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'Spore' lets gamers evolve at E3

By Marc Saltzman
Special to CNN.com

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In "Spore," players assist the development of a single-cell organism.
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- So many games, so little time.

Such is the conundrum faced while navigating through the show floor at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, the annual video game convention that spans more than 600,000 square feet of tomorrow's games today.

Here are the most promising titles to watch for in the near future:

'Spore'

"Spore," from the mind of legendary game designer Will Wright ("SimCity," "The Sims"), is best described as a "God sim," where players must assist the development of a single-cell organism until it evolves into a more advanced creature and then multiplies to form a village and then graduates to a thriving city.

Gamers can change the look and behavior of these creatures as well as customize the city's objects, buildings and vehicles. When players are ready, they can zoom out to reveal the entire planet before globe-trotting to other cities for diplomatic or war-minded purposes.

As a true God sim, players can zoom out even more to travel to other galaxies and even to the universe level.

The behind-closed-doors demo left journalists' jaws on the floor. Too bad it won't be available until fall 2006.

'Oblivion'

Role-playing game aficionados undoubtedly will go gaga over Bethesda Softworks' "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion," an epic played from a first- or third-person perspective.

This fourth game in the best-selling, decade-old series lets you interact with a seemingly real game world, complete with more than 1,000 characters (each with their own artificial intelligence), real-world physics (shoot arrows into a hanging store sign and it sways back and forth) and randomly generated scenes such as a forest that will look different every time the level is loaded.

In development for the PC and Xbox 360, "Oblivion" also lets gamers create a unique hero with limitless options for physical attributes, skills and character classes.

The story once again takes place in Tamriel, where the mysterious and untimely death of the Emperor spawns a vicious demon attack on its denizens. To restore peace to this world, you must explore the lands and use might and magic to find the lost heir to the throne.

The game is slated for a winter launch.

'Gears of War'

Splinter Cell meets Resident Evil in Epic Games' "Gears of War," a stunning third-person, stealth action thriller created exclusively for the Xbox 360. You play as a futuristic Marine who must run and gun through a dilapidated city to search and destroy nightmarish creatures.

By using objects as cover, such as a stone wall or blown-up car, you can "stop and pop" these baddies with a powerful arsenal while also solving puzzles to advance through the photorealistic indoor and outdoor levels.

Players fight alongside a computer-controlled squad, or a second gamer can pick up a controller to join in on the fun. Multiple cooperative and head-to-head multiplayer modes are planned as an addendum to the gripping single-player campaign.

Microsoft Game Studios will publish the game, which should be available within the first few months of the Xbox 360 launch.

Other video games that wowed attendees include EA Sports' "Madden 2006" for next-generation consoles, Eidos' return of the once-popular "Tomb Raider" franchise (yes, Lara Croft looks sexier than ever), Namco's "Hellgate: London" (created by some of the folks responsible for "Diablo"), Ubisoft's fun "King Kong" and a wildly imaginative Capcom game, "Okami," where you must use your controller as a paintbrush to draw objects onscreen. (Full storyexternal link)


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