• Publisher: EA Games
  • Release Date: Sep 7, 2008
Metascore
65 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 20
  2. Negative: 3 out of 20
  1. A triumph - a constantly evolving, charming and surprising triumph. [Oct 2008, p.83]
  2. The realistic way these creatures move and act is by far the game's most impressive feature. [Nov 2008, p.95]
  3. It comes on a little slow, but if you put some genuine time and effort into this game, you can come away with a fun experience.
  4. 78
    This is a fun, involved, albeit more linear DS experience with a few quirks that get in the way, but even with those quirks it's great to experience a game on the more limited handheld with a similar sense of creativity that PC gamers will have in Spore.
  5. Spore Creatures is a decent demonstration about the power of Will Wright's ideas in a videogame that tries to imitate the PC version customization possibilities. The result is obviously limited but it's still a very suitable adventure for the kids above all.
  6. 70
    The basic gameplay elements from Spore's creature stage have been expanded upon in Spore Creatures, and if you're looking for more of that, you'll be quite pleased by this attractive little adventure.
  7. Unfortunately, while the quests and mini-games vary from region to region, overall gameplay is rather repetitive.
  8. A boring old caterpillar rather than a beautiful butterfly - not what we'd hoped for at all. [Nov 2008, p.79]
  9. Spore Creatures is pleasant and charming, but ultimately forgettable.
  10. Unfortunately, a great concept got lost in a morass of poor decisions and overcomplexity, if that's a word.
  11. Not the cheap cash-in you might have feared and yet still a portable game that runs contrary to all the aims of the PC original.
  12. Spore Creatures isn't the shovelware I originally expected, but it isn't much more than a cash-in on the PC version's anticipated success. It isn't a bad game, it isn't a good game, it's just sort of there.
  13. Perversely, there are complex ideas in here but the game itself is pretty simple, rather repetitive and often clumsy. [Nov 2008, p.62]
  14. Forget the PC version because this adaptation of the brilliant Spore isn't at all on the same level as Will Wright's new gem. Spore Creatures for the Nintendo DS uses basic gameplay based on doing missions related to finding various items and then using them to create a new monster in a nicely done monster editor. Anyway, the game isn't bad for little kids.
  15. The wonky camera and repetition is annoying, but it still just about works as an average exploration game. What it doesn't offer is any sort of Free Play option where you can do your own thing.
  16. With none of the scope seen in the PC version, Spore: Creatures is a poor alternative. It's a quirky & great looking, but soon ends up killing itself with repetitive gameplay and dull puzzles.
  17. Due to a repetitive gameplay and uninspiring content the portable DS-version of Spore fails to make itself interesting. A greater selection of mini-games and ways to play the game would have helped this in essence mediocre experience.
  18. Linear, boring and tedious game – is it really Spore? An unsuccessful attempt to bring the evolution process onto the pocket console fails in all aspects. Waste of time. [Oct 2008]
  19. It's very simplistic, despite the appearance of having a complex system of creature building. Apart from my issues with the combat, at no point is the game really bad, but it's never a whole lot of fun either. It is charming for about an hour's worth of play but not much else.
  20. In conclusion: If you want Spore, buy Spore. If you don't mind wading through hours and hours of the most basic, linear, join-the-dots repetition for the sake of a stripped-back creature creator on your DS, then why not? Knock yourself out. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
  2. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. While Spore Creatures will never, EVER be as good as Spore for PC, there is no doubt that it is fun. But the overall presentation could have been better. Full Review »
  2. FritzGallante
    5
    Playing Spore Creatures is like playing a tutorial: short, easy and without a (real) story. Almost every action in this game is guided and suggested by Npc's or your avatar, and the chances to interact with the world are really few. Even replay the game to unlock all the secrets, is merely a boring lose of time. Less than a real game, a bit more than a trailer for the PC game. Full Review »
  3. rb
    4
    I feel like I'm just not giving this game a fair shake, but I bought two copies of this to play with my son and we are both bored to tears. The endless text tutorials and forced checkbox tapping are game-stopping faults and act as a barrier between you and the things you are trying to interact with, like you're not permitted to play your own game. Creating your creature doesn't feel special and creative, it feels like a Shockwave buildit kit that might load on a website as a kind of interactive commercial. We bought this game to be able to play with each other more, and have had great luck with the LEGO games and more recently N+ (which has a brilliant natural learning curve and a level editor that allows for 10 times more conceptual creativity than Spore). A total waste of money. Fortunately we were able to sell the damned things back to the store opened at a high price, due to demand. A good game for a boy who plays games ALONE, owns no other games, has lots of free time, has patience with clunky action and prefers female gaming genres like The Sims. Full Review »