The Return of the Penis Monster.
I can say with no hesitation that Will Wright is one of the smartest people I've ever met. He is a font of ideas, and more importantly, perspectives. He has a way of looking at the things you take for granted and seeing them in a whole new way. Then, perhaps even more amazing, he can articulate that vision and share it with others.
[image1]No wonder then, even after he is no longer at EA, his legacy lives on. The Sims continues its evolution, and Darkspore draws from Will's final game at EA, Spore. And interestingly, it uses the best part of Spore as its own: the creature creator.
Other than that, Darkspore is entirely its own game. Rather than an evolutionary sandbox, it's a full-blown RPG with a sci-fi story. The Crogenetors were an ancient race that traveled the galaxy and manipulated life to suit their needs. However, they accidentally created something more powerful than they were, that they could not control, and thus the Darkspore were born. Darkspore were able to manipulate E-DNA and transform all the creatures on a planet into mutated hordes that they dominate, with the ultimate goal of taking over the entire universe.
The Crogenitors had a secret weapon, however. Hidden for a millennium, you too have the power of E-DNA, and you must form a team of genetic heroes to rescue the galaxy.
DarkSpore is a loot-heavy action-RPG, like Diablo II or the recent Torchlight, except your loot is DNA which you can use to modify your own body. So for example, you get a poisonous spine instead of a sword, or you gain the ability to shoot lightning instead of a magic wand.
[image2]And that's where the Spore creature creator comes in. When you get that new +7 chitinous armor, you can modify its location, size, shape, color, and other attributes to customize your genetic warrior to look the way you want it to.
And you don't get just one warrior, you get three. Flesh out (literally) some familiar classes, like tanks, damage dealers, and AOE folks, and you get to play all three simultaneously so they can support each other. Just swap them out on the fly like you're playing Tekken Tag. Plus, different team combinations will grant new powers to the entire team.
Still don't feel you've got enough support? Darkspore is designed primarily as a multiplayer game. With four players, you can really dish out the hurt and collect more of that precious, precious DNA. Save up for those new legs you've always wanted.
Darkspore is all set to cream your genes in spring 2011.
