Following the big The Sims 3 news, was DarkSpore by Maxis. Not to be confused with the previously released Spore, DarkSpore is an action RPG set in a sci-fi world.

Lucy Bradshaw, General Manager of Maxis, said that DarkSpore isn’t an extension of Spore, but merely inspired by it. Mike Perry, the Executive Producer on the game, came out to do a live demo and shed more light on the project. According to the official press release:

Darkspore will feature dynamic, fast-paced action as players battle across alien worlds to save the galaxy from the mutated forces of Darkspore in a four-player co-operative and full single-player campaign, as well as intense multiplayer battles. In order to defeat the malicious Darkspore, players will need to collect an arsenal of living weapons - genetic heroes with different combat abilities - and upgrade them with tens of thousands of collectible body parts and armor.

Darkspore will feature three unique classes of five different genetic hero types, with a limitless number of upgrades and customizations available through the parts players collect on each planet level. As players progress, Darkspore builds in intensity, with new planets and enemy forces requiring players to strategically select the right squad and ability combinations to succeed in their missions.

One huge plus is that those who purchase DarkSpore can install it on as many machines as they want, so if you have multiple PC’s, all you need is one copy of the game. In the live demo that was shown, we saw a meteor storm, how you can use unique squad abilities, and the defeat of many cyber minions. I got really excited when they showed the Bio Tempest class, because it’s their version of a mage. With the Bio Tempest, you can shoot projectiles, lay down snares, and summon minions.

DarkSpore will be heavy on replay value, as you will have to go through past levels to collect everything like Power Drops, Health Drops, DNA, which is the in-game currency, and Catalysts. Catalysts will provide temporary bursts to level up your character and your squad. The game also features a unique AI director that will pay attention to how you play, what you defeat, and more. Using that information, it will then determine what enemies, and how many to throw at you.

Slated for a February 2011 release, DarkSpore looks to be pretty incredible.