Tom's Games took a test drive with the Spore Creature Creator, purchasing a digital copy through EA's Web site. Despite the positive statements by the company, the experience did not kick off well, and upon digging through the official Spore forum , many consumers purchasing the Creature Creator had similar issues. The problem stems around EA's downloading software client, loading immediately after the Spore Creature Creator starts. The problem was that the client shut down the game after Maxis' splash screen, thus many gamers could not even get into the actual meat of the Creature Creator. Although the EA Download Client warns that many games will cease to function if removed, uninstallation was the only way to get the Spore Creature Creator to work. Obviously, this issue will not arise with the physical copy purchased at your local retail outlet.
Once inside the game, the Spore Creature Creator allows the player to use his/her imagination with a full set of tools. A featureless blob floats gracefully above a pedestal, and upon moving the mouse over this formless entity, you can clearly see the dim highlight of a backbone. Players can manipulate this spine to properly shape the basis of the creature, extending it out, curving it into a "C" shape or whatever the creator desires. Right clicking the mouse also allows the player to pan around this creature, allowing full creative viewpoints.
Bored at work? Why not make a creature with a penis-shaped head? EA has released a new web-based version of their Spore Creature Creator.
Eurogamer writes: "SHODAN may have been scary, but she's got nothing on Lucy. The fun-size pocket robot orangutan may now be consigned to Cyberlife Research vault, but the artificial intelligence comprising her virtual brain - which her creators hoped would see her through real-life kindergarten - is of a level of sophistication that makes Looking Glass' amalgam of clever scripting, voice-acting, and cut-scenes look utterly prehistoric. And while she certainly wasn't blessed with SHODAN's looks, either - in all honesty, she looks like a cross between Estelle Getty and Chucky the Lakeshore Strangler - there's little doubt Lucy's probably the better dinner party guest."
GameSpot writes: "EA and Maxis' Spore generated a good deal of buzz from the moment it was announced at the 2005 Game Developers Conference. On the commercial-gaming side, the game represented the latest effort from celebrity game designer Will Wright, one that was backed by the substantial resources of publishing powerhouse Electronic Arts."
