14 DAY TRIAL // Electronic Arts has announced the upcoming availability of Spore: Galactic Edition. The package will include tons of extra stuff, including Making-Of and How to Build a Better Being DVDs, a hardback mini-book called "The Art of Spore" and more. Spore Galactic Edition will cost $79.99 and it will be available on September 7th.
In total, Spore: Galactic Edition includes the following: "Making of Spore" DVD, "How to Build a Better Being" DVD (from the National Geographic Channel), "The Art of Spore" hardback mini-book, a fold-out Spore poster, as well as a 100-page Galactic Handbook.
Spore is a "teleological evolution" game, a "God game" where the player's task is to mold and guide a species across many generations, growing it from a single-celled organism into a more complex being. Eventually, the species becomes sapient at which point the player sets the rules of its society. The goal is to progress the living being towards space-exploration.
Since Spore ranges from the molecular phase to the galactic phase, it consists of several phases in between, each with its own style of play. Will Wright, the game's designer, mentioned in an interview of his that he wanted players to be able to spend as much, or as little time as they want in each stage. For example, if a person likes a certain stage more in their creature's life, the game will not force the player to move on until he/she is ready. This is one of the reasons why development took so long and delayed the game's release, according to the designer.
EA has also posted Spore Creature Creator Pro-Tips on its website, following the release of the highly anticipated Spore Creature Creator. Here are some of them:
1. Use Hearbear ears for really expressive eyebrows! 2. To create a realistic looking creature, look at a reference picture at the same time. 3. Jellybutton makes a great flowerpot, shirtcuff, or if nested, robot style retractable arm. 4. Narrow one or two vertices where you're sticking the legs. This will help them integrate with the body better. 5. Nest Overhear ear parts to create alien looking antennae. 6. Attach an arm, remove the hands, then remove all segments but one (using the control key) to make nubby, cartoon-like arms or legs.
If you have a tip you want to share (and I'm sure you do), you can tag your creature using "creatortip." Explain your tip in the creature's description and EA promises to showcase it (if it's any good) on upcoming SporeDay posts (every Tuesday).