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To say Spore is the most anticipated game of the year, would be an understatement. The same can be said for the iPhone/iPod Touch version of the game, Spore: Origins. In Spore: Origins, you create your own creature at the most basic level, and guide it in eating smaller critters to fill up the DNA bar while avoiding the bigger predators lurking in the sea.
Spore: Origins contains two gameplay modes; Survival and Evolution. Evolution is the normal game, which has you going through levels, evolving your creature with new body parts, growing at it eats smaller food sources. It’s an eat or be eaten world in Spore: Origins. Survival, takes place in certain levels, and can be unlocked at level 10 for instant play. In Survival, you have to reach the end without dying to complete the level. You advance in each level by eating small critters and filling up the DNA bar (in the upper left-corner.) Once filled, you can either advance to the next level, or go to the Edit Creature screen.
As your creation evolves and grow, it can eat larger critters, and unlock more body parts for you to customize its looks. Further, you can change its colors, and even take a picture and plaster it onto your creature. You do this in the Edit Creature screen, which allows you to scroll the choices up and down. This is where the mystery meat navigation becomes a drawback, as you have to tap on each one to see what they are for and what they do. They are broken up into four groups; Perception, Defensive, Offensive, and Movement. There’s no description on what each body part will do, and the choices are rather limiting, even after you finally unlocked them all. As you edit your creature, you can scroll through the list of body parts to add, and drag them onto your creature. You can pinch and press with your fingers to adjust its shape, as well.
Different enemies have different characteristics, strength, weaknesses, and abilities. The variety helps keep the gameplay fresh and from becoming too boring and repetitive. Some enemies, when destroyed, will unleash its dinner for you to eat.
Spore’s first cellular-based stage inspired the creation of flOw, a web-based game that proved popular enough to warrant over 600,000 downloads of the game.
When interrupted during the course of the game, you can quickly resume back to where you left off, thanks to the auto-save feature. One of the major drawbacks to this version of Spore: Origins is the lack of network play, and other features that the other version of the game has. For example, those versions can export the creature to allow friends to import your’s and battle it to see which is better. There’s also an online Arena mode that lets you duke it out with others who have the game. As advanced as the iPhone is, I have a hard time believing that they couldn’t allow us to have these features.
Control of your creature is done by the accelerometer, tilting the device in the direction you want it to go. Calibration is offered, when you first start up the game, and in the options. Your creature automatically eats whatever it can as it gets close, and if there are multiple edibles in the area, you can chain combos. While, for the most part, this works, it’s not as responsive as I would’ve liked. There are times, due to the small screen, that a predator will fly into view and before you can react, you’re hit and lose health and/or die. Perhaps if the developer added the ability, by tapping the screen in the opposite direction, you can do a sidestep or quick reverse to avoid getting hurt.
The visuals are gorgeous, and features some smooth multi-layers of goop and larger creatures. The water, and your perspective, shifts and distorts. Each section of the levels have their own unique look; from backgrounds, outcroppings of rocks, seaweed, plankton, and so on. Your own creatures, edible critters, and enemies all look fantastic.
Sound effects and the music soundtrack are the shining points of Spore: Origins. The liquid you swim in bubbles and gurgles, eating critters emits a satisfying snap. Without question, the music soundtrack in the game is the best I’ve heard yet.
The production quality for Spore: Origins is undeniably crisp and professional. While the gameplay isn’t very engrossing and gets repetitive after a while, it is a unique experience that is worth delving into. The controls could use some tightening up and made more responsive, it would go a long way into making the game more fun. The sound and music really enhances the atmosphere and overall experience.
Tags: Action, ea mobile, Puzzle, reviews, spore, spore: origins
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Organizers for March 2009’s GDC Mobile summit have revealed a focus on emerging platforms such as Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android, as well as initial speakers from EA and Indiagames, for the mobile-specific game event taking place on the first two days of GDC 2009.
