Spore Hero Hands-On

Will Wright's evolutionary game Spore has been evolving onto various platforms since its release on the PC last year. Taking the best features of the creature creator from the PC version, Spore Hero keeps the creativity alive by having you mold and create your own hero from the get-go. A game designed exclusively for the Wii, Spore Hero is about exploring, adventure, and customization. We've had a couple of opportunities to check out the game, but at an Electronic Arts event in San Diego, we were able to go hands-on for the first time.

The new area that was being shown was called Creature Beach, a sunny and beautiful golden beach that serves as home to a mix of bizarre-looking critters. We saw a giant maw camped out on a slope with one big eyeball dangling over its enormous head and a yeti-like beast blocking the entrance to this gorgeous paradise. Creature Beach is one of the later levels in the game, and we were told that there will be a total of six worlds to check out. You have the freedom to visit the different areas, and as your creature gains new parts and develops new abilities and skills, such as double-jumping, flying, and swimming, you'll gain access to places you weren't able to reach the first time around.

Spore Hero is like an action role-playing game in which you take on quests from the non-player characters around you while trying to save the planet from an evil menace. If you haven't been following the coverage of Spore Hero, the story begins after you crash-land on this mysterious planet while riding on a blue meteor. Unfortunately, a red meteor was also streaking through the sky, and on it is your nemesis, whom you'll have to get rid of before he destroys the planet.

The game has come a long way from the first time we saw it. The visuals are much more polished, and in the later levels, our hero was sporting some cool-looking body parts and accessories. The combat still works the same way, with a mix of motion control and button presses. We were told that because the developers had so much fun with the battle system, they decided to implement a Versus mode from the main menu so that you can go head-to-head with a friend using a customized fighter from the creature creator. How the fight will pan out will depend on how you decide to create your galactic gladiator and use its unique powers.

The controls felt good, even though we didn't get much time to practice before our fight. A lot of it is about timing as well, so if you have a character that has a charged range attack, you'll need to watch closely to see if your opponent is the type to hang back or if it's going to be an aggressive type and be up in your face all the time. By the later stages, there are a lot of strange, upgraded parts to add to your creature, so you can be as cute or as ugly as you want, but with deadly abilities and a range of helpful skills.

Spore Hero seems to be coming along nicely, and we're impressed with the improvements. It looks to be an engaging adventure on the Wii for Spore fans as well as newcomers, so keep an eye out for this Wii exclusive when it's released in October.