The game I am excited for? Darkspore.

A while ago now the video game "Spore" by Maxis came out for the PC. The game was great, the player could create practically any kind of creature they could possibly think of. From a humble cellular beginning to the upbringing of a mighty galactic empire the game had so much potential. But in the end the game failed to meet my pre-purchase expectations.


I stopped playing it shortly after I had to wipe out my hard drive, I just never bothered or desired to install it again. But this week during my Kotaku browsing session I saw something relatively familiar. The game is called Darkspore and according to the Kotaku article, Darkspore Splices Fresh DNA Into Online Multiplayer, it's the evolution of player vs player.

The story is simple you are a Crogenitor, a ancient species that use to shape the DNA of creatures to create "genetic heroes." But eventually certain strands of DNA were unstable creating the Darkspore who, in which, turned on their creators. After a induced slumber you are woken up by a AI called Helix and are charged with the task of forming new creatures with E-DNA to drive back the Darkspore.


The game has single player or co-op missions where you pick three heros to fight with. Each hero has their own abilities, powers, strengths and weaknesses so be sure to analyze the mission's Intel before diving in. The levels consist of third person, massive clicking action where you run through a level with certain objectives all the while killing monsters. At the end you fight a massive boss guy, each level becoming more and more difficult. At the end you get points which you can buy more heros, upgrades, and parts, or you can skip this part an go strait to the next level for a higher reward later.

Here is where you can customize your heroes. Although you can not go super crazy, like spore, you can still do quite a bit of DNA manipulation. Each hero has a limit in which you can customize them and certain items help certain heroes better. Plus after you have made your hero more powerful you can then color and make your heroes look even more awesome.

After you reach level seven you can play in the games player vs player matches. The games can be 2 vs 2 or 1 vs 1. Either way you basically fight another player in a best of three match system. In between matches the players may tweak their heroes to better prepare for the next round.


There is over 100 heroes to choose from so there will never be a dull moment. Soon enough players will be writing schematics about which combination is better for this or that situation. Speaking of soon the game is releasing on March 29 and is due for a public beta test. Make sure to go here to sign up and hopefully I'll see you there.


BAM! I got into the beta!