Spore
Developed by the now defunct Maxis limb of Electronic Arts, Spore is arguably one of the most unique releases on the EA catalogue of releases. Players create their own organism/animal/creature and their design from the start of evolution to the end, increasing each growth period into something more complex. Impressively, the game takes place across different environments where the creature eventually gains intelligence and leaves earth to traverse the galaxy.
Player’s perspective and species change drastically throughout the experience with each stage of development altering the condition of the creature. Each stage comes with differing missions that edge the creature closer to the singular goal of the game = attaining the staff of life and dominating the galaxy.
Combining the worlds of The Sims and Sim City, Spore broke apart completely through its innovative design, incredible detail and perspective on evolutionary growth of an animal. Featuring a procedurally generated world, a growing aspect back in 2008 upon release, Spore sold extremely well and provided players with opportunities to share their experiences online.
Compared to the previous games on this list, Spore is a very different style of animal game with a focus on evolution and creature development. The ability to create an infinite amount of different creatures through design is a first, but builds on many popular EA game series.
