Spore

Describing Spore is an easy task: players simply start the evolution of an organism from single-celled amoeba to a fully-fledged civilisation that ultimately conquers most of the known universe. Attempting to explain it, however, is a task almost as daunting as explaining the process that it simulates. There is simply so much to Spore that any preview will always fail to do it justice, leaving out more than simply idle details.

Will Wright is known for his masterpieces that not only provide solid, deep gameplay but also provide content: buckets of it. In recent years, Will Wright has seen that the future of gaming lies in user-created content; one only needs to visit The Sims 2 site to realise how easy it is to create and share Sims with the rest of the world. Hell, I’ve even uploaded an Anakin Skywalker Sim myself.

And if user-created content is the future, then Spore is the welcome mat. The game will offer players a horde of customisation options, allowing them to essentially play God. This isn’t playing God in the sense that you could drown the people in Populous if you were feeling exceptionally malevolent; players will be able to create creatures from scratch in attempt to give them tools in order to adapt to their environment.

Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? However, that is only the tip of the iceberg. Once created, users who are online-enabled will automatically upload their creations to Spore’s world servers. From there they will be downloaded to other users and appear as other creatures in their game. After all, even humans do not share this world alone. By focusing on user-created content, Will Wright is able to create a completely unique experience that cannot be replicated. This is interactivity defined.

Each stage of evolution will have its own individual gameplay characteristics, and users will be provided with an experience that promises never to get stale. As soon as a player feels they have mastered a certain stage, they will be thrust into the next stage of evolution. Each stage will bring different demands on the player and will see them requiring a whole new set of skills in order to progress. Early stages will see civilisations simply competing for food while fending off would-be attackers; while later civilisations will require such mayoral skills as have been required in past Wright games such as Sim City.

The environment will also have the option of being user-created, or will be created and constantly renovated by the game’s algorithms. It will be up to players to create their civilisation, to help it flourish in an ever changing environment, to help it fend off or conquer rivals, and to eventually venture into intergalactic conquest. The sheer scope of Spore is so immense that it’s hard to comprehend how such a game can actually exist.

But it does, and Spore looks set to be beyond an instant classic; with its focus on shaping the future of gaming with not only a plethora of content but unconscious interaction between users, Spore looks set to show gaming the door to the future. It’s a game worth owning a decent gaming PC for, although there is talk of console versions, given the new-found online component of console gaming. If you’re not excited for Spore in at least some way, even if you are the most diehard of arcade gamers, you’re simply devoid of a soul.

Look out for Spore sometime next year, and keep an eye on NZGamer for the full review.