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Spore is the latest creation from Maxis and Sims-creator Will Wright that has players taking a trip through different stages of evolution. This ‘massively single-player online game’ offers an interesting mix of real-time strategy, life simulation, and customization.

The game forces players through five phases, each more difficult and larger in scope than the last: cell, creature, tribal, civilization, and space. Gameplay varies from phase to phase, with each one containing its own sets of objectives and stages.

Maxis and Wright have obviously put a lot of effort into making the game malleable. Editors litter the game throughout the different phases, allowing players to create and customize various aspects of the game. One editor, for instance, gives players the opportunity to make a creature from scratch; while another lets players fully design their own planet. These editors make it easy for players to personalize their own game; and plans are already underway to add more, such as a flora editor.

Where Spore really shines is with its player-based community. The high level of user-created content is easily uploaded and shared with other Spore players. Other players’ creatures, for instance, can be easily downloaded and added to their game. In fact, the in-game ‘Sporepage’ gives players stats on how their downloaded creatures are living in other Spore universes.

Players can easily record videos in-game, and a Spore YouTube community is already setup to allow easy posting, sharing and spotlighting. RSS feeds are also being implemented as a means to keep the community interactive. Some RSS feeds, for example, exist for certain players so that community subscribers can have up-to-date information regarding a specific players’ uploaded content.

The game also tracks every experience the player undergoes during their gameplay through an in-game Sporepedia, which players can upload to the online community as well.

Spore is certainly a revolution in online gaming. Although it lacks true ‘multiplayer’ gameplay, Spore has created an astonishingly intriguing game model that allows for heavy interaction with other players while maintaining a strictly ’single-player’ game. The different phases of the game let players experience vastly different models of gameplay, which helps buoy the game’s replayability factor. And because players are encouraged to upload and interact with the Spore community, the game has a better chance of staying fresh for players.

In short, the game is fun, interesting, and interactive. The game’s developers have hit a home run by allowing players to make their own creations and customize their game, as well as by encouraging them to download and interact with their fellow Spore-community members. This interactive aspect will truly keep the game fresh for years.

Tags: Video Games

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