The Population: One site is a visual representation of the unfathomable number of people that share this planet with us. Unless you have a super duper extra huge wide-screen monitor, be prepared to scroll...

No, this won't be an article about porn...

Spore is the highly anticipated new game from acclaimed game designer Will Wright, creator of a number of classics including SimCity and The Sims. In Spore, you start out as a single celled microorganism, which you can grow and evolve as a species until eventually you are fighting other civilizations for control of the entire galaxy! Cool, huh?

Spore is played in phases...

• Tide Pool Phase - Fight with other creatures and consume them to adjust the form and abilities of your creature. It’s survival of the fittest at the most microscopic level.
  
• Creature Phase - Venture onto land and help your creature learn and evolve with forays away from your nest. The only way to grow is by taking chances!
  
• Tribal Phase- Instead of controlling an individual creature, you are now caring for an entire tribe. Give them tools and guide their interactions as you upgrade their state of existence.
  
• City Phase - Bring your creatures’ race into a new golden era by building up the technology, architecture, and infrastructure of their city.
  
• Civilization Phase - Once your city is established, your creatures begin seeking out and interacting with other cultures. Make contact with an olive branch or a war cry. The goal for your creatures is to conquer the planet.
  
• Space Phase - The time has come to move on to other worlds in your solar system. Make contact, colonize, or terraform, then venture further to find other solar systems. A ‘mission’ structure provides new goals in your quest for galactic dominance.

Unfortunately, the game isn't due to be released until early next year, but it's already generating lots of buzz, even in mainstream media. Spore articles have recently appeared online at BusinessWeek, Forbes, and New York Times (registration required), as well as on major gamer sites such as IGN, GameSpy, and Yahoo Games.

Can't wait!