Soon and very soon, Spore is coming. It seems like it's been years on end that we've been waiting for this game; oh wait, we have been waiting that long. The release date is set though and Spore will be hitting store shelves on the 9th of September. While we've already gotten our hands on the Creature Creator and seen the multitude of gameplay videos online, there's still a lot about the game we don't know about.

Obviously, we know the basis of the game is user creation and evolution of a specie, but the fine details haven't been fully revealed to us yet. According to IGN.com, there are going to be five main stages of evolution throughout the game, starting with the Cell Stage. This stage begins with a massive meteor raining down onto an ocean type planet which will be the introduction phase for all players. Organisms from the meteor (you) will make your way through an enormous body of liquid with one sole purpose; surviving. During this time you will also collect DNA which will enable your organism to grow and develop. The things that your organism scavenges and eats indicates the types of alterations and additions that you are able to make to your organism. Some of these additions include spikes to defend against predators, or tentacles to allow you to move faster.

Naturally, eating has other functions. As you eat, you grow larger. As your grow through the Cell Stage you'll move up in the food chain finding larger predators, but also more useful and interesting samples of DNA and such to evolve your organism. The last function of eating relates to the old saying, "you are what you eat." Choosing to prey on other organisms for food in contrast to if you decide to solely eat plant life can determine whether or not your creature in the future will be more carnivorous and aggressive, or docile and passive.

For a simplified, but decent comparison of how the Cell Stage will probably play, try out Flow on the PS3 or download the free flash version here. Below is IGN's source video walkthrough of the Cell Stage Preview.