Spore

I need to play this game now, not in Q4 2006.

I'll admit, though I can't explain why making virtual people shower, eat, and go to work was so entralling, I did love playing The Sims for awhile there. Spore is also from Wil Wright, and is like The Sims (inside joke alert) on steroids (end alert). You start as a single-celled organism, evolve several times (assuming you survive) in ways you have complete artistic and creative control over, build a society of guys that look just like your first guy, and eventually end up as a spacefaring race, befriending or conquering worlds in other space systems.

Also, all shapes, textures, and animations in the game are dynamic, so you aren't limited to customizations pre-determined by the designers. The rendering and animation engines react on the fly if you add a fifth leg or a horned tail to your creature during an evolution. The possibilities are almost endless within the evolution theme of the game. Also, different stages of the game play differently, each one an homage to some of the most brilliant games to come before it. (Play styles in the beta version reference games as disperate as Pac-Man, Populous, and Civilization, plus some new twists.)

If I could have this game right now I would leave work for twenty minutes and go over to the mall and buy it. I have to have this thing. If anyone hears about how to get into the beta, call me immediately.

No, really.