In a recent interview with CNET Maxis Studio's Thomas Vu revealed that Spore should be going gold sometime this week. Will Wright's latest godsim will allow players to follow the evolutionary path of a species from its origin as a single celled organism to it's eventual entry into the larger universe of space. The interview also covers the surprising ingenuity of players using the Creature Creator, and includes a preview of the space segment of the game.

The best example of this, Wright said at E3, and Vu showed me up close Tuesday, was the creation of a skeleton creature.

They made "creatures we didn't even know could be made," Vu said, speaking of the skeleton. "The player removed the mesh from the creature, which is astounding."

He said that the team at Maxis had also "shied away" from offering creature creation parts that were too animal-like or human-like.

Yet, Vu showed me, players have found a way to make animals, and people as well.

"You'll see something like Hobbes (from the cartoon Calvin and Hobbes )," Vu said, "and we'll be, like, 'Wow, how did they make it?'"

Other examples of things users have done that were unexpected, Vu explained, include making a creature mounted on another creature.

"We didn't even think of that," Vu said. "It looks like he's riding a horse. The creature has a mouth, and the person riding him has eyes, and the animation held up, and that was completely amazing."

CNET: Spore Interview/Preview

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