Evolution Emulator

Spore: the Creature Creator utility allows you to quickly construct any monstrosity imaginable. :  Scott Steinberg

Intelligent Design

Still, regardless of actual graphics and gameplay, one can't help but recognize that the real highlights here are hiding under the hood.

Consider the ability to drag-and-drop your way to countless new critters, attaching maws, paws, eyestalks, and pincers at will, with beasts able to evolve (parts are purchased using DNA currency) and animate realistically on the fly. It's a feat accomplished by building metadata, or tiny descriptive tags, into every limb. Plop down a spine or leg, and AI routines designed to anticipate your desires ensure it's organically fitted onto your creation, or easily transferred to one of dozens of viable positions nearby.

After joint distance and limb size have been tweaked, paint routines parse critters' bodies, recognizing appendages' relative placement and applying natural color patterns to traditionally lighter-hued areas such as abdomens. Skin is simultaneously supplied by "metaball" graphic technology (a failed early-'80s visual technique for rendering gooey blobs that's resurrected here) to cover distended bellies and scythe-like protrusions in leathery flesh. Later, during hands-on play, when performing movement or actions, the program actually considers which limbs are available and where they're positioned, then generates custom spins on generalized animations to render gait and motion accordingly.

A similar array of procedural, or formula-based, innovations allows each creature's DNA to be encoded into tiny (about 25 kilobit) PNG graphics files. Once uploaded into the online Sporepedia, they're fair game for other players to download and modify, with "Sporecast" RSS feeds letting you routinely import your favorite players' creations.

Playing God -- and Winning

Released months prior to the full package's September 7 debut, the "Creature Creator" allowed users to produce over 1,589,000 species in its first 18 days. (Wright jested that, compared to creationism's seven-day teachings, the Spore community was operating at 38% of God's capacity.) But with 10 million-plus pieces of content now available for download, and hundreds of thousands more being added every day, even Jehovah may soon be sweating his job security.

Having recently become proud parent to a feisty real-world newborn, I can attest to the singular joy of gazing deep into your offspring's eyes and seeing the gleam of wit and intelligence staring back. With Spore transforming so many middle managers and suburban housewives into virtual parents, one shudders to think, just a few years hence, how many adorable little flipper- and mandible-sporting nippers will soon be clamoring for Mom's or Dad's attention, or worse, child support.

Get Rich Playing Games author and TV/radio host Scott Steinberg has covered technology for 300+ outlets from CNN to Rolling Stone. For more of his ramblings, visit www.scottsteinberg.com.