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Spore variations grow on Nintendo

The EA franchise heads to the Nintendo market with Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena, games for the Wii and DS platforms to be released in the fall.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
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Lance Whitney
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Spore Hero
A scene from Spore Hero, a new variation on Spore designed for the Nintendo Wii. Business Wire

Aliens beware. Nintendo gamers will now be able to transform into galactic Spore heroes with the release of two new games for the Wii and DS.

To be unleashed this fall by Electronic Arts game studio Maxis, Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena, are new additions to the Spore universe created exclusively for the Nintendo platforms. Spore transports players to a virtual galaxy in which players create entire civilizations, explore new worlds, and befriend or battle alien creatures.

In Spore Hero, created for the Wii, players take on the role of hero to defend their planet from a dark alien force bent on worldwide destruction. The game includes a Wii-enhanced Spore Creature Creator, which lets players design their own aliens from over 200 different body parts (tentacles included).

Earlier this month, EA said that gamers had concocted more than 100 million Spore creatures.

In Spore Hero Arena, for the portable Nintendo DS, players create a gladiator-type hero trekking from one planet to the next to complete missions and vanquish dangerous aliens. Spore Hero Arena offers a multiplayer feature for use by up to three peoples locally or with one person over a Wi-Fi network.

"Whether it is the stylus-driven action of the Nintendo DS or playful controllers of the Wii, the massive Nintendo audience is the ideal home for Spore Hero and Spore Hero Arena," Lucy Bradshaw, vice president and general manager at Maxis, said in a statement.

The Spore franchise has grown in sales and popularity since the first Spore game was released last year. A recent addition to the franchise is Creature Keeper, a kid-friendly version of Spore. Another new game, Spore Galactic Adventures, will be unveiled in June for the PC and Mac.