"The Space game is where Spore really opens itself up. Whereas the other phases can be blown through in an hour or less, the Space game provides hours of exploration into the cosmos. ... It's no cakewalk out there -- whereas we expected a kind of easy-going exploration RPG, we quickly found ourselves surrounded and under attack from hostile alien empires. Biological disasters and pirate attacks erupt all over the local cluster. Enemies attack your friends. Allies plead for help. Then your friends start attacking each other. It's insane and insanely addictive -- the hours fly by as you cruise from star to star on your own agenda."

"It may not be a perfect game, but truly innovative titles seldom are. Spore is a technological triumph that introduces a whole new way of tapping into a bottomless well of content."

"Spore is essentially five distinct games woven together. And here, Maxis demonstrates a weakness, as a number of these games come off as lightweight or limited. However, Spore is a prime example of something that is much more than the sum of its many parts."

"Spore will serve as an introduction to gaming for many; it's clear that many nontraditional gamers will check it out. ... It'll inspire people to learn more about the universe and imagine what's possible out there. Spore also pushes the idea of user-generated content to incredible new heights; this is a game where users will make the vast majority of things that you encounter, and this creation and sharing is done seamlessly."

"Deeply nerdy and highly satisfying stuff."

"Spore's triumph is painfully ironic. By setting out to instill a sense of wonderment at creation and the majesty of the universe, it's shown us that it's actually a lot more interesting to sit here at our computers and explore the contents of each other's brains."

"...Spore isn't as much a deep game as it is a broad one, culling elements from multiple genres and stripping them down to their simplest forms. By themselves, these elements aren't very remarkable; but within the context of a single, sprawling journey, they complement each other nicely and deliver a myriad of delights."