2008 Game of the Year, Day 3: The CG Awards

And on the third day Uncle Crispy created a winner, and he saw that it was good.
12/23/2008 6:14 PM | 2 Comments | Page 10 of 13

Kyle Orland: Sure, there are some problems with the hit detection and the controls are a little floaty, but LittleBigPlanet makes my list for its sheer ambition in handing control of the game-creation experience over to the players. They've built an extremely accessible, extremely robust level creation tool that's already resulted in some highly imaginative creations (see: LittleBigTetris, the Gradius level) and likely will continue to for years to come. Plus, it gets props from me for creating a two-player co-op platformer system that actually works for both players!

David Thomas: If I can figure out why this wasn't my Game of the Year, I will quit being a game journalist and become a game developer. Other than its very peculiar difficulty ramp -- it goes from really easy to thumb-achingly difficult in a heartbeat -- this seems like a perfect game. So, why haven't I played it more? Why don't I sit and build levels all night? Maybe it's because I am playing Fallout 3. Or maybe it is something else. This is the game that out-Nintendoed Nintendo this year, but lacks that last bit of emotional tug you need to really bond with it as a game. Sackboy overexposure? Maybe. Handicrafts not as cool as Media Molecule hoped? Probably.


Spore
(Maxis)
Order Now


Marc Saltzman: This is where Creationists roll their eyes and turn their backs. This clever evolution simulation is as ambitious as they come: Creating and nurturing a single-cell organism from tide-pool to intergalactic traveler is mind-blowingly cool -- and can only be pulled off by the stroke of mad genius that is Will Wright. Spore is really five games in one (but with a common thread running through each stage), with strong community sharing features and limitless customization. Just when you think you can stop playing, it sucks you back in like a long-nosed, purple polka-dotted Streeb out for a light snack.

Harold Goldberg: To me, it was well worth the wait. While LittleBigPlanet was in very, very close contention for the best-of-make-your-own-stuff award, Spore just edged it out. It was cute early on, but it was also more. It was about exploration and survival of the fittest, which is as important a fable as you can get in a filthy recession such as ours. Then, there was the ooh/ahh factor, which I didn't think I'd feel because Spore had its bugs. And yet, I sat there with happy and sad smiles on my face throughout. And then, there's sharing all that cool stuff crafty folks have invented. The possibilities seem endless for Will Wright's magnum opus. It's a carnival of evolution that's well worth the barker's price of admission.

Troy Goodfellow: Overrated? Yes. Overhyped? Absolutely. But we shouldn't let our disappointment with what Spore isn't get in the way of appreciating what Spore is. It is not a textbook on evolution. It is a game in which almost any creature can make a go of it. It is not a meta-commentary on the development of games. It is a series of excellent mini-games and sandbox play. It is not as great as The Sims. It is a triumph of imagination and daring. It is not as deep as its PR promised. It is much deeper than its detractors suggest. Spore takes sandbox play to an entirely new level, unlocking the creative energies of millions of gamers. There has never been a more user-friendly editor and it's easy to see where new bits to the game can just be plugged in. Spore is like one of those board games with basic rules -- and you know EA will be announcing chrome rules and errata every six months just to keep things fresh. But ironically, the game becomes less compelling for me once it decides to follow the rules of a game (the civilization and space stages). I'm not even sure that Wright is quite sure of what he's created. All I know is that I can make a religious lizard with a top hat.