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. SteveM
    Sep 6, 2008
    5
    It is good to know that a game can be released for PC these days and be bug free, an achievement in polish for sure. This game Is overly expensive, without reason. The lack of story is disappointing and doesn't make you want to launch the game. The creation and interaction is fun but it is missing reason. If this was Will Wrights first game, EA wouldn't be charging more, clearly It is good to know that a game can be released for PC these days and be bug free, an achievement in polish for sure. This game Is overly expensive, without reason. The lack of story is disappointing and doesn't make you want to launch the game. The creation and interaction is fun but it is missing reason. If this was Will Wrights first game, EA wouldn't be charging more, clearly a ripoff.… Expand
  2. TreyG.
    Sep 6, 2008
    6
    It was a good idea, but Will Wright totally blew it on gameplay. I wish we could rewind the clock 2 years and give Will's excellent design tools to Sid Meier, and let him handle the gameplay and strategy.
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. RoryO.
    Sep 11, 2008
    6
    A great toy, and the creation tools are unparalleled. As a game, though, it falls flat. It seems to be aimed at the same audience that appreciates the open-ended nature of the Sims (turning off people who are looking for in-depth play and strategy) but requires the competitive and goal-oriented nature of other major games (turning off the people who just want to mess around with the A great toy, and the creation tools are unparalleled. As a game, though, it falls flat. It seems to be aimed at the same audience that appreciates the open-ended nature of the Sims (turning off people who are looking for in-depth play and strategy) but requires the competitive and goal-oriented nature of other major games (turning off the people who just want to mess around with the creator). If they had taking the time to make the gameplay more intuitive and FUN, this would have been a smash success. As it stands, though, in trying to do everything it does nothing all that well.… Expand
  6. 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
  7. 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.
  8. groovicusmaximus
    Sep 13, 2008
    5
    It is just not very exciting. My kid would probably love the initial stages, but they are pretty short.
  9. 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.
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. 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.
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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!
  17. 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
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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
  21. 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.
  22. 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
  23. reviewfrom19842
    Oct 4, 2016
    7
    Very fun game.........................................................................................................................................
  24. 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 ?
  25. dibdom
    Mar 14, 2017
    7
    Graphics - 5
    Music - 7
    Story - 7
    Gameplay - 9
    Content - 8
    Personal Fun - 10
    Difficulty - 7 .
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. rezo_21
    Sep 18, 2021
    6
    ====================IIIIIIIIII GAME SCORE : 60 IIIIIIIIII====================
  29. 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 :)
  30. 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 .
  31. 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.
  32. 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
  33. 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.
  34. 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.
  35. 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?
  36. 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
  37. 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.
  38. 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.
  39. 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.
  40. 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
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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]
    Read full review
  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
See all critic reviews »