Spring Break
Evolution an adventure in new PC video game
John Bailey
Issue date: 9/15/08 Section: Focus
One of my friends brought a Solid Snake action figure up to her dorm room this year, and I'd be damned if he isn't just the most fun little dude ever. You can wiggle his little arms and point his little assault rifle. You can toss him off your bunk-bed and make wooshing noises. You can make him recite "Hamlet." You can make up any story you please, limited only by your imagination and your suspension of disbelief.
So I was jealous of this friend and her Solid Snake for a while. Then I got "Spore."
My creature, whom I declared to be "Tippy," was pretty boring for most of his early life. The cell stage isn't that compelling: you point and click on food, and you try not to get chomped by the terrifying behemoths that float, dreadnought-like, through the primordial soup. It's very pretty, and the ethereal music makes the newness and drama that much thicker, but you're inevitably excited when you finally collect enough DNA and that little brain pops into your creature's head.
And the creature stage is where "Spore" gets its talons into you: your creature stops being a blob, and starts being your kid. Tippy, who at this point looked like a very fat penguin with arms, was more than just an avatar for my keystrokes. I started to care about Tippy. I cheered as Tippy evolved his first pair of arms I clapped along as Tippy learned to sing, and I gave the sly thumbs-up when Tippy met his first love (who was also Tippy, I guess, since Tippies hadn't figured out language or names yet). I wasn't having fun because I was succeeding; I was having fun because Tippy was succeeding.
And the game makes this transition a very easy one to make: the animations, even the goofy little skitter that short-legged Tippy had, are bursting with charm and life. "Spore" makes a strong case for art design over graphics muscle: the textures are simple, and there's a noticeable amount of scenery pop-in and occasional clipping issues, but the overall aesthetic of the game is endlessly entertaining. Once you collect enough parts - the creature stage plays like a simplified Massive Multiplayer Online-style role-playing game - you really can assemble any creature you can imagine, and their cuteness (or foulness) is completely up to you.
So I was jealous of this friend and her Solid Snake for a while. Then I got "Spore."
My creature, whom I declared to be "Tippy," was pretty boring for most of his early life. The cell stage isn't that compelling: you point and click on food, and you try not to get chomped by the terrifying behemoths that float, dreadnought-like, through the primordial soup. It's very pretty, and the ethereal music makes the newness and drama that much thicker, but you're inevitably excited when you finally collect enough DNA and that little brain pops into your creature's head.
And the creature stage is where "Spore" gets its talons into you: your creature stops being a blob, and starts being your kid. Tippy, who at this point looked like a very fat penguin with arms, was more than just an avatar for my keystrokes. I started to care about Tippy. I cheered as Tippy evolved his first pair of arms I clapped along as Tippy learned to sing, and I gave the sly thumbs-up when Tippy met his first love (who was also Tippy, I guess, since Tippies hadn't figured out language or names yet). I wasn't having fun because I was succeeding; I was having fun because Tippy was succeeding.
And the game makes this transition a very easy one to make: the animations, even the goofy little skitter that short-legged Tippy had, are bursting with charm and life. "Spore" makes a strong case for art design over graphics muscle: the textures are simple, and there's a noticeable amount of scenery pop-in and occasional clipping issues, but the overall aesthetic of the game is endlessly entertaining. Once you collect enough parts - the creature stage plays like a simplified Massive Multiplayer Online-style role-playing game - you really can assemble any creature you can imagine, and their cuteness (or foulness) is completely up to you.
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