Games for Lunch: Spore Creature Creator

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0:42 My wife and I argue about what to name this thing. Michelle thinks it should be a species name, like "Zebra" or "Monkey." I think it should be a personal name, like "Hamilton Q. Whiskers." We settle on Kaboodle, as in "Kit and..." I describe him as "A gentle warrior with fists of fury and a heart of gold." With that, he's saved for posterity.

0:44 Saving takes longer than expected. Apparently I gave him Level 5 charm, without even trying. Good. This ugly guy needs all the charm he can get.

0:47 Browsing around the in-game Sporepedia, I'm surprised that I can't seem to find an option to view beasts uploaded by other online users. Wasn't online integration supposed to be one of the hallmarks of the game?

0:51 I spend the last 10 minutes or so browsing the Sporepedia on spore.com, downloading and playing around with other people's creations. It's a pretty simple process, though I still have no idea why I have to go through a Web browser to do it.

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes.

Why? Seems like an incredibly accessible yet detailed way to create 3-D versions of my fevered imaginings. Plus, I want a leg up on the competition when the full game comes out.

This column is based on a retail version provided by the publisher.