Time magazine honors Spore, Wii Fit

A year and a half after it named Shigeru Miyamoto as one of its 100 Most Influential People of 2007, Time magazine has honored his work yet again. More specifically, it has named Wii Fit, the Donkey Kong and Wii designer's latest project, as one of its best gadgets of 2008. Though game critics had mixed feelings about the game and its balance board peripheral, Time heaps praise upon its fitness regimens, saying, "Weight loss has never been easier."

Time's official approval of the game industry doesn't stop there. The venerable magazine also ranked Spore as the 20th best invention of the year (out of 50), beating out such innovations as bionic contacts and the shadowless skyscraper. Dubbing the well-reviewed title its "Everything Game," the weekly talked up its protozoa-to-supernova scope and the seven years of effort put in by its creator, Will Wright. No mention was made of the in-limbo Wii edition of the game, the DS and iPhone spin-offs, the two forthcoming expansions, or possible TV and film adaptations.

However, not everyone has been as infected with Spore fever as Time. A group of scientists have taken offense not only to the way EA has marketed the title, but also to its flawed depiction of evolutionary biology. Wright also said religious and atheist groups have condemned the title.