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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 itself focuses on creatures’ evolution as players progress through five separate phases of gameplay, each with their own specific goals and stages. First is the cell phase, then the creature phase, followed by the tribal and civilization phases, and ending with the space phase.

One of the most unique aspects of the game is Spore’s level of customization.The developers have included several editors for each phase, with each serving different functions according to the phase they are in. Some allow players to make their own creature (called the ‘Creature Creator’), build buildings and homes, choose their tribal logo, or even design spaceships.

From this customization comes community. Spore players are encouraged to upload and share their creations with the Spore community. Players can view and download other players’ creations to their own game. Once in the space phase, for instance, players can visit friends’ planets and interact with their creatures. Maxis has even included an in-game page called ‘My Sporepage’, which gives up-to-date stats on how any of a player’s downloaded creatures are faring in another player’s universe.

To make uploading your Spore experience even easier, Maxis has made it possible to record videos and upload them to YouTube all while playing the game. There is even a YouTube Spore community that will spotlight new and interesting videos uploaded by players. Maxis even allows players to subscribe to RSS feeds of others’ online accounts, making it easy to obtain real-time updates on another players’ uploaded content.

Another channel of uploadable information is through the in-game Sporepedia. This nifty feature keeps a log of virtually every in-game experience. These entries can be uploaded to the online Sporepedia for others to view.

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.

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