Something where you go from manipulating gravity to form a planet in the habitable zone of a star, trying to diversify metals and such, choosing basically how much water is added through comet impacts, then starting the journey of life through a timed passing asteroid filled with molecular life.
Then it plays out like Spore should have, where you have some control over a specific races evolution, but in reality true evolutionary forces shape the life of the planet. You have the option to occasionally destroy large portions of life and start over if you're unhappy with where life is going through mass extinction events, but they can also happen automatically.
Occasionally alien life can visit from other worlds to help you guide a chosen species once it begins a path to sentience, but you also can control many aspects of the developing culture and such.
Finally, after guiding a civilization or two through war and peace, they become that tier 3 level of a space-faring race and you begin the 4x colonization of the galaxy. Obviously it'd be great if you could zoom down to a No Man's Sky level and just fly stuff around, but also it'd be fantastic if you had the greater control over units like in a traditional 4x.
Finally, you have the option to fast forward the trillions of years to the end of the universe, where you see if your chosen race had any impact on the last remaining life struggling to survive around the dying red dwarves of the future.
Then you can snuff out those stars and begin again. :)
