The big mobile publishers are often accused of pushing brands without trying to innovate, but Spore Origins was one of the titles proving that thesis wrong. Sensibly opting against trying to cram the entire Spore PC game into mobile form, EA Mobile focused on the relatively simple cell stage of the game.
But the innovation came with the connectivity in the Java version, allowing players to customise their spore throughout the game, then upload it to EA’s server and fight asynchronous battles against those of other players – complete with a website tracking their stats.
Meanwhile, the iPhone edition of the game innovated in a different way, allowing players to take photos with the camera, and use those as the texture for their spore. We spent probably as much time warping strange snaps as we did playing the game. It was a simple feature, but hugely addictive.
The whole she-bang can be found here, see what other games made it on the list!
