Spore Creature Creator

If you're a gamer, I'm pretty sure you would have heard of Spore. If you haven't, you really need to drag yourself out from under that rock. Seriously. Educate Yourself!

For those who don't know, Spore is...well, it's actually pretty hard to sum up what type of game Spore is. If anything, it's a mix between real time strategy, action and adventure. Essentially, it's a massive sandbox-type game, where the player has ultimate control over every aspect of the game.

You begin as a micro-biotic life form floating about in the primordial soup, and the ultimate aim of the game is to evolve into a glorious space-faring race worthy of a spot on the next episode of Star Trek. Evolution is the key phrase in Spore, and is what drives the game.

After your organism has braved the depths of the primordial soup and manages to clumsily drag itself onto the land, you are then able to modify your character to best suit itself to it's new surroundings. This is where the Spore Creature Creator comes in. Using this tool, you are able to create a virtually unlimited amount of different creatures, hampered only by your imagination.

On the 18th of June, EA / Maxis released a trial version of the Creature Creator, allowing us all to get in on a bit of this creature creating action, to tide us over until the proposed September 2008 release date. Now, I've been following this game since I first heard of it, so I've been pretty anxious to get my grubby little mitts on it, so hearing that a trial of the Creature Creator was coming, I knew I had to get it.

My impressions? This thing is incredible. While the trial for the Creature Creator limits you to roughly a quarter of the options available in the full version, it in no way limits the sheer amount of custom creatures you can create. From a six legged monstrosity to a gentle biped, if you can imagine it, chances are you can create it.

My recommendation on Spore? Well, if you want to see something different, a game where you have ultimate control over pretty much everything you see, then get Spore. After messing around with the Creature Creator - which I highly recommend - you'll understand why.

Now, an interesting thing to note, is that with a credit card, you are able to pay a small fee ($10 US) to upgrade your Creature Creator trial to a full version, allowing you access to all the different parts and options available in the full game.

In a bizarre move, EA have not placed the full Creature Creator in their Australian online store, but it is available for us to purchase through their New Zealand store for $14.99 NZ. [Link] (via Kotaku)

Oh, if you think you're clever making all manner of creatures which look like giant penises with legs and the like, you're not the only one. A cautionary, links likely not worksafe. [Link] and [Link] (both via Kotaku)

Spore Main Site
Download The Spore Creature Creator Trial
The Sporepedia, View Thousands of User Created Creatures
EA's NZ Store, Where You Can Purchase The Full Creature Creator