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. Alex
    Sep 7, 2008
    4
    Nice looking game with extremely primitive and easy gameplay. Game is worth playing for 2-3 days.
  2. GwarB.
    Sep 7, 2008
    2
    The precursor stages lack any sort of depth or actual gameplay and as such every gamer will simply skip to the space stage on their second go. As bread an butter of the game, the space stage suffers from horrible controls, insane amounts of micromanagement and game mechanics which will invariably see you quit every game after 3 or so hours of getting precisely nowhere.
  3. Karl
    Sep 7, 2008
    5
    5 sub standard games rolled into one. Not much depth, more of a casual games for people who dont usually play games.
  4. DeadP.
    Sep 7, 2008
    0
    Horrible game, I don't think it can get anymore casual. Not to mention that it speaks volumes about EA and Maxis on how they sell out, when the 2005 demo of the game looked far better than the 2008 version.
  5. SteveA.
    Sep 7, 2008
    4
    A unique concept, but precious little depth. In all, it's rather dull to play.
  6. LarsV.
    Sep 7, 2008
    5
    Creation process and graphics are top notch but there just isn't much of a game. I kept feeling I didn't understand the game only to discover that the pushing of 1-3 buttons was the game. Sad to see so much promise unfulfilled. There is no game.
  7. JennyC.
    Sep 8, 2008
    6
    Spore is a series of oversimplified and unimaginative minigames wrapped around groundbreaking procedural animation editors. While these editors are impressive and may herald a new future for customization in games, they alone can't save Spore from monotonous and linear gameplay. For all its claims of being a sandbox, the gameplay of Spore is anything but. While users can create an Spore is a series of oversimplified and unimaginative minigames wrapped around groundbreaking procedural animation editors. While these editors are impressive and may herald a new future for customization in games, they alone can't save Spore from monotonous and linear gameplay. For all its claims of being a sandbox, the gameplay of Spore is anything but. While users can create an infinite variety of creatures to inhabit their worlds, the performance and futures of these creations are entirely determined by diet, fixed stats and objectives the player must complete in each stage. This wouldn't be damning on its own, but where Spore falls apart is in the depth of each stage - there isn't any. There is no strategy, planning, tactics, or creativity in anything you'll do outside of the editors. Solving conflicts and making friends is a simple game of "Simon Says" imitation done by mouseclicks and evolving your creature is a matter of literally pulling body parts out of the ground to add to your collection. In the Creature stage alone you'll be forced to do these actions dozens upon dozens of times with no unique consequences by interacting with AI. Speaking of AI, there isn't any. The animals of Spore either roam in mindless packs or stay concentrated around their nest. They show no desires or emotion. Example, a herbivore character rushes into an unfamiliar albeit neutral carnivorous species' nest, knocks its eggs out, stomps all over, eats the fruit on their nearby trees and then leaves, all without the homewrecked species reacting outside of backing away to keep a foot or two of distance when the player bumps into them. There is a lot more wrong, or rather disappointing, in Spore, and the rest of the stages offer little more than a barebones linear RTS. People have argued that the expectations of this game were too high, but I would counter that gameplay of this calibre is what's expected of a young child's game, not just something meant to appeal to 'casual gamers.' 5 for the editors, 1 for gameplay, overal.… Expand
  8. JayF.
    Sep 8, 2008
    2
    - online activation only - three activations only (on 3 separate computers OR one computer w/configuration changes, which are not disclosed by EA - activations are NOT revoked upon uninstallation - exceeding the 3rd activation and needing another requires approval from EA - for some disks will be unreadable by their DVD drives due to Securom manufacturing process - already longstanding - online activation only - three activations only (on 3 separate computers OR one computer w/configuration changes, which are not disclosed by EA - activations are NOT revoked upon uninstallation - exceeding the 3rd activation and needing another requires approval from EA - for some disks will be unreadable by their DVD drives due to Securom manufacturing process - already longstanding problems resulting from Securom conflicts w/other programs still occur - resale is virtually killed due to activation limits - no refunds are given for downloaded games - games purchased via EA Download Manager require additional payment for access to them after 2 years - EA Download Manager installation required for patches - Securom does not uninstall when the game is uninstalled - Securom transmits unknown iinformation over the internet without user's knowledge or consent - Securom accesses Ring0 to detect emulation software - Securom installs hidden files/folders/registry entries upon execution of the game - Securom is made by SonyDADC, with whom purchasers have no contract when they buy an EA game - Securom is not named or identified in any EA eula - activation limits are not disclosed to the purchaser in any packaging or documentation prior to purchase - toll free EA support phone numbers are not available outside of the US - Securom is well known to cause conflicts w/factory installed emulation utilities, older versions of itself, optical drive software, antivirus software, and other peripheral software None of the above is conveyed by EA to any purchaser until after purchase...nor in any of the quoted reviews listed in this aggregate. This metacritic rating therefore means nothing.… Expand
  9. AlenC.
    Sep 8, 2008
    3
    Very pretty, about 1 hour of intense play -- followed by boring repetition. Maybe I'm missing something? Oh, and the copy protection scheme used will make uninstalling a nightmare. Thanks EA, for another marginal product with ugly strings.
  10. JohnH.
    Sep 8, 2008
    2
    Really Dumbed down game, the revolutionary idea of including five game types into one has just resulted in five abysmally simple, broken and repetitive minigames. combined with DRM which means you are essentially renting a game for $50 gets it a big big thumbs down from me. cell mode is so simple to finish youll have a hard time starving yourself long enough to pick up all the parts you Really Dumbed down game, the revolutionary idea of including five game types into one has just resulted in five abysmally simple, broken and repetitive minigames. combined with DRM which means you are essentially renting a game for $50 gets it a big big thumbs down from me. cell mode is so simple to finish youll have a hard time starving yourself long enough to pick up all the parts you need, creature mode involves choosing between killing a new creature or dancing for hiim. and then you must repeat this some 200 times to advance. in tribal stage the lack of ai begins to really show, computer players do not interact with each other, and barely with you other than to respond to attacks with small raiding party's. civilisation mode again is painfully simple, you can destroy every other group on the map before they expand beyond one city with ease, nobody chalenges you for your resources or threatens your cities. and finally space mode involves suddenly expanding to a word with literally hundreds of thousands of new systems, and a thousand new civilisations, all of whom have the power to warp fleets of 20 ships to your home world from the other end of the galaxy. which they will do incessantly. and there is no trade automation meaning you will spend 60 % of your time collecting and selling resources, and 39% defending your planets against random attacks. leaving you 1% to realise how dull all the hundreds of unlocks are.… Expand
  11. KevinH.
    Sep 8, 2008
    1
    Game is boring, oversimplified, uninvolved and your actions have little meaning. However the real problem here is DRM. I'm NOT OK with having a hard-set 3 install limit and then having to plead my case to EA to install it further. No thank you, I will be telling everybody I know not to buy spore. At this point, pirating it is easier.
  12. MichealB.
    Sep 8, 2008
    1
    I'm without Internet this week due to the fact that I'm up at camp. This game doesn't want to work unless I authenticate!
  13. RSmith
    Sep 8, 2008
    1
    Nothing but problems with the DRM. I feel ripped off.
  14. AnonymousMC
    Sep 8, 2008
    4
    The "game" segments between editing your creature work as a good pacing device and little else. The Cell stage gives you little creature options, but lets you play and define what you want. The actual gameplay of the cell stage is superior to any of the other stages as interaction is quick, dynamic, and throws new things at you before you can get bored. The Creature stage is where youThe "game" segments between editing your creature work as a good pacing device and little else. The Cell stage gives you little creature options, but lets you play and define what you want. The actual gameplay of the cell stage is superior to any of the other stages as interaction is quick, dynamic, and throws new things at you before you can get bored. The Creature stage is where you really define what your creature looks like and does, but unfortunately it has the worst gameplay. The world feels very empty sterile and your only interaction is attack or socialize, and both options result in the same gameplay mechanics and outcomes. The interactions are dreadfully simplistic. It's basically WoW without other players, stores, or exploration. Now comes the civilization stage and all that fine tuning of your creature now makes little difference. Finally there is more to do than just atack/socalize as resource gathering for once comes as a relief. This is probably the part of the game with the deepest gameplay as what you equip different units with affects how they perform. The next stage puts you on the planetary scale and your fighting your own creations. Oddly this stage is much simpler than the tribal stage as unit choices don't seem to mean a damn thing anymore. Simplified resource gathering streamlines your right into the overly simplistic tactical gameplay. You have one type of unit for land, and one type for water. Since there is no more variety or meaningful differences the gameplay degrades into simply sending a swarm of units to attack and little else. Don't tell me religious units perform different than military, a beam of religion seems to blow stuff up all the same. The Civilization stage does however constantly bombard you with the building/vehicle editors which gives you a chance to exercise your creativity, however the choices you make make no difference outside of visuals.… Expand
  15. MaxB
    Sep 8, 2008
    6
    I'm severely underwhelmed. Repetitive minigames, some not even worthy of a flash game on the web. The only good thing about it is the creating things part, and even that's impotent in some respects. I think if they make a Spore 2 it'll be much better. I think this time they tried to do to much and so the entire thing suffered. The whole "world" feels extremely compact, too. I'm severely underwhelmed. Repetitive minigames, some not even worthy of a flash game on the web. The only good thing about it is the creating things part, and even that's impotent in some respects. I think if they make a Spore 2 it'll be much better. I think this time they tried to do to much and so the entire thing suffered. The whole "world" feels extremely compact, too. I don't feel like a species on a planet. I feel like a few creatures in a sandbox. On the whole, the best thing to come out of the game is the procedural generation and animation of models, which hopefully will be adapted to other games [make all your own models for an RTS, perhaps?].… Expand
  16. JamesO.
    Sep 9, 2008
    5
    Tries to be everything thus being pretty average overall. Not a bad game but not a good game either.
  17. Tenfyr
    Sep 9, 2008
    2
    Once I got passed the issues getting this game to actually start on my PC (I had to install it 4 times before I could launch the game) it was fun at first as I found each stage rich in innovation but thin on gameplay, making this something I will only play for a short time then never pick up again. If I could log into the EA server to experience other users creations this might have more Once I got passed the issues getting this game to actually start on my PC (I had to install it 4 times before I could launch the game) it was fun at first as I found each stage rich in innovation but thin on gameplay, making this something I will only play for a short time then never pick up again. If I could log into the EA server to experience other users creations this might have more replay value but sadly this feature seems very broken at the moment and there is no indication of when it will be fixed. No doubt it will be at the point where I've forgotten it ever existed.… Expand
  18. LynnD.
    Sep 9, 2008
    1
    The DRM this game uses makes the game worthless to me. I can only install on 3 machines for the whole life of the game. If i make a call to EA I will have to provide proof of purchase to get another activation after 3. Ridiculous.
  19. RoH
    Sep 9, 2008
    0
    Finding out about the Drm and only getting 3 installs after I paid for the game killed any fun I could have had with it. I think I'll go reinstall Warcraft3 for the 100th time and play that. Good story. Good Graphics. and worth the money I paid for it.
  20. FredM.
    Sep 9, 2008
    4
    A game 4 years in the making should have a little more than some fancy programming. Not only does it lack a good AI engine, but the entire game can be "beaten" in two good days of playing. Of course the game can't really be beaten. One of the features of the game is the thousands and thousands of star systems you can visit. However the space stage lacks the UI to make it plesant. As A game 4 years in the making should have a little more than some fancy programming. Not only does it lack a good AI engine, but the entire game can be "beaten" in two good days of playing. Of course the game can't really be beaten. One of the features of the game is the thousands and thousands of star systems you can visit. However the space stage lacks the UI to make it plesant. As a space game I would much prefer "Sins of a Solar Empire." A game with an innovative UI and enough gameplay to keep you busy. So even if you like the creature, tribal, or civ stages of spore, you get less than about 8 hours of total gameplay for those stages all together. you CAN keep playing those stages before choosing to evolve. BUT the game doesn't make it rewarding enough to spend any more time than you have to. I could keep going. But I'm sad I waited so long for this. I'm gonna per-order that new star wars game though. At least that has the Euphoria engine.… Expand
  21. burrkw.
    Sep 9, 2008
    0
    An all around disappointment. the core of the game is the editor where you design things, instead of actually playing the game.
  22. DarrenS.
    Sep 9, 2008
    3
    Fun for couple hours, okay for a couple more, then tedium.
  23. SteveH.
    Sep 9, 2008
    1
    Unimaginably horrible. With a DRM scheme that limits you to three activations. Stupid, repetitive and simplistic gameplay reminiscent of Black & White. What is there to like? What a load of crap. Very disappointed, I expected so much more.
  24. EricS.
    Sep 9, 2008
    4
    If you like sub-bar succession of pac-man, 3rd person shooter, RTS and space exloration game, youre in for a treat.
  25. WolfgangF.
    Sep 9, 2008
    3
    Beautiful editors that have almost zero impact on the simplistic and shallow gameplay.
  26. ShiladieQ.
    Sep 9, 2008
    0
    Great game, horrible DRM, do not buy this game! if you wish to play it, pirate it and send Will Wright your money directly, thus bypassing the big brother software EA will be putting on your computer.
  27. sandraD.
    Sep 9, 2008
    5
    Well its fun at the beginning, everything is new and cool and you waited sooo long for this game. Tell you what, I play lots of games, I've played spore for two and I'm already fed up with it. I've given a 5 just cuz the people of maxis worked hard on it but sorry guys you can't beat your own sims.
  28. JimW.
    Sep 9, 2008
    4
    This is not very deep as far as a game goes. It may be fun for pre-teens and maybe even teens but any adult gamer will lose interest fast. I also disliked the DRM which prevents more than 3 installs...ever. I am tired of paying customers being treated like criminals.
  29. KL
    Sep 9, 2008
    6
    This game is pretty bad in my opinion. Everything preceding the space stage took around 2 and a half hours to play. Beyond that, the heavily promoted space phase isn't even that impressive. First, there is no seamless transition to the planet stage like there is in Sins of a Solar Empire. Second, terraforming is an arduous affair, where you have to randomly sprinkle plants and This game is pretty bad in my opinion. Everything preceding the space stage took around 2 and a half hours to play. Beyond that, the heavily promoted space phase isn't even that impressive. First, there is no seamless transition to the planet stage like there is in Sins of a Solar Empire. Second, terraforming is an arduous affair, where you have to randomly sprinkle plants and animals on the planet. Third, the missions are pointless and tedious, with most missions requiring you to find something on the planet surface. This is reminiscent of the planet roving on mass effect, albeit worse because now you have a time limit. This was a disappointing game. I suspect they implemented the 3 install DRM because it sucks so badly people will want to sell it off quickly.… Expand
  30. Vincec
    Sep 9, 2008
    0
    The DRM is terrible and the game a sprawling bore. Several distinct game modes but all but the last one are utterly uninteresting.
  31. ChrisG
    Jan 10, 2009
    2
    This game is not what i thought it would be. Its too simple...everything is! More complexity would be cool for a casual audience! More complexity means more creativity and coolness! Most people who will play this will be 13 and up, so complexity wont be an issue but they made it too simple for us to enjoy...
  32. StevenShaw
    Mar 1, 2009
    3
    Spore was awesome... for an hour. Creating my own creature was really cool. The editor is very powerful and easy to use. Unfortunately, I think they forgot to make the rest of the stages fun. As soon as you get to the tribal stage, the game sucks. Hard. It's not hard, it's not anything. The A.I. for for enemies sucks and the pathfinding for your own units suck.

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

    Buy the creature creator, you'll have way more fun.    … Expand
  33. MarkHumphreys
    Mar 20, 2009
    4
    The biggest disappointment in gaming in a long, long time. Years of development and hype put spore in the spotlight as something to really get excited over. The E3 2005 presentation was mind blowing, it was stunning... And then for 3 years, spore went into hiding as the developers set about refurbishing their creation for what they thought was mass appeal: The realism and science wasThe biggest disappointment in gaming in a long, long time. Years of development and hype put spore in the spotlight as something to really get excited over. The E3 2005 presentation was mind blowing, it was stunning... And then for 3 years, spore went into hiding as the developers set about refurbishing their creation for what they thought was mass appeal: The realism and science was removed from the game, in favour of kid-friendly cuteness and more simplistic methods of applying stats to the creatures: Gone was the idea of the skeletal structure influencing the movement speed, or of the arm length and positioning being relevant in combat - no, it was watered down to an arbitrary number assosciated with a given type of foot or claw. Watered down is pretty much the story of spore. The game that promised to pull the industry away from catering to the lowest common denominator did just that, with Will Wright's words on the situation being 'We decided that we would rather have the metacritic and sales of the sims, rather than the metacritic and sales of half-life'.

    It was all about money.

    But there's a lesson to be learned: Spore has neither the sales, nor the metacritic of halflife OR the sims.    … Expand
  34. StevoW
    Mar 3, 2009
    2
    I have no beef with DRM or EA and my score simply reflects the poorness of the game. However, EA should be ashamed of itself with the hype attached presale. Even some of the "official critics" right here suggesting the game rates akin to Sims obviously did not play it very long! Had the critique been realistic I would not have bought this game in 1m years. I found myself looking for some I have no beef with DRM or EA and my score simply reflects the poorness of the game. However, EA should be ashamed of itself with the hype attached presale. Even some of the "official critics" right here suggesting the game rates akin to Sims obviously did not play it very long! Had the critique been realistic I would not have bought this game in 1m years. I found myself looking for some depth 1 hour into the galactic phase. While the GFX and creatures might be cute, the AI is non-existent and the options are far too shallow. The interface is inconsistent pre-galactic while the galactic stage is tedious to endure. Having to roll the mouse wheel backwards and forwards over and over to pick up spice from each system is poor design. A quick double click would have made all the difference. Even simple auto trading vessels would have been nice so that you would not have to travel to every system personally and collect the spice while repeatedly chasing your tail against nuisance value missions. (Having to constantly fight pirates, aliens and be an Eco-hero fixing extinctions requires anger management classes when you get beyond about 7 star systems.) What about when you're on the other side of the galaxy and get lost travelling through mindless blackholes with no clue as to their destination! And then some species wants ever-increasing amounts of graft repeatedly so they don't become annoying and start bombing your planets simply because you wouldn't pay the bribes. What the heck! I could go on but I need some time now to find a game that will provide enjoyment beyond a single day! I paid A$80 for this and it's worth no more than about $20.… Expand
  35. KevinD
    Apr 11, 2009
    3
    This game was hyped as 'Sim Everything'. All the pre-game marketing, screens, previews, led us to believe it would be awesome, and I believe it was intended to be by it's creator, Will Wright. Now that EA is releasing additions to the game it seems to me that greed at EA must have been the issue here. I suspect that the game was 'minimized' and a lot of good This game was hyped as 'Sim Everything'. All the pre-game marketing, screens, previews, led us to believe it would be awesome, and I believe it was intended to be by it's creator, Will Wright. Now that EA is releasing additions to the game it seems to me that greed at EA must have been the issue here. I suspect that the game was 'minimized' and a lot of good content was saved for later release as an addon, like 'Galactic Adventures'. It seems that the addons have a lot of things that were hinted at prior to the games original release. Thanks a lot EA!! You turned an awesome vision into 2 weeks of disappointment. If you had just released it all as one game it would have been the greatest game of all time!! Instead it has turned into a flop!!! Based on the number of bad reviews I have seen I would guess most other people agree. I am not sure if I will buy any of the new content... depends on how bored I get I guess... Regards, Former Spore Fan.… Expand
  36. 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
  37. steveneuberger
    Dec 7, 2006
    6
    I like the concept of this game alot. My biggest problem though are the graphics. They seem so childish, and not complex enough. The graphics this game from amazing to average. If the graphics were better and didn't look like a pokemon video it would be much more appealing to older consumers.
  38. LuisP.
    Oct 11, 2008
    3
    I tried to vote on this disregarding the hype that surrounded the game, however, it is still a low score... simple mini games bundled together... The strategic part of it is laughable... The creature creator, albeit fun, has nearly no influence on how your creature will perform. Will not last you more than a couple of days and then you'll be looking for other games.
  39. StevenP.
    Oct 10, 2008
    2
    Extremly poorly designed space age gets boring very fast. Fun for about 4 hours.
  40. Niklas
    Oct 10, 2008
    4
    Fun for one playthrough, but lacking real re-play value and the five stages is far from deep enough to provide a solid gameplay. The galaxystage is endless and make sure you notice that the first 10 minutes of it.
  41. 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
  42. JonathanL.
    Oct 1, 2008
    1
    I am rarely speechless but after 3 tries at installing this piece of dung on my machine, I gave up and tried installing it on my daughter's machine. I "played" it for about 2 hours before I realized that there is no game. Boring as hell. Can't believe it's a technological mess, a crappy game, and so popular? What's up with the press score? Pre-release versions?
  43. MorelyD.
    Oct 1, 2008
    1
    Un-freaking-believabale. Non configurable controls, no evolution to speak of, disjointed gameplay, and crummy DRM to boot. Why bother?
  44. amalll.
    Oct 1, 2008
    1
    Man, I played this lousy game and thought there must be something wrong with me if all the critics like it as much as they do and i hate it. Then I saw the meta user scores. LOL do I hear you all.
  45. 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
  46. MatthewS.
    Oct 16, 2008
    3
    A truly exciting concept, dumbed down and made into an overly-simplistic game, lacking any real challenges. I've heard the argument that each part of this game could be a game in its own right. Well, they'd be terribly dull games in their own right. Spore is of such a quality that playing four Flash games in a row would be both more fun and better value for money.
  47. 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.
  48. 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.
  49. PhilN
    Oct 22, 2008
    2
    Spore gets real boring, real quick. Sure it's fun creating a few creatures, eating some others, blah blah blah... then you get to the space stage and it is soooo incredibly repetitive. Find a plant, develop it, sell the spice it produces, win the game. It's so easy, so repetitive, it's horrid. This is coming from someone who has played games like simcity, civilization, etc, Spore gets real boring, real quick. Sure it's fun creating a few creatures, eating some others, blah blah blah... then you get to the space stage and it is soooo incredibly repetitive. Find a plant, develop it, sell the spice it produces, win the game. It's so easy, so repetitive, it's horrid. This is coming from someone who has played games like simcity, civilization, etc, to death a million times and loved it. Spore is just too simple to be either challenging or interesting. Booo!… Expand
  50. 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
  51. CB
    Oct 23, 2008
    1
    Massively overrated. Absent the massive hysteria before the launch, this game would be a 5 or 6 out of 10. But the massive media propaganda for this (give me a break, Robin Williams advertising Spore??) makes this a bomb. The multi-stage nature of the game forces each stage to be very simplistic, but gains continuity and the feeling that you have created your creature from a single cell Massively overrated. Absent the massive hysteria before the launch, this game would be a 5 or 6 out of 10. But the massive media propaganda for this (give me a break, Robin Williams advertising Spore??) makes this a bomb. The multi-stage nature of the game forces each stage to be very simplistic, but gains continuity and the feeling that you have created your creature from a single cell to a galactic civilization. The problem is that the creature design, as graphically impressive as it is, HAS NOT IMPACT ON GAMEPLAY. Or rather, it has a very simplistic impact (do you want to add a +2 attack beak or a +2 health claw?). This doesn't come even close in complexity to the simplest Civilization-like games. The actual graphical design of your creature is a waste of time and the novelty quickly wears off. The simplest change that could have made this game much more interesting is to have the physical structure of your creature (not simply the mere enumeration of features) meaningfully impact its effectiveness - since that is were most of the time is spent by the user and since that is what makes the game really unique.… Expand
  52. AaronM
    Oct 23, 2008
    3
    I bought this game thinking it was going to revolutionize game play. The whole experience is very shallow and simplistic. Once I got to the space age I just didn't care anymore. The oppressive DRM certainly didn't help any. I think I played this game for a few days...now its collecting dust.
  53. 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
  54. JillC.
    Oct 25, 2008
    4
    Far too simple to be enjoyable longer than a week at most. The gameplay is too shallow to be enjoyable for more than one play-through. Spore doesn't live up to the hype of many different demonstrations in the past. In fact, its most interesting features were stripped away, leaving a hollow shell of what could have been a very deep game.
  55. 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.
  56. MayQ
    Oct 27, 2008
    3
    Spore is a little difficult to rate because there are so many good things about it and also so many bad things. Creating your creature can be very fun. Customization of my creature was great, as I was able to change its body and add pre-made parts however I wanted to. The bad? Each part I added had a certain amount of skill: social, fight, defense, etc. Despite how many times I put the Spore is a little difficult to rate because there are so many good things about it and also so many bad things. Creating your creature can be very fun. Customization of my creature was great, as I was able to change its body and add pre-made parts however I wanted to. The bad? Each part I added had a certain amount of skill: social, fight, defense, etc. Despite how many times I put the same part on my creature, it didn't increase that particular skill. i.e. If you put a mouth with a biting force of +4, putting a 2nd or 3rd mouth will still leave it at a +4 rating. Each stage is fun at the beginning, but it gets very repetitive very quickly. I focused on bettering my creature in every stage only to find out that in the next stage, what I did to it did not matter anymore. I feel the cell and creature stage went by way too quickly, and I was rushed on to the next stages. In the creature stage, the other creatures in the surrounding vicinity were all within my strength range, so they were easy to defeat or ally. There was no challenge because the developers placed everything in conveniently strategic places. The space stage is, by far, my favorite stage because I liked exploring the other planets and changing its climate. But, that also became repetitive. There are (what seems like) a gajillion galaxies and exploring them all is very tedious. Colonizing and terra-forming the planets became tedious as well after a while. Anyway, I could go on but you see my point. I was very excited about this game when it was first introduced by Will Wright. It seemed innovative, creative, and revolutionary... Wright got the idea down right but it failed in execution. Oh, and there is the now infamous SecuRom DRM that came hidden with the Spore software. EA, in its effort to combat piracy, just ticked off the consumers... HONEST consumers, might I add. Now I have this darn DRM stuck on my computer, and it won't uninstall when I uninstall Spore... great.… Expand
  57. RenatoB.
    Oct 27, 2008
    3
    Spore is one of the biggest disappointments I've had in years for the PC. Ever since I first heard of it in 2004, I've waited impatiently for it to come out. When it finally did, it came with that draconian DRM and it RUINED the game. I've already used the three allowed installs, and I've had this game for only two months. That means that I effectvely lost my money Spore is one of the biggest disappointments I've had in years for the PC. Ever since I first heard of it in 2004, I've waited impatiently for it to come out. When it finally did, it came with that draconian DRM and it RUINED the game. I've already used the three allowed installs, and I've had this game for only two months. That means that I effectvely lost my money already, and I am not too savvy on buying my own game again. Do not buy this game. It is a mistake, and a big one, even if the core concept is one of the best I've ever seen.… Expand
  58. Brian
    Oct 4, 2008
    3
    It was decent the first time through, I will say that. However, I don't think it was really worth $50 for 3 hours of enjoyment... It was not what they advertised. They said, "The universe will be completely random, it will be so large that you could never explore the entirety of the galaxy." First of all, it's not random. If you notice, one of the achievements is to "find It was decent the first time through, I will say that. However, I don't think it was really worth $50 for 3 hours of enjoyment... It was not what they advertised. They said, "The universe will be completely random, it will be so large that you could never explore the entirety of the galaxy." First of all, it's not random. If you notice, one of the achievements is to "find Earth." You can google a map of the galaxy and find the location of Earth from any of the 8 or so preset starting planets. They said that you would always find creatures you had never seen before created by other users. In all my adventuring in space, I never found one non-Maxis creation. The dialogues between other space civilizations was interesting the at first, until you start seeing repeats of personalities, at which point they all say the same thing. When you tell your allies to attack a planet, it would be fun to help them in the siege, but why bother? They can't lose, and if you help them, it's extremely easy to accidentally shoot your allies and your fleet will continue to attack until you fly away from the planet, the same happens when you are defending their planet from pirates. Space to planet transitions are too choppy for me, detracting from smooth gameplay. Aside from the pointlessness of colonizing a 21st planet when your first 5 give you enough money to fund your space ship indefinitely and still have a surplus, it's also more difficult each time, as you will have "ecological crises" every minute by that point. The game is also not "sandbox" like they said it would be. Another limitation is that you cannot have two civilizations on the same planet after you reach the space age. Is there some sort of gravitational limitation to putting a space colony on a planet with a tribe? Additionally, you can never fully abduct a city, because when you abduct one, another citizen spawns from nowhere (baby factory?). Then, once you abduct about 30 of your enemies and terraform a planet for them, expecting that they will form a tribe or something on the planet, you put them down, wait, then watch them randomly die together. Notice, also, that if you use a tool such as tentacle plateau, take off to space, then come back, the plateau is either submerged in water or gone. The planet will change in about 5 minutes of game time, but not in the eons that take place in the creature stage. Why does no other creature evolve intelligence on your homeland? I expected - and they advertised - something other than a Civilization IV game on Epic "Extended time" mode.… Expand
  59. AnthonyC.
    Oct 4, 2008
    3
    This game tries to do everything, and does none of it well. The only part of the game that was more fun than a chore was the editors: creating creatures, buildings and vehicles was fun. Otherwise, it's like incredibly dumbed-down versions of other games - the cell stage is mildly entertaining, but the rest are dull. The creature stage is like World of Warcraft, but single-player and This game tries to do everything, and does none of it well. The only part of the game that was more fun than a chore was the editors: creating creatures, buildings and vehicles was fun. Otherwise, it's like incredibly dumbed-down versions of other games - the cell stage is mildly entertaining, but the rest are dull. The creature stage is like World of Warcraft, but single-player and with a total of 3 spells. The tribal stage is like Age of Empires, but with a total of 3 different units, and a single base. The civilsation stage bares a vague resemblance to the game of the same name - however, the simplistic resource management, combined with (you guessed it) a total of 3 different units makes it a matter of building up an army, then clicking on the city you want to capture. Even if you decide to take the peaceful path through religion, the gameplay mechanic is identical - build "religious" units and tell them to "attack" the city. The space stage is like nothing I've ever seen before - it attempts to be a galactic 4X game (though a very dumbed down one) at the same time as requiring you to fly everywhere and do everything from your single ship. There's a reason I've never seen anything like it before - it's rubbish. I played the space stage for about an hour before stopping out of sheer boredom - having to visit each planet and manually harvest the spice for selling is a chore. I don't see how this game is getting such good reviews - I got a total of 4 hours playtime out of it, and have no desire to go back. Those 4 hours weren't even particularly entertaining.… Expand
  60. JohnWalker
    Oct 5, 2008
    0
    Look at the massive disparity between reviewer and user scores. This alone tells you alot about 1. The Game, 2. The Reviewers, 3. EA. Reviewers are all sensationalists, almost any game is good before you play it or for the first 5 minutes. Save your money and your time and look elsewhere for your entertainment.
  61. StewartS.
    Oct 7, 2008
    0
    An excellent design concept - 10 for the ideas, graphics and style. As far as gameplay is concerned - this is just 5 repetitive simplistic arcade games bundled together. And in fact they are much worse than the shareware arcades that don't pretend to be anything more than a simple fun arcade. While Spore was advertised as nex-gen, epic-scale, revolutionary masterpiece of gameplay - An excellent design concept - 10 for the ideas, graphics and style. As far as gameplay is concerned - this is just 5 repetitive simplistic arcade games bundled together. And in fact they are much worse than the shareware arcades that don't pretend to be anything more than a simple fun arcade. While Spore was advertised as nex-gen, epic-scale, revolutionary masterpiece of gameplay - in fact it is not. It is still just 5 simplistic arcade games. Final score: I give it a 5 just for the average gameplay with nice graphics -3 goes for false promises and over advertising -2 goes for draconian DRM. Just so silly it was on torrents the other day after the release - now we know for sure that DRM is aimed not against pirates, but against the law abiding and paying consumers to make their life more miserable. I hope the consumers all over the world would get the message. Final score therefore is 0. Regretfully. Don't buy this game.… Expand
  62. ThomasH.
    Sep 10, 2008
    6
    This game was not what they showcased at the conventions in 2005.
  63. RyanH.
    Sep 11, 2008
    1
    Having used this game since it's launch, on my roomates account, I can say that the game itself is not half bad. It isn't what it could have been, and it sure isn't worth 50 $ but it's fun enough to keep me interested for a couple weeks. At least it would be if we were able to play it anymore. The absolute crap DRM bundled with the game has meant that we are now Having used this game since it's launch, on my roomates account, I can say that the game itself is not half bad. It isn't what it could have been, and it sure isn't worth 50 $ but it's fun enough to keep me interested for a couple weeks. At least it would be if we were able to play it anymore. The absolute crap DRM bundled with the game has meant that we are now waiting on EA to give him more activations. He put it on his laptop, and it looked horrible and recommended he update his video drivers for his onboard graphics.... which we did. It still only looked so/so, thus we put it on my computer, no problem. He had ordered a new PC before the game came out, and I had piggy backed my new monitor on his order, they arrived yesterday. First thing on, spore... which now tells him it has reached the install limit ! I tried to put it on mine, with my shiny new 22" LCD. Same thing. Presumably I have a "new" computer since I changed my monitor, and he got a " new " laptop when he updated his video drivers. Now we have to either phone EA at 1.99$ a minute and beg for another activation, or email them which I am led to understand takes months. This is pathetic for something that he paid 50$ for. I might even have bought the damn thing if I had worked out... Next time I'll be more likely to listen to the online crowd rather than put my trust in EA... scratch that, there won't be a 'next time'. I think I will be putting on an eye patch in the future, Yarr!… Expand
  64. ThomasP.
    Sep 10, 2008
    2
    Spore is one of those "meh" games, overhyped and underperforming. I'm pretty sure there's way more content Will Wright created then what EA actually put in, saving it for an "expansion" aka "the EA strategy" of sucking as much money out of gamers as they can. Each stage of development feels like an underdeveloped version of a modern game, tied together a cuteness maybe a 6 year Spore is one of those "meh" games, overhyped and underperforming. I'm pretty sure there's way more content Will Wright created then what EA actually put in, saving it for an "expansion" aka "the EA strategy" of sucking as much money out of gamers as they can. Each stage of development feels like an underdeveloped version of a modern game, tied together a cuteness maybe a 6 year old would enjoy. Combine it with its 3 activation limit DRM scheme, which means you basically rent the game, not purchase it, and this is a title which unfortunately, and to my biggest dismay, is a pass. @EA Draconian DRM is not the answer, people will try to get something for free. If you attempted not to suck us dry and force SecuROM down our throats your products would be 100% better.… Expand
  65. JohnnyBGhud
    Sep 10, 2008
    0
    This game was ruined by the DRM. I feel so stupid for buying this when people who download it illegally don't even have to worry about the DRM.
  66. MarcosO.
    Sep 11, 2008
    0
    ... 4 years of waiting, 59.95
  67. 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
  68. DM
    Sep 10, 2008
    3
    Great simulator. Okay game. Horrible DRM. Lack of challenge and consequence in the beginning, and the computer nagging you at the end (which is most of the game)... if those issues could be addressed, this may be a 10. Despite my game play complaints, this game's potential lies in its longevity. While you won't play it for weeks on end (like Oblivion), the endless replay value Great simulator. Okay game. Horrible DRM. Lack of challenge and consequence in the beginning, and the computer nagging you at the end (which is most of the game)... if those issues could be addressed, this may be a 10. Despite my game play complaints, this game's potential lies in its longevity. While you won't play it for weeks on end (like Oblivion), the endless replay value makes this game an 8 to me. But, considering how I won't be allowed to play this game in about a year, maybe less, that replay value is gone. Thank you EA for DRM-ing this game beyond usefulness. I'll be nice and assume I'll almost get to play this game almost half as much as I'd like, so my 8 becomes a 3 (very tempted to give a 0 just to spite EA). As is, I'd recommend waiting for a price drop, hoping EA drops the DRM, or wait for other games to take after Spore's style (and do a better job of the sub-genres). If you are sure you are fine with the 3-install limit, and have no issues with secuROM, then it is a good game. Just be sure to get the most out of those 3 installs (or 4 if you can get one).… Expand
  69. JimboH.
    Sep 11, 2008
    4
    Lets review here: This is a game for casual gamers, yet requires a pretty decent computer that casual gamers wouldn't have. Its gameplay is simple and introductory, the kind of game to introduce you to other genres (so in other words, seems geared towards kids), yet you have to be 13 and older to use the online content (the whole point of the game really) and thanks to the penis Lets review here: This is a game for casual gamers, yet requires a pretty decent computer that casual gamers wouldn't have. Its gameplay is simple and introductory, the kind of game to introduce you to other genres (so in other words, seems geared towards kids), yet you have to be 13 and older to use the online content (the whole point of the game really) and thanks to the penis creatures and filthy named creatures you may come across, its not suitable for kids. Additionally, the explanation for the stages I found to be insufficient for casual gamers (i.e. my girlfriend), and the fact you only get one game save means that it is indeed possible to save the game at the verge of destruction and be forced to start over from scratch. Thats not very casual friendly. Once you buy the game and realize that there isn't much to it at all, you'll probably want to sell it. Then something starts to make sense. You cannot return this game. You cannot give it to someone else (it's tied to your EA account), and you can only install it 3 times, with uninstalling it NOT giving you back an install. Honestly, who wants to join me in a class action lawsuit, no where on this box does it state that limitation.… Expand
  70. AdamB
    Sep 11, 2008
    0
    This game was fun for the first 10 minutes, before my guy became a tribe. Upon further recollection, the fact that once you collect so many pieces of meat or green whatevers you can't add more DNA points is pretty annoying. When you get to the creature stage, all you can do is run around killing or singing/dancing/shaking your behind/whatever and going back to the nest to have This game was fun for the first 10 minutes, before my guy became a tribe. Upon further recollection, the fact that once you collect so many pieces of meat or green whatevers you can't add more DNA points is pretty annoying. When you get to the creature stage, all you can do is run around killing or singing/dancing/shaking your behind/whatever and going back to the nest to have another generation. It gets really repetitive and boring very quickly. There seemed to be a lot of replayability, but in reality, it's just the same thing over and over again. At least with SimCity, you could build your city in different ways, but there is only one path in this game, really... eat plants or meat, kill or impress other creatures, play music for or kill other tribes, etc. I can't believe how much the critics are wrong on this issue. It is obvious they are bought off by EA. My 6 year old nephew who has been playing Age of Empires (the original!) got bored with how easy SPORE was. That's how incredibly worthless this game is... a 10 year old game is more challenging than Spore is. Simply a waste.… Expand
  71. JohnS
    Sep 10, 2008
    1
    *yawn* Most boring piece of crap I've ever played. I have nothing constructive to say other than don't play this. EA Fails once again.
  72. AlbertE.
    Sep 10, 2008
    0
    The game is childish and uninteresting after small quantities of gameplay. I was really hoping for something better, wow.
  73. LaurentD.
    Sep 11, 2008
    5
    A game that promised so much and fails to deliver. Ok, the editors are fun and allow you to make beautiful things but in the end don't have no repercussion whatsoever in playing the game. I couldn't wait to start playing this game and when i finally got to play it ( after waiting to unlock the install from EA downloader around 2 at night) i only played for a little hour, A game that promised so much and fails to deliver. Ok, the editors are fun and allow you to make beautiful things but in the end don't have no repercussion whatsoever in playing the game. I couldn't wait to start playing this game and when i finally got to play it ( after waiting to unlock the install from EA downloader around 2 at night) i only played for a little hour, dissappointment set in quite fast. After each phase you feel as if whatever you did in the previous phase doesn't matter a single bit, the design of your creature hardly matters, it's astonishingly, nearly insultingly easy and thus boring. The editors are fun and give it all some playability fortunately, just a huge pity that there was no effort whatsoever of giving value or reason to how you desgin your creature. One game wherein each phase feels as 6 mediocre ones. Is smells as if moneyinterests win over true gaming once more, if the emancipation of the gaming industry is setting us up with this constantly it will be a sad time in gameland to come… Expand
  74. PanzerS.
    Sep 10, 2008
    4
    The Space age is poorly designed your either paying ridiculous sums of money to keep out of war or constantly running all over to protect yourself
  75. HansL.
    Sep 10, 2008
    0
    5 mini games with shortcomings, all glued togheter poorly by a creature tool creator, and fake online capabilities. The digital rights management is a joke -and illegal in certain states in the USA- Believe most of us here, and don't buy this title, don't waste your hard earned money.
  76. mephmeph
    Sep 10, 2008
    0
    totaly not worth buying, i dont get why reviews are giving it 90% its really simple and shitty, they could have made it alot better! Games creator said that they only wanted to make money with spore like in sims and not focus on gameplay like in halflife, yeah right...
  77. RichardS.
    Sep 10, 2008
    2
    Intresting concept poorly implemented. Game's just not fun to play. It's too much of a grind not what you expect in a sandbox game. Space stage has some major balance issues its like they didn't play test at all. Basicly a tech demo thats not fun to play similar to Black & white.
  78. Jimes
    Sep 10, 2008
    3
    Interesting Concept, Poor execution. Will Wright had to falter somewhere. DRM issues are just the beginning of the problems with what should have been an awesome game. The first planet I played on, after completing the Civilization section, I designed my spaceship and prepared to rocket into space. Only to be grounded permanently because my spaceship was caught in endless confliction with Interesting Concept, Poor execution. Will Wright had to falter somewhere. DRM issues are just the beginning of the problems with what should have been an awesome game. The first planet I played on, after completing the Civilization section, I designed my spaceship and prepared to rocket into space. Only to be grounded permanently because my spaceship was caught in endless confliction with the buildings in my town. My second attempted ended at the start of the creature phase, where upon running 10 feet ashore, my creature was swallowed up by a sea monster out of the sand. (Wait...What?) The gameplay is far too shallow for what was promised, you can play anyway you want, but at the end, you're lumped into one of three very general categories. You can max out your stats way to easily. What I'm trying to get at is this; Spore feels like five or six half decent flash games cobbled together that you have to pay 'AAA' game price for. I wish I could give my copy back.… Expand
  79. ChrisD.
    Sep 10, 2008
    1
    I've played free flash games more deep and entertaining than this. This game has no depth or complexity whatsoever. "Evolution" is just using points you get from killing things to buy new parts and drag them on to your guy. The controls and camera are also terrible. This game brings absolutely NOTHING new or innovative in terms of gameplay. The only well-developed part of the game is I've played free flash games more deep and entertaining than this. This game has no depth or complexity whatsoever. "Evolution" is just using points you get from killing things to buy new parts and drag them on to your guy. The controls and camera are also terrible. This game brings absolutely NOTHING new or innovative in terms of gameplay. The only well-developed part of the game is the creature creator, and even that gets boring once you've made a couple creatures. This is probably the worst big-budget, hyped game I've ever played.… Expand
  80. LouV.
    Sep 10, 2008
    3
    DRM is a No Go Zone for me. Space Stage is the only stage worth playing, I have two PC's at home and if I ever have to reformat one of them i'll use up all my installs [3 installs] and am forced to call a NON TOLL FREE NUMBER.
  81. DougC
    Sep 10, 2008
    0
    This game is plagued by DRM, a variety of install issues, and has been striped of it's original intent, that made our collective mouths water years ago. This game is a failure on EA's part, and I feel the shame Mr. Wright must feel knowing his biggest fans were the ones feeling rejected by the biggest let down.
  82. BobT.
    Sep 10, 2008
    0
    I have been looking forward to Spore for 2+ years. Sadly I will not be able to play it. I refuse to be treated like a criminal. I will not be forced to prove I own a legitimate copy, nor will I stoop to downloading the cracked version (the only one that runs without invasive DRM). My apologies EA, but I cannot condone the practice of shafting your customers. DRM only hurts those who buy I have been looking forward to Spore for 2+ years. Sadly I will not be able to play it. I refuse to be treated like a criminal. I will not be forced to prove I own a legitimate copy, nor will I stoop to downloading the cracked version (the only one that runs without invasive DRM). My apologies EA, but I cannot condone the practice of shafting your customers. DRM only hurts those who buy legitimate copies.… Expand
  83. ChristianK.
    Sep 12, 2008
    0
    Id rate the game itself a 5, it is a new and creative concept, but it felt like 5 different kids games rolled into one. There is no evolution involved when you "find" new arms and legs sitting on the ground. The tribal and city phases are garbage, you fight the same races with the same units. How anyone ever thought that you could make an RTS game with 1 tank, 1 ship and 1 plane is beyond Id rate the game itself a 5, it is a new and creative concept, but it felt like 5 different kids games rolled into one. There is no evolution involved when you "find" new arms and legs sitting on the ground. The tribal and city phases are garbage, you fight the same races with the same units. How anyone ever thought that you could make an RTS game with 1 tank, 1 ship and 1 plane is beyond my comprehension. The space phase is cool for roughly five or six hours, but yet again its just a space empire sim for 12 year old kids and little old ladies (who probably wont play past the creature phase anyway) Basically you pay $50 for the creature creator, 4 minigames, and a graphical social networking program. Ohh yeah and then there is why i gave the game a 0 and not a 5. By buying this game, EA ASSUMES you are a pirate and will treat you as such. The DRM is ridiculous. Their DRM is THE definition of malware, ohh and in case you didn't know, you are renting this game from EA. Yep your money only buys you the privilege to play this game which EA can revoke at any time for any reason. So when some suit in EA HQ gets up on the wrong side of the bed he can instantly invalidate your software. Ohh yeah, and when you unistall make sure you reformat because their DRM stays on your disks to make sure you cant steal any more of EAs precious money.… Expand
  84. DJ
    Sep 10, 2008
    1
    I had been looking forward to this game but completely evil DRM makes it a no go. It is not as if everyone didn't tell them that we didn't want SecuRom on there. Check the reviews on Amazon too. Save your time and money for Fallout 3 and Starcraft 2.
  85. AnonymousMC
    Sep 12, 2008
    3
    So disappointed by this game as I had been tracking Spore for many months and bought it on the morning of release! It's an interesting concept, but that's as far as it goes. It is poorly let down by it's over simplistic gameplay, clunky game mechanics and dodgy AI. Plus now I can't even sell it, owing to it's DRM (I won't be
    buying any other product using    So disappointed by this game as I had been tracking Spore for many months and bought it on the morning of release! It's an interesting concept, but that's as far as it goes. It is poorly let down by it's over simplistic gameplay, clunky game mechanics and dodgy AI. Plus now I can't even sell it, owing to it's DRM (I won't be
    buying any other product using this). At least now I've learnt my lesson - to wait at least a month after release and make more of an educated guess on whether to shell out for a game or not. Even the major games magazines were blinded by the hype on this one it seems... alot of generous scores out there.    … Expand
  86. RebelS.
    Sep 12, 2008
    1
    When I first heard about this I was intrigued,
  87. 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
  88. NortonM.
    Sep 12, 2008
    0
    The game is okay. It's a bit shallow because it seems to lack depth in every aspect with the exception of creating a creature, which seems to have many customization options. Unfortunately, I won't be purchasing this product because I'm a firm believer in actually owning a product that I buy, especially if it's fairly expensive. If I want to rent a game, I'll take The game is okay. It's a bit shallow because it seems to lack depth in every aspect with the exception of creating a creature, which seems to have many customization options. Unfortunately, I won't be purchasing this product because I'm a firm believer in actually owning a product that I buy, especially if it's fairly expensive. If I want to rent a game, I'll take my business to Blockbuster Video. I will not purchase a game that I can only install on my system only three times, and I refuse to install any DRM-infected software on my computer! ...and no. I never pirated this game, nor have I downloaded or installed any pirated copies of this game on my computer.… Expand
  89. KatrinaB
    Sep 10, 2008
    1
    This is one of the worst games I've ever played. The editors are average, and that's the best thing you can say for it. This game is a horrible 2D action game, horrible RPG, terrible RTS, atrocious CIV, and useless 4X all rolled in to one. Not only is every single stage worse than just playing the tutorial level of another game of that levels genre, they are also all worthless This is one of the worst games I've ever played. The editors are average, and that's the best thing you can say for it. This game is a horrible 2D action game, horrible RPG, terrible RTS, atrocious CIV, and useless 4X all rolled in to one. Not only is every single stage worse than just playing the tutorial level of another game of that levels genre, they are also all worthless on their own merits. Avoid at all costs.… Expand
  90. JWon
    Sep 12, 2008
    2
    I think Spore sucks for the same reasons that have been stated repeatedly. Weak gameplay, crazy DRM, boring after the first two hours of play, ect. But what really makes this game suck are the hoards of people telling me that it's because I don't know how to use my imagination and am not "getting" the game. I get the game. In fact, I spent $50 to get the game. Noone's more I think Spore sucks for the same reasons that have been stated repeatedly. Weak gameplay, crazy DRM, boring after the first two hours of play, ect. But what really makes this game suck are the hoards of people telling me that it's because I don't know how to use my imagination and am not "getting" the game. I get the game. In fact, I spent $50 to get the game. Noone's more disppointed in the fact that instead of playing the game I've been waiting years to be released, I'm on message boards trying to save my fellow earthlings from wasting money on this insultingly stupid game. DRM is instrusive and unnessecary, but you can believe it's not the only reason people are saying this game is a waste.… Expand
  91. 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
  92. dsalas
    Sep 12, 2008
    3
    I purchased this game but did not open; was waiting for reviews. drm was an issue but one that i figured i could bear with. almost opened the game but when i found out that each install only allowed one player not multiple household players with different saved games or even one player with different saved games, i knew then this was one game i would be returning.
  93. NormC.
    Sep 12, 2008
    0
    3 activations? Even if this game was the best in the world... (which it isnt by the way) i am NOT putting up with draconian DRM on my games. EA fooled me once with Battlefield. NEVER AGAIN.
  94. CRoth
    Sep 12, 2008
    2
    The promise of Spore was that the adaptations one applied to a creature would perform similarly to adaptations in a natural scheme of evolution: long arms allow access to food up in trees, larger teeth mean better attacks, eyes on opposite sides of the skull allow for better surveillance of potential danger. These are the advantages of evolution: they confer a selective advantage of The promise of Spore was that the adaptations one applied to a creature would perform similarly to adaptations in a natural scheme of evolution: long arms allow access to food up in trees, larger teeth mean better attacks, eyes on opposite sides of the skull allow for better surveillance of potential danger. These are the advantages of evolution: they confer a selective advantage of organisms to exist in an environment of heat, wind, light, dark, predators, etc... Sproe shows none of this intellectual promise, absolutely none. Instead, Spore is simply a combination of ersatz games with the addition creature design that confers nothing except aesthetic value. And all the talk of the limitless possibilities are meaningless: user-generated content is fine, but when the scope of that content is nothing more than skin-deep, who cares? When I first heard about Spore, I was thrilled to think someone would make a game truly based on adaptation. I expected physical traits to confer advantage, and thus to simulate a basic form of evolution. Did EA get frightened off due to the anachronistic and downright pathetic argument over some purely fabricated conflict between the Theory of Evolution and Judeo-Christian ethos? Have we seen yet another casualty of this moronic culture war tha's been drummed up by political operatives? Have we Americans completely forsaken any kind of intellectual advancement in our entertainment for fear that a consumer-bloc might refuse to consume? Spore offered a profound advancement in gaming: a real intelligent design produced by the gamer him/herself. It offered a real evolution of gaming, and an opportunity to educate through real fun. Instead, it is a shadow of a game, a waste of fifty dollars, and a complete supplication to a bottom line of profit rather than quality. I can't imagine who is truly responsible for the failures of this game, and others, that likely fall prey to the approvals necessary in corporate production, but surely someone is responsible for taking a good idea and dragging it through the mud. And as for all the gaming magazines, subsidized by manufacturer advertising, the incestuous relationship is obvious: there is little or no objective review of the gaming industry. Reviewers are clearly reluctant to criticize a major flop from a big company. Between a production company that clearly missed the boat and reviewers blinded by proximity to their subject, it would seem that everyone dropped the ball on Spore. My only hope is that Mr. Wright, who has shown extraordinary genius in his previous ventures, will rise to the occasion and offer an expansion pack (which ought to be free, cause this thing isn't worth ten bucks, much less fifty), that will make this game the smart product is ought to have been.… Expand
  95. 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
  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. NathanH
    Sep 13, 2008
    3
    It's amazing that a game that's supposed to be about playing in a sandbox would be such a pain to play. It's more like a sandbox where a bully keeps throwing sand in your face. Want to explore space? Too bad, you have to solve dull and repetitive eco-disasters and pirate raids. Even trading is little more than flying aimlessly around, as the spice economy has no It's amazing that a game that's supposed to be about playing in a sandbox would be such a pain to play. It's more like a sandbox where a bully keeps throwing sand in your face. Want to explore space? Too bad, you have to solve dull and repetitive eco-disasters and pirate raids. Even trading is little more than flying aimlessly around, as the spice economy has no identifiable logic. All in all, a huge disappointment.… Expand
  98. MattL
    Sep 13, 2008
    3
    I had really high hopes for this game, but i must admit i've been very disappointed with what my money bought me. The game is basically made up of the same type of minigames you can play for free on the web. The only good thing about it is the ability to design your own creature, vehicles etc... But that's it. So when you get out your $50 for what's effecitvely just a big I had really high hopes for this game, but i must admit i've been very disappointed with what my money bought me. The game is basically made up of the same type of minigames you can play for free on the web. The only good thing about it is the ability to design your own creature, vehicles etc... But that's it. So when you get out your $50 for what's effecitvely just a big box of lego, ask yourself how vivid is your imagination, because without excessive amounts spore will not entertain you.… Expand
  99. AlexD
    Sep 13, 2008
    2
    I am so disappointed of this game. It promised so much and fulfilled so little. It's buggy. It's dumb. Each game is a bad watered down version of a full game, it seems. Little freedom, opposed to a promised sandbox. The AI is nuts. The system usually consists of a bad AI, good AI or a middle something. This is really, really boring. Because the focus in the space-stage seems to I am so disappointed of this game. It promised so much and fulfilled so little. It's buggy. It's dumb. Each game is a bad watered down version of a full game, it seems. Little freedom, opposed to a promised sandbox. The AI is nuts. The system usually consists of a bad AI, good AI or a middle something. This is really, really boring. Because the focus in the space-stage seems to be this stupid RTS, and not the sandbox and content.creration. Some stages are fun, the editor is outstanding, but much else seems awfully half-assed. Sucks. Not much reason to say more.. I argued about Spore with a lot friends, for a lot of time, already. Sad, and I'd like my money back.… Expand
  100. bb.
    Sep 13, 2008
    0
    Spore is one of the worst executions of a game ever. The game unfairly forces you to cram through each level. When we go from level to level, why do we lose all the abilities and challenges presented in the previous level? At a minimum we should still have to manage all of those challenges (food in the tribal level, for example) if in a watered-down way. The levels are completely Spore is one of the worst executions of a game ever. The game unfairly forces you to cram through each level. When we go from level to level, why do we lose all the abilities and challenges presented in the previous level? At a minimum we should still have to manage all of those challenges (food in the tribal level, for example) if in a watered-down way. The levels are completely disconnected from each other. The game never actually increases in scope. As you progress it throws away everything you've accomplished up to that point. Very early on, Will Wright said the thing that's enjoyable about a game is the process of learning. Why did I spend all that time learning how to capture food, improve creature abilities, ally with tribes, conquer cities, etc? As you learn, the game throws away any purpose for having gained any of that knowledge. I'm not Sisyphus. Don't treat me like him. When I learn something, I want to use that knowledge to achieve something. When I achieve I want to be able to tell everyone "look what I achieved." In Spore, you can't actually achieve anything (without hundreds of hours of mind numbing inanity). It is not an open ended or "requires-imagination" game, either (unless you spend 100% of your time in the creature creator, to which I say don't buy the full version, because you've already been given the creator for free). When in space, the game incessantly nags you with "your home planet is under attack!" If by open-ended you mean I can decide to let my home world be destroyed, then you've really captured the harsh open-endedness of life, now haven't you? Will Wright was wrong when he said they'd acheived a great balance between the two development camps; the ultra-scientific, and the ultra-simple "Sim" camp. There is absolutely nothing scientific about any limits imposed in this game (building/ship editor costs, max cities per planet, max buildings per city, price paid for goods bought/sold at any planet). Nor is there any "fun" simulating in this game. Throwing attackers at my home planet consistently every three minutes is just aggravating. I truly wish I could get my money back. Do not buy this game. There are much more enjoyable games for your hard earned dollars.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

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