pc
Spore $US 80 Edition Announced
Posted by Michael McWhertor at 5:40 AM on June 25, 2008
Excited about Spore but dismayed by the low dollar specs? Who plays $US 50 games anymore? Fortunately, EA has upped the ante, giving gaming's upper class snob a more premium Spore buying option, known as the Galactic Edition. In addition to the game, the $US 80 package comes packed with a "Making of Spore" DVD, a second DVD with the National Geographic Channel's "How To Build A Better Being" video, plus an "Art of Spore" mini-book, a fold-out poster that's already pre-creased and a 100-page "Galactic Handbook."
That Spore poster had better have a large image of Will Wright sporting his best denim on at least one side and have a scratch 'n' sniff patch that reeks of Wright's brand of cigarettes. We appreciate the finer things in life, too, you know.
Spore Galactic Edition [GameStop]

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
deathtastic
Posted 8:26 AM 25/6/08
well@smuckersisgood:
Well If you look at BF:BC their are 30-40 standard weapons/ gadgets that come with the game 5 more that are exclusive to the Gold edition and 5 that can be unlocked in the basic game and are pre-unlocked in gold.
In all I think that is a pretty large amount of content to begin with. Also add on the making of, and the extended guide for 10$ extra and you have a pretty good deal.
On the issue though 80$ is pretty pricey unless it has some sort or figurine or plushy that comes with it.
deathtastic
jtj
Posted 8:09 AM 25/6/08
The sad thing is, this is cheaper than the standard version will be over here in the UK...
/britishpricerant
jtj
excel_excel
Posted 7:51 AM 25/6/08
hey its the traditional EA special edition!....wait its Spore...hmm....might have to get this one then....hmm....
excel_excel
Tizlor
Posted 7:44 AM 25/6/08
Hey, does anyone remember when special editions were the exact same price as the regular editions? Ya know, back when companies thanked us for being kickass customers by giving us free shit for supporting them?
I want to go back to those days.
Tizlor
.em.
Posted 7:43 AM 25/6/08
$80!
Extras are great, but that's a lot of $$$... :/
If one was really excited about it, then I guess it would be worth it.
hmm...."How To Build A Better Being," or, "How to Build a Being That Does Not Look Like a Penis."
:p
.em.
orangewarp
Posted 7:41 AM 25/6/08
@teh_joe: I hear that. I'm running a Macbook right now that just doesn't play games so well. I was thinking of getting a gaming PC rig but part of me tells me a) I survived this long without one so I don't REALLY need it, and b) once I get one my productivity will approach 0.
orangewarp
Solid_hedgehog
Posted 7:35 AM 25/6/08
OK! Spore gets the special edition instead of fallout 3. Sorry fallout 3. Your overpriced goodies aren't good as spore's overpriced goodies.
Solid_hedgehog
Vanguarde
Posted 7:34 AM 25/6/08
Does the art book contain at least 20 pages of the 'best of' Penis and/or Breast creatures?
If so, I am sold.
If not, no deal.
Vanguarde
liquid_kore
Posted 7:09 AM 25/6/08
@Coquiton: You should have seen the Prey collectors edition. It's like they made the case and filled it with bonus stuff and then remembered they had to put the game in. It was a metal case just like Gears, but to get the game you had to open up the back of the case, which by the way didn't look like it was suppose to open. Then when you finally figured out where the game was and how to open it, you see that the only thing holding the game in place was a rubber nubbin that the middle hole of the disc went over. This nubbin didn't work though because my game would fall off everytime, and sometimes when you opened the case the disc would be loose and get stuck between the hinges of the case and if you forced the case open your disc would be guaranteed to break in half.
I have been sucked into these far too often and then regretted it.
liquid_kore
lochoko
Posted 7:09 AM 25/6/08
@SirGeekelot: If you're talking about the Creature Creator and it's lack of download options, that's one thing, but the Mac Creature Creator install is ON THE DISC if you go to a store and buy it. Right there. In the folder named Spore Creature Creator.app.
Since you're thinking about buying a hard copy of Spore, chances are it'll be right there in the box.
lochoko
DukeOfPwn
Posted 7:07 AM 25/6/08
I can justify paying $80 for a Metal Gear Collector's Edition, because it's, you know, METAL GEAR. However, I once made a mistake when opting for the Special Edition of a game.
I got the Hellgate: London Collector's Edition.
What an expensive and large (no really; the box is the size of two encyclopedias) mistake I made. Since then, I've been wary of all special editions.
DukeOfPwn
SigmundTheSeaMonster
Posted 7:03 AM 25/6/08
Wow! I think I can't afford this! Nope! I can't!
SigmundTheSeaMonster
Coquiton
Posted 7:00 AM 25/6/08
Nah, not for me. I've given up on 'Limited Edition' games.
I use to like them, you can snag some good bonuses and goodies.
But now, I just see them as a hassle. Some are big boxes so they need special storage (i.e, not fitting in your DVD rack or taking up the space of 2-4 games on your shelf), others are not cases at all and are annoying to pop out the disks from (this Spore one looks like it might fall under this category), and so on.
For example, my Xbox 360 collection. I had the Perfect Dark Collector's Edition. And it was annoying to pull out the case from the sleeve everytime, as opposed to just picking it up and opening it like my other 360 games. And the sleeve was really nice, so I didn't want to throw it away.
Viva Pinata is also guilty of this (except 10x worse!), so much that I found an old game case and printed the box label, so it would open like any other game.
My buddy got the Gears of War Collector's Edition, and that would have been a pain for me. It's huge, and it's not even a case, it was a tin, almost.
This is probably just me, of course. But I prefer vaniila cases, they're "Pop open 'n Go" as opposed to "Pick the lock and then find the disk" that 'Limited Edition' games usually are, imo
Coquiton
Lazlo
Posted 6:57 AM 25/6/08
It's funny how they include an artbook of the game, where the object of the game is to create your own character, and design him the way you want to. I know someone had to create the skin tones, and rough facial features, but it made me laugh nonetheless.
Lazlo
mva5580
Posted 6:56 AM 25/6/08
Damn it, my most aniticipated game of the year by far and now you're throwing a collector's edition my way? With the promise of a huge instruction manual? I'm a total sucker for well thought out and detailed instruction manuals. Don't ask why, I just am lol.
I'll have to think about this one. I bet the Fry's Electronics close to me will have it on sale the week it comes out, so that might make the decision a little easier.
mva5580
teh_joe
Posted 6:49 AM 25/6/08
seeing as how i have to upgrade my MAC just to play this game i'll stick with the $50 version.
teh_joe
LittleBigPlaneteer
Posted 6:43 AM 25/6/08
@ReadNLearn:
I love when people make comments like this. You think it has to do with whether people have the money or not? It has nothing to do with that. If something isn't worth the price, it simply isn't worth it. We're talking about value here, not pricing. I'm not rich by any means, but even if I were I'd say 80.00 is a rip-off for what you're getting here. Simple as that.
LittleBigPlaneteer
Justin42
Posted 6:42 AM 25/6/08
I think the issue is just because you CAN afford something, does that mean you have to buy it? No. I'll be passing on this-- as $80 is just too much. It sounds very cool and all, but it seems like (as has been posted) LE just means "Here's some extra crap that will barely sell, see you in the bargain bin!" Look at how many LEs have been available cheap(er) shortly after launch. If I see this for $40 on sale I may be tempted. Of course, I am truly cheap with my gaming habits (I try not to spend over $20 on ANY game, and only rarely push over that amount)-- not because I can't afford to pay more but it makes more sense to me to wait the 3 weeks-6 months it takes since price drops are absolutely inevitable for 99.5% of games.
Justin42
Forkball
Posted 6:37 AM 25/6/08
I can't think of a collector's edition of any game that was worth the inflated price. Someone enlighten me here!
Forkball
wild homes and gardens
Posted 6:36 AM 25/6/08
@wild homes and gardens: HAHA! Eighty, even. Nice.
wild homes and gardens
wild homes and gardens
Posted 6:35 AM 25/6/08
If I was going to buy Spore (I'm still undecided-- and I'm not a big fan of sim titles) I would definitely not buy this. The extra stuff is cool enough, I guess, but eight dollars is just too much for me to spend on any one title anymore. Not when you could just have it for fifty. I've never been the sort to keep extra stuff for very long, anyhow. I generally rent games more than buy them, and while that's obviously not the case with PC titles, I just don't hand over money to grab the hard copy of most things-- I don't pirate them, I'll just pass. I don't even buy books-- I just get them from the library. So the idea of shelling out thirty extra dollars for stuff I truly don't need at all?
Thanks, Will, but I'm good.
wild homes and gardens
ReadNLearn
Posted 6:34 AM 25/6/08
I'd love to see a breakdown of financial demographics for contributors to this site. Sometimes it feels like everybody else in the world is making $5/hour pumping gas or something.
I get this vibe every time I read PCGamer magazine too. Are 90% of gamers seriously broke or something?
I'm sure there are plenty of students or folks just getting careers going, and that totally makes sense. But I also see lots of comments here that imply people have established families and careers. My understanding is that the main gamer demographic are 25-35 year olds. So, basically I don't get it.
Not pointing this at anyone in particular in this thread. It's just this feeling that I get pretty often reading Kotaku articles and comments, and I've decided to express it here.
ReadNLearn
Zombie_Moogle
Posted 6:31 AM 25/6/08
hmmm, if they give a nice little discount for preorders or for people who bought the Creature Creator, i might pick this up. It does seem a bit shallow for an extra $30, so if more gets added, it might sweeten the deal
Zombie_Moogle
TheNocturnalSun
Posted 6:31 AM 25/6/08
that is too much money for what is included.
TheNocturnalSun
Punkateer
Posted 6:27 AM 25/6/08
@ShaggE: I have a feeling it will be on youtube in short order after it is released..and for far less than the $30 premium.
Punkateer
Garo
Posted 6:26 AM 25/6/08
Too much for nothing. Maybe they should add a Penis-monster figurine!?
Garo
TRT-X
Posted 6:23 AM 25/6/08
Yeah, special editions need to die in a fire. They were cute every once in a while, but now every game and its mother has a Super-Deluxe "I'll Totally Do That to You" Edition w/ +5 Against Ogres.
I can barely justify $50 for a regular title, let alone anywhere from $10-30(!!) for an art book (which most video games these days give away with reservation) and a poster...
TRT-X
OutsideTheBox
Posted 6:23 AM 25/6/08
I'd buy it if they included a coupon for a 3D figurine of one of your creatures like these:
[www.joystiq.com]
OutsideTheBox
smuckersisgood
Posted 6:23 AM 25/6/08
@deathtastic: I dont know that just seems like a cheap trick to get people to pay more for their games. Remember Battlefield: Bad Company? Just my opinion.
smuckersisgood
ShaggE
Posted 6:22 AM 25/6/08
I'm actually intrigued. Mainly because I'm a sucker for NG's documentaries.
ShaggE
liquid_kore
Posted 6:19 AM 25/6/08
@SirGeekelot: @alitcofsky: I think this should work on both OS's. In the corner of the box you can see something that says "WIN" & "MAC". I'm really looking forward to not switching partitions just to play a game! Not sure about this collectors edition though, need to clarify what everything is better.
liquid_kore
vanderblade
Posted 6:18 AM 25/6/08
@Atheist Jew: You're as sarcastic as I am, right?
vanderblade
Zaos
Posted 6:12 AM 25/6/08
No thanks, theres no lunch box like for fallout. I'm loving what i see from spore but no lunch box or something practical = no bueno, who ever watches "extra" dvds anyway? out of the dozens i've had (working at a game store for awhile had its perks) i watched one...
the mgs one and that was to only catch up for the game, its all just a bunch of useless junk ;[
but i want spore... oh man do i want spore bad :(
Zaos
deathtastic
Posted 6:10 AM 25/6/08
It might be blasphemy but i prefer extra ingame content in CE games. If you think about it, it takes alot more effort from a dev to code, texture, and debug a gun then throw together an artbook and a nice poster.
deathtastic
Gungnir
Posted 6:06 AM 25/6/08
I want this. And the game is still $50, so you're still playing a $50 game. You're just paying $30 more for a making of video, that NG video, Art of Spore (Concept art?), and the poster and bigger manual.
Overpriced? Probably is, but not that much for the amount of stuff they're offering. If you're interested in the stuff, get it (if you don't mind paying). If not, well, obviously you don't need to get it. Someone'll probably upload the videos to youtube or a site you can pirate it from anyway.
Gungnir
alitcofsky
Posted 6:05 AM 25/6/08
@SirGeekelot: Wait...the Mac version is not launching simultaneously? I too want a Mac version of this package.
alitcofsky
Salen
Posted 6:04 AM 25/6/08
@Neostorm: I'll buy your cow for 3 magic beans. ;)
Salen
Lazlo
Posted 6:03 AM 25/6/08
I've never quite felt it was justified to get the Collector's Edition for a PC game. I got a lot of CE for console games, but that's because I have a gaming shelf that I can display them proudly. My computer desk is strewn with all manor of crap so it never made sense.
Lazlo
Limey
Posted 6:03 AM 25/6/08
I might have considered it-- if I hadn't already bought the creature creator-- 90 bucks total is way too much for one game (except I would probably spend more than that for some sort of MGS collectable lol)
Limey
chorx
Posted 6:02 AM 25/6/08
@Blinklink11: you might be a snob if...
I kid friend ;)
chorx
goincommando
Posted 6:01 AM 25/6/08
I cant wait to spend all my cow milking money on this!
goincommando
LittleBigPlaneteer
Posted 6:00 AM 25/6/08
That is so not worth 80.00. You know what would be? If there was a redemption card in the box to make a real figure of my Spore creation.
LittleBigPlaneteer
Atheist Jew
Posted 5:59 AM 25/6/08
SHIT.
I might have to get this!
Atheist Jew
GwennBlackfeather
Posted 5:58 AM 25/6/08
Um, what?
Seriously, the book is nice...but for eighty bucks? Pass, thanks.
GwennBlackfeather
vanderblade
Posted 5:58 AM 25/6/08
I can't get enough art books! Not ever. I'm going to live forever!
vanderblade
Glass_bomb
Posted 5:55 AM 25/6/08
I know it's a test to see if gamers will pay 80 bucks for games in the next generation, and if we buy this, games will cost a lot for next-gen but... this just sounds so good, the box art is soothingly calling me and everything in it just screams "buy me!"
Glass_bomb
SirGeekelot
Posted 5:54 AM 25/6/08
If they can actually figure out how to get the mac version out at the same time as the PC, I MIGHT consider it.
SirGeekelot
Blinklink11
Posted 5:53 AM 25/6/08
Hey! I'm not a snob just because I can afford the 80$ edition!
Blinklink11
Neostorm
Posted 5:52 AM 25/6/08
This cow is dry before we got any milk.
Neostorm
Jagzthebest
Posted 9:00 AM 25/6/08
@jtj: I feel your pain, for I am also buying the UK version...
Jagzthebest
Ghede
Posted 8:43 AM 25/6/08
100 page Galactic Handbook?
... are the words "Don't Panic" on the cover?
Ghede
redgopher
Posted 9:22 AM 25/6/08
Whoops, I'm dumb. Sarcasm detector is fail.
redgopher
redgopher
Posted 9:21 AM 25/6/08
@Solid_hedgehog: Living under a rock, much?
[kotaku.com]
redgopher
Cupajo
Posted 10:34 AM 25/6/08
Eh...I'll play Spore but the "cheap" version will work just fine for me. Assuming this is released in the same quarter as Fallout 3, I'll throw my extra money at Amazon to get the pip-boy.
Cupajo
thefremen
Posted 10:38 AM 25/6/08
It would be worth the money if it gave you twice the number of installs.
thefremen
chuckbanzai
Posted 12:26 PM 25/6/08
I can't believe they can fit the making of onto 1 DVD considering how long it took to make...
chuckbanzai
Mr.Sad
Posted 12:18 PM 25/6/08
wow 80 bucks ?!?
its expensive but i cant believe that i'm actually considering it
darn, and converted to my country's currency, thats like 120 bucks
yikes
Mr.Sad
TheKingBoar
Posted 2:41 PM 25/6/08
I know everyone is hating this but I think I might actually get it. But is there a different retailer that sells it besides gamestop? I refuse to buy for them, but this might make me break my habit...
TheKingBoar
takotchi
Posted 3:01 PM 25/6/08
@TheKingBoar: According to the coupon that came with my Target version of the Creature Creator, they will have the Galactic Edition also.
takotchi
TheKingBoar
Posted 3:54 PM 25/6/08
@takotchi: Great, thaks, I'll watch out for it from them before I buy it from Gamestop.
TheKingBoar
ReadNLearn
Posted 5:53 PM 25/6/08
@LittleBigPlaneteer: We're talking about value here, not pricing. I'm not rich by any means, but even if I were I'd say 80.00 is a rip-off for what you're getting here. Simple as that.
I should have clarified further I guess. I wasn't talking about the value of this collector's edition specifically. I just chose to post my thoughts in this thread. It's the "wow, I can't afford that" comments that have been catching my attention a lot.
People choosing to buy the regular version rather than the collector's edition because it doesn't interest them, I can understand that. I'm probably going to go that direction myself. People who as a rule of thumb choose not to pay more than $X for games because that's what they feel they want to put into their entertainment, I can respect that, sure. Lots of people saying "wow, I can't afford that!" catches my eye. I'm not trying to say anything against these people, I'm just surprised to see so many comments like that is all.
I'm really just thinking "out loud" I suppose.
ReadNLearn
michaelleung
Posted 6:50 PM 25/6/08
This should also come with Will Wright's sperm sample. Wait, what?
michaelleung
Xtreme_Hindu_Cow
Posted 6:24 AM 27/6/08
EA loves money. I don't really think the market is viable enough for 80 dollar games. I mean we play games in part because traveling is a bitch on our gas bills.
Xtreme_Hindu_Cow
World_B_Enslaved
Posted 7:14 AM 25/6/08
@LittleBigPlaneteer:
that's a fantastic idea. So many penis figurines, though.
World_B_Enslaved