Closing Comments
I think that Maxis has made an impressive product that does so many incredible things. Spore will serve as an introduction to gaming for many; it's clear that many nontraditional gamers will check it out. As such, this feels sort of like a sampler plate to gaming, introducing newcomers to the different types of gameplay out there. But much more than that, Spore will make you think about science, and when was the last time you could say that about a game? It'll inspire people to learn more about the universe and imagine what's possible out there. Spore also pushes the idea of user-generated content to incredible new heights; this is a game where users will make the vast majority of things that you encounter, and this creation and sharing is done seamlessly.

Yet while Spore is an amazing product, it's just not quite an amazing game. I can't help but feel that Spore is ambitious and memorable, but I also admit that, save for the cool Space Stage, there's not a lot of depth here. Rookie gamers are going to feel at home here, but veteran gamers may feel like they need more. Still, Spore proves to be one of the most unique products in recent memory, one that reaches for the stars and ends up giving us a universe in a box.

(For other opinions of Spore, make sure to check out GameSpy's review, IGN UK's review, and IGN Australia's review.)

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
9.5	Presentation The nearly 100-page manual is full of everything you need to know and more; The Sporepedia is an excellent in-game content browser; and the entire interface shows a lot of thought went into it.
9.5	Graphics Spore abstracts life with warm, colorful graphics. The fact that you can create an almost unlimited range of creatures and they all animate and move logically and emotionally is amazing.
8.5	Sound While these are aliens, you can understand them thanks to their chirps and grunts. The music is minimalist, but that serves to underscore its effectiveness when it does come into play.
8.0	Gameplay Spore is a wonderful, dizzying trip through evolution. It's definitely an entertaining and creative endeavor, but it lacks the gameplay depth that experienced gamers expect.
8.5	Lasting Appeal If you like creating and sharing things, Spore is going to keep you busy for quite a while. However, if you like playing games, Spore doesn't seem to have the longevity of something like The Sims.
8.8 Great	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

Not too bad I suppose, but it seems they took points off because the game is too casual? Some of the comments on the review at IGN are kind of harsh.

Link.

Talk about missing the point: the early stages are just training, tutorials and a motto for the real part of the game, which is the space stage.

I'm surprised at how many reviewers simply don't understand this.

^I'm surprised how many times I heard Hardcore gamers would be dissatisfied playing this game during the video review. Talk about out of touch with the PC market. 75-85% of PC gamers are casuals I mean look at how damn casual The Sims is, now look at its sales.

9.5 for graphics seem way to high, maybe a 7 at tops.

This game will be huge with the massive PC casual crowd. At least it will be if the system requirements aren't too high for avg. Joe Blows 5 year old PC or 3 yr old laptop.

How can they say the first stages are too minimalistic and offer to little depth for the core-gamer?!... You can create almost every fuckin' creature you can think of! Little depth my ass!

Still, I'm really, really excited for this one and buying it. Ofcourse!

Nice score.

Spore is going down the path of pretty much every game that took too much time to get released and got too much hype in the process of development. The game is good but it will never meet the ridiculous expectations.

Personally, after playing the game I completely agree with reviewers who say that the game lacks depth. Yes there is a great degree of customizability but in the end the changes you do to your creature are mostly visual. You can stick a jaw on the creatures butt and it would still have a level 4 bite attack that it would be able to use without a problem. And during the civilization part of the game you have access to only 3 units in total and you dont even get access to them immediately. Plus the civilization part quickly turns into a borefest because you can easily secure more resources than other nations and just crush them. Not to mention that you gain an ability eventually that allows you to capture any city any where on the map.

I believe it got 9.5 because everything works even though you mess around with it.. try making a model and put it ingame with animations.. it's a hell.. but this is a system that allows you to pull shit out your ass and still make it work .. and easily too.. lol

In either case i probably wont get it.. Wonder how many is gonna whine about the score. Not that i wouldn't myself in some situations :P

Why are people complaining, 8.8 is probably one of the highest rated casual games. I wouldn't expect anything from Spore except for a bunch of scores between 7 to 9. This game will have the expected review effect that most Nintendo games get.