During a Spore "State of the Universe" event last night, EA Maxis announced three new Spore games that will hit stores this year, making for a total of four Spore titles to be released in 2009.

The newly announced games include Spore Hero (Wii) and Spore Hero Arena (DS), casual adventure titles that will see players directly controlling creatures as they follow a story arc. It's more action and less creation, all set on a crafted planet--but gameplay details beyond that were scarce. The Spore Hero games will hit this fall.

A stand-alone PC game, Spore Creature Keeper is essentially a virtual pet game for kids. Creatures will inhabit a "home," with players upgrading the creature and its surroundings. A multiplayer mode will allow for creature interaction. A screenshot was shown of a creature running on a treadmill inside a small, modern home.

Creature Keeper is expected to be released in early summer.

We also got a closer look at the first full expansion for the PC version of Spore, Galactic Adventures, which is due out in the vicinity of March. More on that later today.

Electronic Arts today announced that the SimCity Box, a bundle pack of five games from Maxis' popular urban planning franchise, will hit retail shelves this June.

The SimCity Box will contain SimCity Societies and its expansion SimCity Societies Destinations, SimCity 4, SimCity 4 Rush Hour, and The Sims Carnival SnapCity. The software bundle, which EA suggests is a $100 value, will retail for $39.99.