So I was always interested in SPORE since the Game Informer article of forever ago and then it came out and was apparently boring, but I figured I might as well ask and see if I can be talked into or out of buying it, since it's on GOG. It always seems to go on sale somewhat frequently for $7.49, which may or may not be too high if it ain't good, but I'd like to gather some opinions other than reviews that skimp on details and go straight to "BORING".

I found it interesting enough for the first few hours, but after that it felt repetetive.

it's mediocre

It's massive missed opportunity.

I think this was one of those "early" games that debuted as online-only, even for single-player, so I never bought it. Until years later when GOG got it, then I bought it, but never played it. I'd also like to know if it's worth playing. Just had to share that irrelevant bit of non-answer.

It's alright to play for a bit. But it dulls quickly and is easy to skip. It was very much an overpromised, overhyped game that failed to live up to its potential.

For most people, I'd say skip. If you like digging in to weird stuff or history, try it.

A big part of the backlash was that key-features like character customization were visibly downgraded from the announcement. As long as you know what you're getting into, it's a fine creative game with an impressive range of scale.

skip!

I was there when it was hyped to hell and back and got burned as a result

I really enjoyed the first few phases. Once it got to planet wide stuff and then space I found it super clunky.

This one?
https://www.lemon64.com/game/spore
Pretty good, as I remember, it's been a while though!
(I didn't really think OP meant the C64 classic before anyone says BTW, it just reminded me of it, is all)