Another preview to add to the mix, this time from GamePro!

What you need to know:

  • There’s a lot of Diablo to it. Players control one creature at a time in a team of three and navigate dungeons entirely by clicking where they want their creature to go or what they want it to attack. There are some nominal button presses to change creatures or use special attacks. The whole point of the game, says Maxis, is fat loots.
  • There’s also some Left 4 Dead and some Torchlight. Darkspore can be played solo, but the game is intended for co-op and player versus player. The developers looked at Left 4 Dead and Torchlight to craft monsters that force co-op buddies to stick close to each other and create levels that tempt them to split up.
  • But wait, there’s Magic, too. One of the new developers at Maxis comes to them from Wizards of the Coast and he brought some experience from Magic: The Gathering to Darkspore in the form of collectible fat loots for upgrading creatures, balance-of-power ideas for the different types of monster (ranged, tank, healer), and a double-or-nothing system (see below).
  • The freshest idea here is the double-or-nothing system. Once players complete a level and receive a point ranking on each of the objectives they did or didn’t accomplish, they are offered a choice — take one piece of fat loot and finish the level or continue to a different level that’s way harder for the chance to win two pieces of even fatter loot. Lose that second level, though, and you don’t get anything.
  • It’s an always-online game. You can fiddle with item management and maybe a bit of character customization via the game’s website, but this is a product that requires an internet connection to play.