But why haven't they done the second part yet?
  7. rezo_21
    Sep 18, 2021
    6
    ====================IIIIIIIIII GAME SCORE : 60 IIIIIIIIII====================
  8. Asp_klg40
    Aug 29, 2021
    7
    Весьма неоднозначная игра, по началу удивляет потом утомляет, своеобразное размышление про эволюцию на раз пройти на второй терпения не хватит.
  9. Misterdiony
    May 17, 2021
    7
    The game itself had immense potential but felt poorly executed. I enjoyed the space stage the most, as all previous stages had not much depth (at least for me). A lot of extra points for the possible creativity, but it remains repetitive without being able to have (or create) a challenge.
  10. UntidySaturn
    Apr 29, 2021
    5
    Игра сама по себе хороша, но мир пустой геймплей со временем надоедает,боевка на уровне бревна, а как стратегия интересная, но только стратегия все остальное очень плохо(, выше 5 не могу поставить
  11. elefsar
    Apr 22, 2021
    5
    Yes we can do living thing evolution but so then what? So sick story, boring game play, fun to desing a living.
  12. Hello12345678
    Dec 31, 2020
    7
    While I've had a lot of fun with this game , I recognise that a lot of people won't .

    Spore is very fun as far as the creation goes - it also gives you a lot of freedom to choose whatever path you want to . However , these options are limited and can make gameplay repetitive .
  13. B-Bog
    May 29, 2020
    5
    I had some fun with this, but the game just straight up crashed on me after hours of playing. I had just entered the civilzation phase. When I booted it back up, I was back in the tribal phase! And not even the last time I saved there, but before that! WTF dude??? How about an auto-save, at least when you enter a NEW PHASE IN THE GAME? Would that be too much to ask?

    Up to that point, I    I had some fun with this, but the game just straight up crashed on me after hours of playing. I had just entered the civilzation phase. When I booted it back up, I was back in the tribal phase! And not even the last time I saved there, but before that! WTF dude??? How about an auto-save, at least when you enter a NEW PHASE IN THE GAME? Would that be too much to ask?

    Up to that point, I had some fun wth Spore, but it's really not all that special. Let's see if I can muster up the motivation to retrace my steps up to the point where it crashed. And, oh yeah, the fact that this still costs 20€ on Steam is absolutely laughable.    … Expand
  14. Genek13
    Nov 20, 2019
    7
    Spore is not a terrible game but also not awesome :)
    It's an decent SIM kind of game, which you make your own species.
    Quite unique game back in 2008 :)
  15. 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...
  16. 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
  17. alexrus911
    Dec 22, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. раньше мне нравилась эта игра,но за 10 лет ничего особо не добавили.хотя новости в стиме выходят по сей день.
    ужасно тупой ИИ,хреновая графика даже на высоких настройках,
    на стадии племени ты можешь послать 9 человек с оружием против 12 с муз инструментами и НИКТО не вернется назад! а убьют они лишь троих!запутанное управление племенем.кажется что у врагов есть преимущество тк даже 2 челика без оружия могут почти уничтожить отряд из 3 вооруженных человек.идти дружелюбным путем тупо легче чем воевать тк воевать очень геморно!
    очень интересно играть на стадии цивилизации.
    у игры очень интересная задумка но реализация хромает.в стим версии иногда
    вылетает и виснет(?!). но в игру стоит поиграть.    … Expand
  18. 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.
  19. GolovA
    Sep 11, 2017
    7
    It aged ok.
    A casual model designer more than anything else. No strategy really.
    My favorite two phases are Cell and Space Exploration.
    I still recommend because this is an example of a grandiose project pulled off. Quite a fit!
  20. dibdom
    Mar 14, 2017
    7
    Graphics - 5
    Music - 7
    Story - 7
    Gameplay - 9
    Content - 8
    Personal Fun - 10
    Difficulty - 7 .
  21. reviewfrom19842
    Oct 4, 2016
    7
    Very fun game.........................................................................................................................................
  22. GhiriGhiri
    Aug 27, 2016
    6
    Spore is a very simple adventure game and suitable for every type of age .
    is a game of skill and creativity that deserves to be played at least once in their lifetime .
    Are you vegetarian or carnivore ?
  23. Silverzapper
    Jan 31, 2016
    5
    I enjoyed this game. The space age kept me entertained for awhile. However the other stages of the game are only fun the first time and become a chore rather quickly. It is repetitive to the point where the first few minutes of a stage will be almost the same as the entire thing. I see a lot of missed potential for this game. I feel it could have been really good if they spent a lot moreI enjoyed this game. The space age kept me entertained for awhile. However the other stages of the game are only fun the first time and become a chore rather quickly. It is repetitive to the point where the first few minutes of a stage will be almost the same as the entire thing. I see a lot of missed potential for this game. I feel it could have been really good if they spent a lot more time on it.… Expand
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
  26. 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
  27. SpiderPlayer
    Jun 19, 2015
    7
    The game is fun and different, has a number of different gameplay styles, it has a really cool part of creation, and it is you who creates the game story, but in some parts of the game he gets to be very slow and tiring.
  28. 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.
  29. 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
  30. Kazamino
    Jan 27, 2014
    7
    Spore is by far one, if not my favorite PC game. It is a creative, eye-opening, fun and overall greatly crafted game. The only issues I have with the game are the amount of glitches and issues that it has. Even with patches, I and many other people still find themselves encountering the same errors and glitches throughout the game. These issues range from minor to severe, and they are theSpore is by far one, if not my favorite PC game. It is a creative, eye-opening, fun and overall greatly crafted game. The only issues I have with the game are the amount of glitches and issues that it has. Even with patches, I and many other people still find themselves encountering the same errors and glitches throughout the game. These issues range from minor to severe, and they are the most frustrating part of the game. It also has problems running on certain operating systems. Other than that, I recommend Spore as a great PC game, especially to people who love to create their own creatures, buildings and vehicles and explore their own world. But, I wouldn't get too attached to a saved game.

    I think there should be a new and improved Spore game, with more online interaction, a broader gaming experience, less glitches, and more versatility with systems. Spore is a great idea for a game, and I believe that there's even more that can be done with it.    … Expand
  31. 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
  32. 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
  33. 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
  34. DominikCZE
    Nov 9, 2013
    6
    The concept of the game is original enough, but I was expecting to get a bit more out of the gameplay, the creature stage is extremely childish and repetitive, tribal and civilization stages are just plain horrible. What makes this game worth buying is the intriguing space stage and pretty fun mini game like cell stage.
  35. Hylus
    Apr 20, 2013
    6
    I found the game fun for a few hours but it has so little depth I lost interest very quickly. I'd recommend the game to a younger child in an instant, though.
  36. 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.
  37. 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.
  38. 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
  39. 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
  40. 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
  41. 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.
  42. 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
  43. SCHMOOPITIZE
    May 17, 2012
    7
    This is one of my favorite games of all time. I am in an advanced science class at school and the only part i look forward to is biology/evolution unit. So this game which i got in fifth grade. Is amazing. However there is a couple of problems. The cell stage feels simplistic and in your first play-through you will feel so confused on how to become an omnivore. Then comes the creatureThis is one of my favorite games of all time. I am in an advanced science class at school and the only part i look forward to is biology/evolution unit. So this game which i got in fifth grade. Is amazing. However there is a couple of problems. The cell stage feels simplistic and in your first play-through you will feel so confused on how to become an omnivore. Then comes the creature phase the best one in the game. Where you create your own species and through different choice of applying primal instincts develop a brain large enough to organize a town. Then comes tribal phase. THE HARDEST STAGE IN THE GAME. I love RTS'S (top 5 favorite types of games) and this is by far the hardest one. Unless you play diplomatic. You will find combat difficult. Then surprisingly enough the next stage, CIVILIZATION STAGE, is the easiest. With money in an endless supply capturing cities is super easy. Then the space stage is a disappointment, it's super long, boring and hard to follow. My biggest gripe is the lack of expansions, there was a 20 part pack, and an expansions to make space stage more interesting. What about a water stage that was promised?… Expand
  44. 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
  45. 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
  46. 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.
  47. 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
  48. 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.
  49. CrestedCrane
    Sep 30, 2010
    5
    I think everyone can agree that Spore is severely watered-down from where it should be; its consecutive mini-games are precisely that, and the game eventually runs out of steam and collapses into a pile of space-operatic wet noodles resembling nothing so much as a _Master of Orion_-_Brutal Legend_ crossover. (It's much less entertaining than it sounds.)

    The creature creator is    I think everyone can agree that Spore is severely watered-down from where it should be; its consecutive mini-games are precisely that, and the game eventually runs out of steam and collapses into a pile of space-operatic wet noodles resembling nothing so much as a _Master of Orion_-_Brutal Legend_ crossover. (It's much less entertaining than it sounds.)

    The creature creator is incredibly entertaining, though; I'd recommend buying the game for that, now that it should be fairly cheap on Steam, but don't have any high hopes beyond "animated LEGO."

    I think most people have missed a certain irony pertaining to the game's launch: that a game which was little more or less than an enormous engine of IP piracy (look up the in-game Nintendo Channel sometime) had draconian measures guarding it against being pirated, itself. The "evolve based on skills used" style of play originally planned for the game would have been a more sensible choice, avoiding this philosophical problem... although it would have been problematic to get wings.    … Expand
  50. 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
  51. 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
  52. LS
    Mar 20, 2009
    6
    As you should know, the creators which caused the massive pre-release hype are amazing. You can create anything from a one legged bear to an advanced tank on stilts, the high amount of customisation tools means that your imagination is the only limiting factor. However, the game goes at a perfect pace and grips you until you triumphantly send your creation into space... then nothing. As you should know, the creators which caused the massive pre-release hype are amazing. You can create anything from a one legged bear to an advanced tank on stilts, the high amount of customisation tools means that your imagination is the only limiting factor. However, the game goes at a perfect pace and grips you until you triumphantly send your creation into space... then nothing. Repetitive gameplay with no plotline.… Expand
  53. 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
  54. BillyJ.
    Jan 11, 2009
    5
    The game could be summarized in a phrase: "More could have been done with it." That being said, is what little they did with it worth the purchase price? Not really. There are some features which have been left out that are quite frankly inexcusable. The first three phases of the game are well done. The cell phase is plagiarized from flOw. The creature phase is perhaps the only part of The game could be summarized in a phrase: "More could have been done with it." That being said, is what little they did with it worth the purchase price? Not really. There are some features which have been left out that are quite frankly inexcusable. The first three phases of the game are well done. The cell phase is plagiarized from flOw. The creature phase is perhaps the only part of the game that is original or unique. The tribal phase, despite claims, does not particularly play like an RTS. In fact, it plays almost the same as the civilization phase, except with no loose pieces of string hanging off it. In the last two phases of the game (civilization and space), it really begins to fall apart. You can tell these phases were only half-completed, and you can feel it when you play them. In the civilization phase, the "military" and "religious" routes play absolutely identically. The superweapons are a hasty afterthought, and I hardly ever found myself using them, needing them, or in a situation where I could justify their cost, particularly the more expensive ones. The devs took extra care to make sure that this phase plays through more or less exactly the same in every game (only they know why they thought this was a good idea). Most of the choices in the diplomacy screen (when you're actually talking to a rival nation) are completely pointless and do nothing. They're just there to fill out the menu. You can tell that this phase was originally more similar to Civ 2-4, but for whatever reason they removed most of the functionality. They might have been afraid of someone accidentally having fun. The space phase is the worst of the worst in the game, lacking essential functionality and being largely without direction and with no real reward for self-guided play. In fact, one could argue that self-guided play is penalized, since despite the vast size of the galaxy, neighbors will encroach on the player's empire very rapidly. Attacks and raids are too frequent to be reasonable. It is often very difficult to find one particular system you are looking for. There's no way for the player to search for systems, to 'mark' them so that they look different, to set waypoints or queues, or to collect income unless the player's empires ONE SINGLE SPACE SHIP CONTROLLED BY YOU actively goes around doing so. There is no way to get multiple fleets that can do more than thing at once, and frankly it's totally ridiculous that a space empire of a dozen or two solar systems still relies on a single ship to do all its grunt work. Eventually you end up being attacked by Grox every other minute, and if you try to get clever and take the fight to them, you discover that the Grox control approximately a thousand systems and effectively cannot be beaten. Thanks for that blatant kick in the balls, game developers. Most egregiously, the space phase of the game really should have been multiplayer. The phrase "massively single-player online game" doesn't actually mean anything, and is an oxymoron. It's a single-player game, plain and simple, and as such suffers from a lack of endgame. Given there is no plot structure, there is obviously no climax or denouement anywhere in the game. It just fizzles out and the player loses interest, turns it off, uninstalls it, and writes a review saying how mediocre it is. The game could have been much more, and basically the developers dropped the ball and ruined it. Future added content will not resolve this unless that content drastically rewrites the game to the point that it is some other game completely. If that happens, I'll write a second review for Spore 2, and this one will still apply to this game.… Expand
  55. 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
  56. 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
  57. 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
  58. 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.
  59. MikeBetts
    Nov 26, 2008
    6
    It is difficult to be critical when talking about a game as earnest as Spore. I expect this is why most discussions, particularly reviews, of the game have been mostly positive. Of course, no one pretends its constituent gameplay modes are any good. After all, we cannot fault it for failing to do something it is clearly not attempting. Yet it is a mistake to ignore the gameplay in Spore.It is difficult to be critical when talking about a game as earnest as Spore. I expect this is why most discussions, particularly reviews, of the game have been mostly positive. Of course, no one pretends its constituent gameplay modes are any good. After all, we cannot fault it for failing to do something it is clearly not attempting. Yet it is a mistake to ignore the gameplay in Spore. (Read more here: http://mikebbetts.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/the-absence-of-context-in-spore/)… Expand
  60. 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
  61. 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
  62. 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
  63. 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.
  64. 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
  65. 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.
  66. 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
  67. 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
  68. 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
  69. 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
  70. 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.
  71. 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
  72. 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
  73. AnonymousAnonymous
    Sep 26, 2008
    5
    Awesome game, too bad EA distributed it. They are ruining all maxis games. That's why I and dozen of people pirated it.

    Beside that, this is the most impressive peice of programmation I have ever seen. Gameplay is amazing during cell and creature phases. Tribal phase is boring. Macro management is really hard and the gameplay is way too basic. Civilization phase is ok. You can    Awesome game, too bad EA distributed it. They are ruining all maxis games. That's why I and dozen of people pirated it.

    Beside that, this is the most impressive peice of programmation I have ever seen. Gameplay is amazing during cell and creature phases. Tribal phase is boring. Macro management is really hard and the gameplay is way too basic. Civilization phase is ok. You can build your own vehicles and buildings, but beside that, it's too long. There are too much cities to ally and/or destroy. Money is also really easy to gain. Then it comes to space phase. Micromanagement kicks back in, the ammount of place you can visit and things you can do is incredible for the actual size of the game. My main complaint about this phase is that attacks and disasters get on your nerves.
    Spore is an excellent game except for tribal and civilization phase because of aweful controls and boring gameplay. It is technically incredible, and a really fun game for people who like to create stuff. The main flaw of Spore is that EA distributed it.    … Expand
  74. OwenDunne
    Sep 25, 2008
    5
    This game was fun for the first 7 hours of gameplay or so, and the first creature I made I had lots of fun with making and eventually designing the buildings. However after the initial playthrough it does become fairly boring. I do remember however going through the game on my first runthrough and still expecting something more, which never came.
  75. 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.
  76. JaysonL.
    Sep 19, 2008
    6
    Spore started out as a very fun game and very interesting. The game begins as a little cell, then you grow into an organism, then into a tribe, then into a civilization, then into an empire to conquer space. The real question is this: Do you love the game the sims? If yes, this game is for you. If not, stay away. This game is , in essence, the Sims with a build mode, and instead of emotes Spore started out as a very fun game and very interesting. The game begins as a little cell, then you grow into an organism, then into a tribe, then into a civilization, then into an empire to conquer space. The real question is this: Do you love the game the sims? If yes, this game is for you. If not, stay away. This game is , in essence, the Sims with a build mode, and instead of emotes they replaced it with a combat system. Now you don't need to fight, you can "negotiate" and become good friends. The problem is that the game is linear. I Had tons of fun building the characters etc, but after awhile the game is just plain boring. This game had a lot of potential, lets just say the Super Nintendo game Evo: search for eden beats it about 9,001 times over. I have a hard time believing that games on this level are still being produced. This is a game ill be just lending out to friends to play, as its only fun for about 10 hours of gameplay.… Expand
  77. DavidL.
    Sep 19, 2008
    5
    Fun the first few times through, then gets very repetitive.
  78. 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
  79. JonathanH.
    Sep 18, 2008
    5
    Some nice ideas, but it's over simplified and offers nothing for long term appeal.
  80. 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.
  81. 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
  82. 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
  83. 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.
  84. 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.
  85. 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.
  86. DaveB.
    Sep 15, 2008
    5
    Spore is an interesting program, but it's a terrible game. The creator elements, where players can sculpt creatures, buildings, and vehicles are very novel and pretty well done, but the actual gameplay is all five stages is unbelievably shallow. I understand that the game is supposed to be accessible, but the game doesn't start simple and gradually allow you to go deeper; it Spore is an interesting program, but it's a terrible game. The creator elements, where players can sculpt creatures, buildings, and vehicles are very novel and pretty well done, but the actual gameplay is all five stages is unbelievably shallow. I understand that the game is supposed to be accessible, but the game doesn't start simple and gradually allow you to go deeper; it starts simple and just gets boring. Unlike previous Maxis projects, the game - which doesn't take very long to get through - has virtually no replay value despite the available customization because there's no real challenge and most of the choices you make don't really matter. The creator modes are indeed very cool, but the game they support is totally just tacked on.… Expand
  87. BoP.
    Sep 14, 2008
    5
    Could have been more. Great Idea! Crap implementation. Now after 2 days of playing I'm gonna leave Spore in its corner and hope for some free addons and updates to come out so its fun to play again.
  88. 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.
  89. 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.
  90. 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
  91. groovicusmaximus
    Sep 13, 2008
    5
    It is just not very exciting. My kid would probably love the initial stages, but they are pretty short.
  92. 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.
  93. dougs
    Sep 13, 2008
    5
    Really dumbed down. Crashed on me last night after a lot of progress in space stage and I dont feel like wasting time doing the same thing again.
  94. 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
  95. TS
    Sep 12, 2008
    7
    While it was a ton of fun to toy around with for a few hours, I lost interest. The simple, really F$@#ing simple gameplay makes me thing I'm playing an educational game mean for five year olds sans the education. This is a devolution of gaming. I am so disappointed with will wrights "masterpiece" that I'm not going to buy any more of his games until a good year after their out. While it was a ton of fun to toy around with for a few hours, I lost interest. The simple, really F$@#ing simple gameplay makes me thing I'm playing an educational game mean for five year olds sans the education. This is a devolution of gaming. I am so disappointed with will wrights "masterpiece" that I'm not going to buy any more of his games until a good year after their out. Shame on you for releasing this hunk of crap, mr. wright. Shame on you.… Expand
  96. 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
  97. 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
  98. 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
  99. 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
  100. 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
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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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