14 DAY TRIAL // I must admit I am absolutely fascinated by the concept of Spore and I can hardly wait to get my hands on the full game and play it. Just imagine how excited I was when I found out that I would get the chance to test a small part of it way before it is launched! Yes, I am talking about the recently released Spore Creature Creator, the teaser thrown at us by Maxis - since it is not really a demo of the game; it only gives you a taste and lets you want more. Much more. Here's the first hour with the Creature Creator (click to download):
09.00. I double click the icon and hold my breath. The demo is loading. I randomly and quickly click a few buttons, wanting to start creating as soon as possible.
09.01. Wow, cool, it's just like in the trailers: you get a little something you can modify as you wish: drag, turn, mold the thing and create whatever you want!
09.04. Hee hee, this looks like male's genitalia.
09.10. I start all over again. Now I seem to know exactly what I'm doing. Everything is easy, a real piece of cake: you need no tutorial to become an expert at this and it will only takes ten minutes. Good, I love this game even more!
09.21. My creature is "full" already! I have created a big monster (you know, the big & stupid type) with six eyes, three legs, three hands and "some" wings, claws, horns, and a second mouth up its arse. It seems it's too complex now. Hey, Spore! I was just getting started! What's up with all these limitations?
09.22. OK, it's time to start over again. I'll make an entire herd of creatures and become their god. I will rule the world and take over Sporepedia. There shall be only one!
09.46. The creature is ready. It looks horrible, but that's not the point. The idea is that you can really customize almost everything in the game: the size of any body piece, its length, the direction it's facing and so on. The controls are intuitive, with little arrows helping you customize the creature and add that final touch. Basically, if you want to do something with your creature, you can. One other huge advantage is that you can spend as many or as few minutes, as you wish, with your creature. Of course, the more time you spend, the closer to "perfection" it will be.
09.51. Just one backdrop out in the wild. That sucks. Also, my creature moves a bit too fast (or is this just an illusion?). It can dance and do lots of other things, it's true, but unfortunately it can also stick its finger out of its eye. Hopefully, this will be fixed - some creatures should be better than others when it comes to the way they move, act and so. However, I like it. I love it, actually!
09.59. I've started working on my fourth creature. I am indeed able to do almost everything I can with it, but it gets pretty boring. I'm a man of action, I need to play, I have to try and test everything. Unfortunately, this Creature Creator only brings you a minuscule bit of Spore. And that's not enough. I so much want the game? like now!
What can I say? The Spore Creature Creator is an awesome thing to try. There is the possibility you'll get really bored by doing the same thing after your first hour or you could get very addicted and won't be able to stop creating (there are already people who have submitted over 40 creatures on the official website!). One thing is clear, though: if you desperately want to get your hands on Spore, like I do, it will be a pain to realize that you can only create something unusable at the moment. And it's only June. Way too much to wait until the game is launched!