Spore Review - Conclusions, Pros, Cons and Score for this review of Spore.

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Conclusions

It is probably quite clear from the review, but my overall conclusions are quite positive for Spore. It is truly a masterpiece of a game, even if it fails to live up to the expectations heaped upon it for the last few years. After creating the juggernaut that is The Sims, I do not know if Will Wright could ever have lived up to the expectations from his next game. Spore certainly comes close.

The open ended gameplay, the enormous variety of options, the opportunities to express one’s creativity through creation or storytelling, and the sheer fun and joy you get from playing Spore are all major reasons this is such an excellent game. The potential for replayability is great, while the potential to keep playing a single game is equally great. It has been estimated by some that conquering the entire galaxy would take 2 years of daily play. I do not doubt it. You can spend tens if not hundreds of hours in your own tiny little corner of the galaxy without venturing through a single wormhole or even getting more than a couple navigation hops away from your home planet.

The game is not perfect, but no game is. It was originally scheduled for release 1 or 2 years ago, but fortunately Mr. Wright has enough clout that he was able to hold off the suits at EA and make sure the game was not released until it was done.

Speaking of which, it is important to note that the game is virtually bug free. In many hours of play I experienced only one crash, and I have no idea if that was actually associated with the game itself. Other than that, it is a great example to other PC game developers of how to release a finished product.

Pros

  1. Open ended gameplay.
  2. Enormous gameplay variety.
  3. Outlets for creativity and imagination are huge.
  4. Online community is already vibrant and productive.
  5. Bug free.
  6. Beautiful graphics that perform well on almost any system DirectX 9 compatible or later.
  7. Just plain fun.

Cons

  1. Some of the early stages are a bit dull.
  2. Interface could use a few important adjustments.
  3. Players should be able to rename their planets and star systems.
  4. More space ship improvements would add a lot to the space stage.
  5. More variety in interaction elements with other races in the space stage would be preferable.
  6. Inventory management needs work - particularly the ability to sort and organize one’s inventory.
  7. Allied ships need serious improvements in their durability.

Score

Final Score out of 100: 93%

This post is part of the series: Spore - A Detailed Review of the latest Will Wright creation

This comprehensive review of developer Will Wright’s PC Game Spore covers many aspects of the game in great detail. Please check them all out.

  1. Spore - A Detailed Review of the latest Will Wright creation
  2. Spore - The Achievement System and the Cell Stage
  3. Spore - Creature Stage and Tribal Stage
  4. Spore - Civilization Stage
  5. Spore - Space, the Final Stage
  6. Spore - Interface, Community, and the Sporepedia
  7. Spore - Conclusions, Pros, Cons and Score for this review.