Spore E3 2008 News Roundup: Spore Origins (iPhone & Mobile)

Judhudson · Jul 21, 2008

E3 2008 News Roundup: Spore Origins (iPhone & Mobile)

Last week was a very busy week with E3 going on! I managed to gather all of the information from E3 and posted it at Simprograms. Since I had to constantly update it, it wouldn't be wise to have it posted in two places. Now that it is over, I can post it over here! So here is a cut-n-paste of the news coming out of E3.

Overview Video

Spore Origins Trailer

Articles/Previews

There are about 35 levels (the EA rep said each takes around 3-5 minutes to beat), and every five levels, youre presented with a cavern to explore, like a maze to wander through. But we were fairly bored playing the game while the accelerometer is a good time, your character doesnt actually mean anything. Theres zero connection between this game and the full version of Spore you cant bring your characters out into the Spore world, or see any other characters from other players wandering the iPhone game. Its completely standalone, and that makes it feel a little unconnected who cares about this little creature you control when all hell ever be is a speck in a Petri dish?

TUAW: Hands on with Spore Origins for iPhone
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I got to give it a whirl a tilt?

Yes, a tilt, because iPhone Spore is played pretty much entirely through the accelerometer, which means you direct your swimmy blob by tilting the phone gently in various directions. It strikingly resembles playing flOw on the PS3 using the Sixaxis, as you navigate a vague creature through shifting layers trying to snap up other organisms.

You shape and color your creature using the touch screen. Im a little concerned that for truly customizing and shaping your blob to work and work well, theyll have to get the touch controls really spot-on, and thats been a bit of an issue for me at times with some iPhone games. The build I saw for Spore on the iPhone was very early, and the producer told me that theyll be focusing intently on toning that up.

Kotaku - Hands on with Spore on iPhone is pretty much fLOW
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We tried out Spore on all of the currently available platforms, and while the handheld/phone versions arent nearly as epic as the full version, Spore Origins on an iPod Touch was completely addictive. You steer your swimming organism by tilting the screen, which is relatively responsive, and has a loose, unpredictable feel that makes the relatively repetitive gameplay surprisingly intense. If your beast were running around, the tilt would feel wrong. But when you accidentally veer into another creature too big to eat, or cant quite pull off the precision bank you were hoping for, it makes sense because youre a freakish little creature undulating through a primordial soup, not a crack fighter pilot.

Popular Mechanics: Death by iPhone? Why Spore means the end of PSP
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Spore E3 2008 News Roundup: Spore Origins (iPhone & Mobile)

Judhudson is a Hi-Tech Redneck

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Spore E3 2008 News Roundup: Spore Origins (iPhone & Mobile)

Judhudson is a Hi-Tech Redneck

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