Spore iPhone goes live

After a brief delay from the iTunes App Store, Spore is now available. EA Mobile had been hoping the iPhone version of its life simulation game would be available Sunday at the iTunes App Store, but was unfortunately delayed. Developer Mike Bagano told MacNN last week that he was confident the launch would happen on time -- but it appeared slightly late, arriving Monday afternoon.

Spore Origins is said to make extensive use of multi-touch, notably in the Creature Editor, where people rely on finger gestures to add eyeballs, fins, scales and other body parts. Once the game begins, the iPhone's accelerometer controls the creature as it fights to stay alive and/or evolve. Players must tilt, twist and rotate the device to slip across a tidepool. Pagano says the iPhone version was designed for intermittent play -- users can pause the game and resume play in a spare moment. The game likewise has separate Evolution and Survival modes, with various backgrounds including underwater caverns.

The delayed appearance of Spore demonstrated the frustration some developers have experienced when dealing the App Store. Developers get very little information about their product once it is submitted to Apple. Apple won't say exactly when an app will appear or how well it is selling, to the frustration of the apps' creators.

by MacNN Staff