Spore (2008)

Making an implausible creature and watching it animate remains a delightful creative toy. Carrying life across five stages promises a breadth that the individual systems cannot all match, especially if you want each stage to have the depth of a dedicated strategy game. The base game can be played offline with your own and Maxis's creations. Choose it chiefly for building things and seeing them move; treat the later stages as changing playgrounds.