If it hadn’t been for the Space stage we’d probably feel slightly deflated by the sheer expectation surrounding Spore. However, once stretching into space the game literally becomes immense, taking on the classic Elite as inspiration as you travel around galaxies, trading, combating, and exploring other planets pollinated by the creatures of other Spore players. Zooming from the surface of a planet, to the galaxy it sits in, before eventually viewing the entire Spore universe (displayed as the game’s logo) is perhaps one of the coolest effects we’ve seen in a videogame, it just never tires. The sheer scale perfects Spore’s sense of evolution from the humble origins as a micro-organism in the ooze stretching right out to the entire universe.

Total Video Games rates Spore a 9/10