Spore is a delight to all of the senses. It has a distinct visual aesthetic, somewhere between elementary school diorama and 3D cartoon. The sound is a Discovery channel documentary as translated into Simlish. Even without an EA staff person to guide me through the game, it was immediately apparent what needed to be done.

This is a big game. An important game. And, with the release only a few months away, already a very good game. There are some outstanding questions. How well the game holds together over the long haul, from single celled amoeba to exploring the universe. Does the game play differently enough every time out to keep gamers coming back, the way the Sims has? Will EA milk Spore for all the cash they can wring out, the way they have with Sims? Millions of people will know some of the answers this fall.

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