14 DAY TRIAL // Australian fans of Electronic Arts' brand new and much talked-about Spore video game now have the chance to play its mobile version too, namely Spore Origins. Telstra has just announced that, via its subsidiary BigPond, it is offering the mobile game to any of its subscribers owning a Next G handset and willing to pay a one-time fee of 7 AUD (5.8 USD).
Coming as a simplified version of the desktop / console game, Spore Origins promises the same gameplay experience only that it reduces it to a multi-cellular universe. There are 18 levels to complete, each of which will see your multi-cellular organism struggling for survival and evolution – develop your abilities, grow stronger and even eat your opponents if necessary.
"We're dedicated to bringing the very best in mobile entertainment to fans Australia-wide and we are proud to be a part of such an innovative and unique opportunity with Spore Origins and EA Games," stated Justin Milne, BigPond group managing director. "This exclusive deal again demonstrates why we are the premier choice when it comes to providing the best games and live entertainment across mobiles and PCs."
Mark Fordham, head of sales and marketing for EA Mobile, also said: "We're excited to partner with BigPond to bring the connected version of Spore Origins to Australia. Partnering with Australia's biggest mobile network means fans can get Spore on their mobile nearly anywhere in the country. We're looking forward to seeing a strong Aussie presence in Spore Origins!"
Telstra says that the game can be downloaded on mobiles from the BigPond portal.
The list of Next G handsets (hence the ones that support Spore Origins) currently includes LG TU550, LG KF700Q, LG Shine, Sony Ericsson W760, Sony Ericsson K850i, Samsung U900, Motorola V9, Motorola Q9, HTC Touch Dual and HTC Touch Diamond, but more cool devices will be added soon (BlackBerry Bold and Palm Treo Pro are among them).