Stephen Totilo over at MTV Multiplayer managed to have some “hands on” time with Spore. Along with Spore’s lead game designer Alex Hutchinson, he came up with a creature called Flumpert. They introduce the little guy in one of Spore’s many worlds to see if he can handle living amongst many other creatures.
Then we saw him. Flumpert. Waddling in the distance. “He came in as an epic!” Hutchinson cheered. He explained that Flumpert was officially one of the dinosaurs of this planet we were on. That’s nice. I just hope no one messes with him.
Hutchinson described “Spore” as an “unusual hybrid of toy and game.” He says that after “Spore” launch in September the developers want to offer even more toy-like tools to use for playing with creatures, things that might put the creatures on your desktop or in a virtual terrarium. It makes sense to me. The point I’m getting from recent “Spore” demos is that “Spore” is not strictly — or even mostly — an adventure game or a linear experience. It’s a toolbox for toys. It’s a play set for creating virtual life to then fiddle with. And it’s a nest from which to watch your creations fly off in hopes that they’ll make good in the world. Because of that, the Creature Creator coming out in June is very much central to the “Spore” experience. It, coupled with the UFO editor, the building editor and all the other content creators shipping with the full game, may even be the main draw.
Look out for the free demo in two weeks. And look out for Flumpert. Be nice to him. Or look out. He has three mouths, one of them on his butt.
