As you’re sure to know EA and Maxis’ Spore took the world by storm with some very innovative gameplay that saw gamers advancing a civilization from single celled organisms all the way to intergalactic travel. You’re also sure to know that EA and Maxis have been working on a spin-off of the game that would include various gameplay elements and combine them with some action adventure to make Darkspore.
While the game won’t officially be out until April 26th those looking to get their hands on the game early better hop on Steam fast. The reason I say this is because it was just made known that the Darkspore beta is now available for download through Valve’s Steam free of charge. However, if you’re looking to get down on this do so fast as Valve has said the beta will only be lasting until Friday.
If you get a chance to check it out let us know how it goes.
Released back in 2008 was Spore from Maxis and EA. If you haven’t played this game it quite literally allows you to take a civilization from a single celled organism to an intelligent race capable of intergalactic space travel. Sure, it had its flaws but it was a very innovative idea and Maxis did a good job executing it. Instead of releasing a title that directly sequels Spore, Maxis is going on to release Darkspore – a game partially based on Spore but includes new elements being described as a fast paced scifi action RPG.
Anyways, originally slated for release on march 29th, EA has come forth today to announce that they will be delaying the game about one month with a new release set for April 26th. Luckily things will be soothed a bit by way of an open beta which was just confirmed with a release date set sometimes towards the beginning of April.
Confused about what Darkspore is? Check out the above gameplay video and let us know what you think.
EA’s Spore effectively took the world by storm allowing gamers to literally create their own civilization from the ground up. However, the game featured some annoying DRM that gamers have constantly scolded EA for. Well, it seems that EA is at it once again with Darkspore a king of Spore spinoff that is described as fast-paced, sci-fi Action-RPG in which the player battles across alien worlds to save the galaxy from the mutated forces of Darkspore”. Sounds pretty cool, right?
Want to know the bad thing? If you don’t have a constantly active Internet connection you won’t be able to play the game at all – that’s right, not at all. This is part of EA’s new DRM system that they hope will work to curb piracy which is, at least, somewhat admirable. The bad news for EA? Anxious crackers will most likely take it upon themselves to undo this DRM not long after the game is released which is on March 29th for the PC.
To confirm this for yourself, head over to the game’s Steam listing here and check out their online disclosure notice.
According to a Darkspore panel at Comic Con, the Maxis team developing the game is getting help by RPG titans BioWare, makers of Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Baldur’s Gate and so many other RPGs. It wasn’t revealed to what extent BioWare is helping, but it might just be an advisory role.
Finally, the “Spore-based” RPG from Maxis has been revealed, and it looks quite interesting, blending Spore with a hack-n-slash RPG like Diablo, and will, as you might have guessed, focus a lot more on action than the regular Spore. It’s set for release in February 2011.
According to a rumor, or leak, if you prefer, Maxis is working on a Spore-based action RPG title which will be revealed at Comic Con next month. Maxis will supposedly be a part of a panel at Comic Con, which will be unveiled in detail later.
While The Sims 3 has been out for the PC since June 2nd of last year, it has yet to make its jump to the consoles. Well, it’s just been announcd that the game will be coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and even the Nintendo DS.
The game will play generally the same as the PC version but with a few added bonuses throughout the various consoles. We’ll keep you updated as more information is made known.
It’s no secret that EA/Maxis’ Spore was a hit with some of the game’s success being attributed to Maxi developer Chris Hecker.
Unfortunately, Maxis recently let Hecker in an effort to downsize the company but that hasn’t stopped him from quickly moving onto a new project which he calls SpyParty. In this game, there will be 2 players, the Spy and the Sniper. The Spy’s job is to move around the party undetected while completely various objectives while the Sniper’s job is to find the Spy and take him out.
Unfortunately, there is no word on when this game will his store shelves, if ever, but we are definitely anticipating any further information regarding SpyParty.
No, EA isn’t teaming up with Activision to merge Spore with Guitar Hero but they are releasing a special edition of the game for the Wii and Nintendo DS entitled Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena.
According to Kotaku both games will focus on the Creature mode of the original Spore where players will create their own creature and take them on all sorts of adventures, battling other creatures and traveling the galaxy:
“When Maxis first considered bringing Spore to console players, the Nintendo platforms jumped out as a perfect fit. Whether it is the stylus-driven action of the Nintendo DS or playful controllers of the Wii, the massive Nintendo audience is the ideal home for Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena,” said Lucy Bradshaw, VP and General Manager at Maxis. “Nintendo fans will love the humor, ability to create their own Hero, fun game play and immersive storylines we’re creating for these two games.”
Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena are due out for the Wii and Nintendo DS sometime this fall.
