Spore isn’t entirely without fault, though. Yes, it is a refreshing change of pace for strategy gaming. Yes, the game is solid as a rock in terms of stability (not one crash or stutter in 15+ hours play) and it has the most fluid and vibrant art and graphical style, but some people might be a little underwhelmed by the pace at which it progresses. Though billions of years pass in the game, the player’s experience with each stage before Space is relatively fleeting and, though functional as logical progress, is quite frankly soulless. It’s great fun creating unique things, but there’s always a forceful and unnatural hand edging you forward, breaking the feeling of complete control.

BoomTown gives Spore an overall 9