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Spore Hero: details on the Wii's Spore spinoff
EA is finally bringing Spore to the Wii, sort of: Spore Hero is coming this fall, but, of course, it won't be exactly the same as the PC game. Spore Hero, as revealed to MTV Multiplayer today, is a heavily motion control-dependent adventure based on the "creature" stage of Spore. The same creature editor from the original is present in Hero, allowing players to create new life with the Wiimote's pointer.Players will now directly control the creature in "a series of quests and adventures in a kind of open world that you can take at your own pace." New parts can be added that will translate to new motion-controlled moves. Some moves, like jumping, will open up new areas to explore. EA is currently "taking a look" at MotionPlus for Spore Hero, for improved sensitivity for the motion-based gameplay.This sounds a lot like the DS's Spore Creatures -- whose sequel, Spore Hero Arena, is still scheduled for a fall release on DS.
Will Wright to keynote SIGGRAPH 2009
There's just something about Will Wright that makes us melt. His choice in games. His geeky good looks. His ability to play god. Whatever it is, maybe the esteemed game designer will shed some light on our infatuation when he takes the stage as the keynote speaker at SIGGRAPH 2009. His presence marks an "expanded" gaming focus for the CGI tech fest, which normally centers on what's new and bleeding edge with all things graphics. The topic of Wright's discussion has not yet been released, though we'll be listening with bated breath when the show opens its doors in New Orleans in early August.
Spore Galactic Adventures vids show new game editing features
If you're a Spore fan then you're probably already aware that the best thing about the game was the creation tools, which allowed you to make your own aliens, buildings and vehicles. Spore Galactic Adventures, the upcoming expansion pack, looks to add more of these to the game, not only allowing you to create your own customized planets but also to build an entire game, LittleBigPlanet style. Check out the videos after the break to see these new editor features in action. Perhaps some playable user generated content will make up for the disappointing gameplay in the original title.
See how Spore evolves with 'Galactic Adventures'
It's universally agreed upon that the best bits of Spore are its creature creation and galactic endgame. It's really no surprise, then, that the first expansion for the game -- Spore Galactic Adventures -- seeks to produce a viable cross-breed of the two modes.One of several Spore projects on tap for 2009, the expansion will give players the ability to design whole planets and build their own adventures, then share them via the same web-based mechanism as other game creations. Maxis has put together a "behind the scenes" look into the concept -- which, even if it doesn't address all of Spore's sore spots, will at least allow for planets that look like adult novelties.
EA officially announces Spore Hero
Spore's arrival on the Wii has been stretched out over such a protracted period of time it would make evolution itself blush. Will Wright first confirmed the project way, way back in October 2007; optimistically, we placed the game in a list of titles to look out for in 2008.Nevertheless, let's say it again: Spore is coming to Wii. Yay! This time, to make things feel extra official and important, EA made the announcement, revealing that Spore Hero, a game built from the ground up for the Wii, would focus on "creativity and evolution." And that's really all we know for now, aside from the fact that the game will release this fall.Considering it's taken EA the best part of fifteen months to announce the thing, and given the first game's reputation, we wouldn't be amazed to see some slippage. One to watch out for in our "Games for 2010" list, perhaps.[Via Joystiq]
Four new Spore titles on Wii, DS and PC this year
click for more Battlefish-esque screenshots Just as your Spore creature grows from a single cell to a mighty populace, so do the Spore franchise opportunities continue to emerge from the single acorn of Will Wright's PC masterpiece. EA has just revealed that you'll have four new entries in the series to sink your teeth/claws/proboscis into this year, including old news Spore Galactic Adventures. Also coming to PCs is Spore Creature Keeper, a kid-friendly title that lets you raise and play with a creature in captivity.Coming to Nintendo's consoles is Spore Hero on the Wii, an adventure game "focusing on creativity and evolution" and built for the system's motion controls, and the DS's Spore Hero Arena, a continuation of last year's Spore Creatures that pits your creations against others. Look for both to swim, then squirm, then walk to shelves this fall.%Gallery-42902%
Wii Warm Up: Spore (Heroes)
What? Spore on Wii? We thought it had disappeared completely, and after Spore failed to take the world by storm when it was released, we ... well, we kind of forgot all about it. Will Wright didn't forget, though, and Spore for Wii has resurfaced, only now it's going to be Spore Heroes and not a port of Spore itself, like the DS version. And speaking of the DS, another game is apparently slated for the handheld, as a companion: Spore Heroes Arena. Details are slim at the moment, but that doesn't matter; what does matter is how you feel about this development. Interested?
Spore, Shiggy honored with Jim Henson awards
Shigeru Miyamoto and Spore have been recognized by The Jim Henson Company as part of their annual "Jim Henson Honors" awards. The legendary game designer was bestowed the Celebration Honor, which goes to an "individual, organization or product that makes the world a better place by inspiring people to celebrate life." Mario, Donkey, Wii ... yeah, you know the drill.As for Spore, it took home the Technology Honor, probably because it allowed everyone to create their favorite Star Wars characters or giant penis monsters. The other not so game-related awards went to artist Shepard Falrey (Creativity Honor) and the Center for Puppetry Arts Distance Learning Center (Community Honor). Congratulations to everyone. We can't think of a better way to celebrate than with the video after the break. %Gallery-25321%
More Spore: 'Galactic Adventures' expansion coming this spring
The first expansion pack for Will Wright's "everything sim," Spore, is slated for release this spring, according to -- of all things -- an invitation to its debut event. Called Spore Galactic Adventures, the pack is evidently just one part of an entire line-up of Spore tie-ins/spin-offs EA and Maxis are planning for 2009. Judging by its title, the pack will expand on Spore's galactic end-game, widely considered to be the sim's most engaging stage. As for what those other Spore titles could be, we'll take your suggestions (sorry, we've already called Spore: ODST!) in comments.
EA Store's 'extended download' perk comes at a price
In a desperate attempt to play Spore while visiting family in Tahoe, an Ars Technica writer stumbled across a disagreeable little caveat in purchasing products from EA's online store. He was charged an extra $7 for the "extended download service," a nasty little program by EA's digital distributor, Digital River. The company only allows purchases to be redownloaded for a certain period of time (which varies), but to enable the option to download the product again within two years, the customer will have to pay the fee. Apparently, there's no indefinite download option.Ars went down the rabbit hole to get some answers from Digital River about why the company does this, but was met with a perma-hold and disconnects when calling. Considering that we haven't heard of "extended download service" fees on independently-created digital distribution services like Steam, which now sells Spore, it's probably safe to stick with that if you're a PC user. Feel free to let us know if you've seen "extended download service" fees from other distributors, because what Digital River is doing sounds like shady business.
Wrath tops the PC sales charts for November
Surprised? You probably shouldn't be -- NPD has released the top sales list for November, and our favorite game is sitting right on top. In fact, the most interesting thing about the list is what's not on it: games. Wrath is at number one, followed up by such great titles like Office 2007 and Trend Micro Anti-virus. The collector's edition of Wrath comes in at number four, and after that it's all utilities except Call of Duty: World at War at number six and Spore at number 10.That's a sad month for PC gaming, especially during a time when sales are supposed to be at their highest. Blizzard's leading the charge (and they're not leaving PC anytime soon), but they seem to be pretty much the only PC studio able to bring it home this year.Videogame sales in general are doing just great: even in a bad economy, console companies -- both developers and retailers -- are seeing nice growth. But those saying PC gaming is dead will only have to point to November's sales for proof. Maybe in 2009 we can get a couple more titles quality enough to give World of Warcraft a run for its money.
EA gets Steamed in Europe, except for UK
European* Steam users can now join its American brethren in downloading Electronic Arts titles from Steam. The release schedule is mostly identical to that of the US and Canada, with Spore, Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack, Mass Effect, Need for Speed Undercover and FIFA Manager 2009 available now (notable exception: Warhammer Online) and Red Alert 3, Dead Space and Mirror's Edge coming in a few weeks.... What's that, reader? What's the asterisk for? Turns out, the EA library is available on Steam only to "most of Europe," with the odd man out being the United Kingdom, according to both Eurogamer and independently verified by our mates at the Joystiq UK offices. We've extended an offer of Earl Grey and a scone to Valve for answers.[Via BigDownload]
EA games roll onto Steam
EA has accepted the warm embrace of Steam and will begin using the digital distribution service. Following reports that Spore was crawling out of the primordial ooze to Steam, Valve announced today that several of the latest EA titles are available now, with many more coming over the next couple weeks. Available now: Spore Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Mass Effect Need for Speed Undercover EA Sports' FIFA Manager 2009 Coming Soon: Mirror's Edge Red Alert 3 Dead Space Sister site Big Download contacted EA to find out if older PC games would become available, but the publisher wouldn't comment. Also, in case you're wondering, EA games on Steam apparently don't install or use third-party DRM set-ups. According to Valve "the only DRM it uses is Steam itself."[Via Big Download]
Spore EULA shows up on Valve's Steam service
Despite having its own digital distribution system, it appears Electronic Arts is ready to start using Valve's Steam store. ShackNews discovered that the end user license agreement for Spore has shown up on the Steam site. If Spore is released on Steam, it would be the first internally-developed title released by EA on Valve's platform.We've contacted both Valve and EA for comment. We'll update if any new information evolves.
UK's Telegraph names Fable II best game of 2008
The Daily Telegraph has thrown two pence in with its own "best of" video game round up, naming its top 50 games of 2008. Like X-Play before it, the conservative UK newspaper named Lionhead's Fable 2 as the best game to come along in the last 12 months, romancing the crown out from under near-winners, Fallout 3 and LittleBigPlanet. Other games sitting atop the heap included Rock Band 2, Gears of War 2, Spore, Grand Theft Auto IV and No More Heroes, with Left 4 Dead and Professor Layton rounding the publication's top ten. Check out the rather comprehensive list and let us know if your favorites made the cut.
Spore tops list of most pirated PC games of 2008
Despite possessing "draconian DRM" meant to thwart an internet that's currently teeming with PC gaming pirates, Electronic Arts' controversial (in more ways than one) life-sim Spore recently topped a list compiled by TorrentFreak which charts the most pirated PC games of 2008. With 1.7 million illicit downloads (much more than 2nd place finisher Sims 2, which had 1.15 million), it would seem that EA's strict anti-piracy measures led to ... extra piracy. Here's the top ten most pirated PC titles for the year -- with only BitTorrent downloads present and accounted for, we suggest taking the list with a SecuROM-protected grain of salt. Spore -- 1,700,000 The Sims 2 -- 1,150,000 Assassins Creed -- 1,070,000 Crysis -- 940,000 Command & Conquer 3 -- 860,000 Call of Duty 4 -- 830,000 GTA San Andreas -- 740,000 Fallout 3 -- 645,000 Far Cry 2 -- 585,000 Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 -- 470,000 [Via Big Download]
New Spore patch removes bugs, adds appendages
If you're still exploring the galaxy and seeding obscure planets with your peculiar race of tripedal penguins, you'll be pleased to note the arrival of Spore Patch 3, which not only strangles several known bugs but gives you a hand in creature creation. Well, 24 hands in fact, or 24 exoskeleton appendages to be more precise. We encourage you to welcome these latest members of the "Free DLC" club and promptly slap them onto your latest creations.In order to download the patch (corrections are listed after the break), simply hop online with Spore or launch the EA Download Manager -- you'll be placed in arm's way automatically. Though the game is still locked up tight in DRM prison, it's nice to see it enjoying some free limb.[Via Big Download]
Spore honored in Time's 50 Best Inventions of 2008
Despite receiving a few complaints from critics concerning gameplay shortcomings, Will Wright's latest brain child, Spore, was recently chosen as one of Time Magazine's 50 Best Inventions of 2008. Finishing in 20th place, and credited as "The Everything Game", Time remarked on the ambitious nature of the title, labeling it as "blasphemy, brilliance or both."Other "inventions" listed include "The Direct-to-Web Supervillain Musical", Hulu.com, and 23andMe's home DNA test, which garnered top honors. The Large Hadron Collider, the "world's most expensive science experiment", made an unremarkable 5th place finish -- Time cited the machine's failure to follow through on its promise to destroy humanity as the reason for its disappointing placement on the list.[Via Big Download]
Counting Rupees: The Importance of Innovation
Each week Jeff Engel and Geoff Brooks contribute Counting Rupees, a column on the business behind gaming: One of the most prominent words in game journalism and discussion today is "innovation" – how can companies innovate successfully, and how come there isn't more of it in the industry? Implicit in this conversation are three assumptions that don't generally get examined with the same thoroughness: that "innovation" is per se important for gaming, that all innovation is essentially the same in content and value, and that companies promote profitability over innovation. I'd like to talk about these unspoken assumptions in light of the banner few years that we've had as gamers. I think most people would concede that innovation is important, whether to gaming or to consumer packaged goods. But why? At least in gaming, it's largely because our interest tends to dissipate along with challenge; if you're not being shown something interesting, why pay attention to it? Familiarity may not breed contempt, but it definitely doesn't breed excitement (nor sales) either.
EA financial report: WAR did great, layoffs happening anyway
EA released its quarterly financial statements (PDF warning on both that and the Source link) yesterday, and while the typical MMO player will not care about most of the data present, we thought a couple things buried in there were worth mentioning. First of all, EA bragged about the previously-revealed 800,000 subscriber number for Warhammer Online. Madden NFL 09 and Spore also did quite well, but despite those successes, the company still posted a net loss of $310 million.Possibly as a result, it announced a "cost reduction plan" (doublespeak, anyone?) "which will include the elimination of approximately 6% of the Company's workforce," which Scott Jennings suggests is around 540 people. No details were given about which teams would lose people. We suppose new intellectual properties like Dead Space and Mirror's Edge aren't cheap to develop, and neither is Star Wars: The Old Republic (the existence of which was proudly touted in the report), but it's striking that even amidst sales success by WAR and other titles, the company is still shedding employees.[Via Broken Toys]
