Darkspore Previews
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1UP starts us off:
So what do you use with these genetic heroes and NPCs? You spend a lot of time clicking your mouse to move and attack, and use hotkeys to trigger special abilities like any other Diablo-style action-RPG. As expected, killing enemies nets loot (with the Spore framework, you unlock "parts" as weapons, and use "DNA" as currency). And like the Diablo series, you can go play co-op online (four players total). Executive producer Michael Perry notes that Darkspore was initially born as a combination of, "Wow, people tend to respond most to the Creature stage of Spore," (which was a pretty rudimentary action-RPG-lite already), and the team members' own love of games like Diablo. While the basic "Spore creature creation plus Diablo gameplay" framework is easy to follow, the team then added numerous little tweaks on top that were inspired by other games.
IGN follows close behind:
Spore's appeal was, for many, based largely on evolving their creatures, but Darkspore has much to offer to make up for its comparatively limited creative tools. Combat, for one, is much more interesting than simply mashing on the mouse button. Because all the creatures and heroes in the game fall into one of five color, or elemental, types (think Magic the Gathering, where certain colors resist others or are susceptible to others), players have to change up their tactics based on what enemies they're fighting. And because each players gets to take up to three heroes into any level (switching between them on the fly, but only ever controlling one at any given time), this allows players to have a wide variety of class/element combinations that can help them take on varying situations.
Joystiq isn't to be left out:
When choosing to beam down from your starship to a planet, you will see a lineup of enemy types that you'll encounter. This gives you and your friends enough information to decide which three characters from your collection you'll want to deploy. The trio can then be switched between on the fly, albeit with a brief cool-down period afterward. The idea is to use the characters' various abilities strategically against what the Left 4 Dead-inspired "AI director" decides to toss your way.
And GamePro brings us to a close:
The freshest idea here is 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.
