There's a strong case to be made that Maxis excels at making
software toys rather than games. And there's a not so
insignificant difference there, because a toy is something that
you tinker with, whereas a game is something with a narrative,
goals, or a way to win. That may be why Maxis titles have so
much appeal. SimCity lets you indulge your inner mayor.
Meanwhile, The Sims is the ultimate virtual dollhouse, letting
you create your dream house and, by extension, your dream
family. But now we come to Spore, the most ambitious Maxis
product to date, and one that's as much as a game as it is a
toy. Sure, you can tinker with Spore, but there's also a game
here, one that involves the long struggle of life as it evolves
and advances from a tiny cellular organism to intergalactic
space travel. In fact, 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