I recently picked up a shiny new Razer Blade 16 (2023) model with RTX 4080 graphics and a QHD screen (thanks to Scan.co.uk for that). Naturally, to put what was probably last year's best gaming laptop through its paces, I opted for 2008's god game Spore, developed by EA's Maxis studio.
A younger relative recently visited (shoutout to her ❤️), and she asked if she could show me Spore, a game she'd played when she was small and had a lot of nostalgia for. I was only tangentially aware of Spore when it launched over 15 years ago, thinking it was some kind of EA Pokemon-like with procedurally generated critters. The reality couldn't be further from the truth. Despite the game's age, I found myself oddly sucked in by its quirky world, unique (and oft-horrifying) creatures, and eclectic genre blend that shouldn't make sense on paper.
