SmartyScore: 76 out of 100 (Reviewed on Nintendo DS)
Rating: E

If you were the kind of kid who loved building monsters and then crashing them into one another, this is the game for you. In Spore Hero Arena you get to build, take apart, and rebuild your own three-dimensional moving creatures, then battle with them.

Creating a new critter out of spare parts is most of the fun in Spore Hero Arena.

The story begins when a meteor hits your ship and causes you to crash land on a strange planet. There you meet Master Yeedo, who tells you how all the arena champions have become corrupted by championship medals that bring out evil powers in whoever possesses them. As the only uncorrupted one in the bunch (thanks to a blue meteorite chip you’ve found), it’s your job to win back all the medals, become the ultimate Spore Hero, and save the galaxy.

To become a hero, you need to be powerful, and that requires having all the right parts. The game lets you choose from 150 different parts and powers in the Creature Creator, plus you can collect parts along the way from Spore creatures that have bitten the dust. You have to think very carefully about the parts you choose, because you not only build your creature—you also have to fight with it.

Once you’ve got your wannabe hero assembled, you can fly your ship around the galaxy visiting other planets. There you’ll challenge enemy creatures in battle. During those battles you’ll have a variety of Bio-Power attacks to choose from. In between battles you can return to your ship and evolve your creature, customizing it with the new parts you’ve found.

If you get lonely playing on your own, head over to the VR deck on your ship and get a friend or three in on the action. Four people can play wirelessly; two by Wi-Fi. You can even share your spore creations with your friends.

Spore Hero undoubtedly has its assets, particularly the endless creativity provided by the 3D Creature Creator. On the flip side, the game’s biggest problem is redundancy. There are only so many planets you can visit, so many items you can pick up, and so many enemies you can hit and punch before you’ll be longing for a vacation from Spore.

** Official game website

–Jake Watson contributed to this review